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Picture of The Kings Arms
Image posted by Blackthorn _
Submitted on Tuesday, 1st July 2014
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The Kings Arms, Bedford

24 St. Marys Street
Bedford
MK42 0AS
Phone: 01234354494
Correct details

Served areas

Reviews of The Kings Arms (Average Rating: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about The Kings Arms

This is a slightly modernised, multi-roomed Greene King, located just over the river from the town centre. You enter into an opened out main bar area with the servery down the left-hand wall and a small seating area to the front left with tables and chairs plus a few high backed pews filling a simple space with breweriana on display and a dartboard to one side. To the right, a small step takes you up to a nice side room with an authentic traditional pub feel, pew and chair seating to the side and some mighty fine carved benches to the rear, although this effect is massively diminished by the positioning of a pool table in the middle of the room. The bar has a plain tongue and groove panelled counter with some nice pillars supporting the rather blocky dark wood canopy which matches the bar back. There’s a large open space opposite, with a few high tables and stools dotted in between some large structural support pillars, and a TV here was showing a live football fixture with the sound turned off. Some steps to the rear lead into a final seating area with a good mix of furniture and similar decor to the main bar area. The whole pub has a very corporate feel, enhanced by reams of Greene King branded bunting strung everywhere, plus promo posters and other such guff. A cracking reggae and blue-eyed soul soundtrack was playing in the background throughout my stay, but other than a small group of lads watching the football, there was only myself and the barman around to appreciate it.
The pub has a listing in the latest Good Beer Guide, but I was faced with an uninspiring choice between Green King IPA and Morland Old Speckled Hen, with neither of the guest ales promised in the GBG materialising. I ordered a half of the Old Speckled Hen, which was served to me in a flute glass by the admittedly friendly barman, and was disappointingly warm.
Judging by this visit, I’d have to question how this place made it into the Good Beer Guide (or indeed, why Bedford has eight pubs listed), as I came away a little disappointed on pretty much all fronts. Whilst it has just about retained a multiple room interior, these spaces have either been given bland corporate refits or lumbered with a pool table, which meant there wasn’t anywhere that appealing to settle down in. This was the disappointment of the day and one I’d have no problem dropping from future crawls around town.

On 23rd February 2022 - rating: 5
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Bucking Fastard left this review about The Kings Arms

A Greene King house opposite Bedford College and one of the few pubs to the south of Town Bridge.It's clearly an old building but seems modest from the outside.You step down through a low front door and immediately the ceiling is also low.To the left a band was setting up by the front window,while to the right is a dedicated pool room with quite a number of exposed timbers.The bar is in the middle with a few high tables opposite.Beyond the pool room up a step is a quiet spot with a most unusual carved four person table and a side door past a covered smoking area to the beer garden.
Past the bar,the tardis interior exposes itself with a conservatory room,again leading to the beer garden,and a higher level seating area with a fine wall display cabinet of wine bottles.The beer garden is enclosed but quite large and muzak is played here as well as in the interior,thankfully the soundtrack was good.
It's a real community pub with lots going on and no doubt well used by the College opposite.At the bar there are 4 handpumps with two GK beers (GK IPA and Old Golden Hen) and therefore two guests Sharp's Atlantic and Hogs Back TEA (£4 rip off) which was in fair condition but the barmaid admitted that not a lot had been drawn on her shift.Lager is far more popular.Given a pedestrian ale line up ,I was surprised to find it in the 2018 GBG.I assume that the local CAMRA branch are having difficulty filling their allocation.However as a fun pub to visit it's fine ,and is popular with a mixed crowd on this less desirable side of the river.

On 22nd July 2018 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2709 recommendations about 2709 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Kings Arms

A decent pub with a bit of character. Reasonable pint of the seasonal Bonkers Conkers. One of the better pubs in Bedford, so worth a short walk southwards from the town centre and over the bridge.

On 29th September 2008 - rating: 7
[User has posted 8066 recommendations about 8066 pubs]


View more reviews of The Kings Arms (4)
External web links for The Kings Arms

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Pub location see interactive map of local area
Map location corrected by Bucking Fastard
Bedford St Johns, 0.35 miles, 6 min walk (show)
Bedford, 0.87 miles, 16 min walk (show)
Kempston Hardwick, 4.07 miles, 1 hr 18 min walk (show)
Latest updates View all updates for The Kings Arms, Bedford
23rd Feb 2022, 13:15
Review submitted by Pub SignMan
 
22nd Jul 2018, 21:52
Review submitted by Bucking Fastard amended by Bucking Fastard

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 : No last updated 23 February 2022 by Pub SignMan
  • Bar Billiards : No last updated 23 February 2022 by Pub SignMan
  • Beer Garden : Yes last updated 22 July 2018 by Bucking Fastard
  • Car Park : Yes last updated 22 July 2018 by Bucking Fastard
  • Child Friendly : Yes last updated 23 February 2022 by Pub SignMan
  • Darts : Yes last updated 23 February 2022 by Pub SignMan
  • Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 23 February 2022 by Pub SignMan
  • Function Room : Yes last updated 23 February 2022 by Pub SignMan
  • Hot Food : Yes last updated 23 February 2022 by Pub SignMan
  • Jukebox : No last updated 23 February 2022 by Pub SignMan
  • Karaoke : No last updated 23 February 2022 by Pub SignMan
  • Live Music : Yes - Saturdays - last updated 22 July 2018 by Bucking Fastard
  • Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 23 February 2022 by Pub SignMan
  • Micropub : No last updated 23 February 2022 by Pub SignMan
  • Pinball : No last updated 23 February 2022 by Pub SignMan
  • Pool Table : Yes last updated 22 July 2018 by Bucking Fastard
  • Real Ale : Yes last updated 19 November 2011 by Moby Duck
  • Real Cider : Yes last updated 23 February 2022 by Pub SignMan
  • WiFi : Yes last updated 23 February 2022 by Pub SignMan
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