Kings Head Poole in Poole

Although there is a disabled parking space outside, the roads to it are all closed. Nothing to do with the pub though. The wife and I struggled to get there. I come from Poole, but have never been inside this historic harbour inn. As soon as you walk in, you can visualise the history, the smuggling plots being made by sailors of old, those walls could tell some tales. I was greeted by Kerry, who seemed very pleasant. I was really pleased to see dimpled handles in the pint and also the half. I mentioned that these are few and far between, and in her own words "this is a proper pub", and I cannot disagree. Two vessels of Best were poured and we sat by a window. Also present was "the founder member of the Glee Club" ( sarcasm on my part? absolutely ! ) aka the bearded landlord, I presume, who scowled around looking generally miserable, with no conversation to his customers or staff. We enjoyed our drinks and left, part of me satisfied with our visit, but underwhelmed by Mr. Chuckles.

The pub was pretty empty being a Wednesday lunchtime but we waited about an hour for our food to arrive. After ordering the bar man then told the next customer that the wait would be 45 minutes. They received their food before us although we ordered a good 10 minutes before them. When the food finally arrived it was OK. The veg was hard and watery the pastry on the pie was too thick. The fish and chips were adequate but we were not offered any sauces with are meals. I would definitely not return!

Brilliant. A large group of us. But all served with Sunday lunch very quickly, it was delicious, roast and a pud £12-95. We will be back.

Visiting here for a short break, I thought I’d try this pub. After ordering drinks in a seemingly placid bar, I thought nothing about charging my phone by a nearby socket. This has never been an issue when I normally frequent pubs. A couple of mins later, the ‘landlord’ come storming over like a bull in a china shop, yanked the plug out and raised his voice in an aggressive manner. Unbelievably rude and intimating, even if he felt I should have asked him first. One of the most hostile landlords I’ve ever encountered, and not fit to run a business in any capacity. Thankfully, he is not representative of the generally friendly hospitality I’ve encountered in this nice town, and won’t put me off coming to Poole again.

Spontaneous, drop in for lunch and so very impressed. Lovely Old School English pub with good old fashioned service. Started with a great GnT for myself and my gorgeous lady. Then a home made steak n ale pie and a great glass on Merlot. Fantastic.

Family visiting from Norwich with young children . Decided to book here and so pleased we did . We were met by friendly staff. We ordered the 2 course Sunday roast with dessert a choice of beef, pork or gammon . Food arrived promptly hot and fresh .Dessert was a delight. I decided to have the Pineapple Upside Down Pudding with custard . It reminded me of my childhood days when mum made this dessert . Staff were very attentive and deserve this review for their hard work and friendliness . Thank you so much

Reading some of these negative reviews makes me feel quite angry. The service industry has become even harder to work in since covid. A lot of people are extremely entitled these days and i think the attitude of some customers would get a one star review from my own experience in my own public facing job. This is a good honest pub in my experience and i am very partial to the home made BALTI Burger! Friendly family run atmosphere and the Landlady made not only my party very welcome, but all the other parties who turned up that night. As you can see a lot of the negative reviews look like they have a personal vendetta against some of the staff here. I can say from my experience i have always been welcome here. Maybe people who work in the service industry should have our own website called punter advisor.... There are just some people you can't please no matter what. Especially when most people these days feel entitled to everything before they have even set foot in a place. Just try and be nice humans!

As soon as we entered this pub we really should have turned around and left. There was no to my greeting just scowls from the manager. We went into the garden as we had our dog with us and only wanted a drink. There was a gate in the garden which we shut as no one else was there and we wanted to let the dog off the lead. The manager came into the garden throwing the gate open and said it should be left open as he stormed past us to check the back gate. We explained why we had closed it and he then told us to "put the dog on his lead then". What a welcome, we won't be back. The pub was virtually empty ( August!!!) so I would have thought they would be happy to have some customers. As Deborah C said in an earlier review this is a "locals pub" and they seem to resent strangers visiting. Be warned!!!

