The Kings Arms, Emsworth

Pub SignMan left this review about The Kings Arms

A straightforward L-shaped Fullers pub, the Kings Arms sits on the main road through Emsworth, just a short walk from the station. You enter through a side door into the main bar - a carpeted space with the servery running along the left-hand wall. Tables and chairs fill the right-hand side of the room, many of which were reserved during my Saturday night visit, while a small brick fireplace at the front helps to separate the bar from a smaller front left room. This side room, laid with bare boards and simply furnished with tables and benches, felt somewhat cold and uninviting, and most customers seemed to prefer the main bar area. The dark wood counter comes equipped with a footrail and coat hooks, topped by a simple mirrored bar back and a canopy draped with fairy lights. A rear dining area offers another fireplace, this time with a large mirror above it, and the walls throughout are lined with old photos, blackboards and assorted breweriana.
The cask ale choice featured Fuller London Pride (of course), Dark Star Hophead and Gales HSB (£5.10 a pint), with one more having recently been taken off. I found the HSB to be well kept, and a friendly and helpful barmaid provided excellent service, helping to inject some warmth into what was otherwise a fairly standard pub environment.
Whilst this pub wasn't particularly memorable, the charming service and comfortable setting made for a pleasant enough experience. It felt like the sort of place that has it's own bunch of loyal locals as well as picking up a few passers by thanks to the prominent roadside location, so there was enough going on that I could look past the flaws and I generally enjoyed spending some time here before catching my train home.

Date of visit: 4th January 2025

On 28^th April 2025 - rating: 7
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