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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by Quinno _
Submitted on Thursday, 5th December 2024
With picture contributions to 5437 other pubs
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Detail Pages
The City Arms, Wells
Wells
BA5 2AG
Served areas
Reviews of The City Arms (Average Rating: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Quinno _ left this review about The City Arms
Certainly one of the most visually striking pubs I’ve come across, a curved corner building looking like the base of a castle turret, painted a somewhat eye-catching salmon pink – apparently this used to function as the city’s gaol 200 years ago. Enter through a pleasant flagstone courtyard to an interior that has been fairly brutally modernised and lacks any real charm. Three ales over four pumps, all of which were bitters (sigh) though my half of Dartmoor Jail was reasonable, if perhaps not cellared long enough for full flavour (NBSS 3), served-up by a cheerful mature barmaid. Worth a look for the first time visitor to Wells but I doubt I’d see the need to revisit unless the day was sunny and the courtyard inviting. 6.5
On 11th March 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about City Arms
Well described by PSM, below, this old town pub is entered through the courtyard which was full of drinkers and smokers. Once inside though there was plenty of space to sit and enjoy the table service. The staff were pleasant and helpful, the other inside drinkers mainly civilised. Three ales on draft were Potholer, Tribute and Glastonbury’s Hedge Monkey, all in excellent condition. This was a really enjoyable visit and one I’m keen to repeat, hopefully to try the food next time.
On 9th May 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3516 recommendations about 3480 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about City Arms
This is a pleasant city centre pub at the far end of the High Street, with a smart interior split across two wings and a convivial drinker’s atmosphere in contrast to many of the city’s more food-led establishments. You enter via a very nice little front courtyard which sits between the pub’s two halves and offers some decent garden furniture amongst plenty of greenery. The entrance is to the rear right of the courtyard and brings you into a fairly plush seating area with tables of various sizes down both sides of the room served by high stools and standard chairs. Walls are half panelled with plain uppers and as you move towards the rear, you eventually reach the bar area, with a short servery along the rear wall sporting the same tongue and groove panelling on its counter front as well as a modern bar back, part of which is exposed brickwork. To the left of the bar is a small lounge area with bare brick on the lower half of the wall and more of the same tongue and groove panels above. Sofa and tub chair seating has been used to fill this space and there was a TV screen on one wall which was switched off in favour of pop tunes played in the background. A connecting passageway from here leads past the toilets and on into the bare boarded left-hand wing of the pub – a large seating area which runs back towards the street and offers a mix of basic seating to the front and comfier sofas to the rear. There were quite a few customers in when I visited a couple of hours before closing on a mid-week evening, including one or two children, which I was a little surprised at. A friendly barmaid took my contact details at the bar and then came over to take my order once I’d chosen a seat.
They had managed to get four ales on the bar, giving me an interesting choice between Cheddar Ales Potholer, Wild Beer Bibble, St Austell Tribute and Glastonbury Love Monkey. Having enjoyed a good pint from Cheddar Ales earlier in the day, I decided to try the Potholer, which was in good condition but not half as tasty as the Crown & Glory I’d enjoyed elsewhere.
I really liked the feel of this place, which struck me as a far better bet for the ale drinker than many of the city’s more prominent pubs. There was a good range of mostly local ales on the bar, friendly service, comfortable seating and a good wet-led atmosphere which all combined to make this a very pleasant stop-off.
On 24th November 2020
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
View more reviews of The City Arms (6)
No known official website for this pub.
- Facebook - City Arms
- Twitter - The City Arms Inn
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The City Arms - whatpub.com
Bruton, 12.98 miles, 4 hr 10 min walk (show)
Highbridge & Burnham-on-Sea, 15.99 miles, 5 hr 8 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : Yes last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Beer Garden : Yes - Courtyard Area on entry - last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Car Park : No last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 24 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Darts : No last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Function Room : No last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 01 November 2009 by hondo .
- Jukebox : No last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Karaoke : No last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Live Music : Yes last updated 24 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Pinball : No last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : No last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 24 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- WiFi : Yes last updated 11 March 2025 by Quinno _
