The Kings Arms in South Hams

It’s been quite a while since I’ve eaten here as a customer, and it was as delightful as I remember. Excellent service from Luke & team, an excellent menu and a great vibe in the dining area made up for it. All four of our meals were first class and it was a joy to return. Great to see that while things may have changed quite a bit in Salcombe, the King’s Arms is as good as ever!

We have just had there Sunday Roast Beef Lunch, served by Hattie and Lucy with Luke behind the bar, tremendous service, very friendly and polite, just two words, Absolutely Wonderful 😀

My experience at The King's Arms was not as good as I had hoped for. Firstly, the food: my starter of salt and pepper squid was fairly uninspiring - the squid tasted like it could have been from the aisle of a supermarket, and it was placed on a bed of mixed leaves resulting in a very disappointing-looking, and fairly ordinary-tasting starter. My main was supposedly sea bass with butternut squash, but I could detect no presence of the squash on my plate. However, the fish was very fresh and the flavours were nice. Unfortunately, the 'crisped-up' skin of the sea bass can only be described as 'burnt'. We opted not to have dessert as the portion sizes are generous. We did encounter some rudeness with staff: one member of our party tried to get the waitress's attention and was met with a wag of the finger from her to tell him to wait. Not what I want to see at any pub or restaurant. However, there were some members of staff who were very helpful and friendly. This being said, members of the party plus other friends have had good meals at The King's Arms so I wouldn't necessarily rule it out - hopefully the next time I go will be a better meal and experience.

Booked a table on-line but when we arrived the member of staff could not see our booking so were unable to seat us. No real apology - just shrugged her shoulders.

Fantastic meal at the KA last week - as always, everything was perfect

Food is amazing, cosy atmosphere and nice staff.

Pub itself is in a perfect location in the heart of Salcombe. We visited as it claimed it was dog friendly: however I wouldn’t visit again if I was taking my dogs. Our ‘dog friendly’ table was literally in the middle of the bar area: I had my grown up children and my parents who are in their 80’s and we couldn’t hear ourselves speak. Customers were also looming over us as the pub was quite crowded. The food itself was excellent and the staff were very friendly. Maybe they should just be a pub that doesn’t accept dogs if you want to dine?

Simple crab sandwich, but totally tasty, unfortunately it was my wife’s I’ll know better next time as it was exquisite.

Stopped here after a recommendation from a local in the shop JAM We had good food and I managed to get a Guinness. The sea food tai curry was spicy and very good.

A lovely pub right in the heart of salcombe. Good beer and ok prices. The outside seating area is right next to the harbor which makes for a lovely view.

Overall, very good. My clam starter was fantastic. And my pork loin main was very good. But.... one main, sea bass with sauteed potato and peppers and onion was all over cooked. The staff reaction to fair feedback was lukewarm. So, overall good. But can do better.

Great atmosphere and service. It was busy but food served quicky. Good range on children's and adult menu - we had burgers, ribs n wings and cheesy chips. All perfect.

Great food and a friendly atmosphere. Best mussels I've had for ages. Sat in the bar area which some might find noisy, but was fine with us as has a nice vibe. Friendly staff too...

Great food had sandwiches burgers etc nice place reasonably price good service

Lovely food in nice atmosphere. Fab selection of seafood on specials board. Feedback: please don’t make me queue for drinks at busy bar whilst my good goes cold.

Would give 0 stars if it was an option, came in on a rainy day, serivce was terrible waited 30 mins to be even acknowledged, then another 15 for our order to be taken, word of warning you need to spilt orders food and drink, as drinks have to ordered at the bar, and food at the table. When the food came 2 sandwiches it was on soggy bread, given the standards set by other venues in Salcombe , this is is very low down , would not recommend at all

Excellent Lemon sole..many Gluten free Options available. A bit loud but we enjoyed the food

Incredibly busy Saturday night and the staff coped superbly. Good lobster and excellent value

We went last week a couple of times because how we were treated. The waitressing staff are amazing and friendly. We were looking for food and didn’t have a booking but they found us space for 6 and accommodated us very well. Keep up the good work 👍🏻

The best Fish and Chips in Salcombe! Always a must when we visit. We were asked to order drinks at the bar, which was a pity as my husband had to queue for quite a while.

The best food in England since we arrived. The sea bass is excellent.

