The Kings Arms, Salford

Been on the "to visit" for a long time. Yet, I only managed a fleeting visit. I liked what I saw. Saturday night and I was very time constrained. Popped in to find gorgeous architecture. A multi roomed pub, crying out to be explored. Theatre included. Alas, it was too busy to do it justice. I managed to get served very quickly with the only non dark real ale on - a Queens Legs - which I am assuming is a pun influence house pale. It was very good. To get seating, I had go to the beer garden, which wasnt ideal on a Nov evening. Still, I found a banksy type art work of John Cooper Clarke. One to return to and do more justice, but looked very promising.

The lights of this pub were on inside and out. Whatpub, Facebook and Google all had a midday published opening time for our Friday visit. Yet at 3:45, all doors were still locked, leaving us little choice but to move on. With my visits to Salford occurring approximately every 12 years, I'll be surprised to see this trading if and when I manage to visit the area again.

Pretty much unchanged since my 2018 review but it may have had a lick of paint since. Four hand pulls for cask ale at the bar, all of which were on, including a house ale. Curiously, vaping seems to be tolerated - unless the bar staff just didn't notice the clouds coming from one customer in the corner!

Accurately self-described as a "real ale pub and theatre", with a traditional main bar in the corner of this Grade II-listed wedge-shaped building, a more modern side room across the corridor and the performance space (presumably) upstairs. With one of the four handpumps being changed over as I arrived, the choice was The EPA from Cross Bay, Beartown's hazy single-hop Idaho 7 (£4.30) and the Green Green Grass of Home (with a hint of hemp extract, apparently) from Tudor.

The Kings Arms advertises itself as a pub, music venue, theatre and community hub. I didn’t venture upstairs, but I am aware that there is a bar with performance spaces for all the dramatics and self-expression. This is a hub for local groups that like to knit, natter, fish, walk, dance, sing and agitate… Sounds like a Pubs Galore crawl! The pub itself is a traditional grade II listed red brick late 1970s pub with central lobby. This leads to a room with seating and a fireplace to the left, a thin bar to the right and an open plan seating area at the rear. A curved bar counter serves the front and rear seating areas and a beer shelf with bar stool runs along the right wall between these two areas. The bar supports a standard and premium keg range and I counted six hand pumps. Two were unused and the other four were drawing local non-mainstream ales. I didn’t spot any televisions, but there was some background music playing from the jukebox. Out the back is a well-tended fence enclosed decked beer garden with picnic tables, some of which are covered. The doors open at 16:00 Monday to Thursday and noon Friday to Sunday. I found the service from both members of staff to be very friendly and I liked the atmosphere, this was the busiest pub in this part of Salford on Wednesday evening. I would enjoy a return visit.