The King's Head, Guildford

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#79 of 190 Restaurants in GuildfordBar, British, $$ - $$$

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The King's Head, Guildford

Review

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Website

+44 1483 568957Improve this listing

About

A traditional English pub in Guildford, Surrey, The King's Head is well known locally for its friendly service and excellent eating. There's an array of fantastic Fuller's ales here too

Features

CUISINES

Bar, British, Pub

Meal types

Lunch, Dinner, Late Night, Drinks

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

FEATURES

Free Wifi

Full Bar

Highchairs Available

Live Music

Outdoor Seating

Parking Available

Reservations

Seating

Serves Alcohol

Table Service

Television

Wheelchair Accessible

Location

27 King's Road, Guildford GU1 4JW England

Parking Available

Does this restaurant offer highchairs for toddlers?

Yes

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Hours

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Closed now

• Opens at 11:00 AM

Sunday

12:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Monday

11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Tuesday

11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Wednesday

11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Thursday

11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Friday

11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Saturday

11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

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4.0

210 reviews

Excellent

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Average

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Terrible

Phönix G

1 contribution

Amazing pub and a very lively place

Apr 2024 • friends

The Kings Head in Guildford is a quintessential English pub that ticks all the boxes for a great night out. The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming, with traditional décor and a friendly vibe. The menu offers a variety of classic pub fare, from fish and chips to hearty pies, all served with generous portions and quality ingredients. The bar selection is impressive, with a wide range of beers, ales, wines, and spirits to choose from. The staff are attentive and personable, adding to the overall enjoyable experience. Whether you're looking for a casual drink with friends or a satisfying meal, The Kings Head delivers a reliably good time.

Written April 18, 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

adamdiveking85

Farnham8 contributions

The Best Kept Beer In The Area And Far Beyond

Jul 2020 • none

I've been to the Kings Head on a few occasions and the one guarantee I know I'm going to get is one of the cleanest, freshest, best kept beers in the area and far beyond. Don't get me wrong, there's a premium to be paid for the quality, but if you're happy to shell out an extra 50p on parallel prices elsewhere, you truly will not be disappointed. Away from the wets, they offer a huge selection of home made, stone baked pizzas along with various katsu-topped sides and classic pub fare - all done exceptionally well. They also stock the exceptionally tasty Moving Mountains burgers alongside a number of other vegan dishes. It gets very busy over the weekend which can be a plus or a minus depending on your preference, but even during these busy times the staff always make me feel very welcome. You pay for quality and this is worth every penny.

Written July 16, 2020

Dan A

Hi Adam K, Thank you so much for your fantastic review! I look forward to seeing you in the pub again soon! Kind regards Dan & the team @ The King's Head

Written May 2, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Tom Pease

1 contribution

Office Christmas Party

Dec 2019 • none

We had a fantastic time at the King's Head for our Office Christmas party. We all ate from the very reasonably priced 3 course set menu and the quality and quantity of the food was excellent, definitely the best we've found in Guildford over the last few years of booking these kind of events! The staff at the venue were very hospitable and the service from the moment we made a booking enquiry until the end of the evening was first class. In total I think we spent in excess of 5 hours at the venue eating and drinking which I think shows what a great time we all had. Thanks very much for the effort you guys put in to making this a really fun evening with friends and colleagues.

Written January 3, 2020

DanArrow

Hi Tom Pease, Thank you so much for your fantastic review! We have had some super feedback around our Christmas offer this year, and I am very proud of the team and what we achieved over the festive period! Please let me know if you need assistance with any further bookings this year and I will do my best to assist you. I look forward to seeing you in the pub again soon! Kind regards Dan & the team @ The King's Head

Written January 16, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sarah S

1 contribution

Expensive frozen food !

Jul 2024 • family

Visited for the first time in a while for food and drinks whilst watching euros. The scampi and chips is completely overpriced and no better than Wetherspoons which is half the price. I used to eat here a couple of years ago and the scampi was lovely with beautiful chunky chips and lovely home made tartare with a good portion of scampi … £ 16.95 for an ok portion of scampi with horrible skinny over cooked fries , overcooked frozen peas and the tartare sauce was not homemade and tasted of nothing … spoons does it better and I have to say I thought I would never say that!!! My son had calamari with a portion of chips. Chips were a tiny portion served in a cup and nearly £5 and the calamari was tiny and not that great. Shame that the food has gone very down hill whilst maintaining a higher price band. Noticed not many people eating although pub was very busy. Will not be eating there again . New owners were not very welcoming .. shame could be a great pub !