We called into the Kings Head as we were on holiday in Poole and having looked around decided to visit here for lunch. We had a chilli con carne, hunters chicken and ploughman’s salad. Food arrived within 10 minutes, superbly cooked, piping hot and delicious. Great value for money. We loved our visit, very olde worldy inside, very welcoming and the landlord is a great character had us in stitches. Fantastic visit.😀

Stayed for a pint, badgers on tap so if that’s your thing come here. Otherwise interior is a bit dated as many sea front pubs but the beer garden is very nice brings the rating up.

The wine and beer were fine. The service came with a smile and was very good! But the food was very disappointing. The fish pie was dry and should have been creamy. The seafood chowder was bland, little flavour, needed more fish stock and far less flour thickener.

Called in for a meal on a saturday night without pre-booking a table. Friendly welcome from bar staff. Meals served hot and tasty. Hubby had steak pie , chips . I had the hunters chicken , chips, coleslaw & buttered corn on the cob. Good old fashioned pub grub , filling and very nice. (Other customers entering asked me what meal I'd got as it looked so good , and they ordered the same). Well spaced out tables. Ciders and beers kept well.

Would not recommend. Definitely a ‘locals’ bar. Stayed for one drink then left as did not feel welcome.

My wife and I went to the King's Head for lunch and a few drinks, it was lovely food drinks were great and was made even better with real ale on tap. The landlord and landlady and all the staff great and extremely friendly. Would definitely recommend this pub to anyone. Can't wait until we go back to Poole so we can visit the pub again

Ok experience. Nice looking pub, serves food at different times. Duke box too quiet, 50p a song and can’t hear anything.

We popped in for dinner, it’s off season so very quiet, the barman was welcoming as was Harley the Alsatian Dog. Ordered a couple of burgers which were both very nice and enjoyed the peace and quiet. This was not our first visit, probably the 4th over the years and we will return.

On an "out of season" break in Poole. Saw the Kings head and decided to eat there as from outside it was light and welcoming (early evening) A good menu, very friendly pub, great to be able to hear yourself speak as not having "pounding"...

We came here for lunch and ordered two burger and chips, it was very disappointing the burgers had not been home made and were thin and tasteless not worth the £26.85 we paid, The bar man was not at all welcoming nor friendly so we...

Tempted by the offer of cream of mushroom soup and cream of chicken soup served with crusty homemade bread on a cold day we wish we hadn’t of bothered. The cream of mushroom soup certainly wasn’t it was more of a hot stock with no...

Sirloin steak and a Ploughman's. Generous portions. Fresh food. Reasonable prices. Cannot ask for more. Recommended

Fantastic home cooked food. Have been here 3 times during a week holiday. First time had pie and chips. What a treat well cooked and hearty. Disappointed not doing food on second visit. Third time had a selection of starters as not really hungry. Wow...

Having never been to Poole before, we were wandering around looking for somewhere for Sunday Lunch. We hadn't booked anywhere in advance and we spotted The Kings Head and thought it looked a good traditional pub. The hosts were most accommodating finding us a table...

Great to get out of the rain into a traditional pub. Played pool whilst waiting for an excellent well priced lunch. Staff friendly and welcoming. Would recommend.

Very good selection of traditional British pub food at honest prices. Round the corner from the docks and next to the tourist information.

We went to the Kings Head for a cream tea for my birthday and it was unbelievable it’s the best cream tea we’ve had They even catered for lacto intolerance and it’s very reasonable great service great staff definitely recommend it .

Relatively quiet pub on our Friday evening visit. Due to Covid we've not visited for a while but it seemed nicer than before. Carpets maybe?. Badgers ales, as before and cheerful staff.

Community pub, nice, large beer garden, relaxed dark interior. Seemed like standard pub food. Dreadful coffee (did I really pay £3.00??) and slightly irritating heavy music playing inside

Wanted food for dinner and the pub stated dog friendly as we had our dog with us. The bar person looked like Hagrid but not as friendly. Actually he looked like he had not washed in a while & he grunted a lot, I think...

We were told by the barman we couldn't park our scooter in the pub under orders from the landlord, and wouldn't be served for drinks while it was inside. Explained it was a fold up scooter and wouldnt take up much room, still no dice....