Excellent menu and choice of wine . Friendly atmosphere and professional. Situated in the heart of Salcombe. Booking is advised during peak season . We are returning with our wider family soon for a double birthday celebration.

Food was always good , large outdoor seating area and lively atmosphere. Staff friendly if you can get their attention as it’s busy. You have to get your own drinks when eating which at the chronically slow small bar can mean your foods arrived while one of you is still trying to get drinks. Outdoor area a bit grubby and some of the young groups scan be over rowdy with shouting and swearing which isn’t great if you’ve kids.

Went in for a family meal yesterday lunchtime. The food was deicious, and the drinks plentiful. We were served by a lovely waitress, i believe her name was Peggy or Penny. She couldnt be more helpful and made my children feel incredibly welcome. We shall be booking again in the Summer, and can't wait to come back.

You have a very expensive waitress as her attitude today has cost you around £400, 6 Adults and 3 children would have had food and and drinks, I didn’t get her name I don’t really care what it was a young slim brunette with no idea of customer service, we sat on 2 tables and she was most put out as she as were other staff using it as a short cut to bring food out, After a brief and patronising interaction we left and took our money with us.

Good pub. Good ales on and food was enjoyable.

The place to be seen in Salcombe, great spot to watch the world go by

Awful. Food terrible, table in the bar not restaurant area. So much bbq sauce, cheese sauce was inedible, coleslaw terrible. Lemon sole over cooked, over seasoned. Over priced.

This place was recommended by our friend who's been part of the community for over 40 years. I have to say we were looking forward to our meal as earlier in the day when we walked in to book a table the staff was so friendly and accommodating for all sorts of allergy requirements. I have to say the seafood chowder soup was delicious. My friends had chicken wings and gluten-free fish goujons, and they were happy with their meal, too. The staff was friendly and attentive until it came to our main course. I ordered one special of the day, which was the pork belly. It looked great as you could see it on the photo, but the crackling was inedible. I couldn't even cut it. I called our waitress over and showed her that I can't use the knife to cut it, let alone eat it. She kindly took it back to the kitchen, and she came back with the same plate telling me that the chef said it was all good and gave me a steak knife to cut it with. I was shocked. Anyways I asked her to wait a minute so when i tried to use the steak knife that didn't cut through it either. When I tried to order it again, I was told to choose something,else as the chef would cook it the same way. Shocking. My partner ordered the cod, which was very nice, but the vegetables were barely cooked and just warm. The Goan Curry, on the other hand, was delicious. Shame that we had such a mixed experience.

Great food, great service from friendly staff. Great pub would recommend a visit.

Everything from the starter to the desert was fantastic! We had seafood chowder as a starter, local Mussles in a white wine and cream sauce as a main meal (scrumptious) and dessert of lemon posset. All was near perfection!

Popped in for Sunday lunch 2 weeks ago, great atmosphere, 2 fires lit and cosy, lovely friendly service from both the bar and the waitress. All three of us went for the beef, gave to say this is probably the best Sunday lunch outside a home that I have had in a good while, beef excellently cooked, roasts, gravy, lovely choice of vegetables including a cauliflower cheese to die for. Really can't recommend this place highly enough, it was mother's day as well, so busy. I will be back on my next visit

Absolutely delicious. Far exceeded our expectations for pub food. The scallops were out of this world, I will be dreaming of them for years to come. The wings and ribs were so tender and juicy, fell off the bone. Highly recommend. The staff are all extremely friendly and attentive. Can’t wait to come back again soon. 10/10

We’ve just returned from a week’s holiday to Salcombe. We had dinner at The Kings Arms on two occasions and had fabulous food and service both times. The fish/seafood goan curry was literally to die for and one of our favourite meals all week. There is a fantastic choice of ‘fish specials’, we were totally spoilt for choice. When we next visit Salcombe, The Kings Arms will be at the top of our list! Can highly recommend.

Fabulous Sunday lunch ... delicious loin of pork with simply the best crackling & a variety of beautifully cooked vegetables .

After walking along the coastal path in South Sands, we stopped by the Kings Arms on a Sunday evening. We ordered the duck breast, which was one of the daily specials. Perfectly tender duck breast, on a bed of delish braised red cabbage and crisp green beans, flanked by two roast potatoes. 10 out of 10. Really wonderful meal to wrap up the day.