Written July 10, 2024

Karen F

2 contributions

A terrible experience

Nov 2024 • friends

Avoid at all costs! The pub has recently implemented a parking machine but with little signage. Especially tricky to see if you come after dark. Having visited here for many, many years, I wasn’t expecting it and paid at the opposite side of the bar to the machine so didn’t see that either. So you can imagine I was very confused when a parking fine came through the post. Expecting to call the pub and have them just sort it out straight away they denied all accountability and told me to speak to the parking company. I did this, showing the receipt from my purchase of a meal, but the parking company insisted on fining me anyway, saying I hadn’t done what I was supposed to do and so the fine would be upheld. On contacting the pub again they refused to help in any way. They wouldn’t return my calls or reply to my emails. I have been coming to the pub with a group once a month for many many years. Most of us will eat a meal and have a couple of drinks, but unfortunately due to this debacle, they’ve now lost it one, but several customers. I’ve worked in customer service most of my life and this is one of those instances where even if there was nothing they could do, and it was up to the parking company, they should’ve really offered me a voucher at the very least. That’s what I would’ve done in their position. Even before this happened our last three or four times of visiting had been a disaster. Meals have been cold and dry, many menu items weren’t available, and often drinks showing as being on tap were actually empty. I don’t know what’s happened here but the whole place seems to have become a complete shambles. We visit on the same night as the open mic, and I’ve noticed that over the last couple of years attendance of that has dropped significantly. This really isn’t the pub it used to be and it’s a real shame.

Written January 29, 2025

CharlesLocal

Reigate52 contributions

Ask for the gravy to be served separately

Feb 2024 • friends

Frequently visit the pub and we always get good service and beer. Decided to eat there Ordered their pies. The pies were completely ruined by being covered in a horrible glutinous gravy which taste overpower everything and because it was poured over the mash, cabbage and pie completely ruined the meal. Also not cheap Won’t eat there again

Written February 21, 2024

Jane Doe

1 contribution

AWFUL “WAITRESS” AT THE DOOR PLS READ WHOLE THING **

Apr 2021 • friends

Before I begin I’d like to say ,the food drinks and other waiters and waitresses were extremely pleasant but a horrible waitress ruined our entire outing! My friends and I arrived on time for a booking for the outside area and as soon as we arrived we were greeted extremely sourly as if we had done something wrong. We tried to brush this off as we understood the stress of working a busy pub. The whole pub mainly runs on an online app service to order food and drinks, however, it was extremely slow and not working. We ate into 30 minutes of our 2 hour booking trying to order and finally I decided to raise my hand ( very politely) to indicate the app was not working. The rude and arrogant waitress shouted at me and embarrassed me and my friends infront of the whole pub and when we questioned her on how we should have gotten her attention in a way she would have preferred she was not able to answer. She clearly felt she had to exert some authority very unnecessarily. The whole time during our slow she was not even involved in serving customers but standing near the entrance and making irrelevant markings next to everyone’s names. The entire situation was incredibly distasteful and horrible, really ruined our perception of a potentially amazing place if it wasn’t for her ego Safe to say she ruined my evening !

Written April 14, 2021

Dan A

Hi 871janeeeedoe, Thank you for taking the time to review The King's Head. I do unfortunately think that you have posted your comment to the wrong King's Head, as there are two pubs which go by the same name in Guildford, and the only reason I am sure you have posted your review to the wrong one, is that we did not open until Thursday 15th April! I do hope you will give the other Kings Head (on Quarry Street) an opportunity to rectify the issues you received on the night, and I look forward to welcoming you to The King's Head (on Stoke Road) in the very near future. Kind regards Dan Arrow General Manager The King's Head

Written May 13, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Neil A

United Kingdom3 contributions

Bad to worse

May 2022 • family

We come here every Wednesday for a drink and we are locals to the pub. However the pub has turned for the worse. It has different staff nearly every fortnight. The food on the menu is rarely available. (every week) One of the staff members suggested it was BREXIT,😂 Unfortunately we will now be going across the road to the Stoke Pub. Only the brewers to blame.

Written May 4, 2022

Kings Head G

Hi Neil, Sorry to hear we couldn't deliver the food options you wanted. We're working hard on our menu to make sure it is deliverable. In terms of staff, we have been hiring but some of our longest serving staff members were here on Wednesday night. Your recent reviews of our pub seem to have a BREXIT theme, while this does have its issues, it's certainly not an excuse. Thank you for taking the time to give us some feedback.

Written May 6, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jo E

57 contributions

At lasr

Jul 2020 • none

Popped in for a drink and ended having lunch as at long last someone does a vegan hot dog. Very good selection for vegans. Slightly overpriced though . The bread roll could have been slightly longer to accommodate the hot dog and the onions would have been better fried rather then cold rings. Otherwise excellent

Written July 29, 2020

Honeymooners43

242 contributions

Had a really great 90 minutes holiday!