Enjoyed a lovely night in this pub, had live music on and a great atmosphere. The team and locals were so friendly and welcoming. Especially to our dog! Had a really good night, perfect start to our stay in Dorset!

Friendly welcome and made to feel welcome throughout. Food was good honest pub grub and delicious. Reasonably priced too. Extremely clean everywhere. Interesting decor. Will definitely return. Excellent for couples, groups and families. There were children at another table and the person I assume was...

Fabulous atmosphere, lovely pub, very warm and welcoming and the food was awesome. Has a multi-storey car park next door. Felt very traditional and reasonably priced

Just returned from Christmas dinner at the Kings Head with my Steampunk group and had a wonderful time. The team there are great and always look after us well making today special. Thanks for the banter and lovely dinner.

Stekenwoo, bit of a muppet fella, the comments made were to the entire table NOT to one individual and she works in a prison?? Bigger insults would be apparent from that location. Sorry you didn't get any vouchers from the brewery

The comedian aka landlord. Marmite kind of persona, just blunt and cutting, you don’t tell a young lady who’s clearly a bit overweight to eat her food slowly, then ask why when she asked another Diet Coke. Whilst sat in the garden… The comedy show...

Nice pub, but a bit run down. Garden needs some attention. Food ok but not great. Had the ploughman’s which was poor, kids had sandwiches and nachos which were ok but nothing special.

Went each evening during our last week holiday in Poole. Very friendly manager and barman. Manager cleaning tables everytime a customer left ready for the next customer. Very welcoming and pleasant. Thank you🙂

Stopped in for a sandwich, good traditional pub food. Stops serving at 2.30 prompt. Plenty of tables.

Had a 2 course Sunday lunch here. Quality food at a very reasonable cost. Dog friendly . Highly recommended.

We visited the Kings Head twice this week. Excellent food and very friendly and helpful staff. We originally tried Wetherspoons but no food was available there so we were lucky to try the Kings Head and find such a gem. The range of the menu...

We booked an inside table one evening during our holiday for a meal and drinks. Covid regulations being strictly adhered to , with a blackboard on entry explaining government rules and tables nice and clean. Hubby drinks Real Ale and wanted to try several and...

Lovely pub with lots of history and walled garden area. Very dog friendly. Food was great and service spot on! Big thanks to Jake who looked after us and made sure everything was to our liking.

We entered expecting to eat! But once seated and drinks order taken was then informed kitchen closed as wife needed a couple of hours rest. We decided it was a good idea to drink up and leave, due to the uncomfortable ambience of the landlord!!

We visited The King’s Head during our trip to Poole, and it was quite an experience. In fact it was a first class study in the misery of humanity. The star of the show was the pub’s landlord, who may quite possibly be the most...

Popped in to this bar for a early afternoon dinner, the bar was very quiet , the staff were very friendly. The menu was quite small but the prices were reasonable for the area . The drinks were a little bit on the expensive side...

JI W of Bournemouth, if you have a disability that's not visible, then a lanyard should be worn and I can assure you, my practice's are well within the law

Soon as I walked over the threshold was asked / told “put on your mask!” Didn’t even let me explain or speak told me to leave not all disabilities are obvious. I will never return you’re rude and your actions are close to breaking the law.

We visited Poole for the weekend and popped a few times.Warm welcome, sanitiser by the door, track and trace in place, one way systems and a garden out back. Tables are well spaced and cleaned between each sitting.Great advice on the area and friendly chat. Dog friendly inside and out the back in the pub garden, pub benches. Even helped us get a last min tattoo appt over the road lol...May pop down again over Christmas, we hear it's amazing.

Dont order a £5 sandwich here unless you want off the supermarket shelf sliced white bread, a tiny tiny side salad and single finger doritos. Disappointed indeed. But covid secure to be fair, and fully enclosed rear garden, but wouldn't especially recommend this pub given the wide choice at poole quay.

Whilst enjoying time in Poole, we came across this pub, food excellent. Loved the atmosphere of this traditional pub.

