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The Kings Arms, Bedford
Bedford
MK42 0AS
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) 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 3114 recommendations about 3114 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 2727 recommendations about 2727 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 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Kings Arms
The Kings Arms is a decent looking old pub that is opposite Bedford college and close to the river.
Once inside this was quite a nice pub with a few different smallish rooms that had a cosy feel to them,this pub is a Greene King tied house and there was one real ale on the bar this was Greene King IPA and this was a decent enough drink.
I thought this was quite a nice pub to have a few drinks in.
Pub visited 20/1/2001
On 20th January 2001
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]