Jul 2020 • none

At the current time it's hard to get away on holiday with work pressures in this part of the world being terrible. It was lovely to get away from a computer and have a "90 minute holiday" here at the Kings Head. One can go back in time to King George VI technologies and have some space to eat and drink. Have been a couple of times this month and it's been lovely since they opened again. All is organised very well and one can get a good bit of safe space.

Written July 31, 2020

Dan A

Hi Honeymooners43, Thank you so much for your lovely review! I am glad you had an enjoyable evening at The King's Head and look forward to welcoming you back to the pub soon! Kind regards Dan & the team @ The King's Head

Written May 3, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Oliver

1 contribution

Afternoon ruined

Apr 2021 • friends

Although the chips and garlic bread satisfied my taste Buds the chicken wings failed to do so. I've never seen so much batter on a dead chicken. I was tossed around the pub table to table like a stripper on a busy Saturday. Even though I had booked a time slot for the afternoon.i would not recommend placing a booking here just to use the rest room. Regards unhappy customer

Written April 24, 2021

Dan A

Hi Oliverway1711, Thank you for taking the time to review The King's Head. I apologise that you felt unloved when you visited us. It was myself who offered you a larger table when I delivered your food so you could enjoy some more space while you dined, I did not know you would take offense to it, and for this I apologise. I was clear when I offered you the table that I did need it back at a certain time, and at the time, you seemed OK with that. Again, I apologise if this was not the case. We have had some amazing feedback about our chicken wings, and I'm sorry if your portion was not quite up to scratch. I shall feed your comments back to the kitchen team in an effort to ensure this does not happen to anybody else. I do hope you will not let this small incident deter you from coming back to The King's Head. Please let me know if you need assistance with any further bookings and I will do my best to assist you. I look forward to seeing you in the pub again soon! Kind regards Dan & the team @ The King's Head

Written May 2, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Craig L

Wokingham53 contributions

Buzzing!

Dec 2022 • none

Popped in here to watch the England v France World Cup match and despite it being incredibly busy it was no problem getting served. The staff worked so hard despite the numbers and all in all we had a great few hours here. Would definitely recommend and will be back!

Written December 11, 2022

Kings Head G

Thanks for the review Craig! Sorry about the result, see you soon. King's Head Team

Written December 12, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Ilovegreatfood1

Petersfield133 contributions

Yummy food and lovely staff. Great atmosphere.

Jan 2020 • none

My friends and I enjoyed a delicious meal here last week. Gorgeous chicken burger, nicely battered fish and chips (although not too keen on the mushy peas; would prefer fresh but that’s personal choice ) and the pie with Savoy cabbage was yummy. For the price, I feel that it was well worth the visit. Very homely food. Not pretentious and perfect for the cold winters nights. Staff were lovely and it was good to see the chef in her nice clean chef whites. Clean chef clean kitchen. Loved the place being dog friendly and welcome children. Well worth the visit and being so close to the town, it will our go to place.

Written January 15, 2020

DanArrow

Hi Ilovegreatfood1, Thank you so much for your fantastic review! I am delighted you and your friends enjoyed your dinner, tucked up by the fire on a cold blustery January evening! It really is the little things that make a huge difference, like clean chef whites for chefs. They are proud of the way they look and proud of the food they serve, and that is really important. I look forward to seeing you in the pub again soon! Kind regards Dan & the team @ The King's Head

Written January 16, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jon

London130 contributions

Festive pub

Feb 2024 • friends

A fun vibey atmosphere in a traditional pub setting and one of the cosiest beer gardens out the back, set in the Guildford town centre. We just had drinks so cannot comment on the food. The outside area is a smokers paradise so if you don’t smoke you may find it overpowering.

Written February 18, 2024

David A

Guildford63 contributions

Very poor show: New Year's Eve

Dec 2021 • friends

Very poor show. Booked for new years eve Got an email asking for confirmation where we confirmed our intention to attend. New years eve late morning, got an email claiming lack of staff forcing a 21:30 closure. What nonsense. Fullers, get a grip. Pay your staff properly, charge us £5 entry which will pay staff bonus. Let us down last minute is completely inexcusable and poor management planning

Written December 31, 2021

Kings Head G

We are very sorry about the inconvenience caused caused on New Year's Eve. We did unfortunately have multiple staff isolating with COVID-19 meaning it just wasn't viable to provide our best service safely on such a night. We hope this experience will not put you off visiting the pub in the future. If you wish to speak about this more please don't hesitate to get in touch at kingshead.guildford.manager@fullers.co.uk or 01483 568957 Thanks, The King's Head Team

Written January 5, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.