Didn't eat but welcoming, friendly, attentive, lovely atmosphere that also welcomes children. Would go again. Bottle of house wine only £24. (Great for here)

We had an absolutely stunning roast here. Dog friendly which is always a bonus. Our order did get forgotten about and these things do happen. But they very kindly gave us free drinks. And when the food came it more than made up for it!! We’ll be back with the whole family.

Excellent food and service. Popped in for coffee and lunch. Newly redecorated. Lovely menu and ambience. Very much enjoyed and look forward to a return visit.

One of the best spots in town. Another pub up the hill could do with a lesson from KA as it’s excellent !

Thank you. What a cracking night. We walked into happy and packed pub. Despite how busy the service from Luke, Lucy and crew was yet again awesome. We all had fish and LOVE IT. Well done team. Thank you.

Friendly people and great food.

Lovely food not cheap but good value

Exceptional food and exceptional service. So good we’ll probably come here tomorrow. The ribs and wings were to die for and my wife’s prawns looked fabulous.

We visited Salcombe today with our little dog. We popped in for a Coffee and a sparkling elderflower and we decided to stay on for lunch. Staff were friendly and welcoming. Providing a rug for our dog to sit on in front of the log burning fire. We ordered a starter portion of mussels with Cajun chicken burger with fries. Very generous starter portion mussels in white wine, cream and thyme sauce. Served with sour dough bread. Highly recommended.

Visited so many times and the food never disappoints with lunchtime Mac and Cheese a firm favourite with the kids either on its own, with crab or with brisket. Good drinks, sensible pricing, great for families and easy to get to

An Absolutely Wonderful Sunday Roast Beef Dinner, I truly Recommend it too all, well done to the KA Team

Loved this Sunday Lunch. I feel compelled to mention Jaimie... A wonderful waitress, only 15 but absolutely has the gift of how to be a wonderful host. We loved her and the food was so good. Couldn't fault this pub. Amazing service from them all. Thank you. We shall definitely come again.

Very nice cafe we got cheesy chips and it was delicious, will definitely be back there.

Absolutely delicious Sunday lunch By far one of the best we've had, definitely worth a visit, beautifully cooked beef, loads of vegetables and rich gravy mmmm

Visit October 2023. Excellent mussels - huge and juicy, massive portion. Lovely creamy sauce. Great picpoul de pinet wine. Friendly staff but always busy busy busy.

I feel compelled to write a second review for this place as its just so good ….we last ate here in June and 10 of us had the best experience with great food & friendly efficient service ….. the same was repeated last night with our table for 6 …a warm welcome from the front of house lady …and looked after by both her & the rest of the lovely team ….imo best pub food in Salcombe by far .. our friends are already looking forward to next time !!

Service and the attitude of staff was appalling. We booked a table when we arrived for an hour later thinking we’d have a drink first but then once seated in the bar area we asked if we could order food now instead. The bar tender said yes he would get someone to come over. No one came so went to the bar and was told same thing someone would be over. No one came. Again we asked and again told the same thing. Finally, waitress came at the time we booked. We happened to mention this and her attitude towards us was nothing short of extremely rude. Basically saying well, I’m here now aren't I, and how we had wasted her time explaining so are we going to order. We said no and walked out. Completely shocked by her tone, sarcasm and attitude. Another member of the team also had an unwelcoming reception when ordering a drink. The whole experience was simply awful. According to a local shop owner this isn’t the first time staff have been rude to customers giving them a bad attitude and experience. AVOID!!!

Service and the attitude of staff was appalling. We booked a table when we arrived for an hour later thinking we’d have a drink first but then once seated in the bar area we asked if we could order food now instead. The bar tender said yes he would get someone to come over. No one came so went to the bar and was told same thing someone would be over. No one came. Again we asked and again told the same thing. Finally, waitress came at the time we booked. We happened to mention this and her attitude towards us was nothing short of extremely rude. Basically saying well, I’m here now aren't I, and how we had wasted her time explaining so are we going to order. We said no and walked out. Completely shocked by her tone, sarcasm and attitude. Another member of the team also had an unwelcoming reception when ordering a drink. The whole experience was simply awful. According to a local shop owner this isn’t the first time staff have been rude to customers giving them a bad attitude and experience.