Visited twice during our stay. Good dealing with Covid restrictions such as where to stand at the bar and taking details for track and trace. We sat both inside and in the lovely garden. Drinks reasonably priced with a good selection available and the landlord had a great sense of humour. Would definitely come again. Toilets were spotlessly clean!

We’re local and usually wouldn’t go here, we now know why no one in there on a busy bank holiday! We went into the ‘garden’ area just outside the back door, which was unkempt and dirty. We decided against eating as if they were happy with the surroundings what was the kitchen like? We left and did say sorry it’s because it’s a bit dirty out there, to which the older man said no it’s not! So we just kept walking never to return. Such a shame as this could be a great pub.

I came here with my boyfriend during the lockdown. All necessary precautions were in place, the facilities were spotless. We both had food, which was delicious and such fabulous value for money. Great atmosphere too. Would highly recommend this pub!

Used to live in Poole..and always visit. When I do I see my friends at The Kings Head. It is always great to see the locals and catch up, the H&W ale is quality and the food brilliant. Had the gigantic burger challenge..dare you!! Thanks Dale & Nikki see you soon!

Fantastic real ales - Tanglefoot, From the Forager and Fursty Ferret. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff - rightly chiding me for not trying the Badger first, which by the time I got to it had sadly finished. But the 3 above all excellent.

I cannot express how upset I was at the rudeness we encountered at the Kings Head. We usually have a drink at one of the other Hall and Woodhouse pubs in Poole, but decided to try the Kings Head. Never again. Apart from the rudeness, the place is dirty with sticky tables and dirty toliets. The decor is drab and the carpet is worn-out. Prices are not cheap either.

Staff trying to be funny but was rude, main meat for Sunday roast was good but veg wasn't, pudding were very nice.

Well we wasn't aware until we got in how dog friendly they were we took our drinks to the secret garden which was un kept and very tired looking that's were we first noticed how dog friendly they were and hadn't cleaned up after them. So we took our drinks in side for a window seat that's where are friendly chap decided to sit with us. Although we didn't eat the food looked good and the the locals were friendly xx

Fantastic food and service. Great menu and fresh ingredients. Great atmosphere. Great selection of drinks

Dropped in here for lunch on our way to our hotel. It was almost empty and the lady behind the bar was so friendly and inviting. The beer was spot on and the food came quickly, my chilli was excellant. Very pleasent and relaxed, they even have a nice dog! Definitely worth giving a try.

Beer was OK but the guy behind the bar wasn't - we were made to feel most unwelcome, he couldn't wait to get back and chat to his mates at the end of the bar.

Had our sunday lunch here today excellent food great price sunday roast and dessert for less than £11 give it a try right next to Poole museum

Nice friendly pub with the best beer in Poole. Been all along the front but if you like your ales this is the place to come

After visiting the pup labelled “Friendliest pub in Poole “ I can see why, cracking laugh with the licensees on various topics then we sampled the food. Great home style cooking, tasty and filling. Can’t understand the “Moribund “ comment by one review, quite clearly he was having a bad day! Plenty of people using the large beer garden and we must visit soon for their “Open mic night” well done guys, keep it up

Another pub that didn't really have a lot going for it. Barman was friendly enough and beer was drinkable, but nothing exciting.

Billed on their website as ‘The Friendliest Pub in Poole.’ We visited on Friday 15th March and the guy behind the bar was far from convivial. Brusque and sarcastic when I tried to engage him in conversation about the beer. Another guy came in, bought a pint of Guinness, took in the moribund atmosphere for a minute then walked out, taking his drink to the pub next door. Can’t say I blame him. The Antelope is much friendlier as is The Foundry Arms. In fact, anywhere other than this place. No wonder pubs are closing when staff can’t get entry level hospitality right.

we had a lovely roast dinner here.friendly staff.good choice of drinks.well worth the visit.excellent place to eat in.

Having spent the morning taking one of our grandchildren around Poole Quay we dropped him off and really fancied a roast dinner. There were plenty of options around but we decided to have a look in the kings head and seeing the menu and price thought we would give it a try. It was £9.95 for 2 courses. There was a choice of 3 meats and around 6 deserts. I had the pork and my wife the gammon. Both were lovely with a good choice of vegetables, lovely roast potatoes and Yorkshire. The little bowl of cauliflower cheese to share was a nice addition. The puddings all sounded lovely, my apple crumble and custard was great and my wife adored the coconut bread and butter pudding with cream, I don't think they needed to wash the bowl up after. There was a good choice of real ales and the two gentlemen behind the bar were very friendly and added to an already great experience. Excellent value for money and will definitely be paying another visit.

DONT BOTHER !!!! with this pub walked in asked if we could get food got told in a rude manner if you want food go next door wasn’t made to feel welcome at all felt like we wasn’t wanted in there no one was drunk or loud so there wasn’t an issue there was no atmosphere what so ever we all sat down at a table went to order drinks to find they didn’t even have the basic essentials like ice or Diet Coke I mean how can a pub not have these things it wasn’t even busy so they can’t use that as an excuse there was about 5 people in there they place also wasn’t very clean and there was a bad smell In the pub like mouldy old carpet finished our drinks as quick as possible and left and it’s safe to say I will never return on reflection I can see why the place was empty terrible place

Traditional pub but well done. Lunch with a few drinks. Had ruby ale which went down nicely. Steak n ale Pie with proper pastry not the flaky top rubbish. Fish n chips also nice. Landlord, Barman and wife all served or chatted or came over to check ok. Proper service not “have a nice day” falseness. Dog friendly. Clean toilets - always a good sign. Give them your business. They deserve it. Thanks GnS n Daisy dog.

This pub has been my local for nearly 4 years. Always a warm welcome, the food is great especially the Sunday roast and the burgers. Dale & Nicky are very friendly and the locals cheerful. It’s the only pub I use in Poole!

Saw the A board outside of the pub advertising what they thought was the best Sunday roast in the area. Went in and ordered 2 pints and asked if they were still serving the Sunday dinner, yes the barman replied but we only have 3 roast beef dinners left, so I ordered 2. Only sat down for 2 minutes and our cutlery was supplied followed by two roast dinners. The beef was half cooked on one side and blood red raw on the other, gravy tasteless and like dishwater, roast potatoes tasted awful and to make matters worse another couple came in and were offered pork or beef not just beef. Luckily for them they left and went to the Antelope next door.

My option for Sunday Roast was Veg and Gravy. Rude man told me that was all I could have, normal menu not on. Then I got called a tree hugger! (Remember some people have allergies!!) So unimpressed by the attitude of the bearded man behind the bar.

Fantastic pub , great staff , fantastic food well entertained by all there, even the staff were polite when explaining why no disabled toilet/ baby changing facilities and showed much restraint in informing customers to not allow children to run from the garden all around the pub. Well done guys,Sterling effort and we will be back especially for your open mic night

Wouldn't even attempt to enter. A man was leaning against the door frame smoking a conventional cigarette and the smoke was being blown into the pub. His appearance wasn't very tidy but then it was a hot day so I suppose it is to be expected. However in order to enter we would have had to ask him to move. Having heard his raucous exchange with (presumably) locals we walked passed and found another pub on the Quay.

The quay was so busy this Saturday night that we ventured just off it and found this hidden gem. It was quiet at 6 pm. Went to the hidden garden that we found quite easily lol. Ordered food. Arrived within 15 minutes and was lovely. This is a locals bar but we found it friendly good value and great. Many thanks

Very friendly and helpful staff good choice of menu food was very good, glad it is dog friendly. Would go back again.

“Secret Walled Garden & Families are Welcome” says the sign out the front. What it should say is “Overgrown, Unkempt Garden & Families Welcome So Long as they don’t have Young Children”.

Had a few drinks here. Loved their Stowford Press cider. Large beer garden which was a oasis of quiet when we were there. Very friendly place.