Called for lunch and food was good we ordered a meat sharing platter and some dirty chips with braised brisket on top Service was good We sat outside initially on the upstairs terrace which had great views of the boats and estuary but had to go back downstairs to eat as only drinks were allowed on the terrace ??? Prices were a little more than the average pub meal due to the location but not excessive

Amazing food, and large portions. Service wasn't up to par with the food though. No one checked with us throughout to make sure food was ok, and only checked with one person on the table about dessert and assumed that was the same answer for everyone.

Excellent meal of sea bass and seafood linguini, super generous portion of shell fish. Friendly, efficient service, good wine list and good value. Very impressed with management staff, when we ‘dropped by’ to book a table in the morning, we interrupted their planning meeting, but the team were engaging, friendly and helpful, and this is at the end of a long summer season!

Fantastic.Really busy Saturday evening but the food and service were really good.

We went on a sunny day and yet managed to find a table for four without having pre booked. The gluten free choice was good. Portions were generous. Service was good.

We could not have asked for better service or food!I had the fish and chips and it was fresh and delicious! The ambiance inside was lovely! Very pleased with the experience, can’t fault absolutely anything and I would definitely go back!

Visited the Kings Arms in August 2023, food was excellent but service was a little in different, with odd ordering procedures. We were able to order food at our table with the waitress, however, we then had to walk down to the bar to order our own drinks - very odd, this should either be one process or the other I.E, order all at our table or all at the bar, not half and half. The steak sandwich and pint of prawns were very tasty and service of the food was fine.

My friend and I ate at the kings arms on Sunday 27th. The menu was limited as everything seemed to be served with chips. We booked a table for 6:45 and there were no steaks available. We had mussels and scallops as starters which were both very nice and cooked as we asked with no garlic for my friend. We then both ordered the curry dishes 1 from specials board and one from Goan curry on menu. Both dishes were great in flavour. We left very please with out food, very flavoursome. However the surroundings were rowdy and extremely loud totally spoiling the overall experience as we could not hear ourselves think let alone have a conversation. DON’T BOOK A TABLE IN THE BAR!! We didn’t book the bar was just given that table

Rude, inattentive staff who can’t seem to crack a smile. I had to ask 3 times could someone take an order and then we got a sharp response when we ask again. Yet we’d waited 35 minutes. I ordered bruschetta which was just filled with garlic. I love garlic but I counted 16 garlic cloves on one piece of bread. It wasn’t good and it’s something I have a lot and never seen that many whole gloves on one piece of bread. Even when leaving the female manager just stood there whilst waiting for us to move out her way. No thank you, no see you again, couldn’t even manage a smile. Some of the younger staff seems nice but the female manager and an older tall male just didn’t want to be there. Shame as it’s a lovely setting but wouldn’t recommend.

Excellent lunch here, ribs were splendid.

BOOK AHEAD HOLIDAY MAKERS AND HUNGRY FOLK ALIKE! A busy but professional and fun pub with lots of good hearty PROPER food on the menu, staffed by nice kind hearted people and chefs who are putting their all into the cooking! Had a divine meal with a good pint afterwards in the bar area, top notch

Went there today 12/8/23. Food was pretty good, had 1/2 lobster and kids had a burger. No drinks service at the table, and only 1 person serving at the bar so a queue while your food gets cold. Good location, friendly staff and atmosphere!

First of all I'd like to say how great the staff where here! Everyone was polite, friendly and attentive and getting our food was very quick! The food was good and reasonable price compared to other places ( fish finger sandwich here was £12.50 round the corner it's £16.50) All in all a great place couldn't fault it one bit, it goes a long way having good staff and this place has it!

Just had an evening meal (6.45pm table) here. The food was excellent and arrived within a reasonable timescale. I had the sea bass special, which was very tasty, and I’m reliably informed that the risotto, scallops, sole and curry dishes were also very nice 👍🏼 The staff were all helpful and pleasant, but unfortunately, as time went on and the restaurant got busier, it became clear that they were clearly understaffed. We therefore cancelled our dessert order and picked up an ice cream cone from the local ice cream parlour. A shame that the experience was slightly spoiled at the end.