Came here for food after a day trip to Guernsey. Sat upstairs as we were told there would be a live band. Our food took a little while to come my partners food was excellent but mine was appalling the fish was not fresh the dauphinoise was just a slab of potato and the green beans were just charred so I complained to the manager. He immediately offered me another meal on the menu so I ordered the fish pie. This was excellent. The barman didn't listen when we decided on something different to drink and just gave us the same as the previous order. The plus side was the music was excellent. Probably won't go back though.

That’s what I like and that’s what we had. Plus some building work and a strong smell of burnt plastic at one end. The chap running the place was very good though and I would go back, so much better than the characterless slug and lettuce down the road. Good game of rummy on the bar, to some classic 80s punk and new wave tunes. I could’ve stayed longer for sure

We had great steak and chips with side salad, garlic bread and mushrooms. Followed by scrummy puds and custard.

Roast potatoes to die for, excellent portions and delicious pudding included in the very reasonable price, what more could you ask for?

Next door to the Antelope but very quiet. Friendly staff and serving Badger Ales. Fairly basic bar with a pool table area.

Having just arrived in Poole for the weekend we popped into the Kings Head for a quick snack and were really impressed by this large and friendly pub. Very nice food and good value for money but our visit was made special by the warm welcome (even for our dog!) and entertaining conversation from the landlord who is a real character.

Superb pub grub to be honest, although I didn’t get any. I sat watching the Christmas lights and was dazzled by the amount of Christmas garlands. The man was funny, and made my cousins laugh, or cry. The lady was lovely and she did the cooking. A warm welcome was given and the food was good, however the decor and ambience may not be to everyone’s liking.

with out adout best place in poole for food and entertainment . and open mic night on a Thursday too

My husband and I were visiting Poole on a Sunday and fancied a roast dinner. We were greeted warmly by...

Just decided to try the King's Head as they seemed to be the only place around that was offering a...

I visited for my friends birthday... I had the calamari to start and then the burgernator. It was huge with...

My husband and I visited this pub after our journey from the Isle of Wight. Great reception and staff very friendly. Prices reasonable and I would recommend this pub over the others in Poole

We enjoyed a great meal here today.

After all the pubs we have visited, we have come to the conclusion, if you're hunger you'll eat it. the vast majority of pub food is fair to rubbish, so if you find a really good one, and they are about, keep it to yourself, unfortunately the Kings Head isn't one of them. Fish & Chips, to many chips, to many peas, to much batter not enough fish, for what it was it was to expensive. Chilly Con Carne, words fail me on this, it was something in the middle of a bed of rice. We see the Sunday roast have a fair write up, but l don't think we'll chance it.

Excellent roast dinner Lovely food and good price Friendly bar staff Two courses for under a 10 pound

We came in for Sunday lunch. The barman was a man of few words, the dust was as thick as you would expect in a Dickensian house. The food was very good, home cooked and a good helping. The price was very good as the meal price included a pudding. Should invest in a cleaner.

Kayjay1973 you must realise that it's a licensed premises and whilst the laws at times are antiquated, they are still in play and no children are allowed at the bar

I for one actually enjoyed the food... despite the other bad reviews!! I will be coming back!! ☺️❤️

Hoped to get a snack here on Sunday, but were only doing Sunday lunch.Stopped for a drink, they had a pleasant garden, which was dog- friendly, but they were not very welcoming to my 7 year old son, who was told to get down from the bar stool when he was helping his Dad with the drinks.

Popped in for a Sunday roast. Nearly walked straight out again because the decor is very poor and there was such a small selection of wines behind the bar we were not impressed at all. However we saw what someone else was eating and it looked good so ordered the same. Only pork or gammon was available and other customers were turned away after us becuase there was none left. Can't help thinking that management here needs to go the extra mile to attract more customers who will come if there is more choice of wine and food. Food was tasty.

Had a lovely meal with my wife there. I had the lasagne and my wife had the fish and chips. Absolutely wonderful grub ! Much bigger portions than we anticipated and very friendly staff. I`m not sure about the comments on food not being home made but this certainly was and very nice too. Beer was excellent and nothing was too much trouble. Even the dog was made welcome ! We will definately visit again soon