Absolutely useless grubby pub seagull eating off the tables because they were no cleared empty pub at 4pm asked for waiter to come out and take our order waited 20 minutes and nothing

Exceptional food for the price. The crab pasta is buttery. The Rissoto smooth and creamy. 100% recommend

Staff are lovely - helpful and friendly

Four of us enjoyed alovely meal whilst on holiday last week. The following day, one of the party popped on in, ordered a pint then realised he’d forgotten his bank card and told the barman, who simply poured the drink away, turned and walked off not saying a word! After spending a lot in there the night before we found this to be very unpleasant. Most pubs would allow you to pay later or even let you off. Very bad customer service.

Nice pub right in the centre of town in Salcombe, Devon. Nearby is the car park right next to Salcombe Creek so convenient to park here if you can get a space. You can sit outside on the terrace to enjoy a drink and some food and watch the busy hustle and bustle of Salcombe Creek front.

Can't comment on the food. Couldn't get served and left after finishing our drinks. They insist you order drinks at the bar and get your food ordered at the table. This would work well if anyone came to take orders at your table. Made ourselves known 3 times then gave up on any prospect of a food order being taken WENT 50M DOWN THE ROAD TO THE FORTESCUE INN and got great food and fantastic service.

Reasonable priced, food was good 👍

Excellent seafood Gentle people

Food was ok but service very poor. The manager did come and apologise and took some drinks off the bill which we appreciated but our table had just been forgotten about, we got our own drinks and cleared our own starter plates. It was our first night in Salcombe and my dad's birthday and it was a disappointing one. It was a Saturday night but I don't think that's an excuse. Wouldn't return.

Really good food for a decent price would recommend

Food brilliant, servers helpful... Even when there wasn't my dish available, a better dish was substituted in, which was fab. Ground floor seating is lovely, but if the car park is busy you don't get the view, so go to the balcony instead.

Good fish and chips but great mushy peas

my husband and I had such a lovely evening there tonight! the food cooked perfectly and was delicious! the staff were lovely and friendly great atmosphere etc! so thsnku the Kings Arms!

Delicious food but service was every so slightly off as they forgot to bring out multiple things of our order and then did the classic 'would you like any sauce' but we were half way through our meal by the time they arrived

Nice decor and food but quite expensive for what you get.

Had a fabulous falafel burger here, chips were awesome, washed down with a pint of the local beer, great pub and the prices weren't to Salcombe.

We had a surprisingly great lunch here, lots of great options to suite all needs. As a vegetarian I enjoyed the Halloumi burger with the chunky chips, and my meat eating friends could not stop complimenting the beef burger and pasta they got. Everything tasted fresh and local, and the service was great.

Fantastic food at a very quiet time of year. Lovely location. Will have to go back when it's warmer and the deck is open

Amazing staff fabulous coffee 👍

It was a quiet weekday afternoon when we visited. We stopped in for coffee and cake, which turned into red wine and cake 😳, the wine was good, but the coffe and walnut cake was probably the best I'd ever had 😋 We had a choice of two roaring log fires to sit beside. A lovely afternoon.

Stopped by for lunch whilst visiting Salcombe. The Kings Arms seemed pretty busy, which is usually a good sign. We ordered sandwiches and drinks, but unfortunately our food order was taken wrong. The fishfinger sandwich, when it came, was cold. We were able to get it remade, though the service by this point had started to slip a bit. The food was OK, perhaps a little underwhelming for the price.

I love this place and the menu has had some good additions recently. I would love it even more if, when they show you to your table, they would take a drinks order. So many places do but not KA. My partner always ends up going to the bar as he doesn’t want to wait 30 mins for a drink!

Great place to stop off for drink and bite to eat reasonably priced and great atmosphere recommend if visiting area..

What a new year! This place was always rammed when we went there (in a nice way) and had a lovely atmosphere, even though it was tipping it down with rain our entire holiday! Probably the most lively pub in Salcombe - would recommend :)

Visited on New Year's Day....food good.

The award for the most delicious moist on the inside, slightly crunchy on the outside chocolate brownie in the universe goes to... The Boatswain @ The KA Salcombe 😋👏. Superb !! Thank you

Very welcoming. Friendly. Food delicious

Good food, good service, tied pub lovely location on front with great views of the estuary

Great location in the centre of Salcombe. Wide choice of delicious meals, especially fresh fish. Prices are higher than typical 'pub grub' but so is the quality.

Amazing well priced food 😋 totally delicious and very generous portions

Good food, great service. The team at Boatswain at The Kings Arms have not failed to deliver.

Nice friendly atmosphere with good beers :)