The King's Head in Canterbury - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

I had a night in Canterbury recently and paid a visit to the Kings Head pub in Wincheap. The pub is an old Coaching Inn and dates back as far as 1403. The owner, Mark, an expat Dunelmian, was engaing and chatty and there is a good selection of real ales, beers lagers and spirits. To put it in a nutshell, the pub is a old fashioned "proper" pub. The menu from "the Thin Tart" restaurant, run by David, is pub classics alongside a selection of Alasace Tarts (hence the name)- a cross between a pizza a tart- is excellent. It being Sunday I went for traditional fare and had the Sunday lunch. This was beautifully cooked and excellent value with a huge home made Yorkshire Pudding and seven different vegetables on the plate as well as fluffy yet crisp roast potatoes cooked in their skins whilst the Lamb was just on the right side of pink and delightfully tender. The pub has character in spades with darts, traditional bar games and an outdoor area to sit in when the weather allows. Mark tells me that he is also upgrading his rooms - as he put it,"Upstairs looks like a building site....because it is one"- which he hopes to have ready soon. There is also an outside grassed area for the local game of trap and ball. This is a wonderful old pub well worth the ten minutes' walk from Canterbury city centre - if you get chance to go and visit, do - you won't be disappointed !

Went today to the Kings Head for lunch and everyone really enjoyed the food. My son asked if we can come back tomorrow he loved it so much. I had the pork belly and it was perfect with plenty of veg and gravy. Sun shining, cold beer, roast dinner on a bank holiday weekend what more do you need. The prices are very reasonable and the service was top notch to make a very enjoyable afternoon.

I really wanted to visit this one as I like visiting the oldest pub in each city I visit. This one was lovely and friendly. It wasn't busy when we popped in on a Sunday afternoon in November. The customers who were in seemed a good crowd of locals and we had a bit of banter about the football. The landlord was, quite rightly, very proud of his pub and he was quite happy telling us of his connection with the pub and why it can be called the oldest pub in Canterbury, despite other claims. We could happily have stayed longer, but time was against us on this occasion. One to go back to

Family of 5 visiting son’s potential new uni and staying locally. Excellent food (burgers and wood baked Flemish tart), really friendly and welcoming service in great beer garden in 15th century pub. Can’t go wrong really.

Mi mamá y yo fuimos hoy al Kings Head y nos alegramos mucho de haberlo hecho. Después de ver publicaciones sobre el asado que circulaban en línea, decidimos intentarlo. Ella tenía la carne y yo tenía la deliciosa panceta de cerdo, ¡el crujido era perfecto! El propietario también fue muy amable y agradable.

What a great little pub! We visited our son in Canterbury and decided to pop in for lunch. Very friendly and warm welcome. The food was amazing, would definitely recommend the pork belly for a Sunday roast. Excellent value for money. Service was great all round. We’ll definitely be back soon.

Quaint old style pub. 15th century so the rooms are not modern but are clean and comfortable. No chef so no meals apart from a good breakfast. Friendly staff and good locals to chat with. All in all a nice stay.

Me alojé en el ser y estar allí. Habitaciones pequeñas (vigas bajas, etc.) pero pintorescas y limpias. Un montón de instalaciones como té, café, gel de ducha, champú, etc. El desayuno fue rápido y bien preparado y presentado. Una estancia agradable y el personal excelente. (Consejo, solicite la habitación 1, ya que es la más tranquila ya que el pub está en una calle principal). Recomendaría llamar por teléfono para solicitar disponibilidad, ya que es muy popular.

I only went in for a beer on a rainy afternoon. Pub has a traditional, almost old fashioned, air with dartboard, bar billiards table (I hadn't seen one of them for years!) and unfussy decor. Most importantly the beer was excellent, so much so I had several while sitting and catching up with emails and messages generally. Few other customers since it was a weekday afternoon but it was what I wanted.

I will try to summarise although on this occasion it it is difficult. On entering this pub for the first time I was surprised how small the bar was (long and narrow Pool table taking up a lot of seating room at one end. Bar staff and a few of the locals came across as very friendly and made you feel welcome and not a stranger Thank you to those customer. Had a table near the toilet (not recommended). This pub has a true pub menu not like many that advertise this is genuine home cooked food and for myself and my family Excellent. If the staff and the management had a good dining room you would need to book weeks in advance. Would I return ??? yes if there was a better place to eat but no (Great shame) as stated the food was great 5* seating area 1* staff (lady who cooked and served 5* But thank you and hopefully we will be able to return on a more regular basis (seating area)

Frequented the kings head today as a birthday celebration with the family. Which included two young children (3+18 months). Food was lovely and great portions. Prices are very reasonable and staff are very polite and knowledgeable. Highly recommend and will be eating there again.

lovely friendly local pub,always feel welcome,food is really nice and well priced,staff are all brilliant and fun like old friends especially love lynette well done landlord mark you have done a brilliant job at the kings head

Stayed here a couple of days. Very friendly people and nice place too. 15 minutes walk to town. Good breakfast. And good diner too. Marius

El personal es muy amable y la comida de la noche fue la mejor comida de pub realmente no puedo estresar lo suficiente! El lugar en sí mismo es muy antiguo, y esto significa que las ventanas son de un solo dolor y se produce un poco de ruido en la carretera. La cama es muy cómoda y limpia, ropa de cama, etc. Pero es una experiencia agradable si te gustan los edificios antiguos. El pub es amigable. Solo inconvenientes para mí. La ducha necesita atención principalmente la cabeza de la ducha, podría ser limpiada. Y el desayuno era pobre. Lo cual fue una gran sorpresa después de la comida por la noche. Si no lo supiera, habría dicho que estaba en el microondas. Reservamos desayunos para 8 estaba caído en 2 minutos pasado esperó 5 minutos y estaba seco y exagerado. Lovey place nice people Espero que entiendan mis dos puntos malos. Como es difícil encontrar un buen pub con habitaciones hoy en día.

We popped in for a quick bite and a drink. The staff were all friendly and the locals made us feel very welcome. This place is a nice little boozer and the food we had was very good.

I’m from germany near berlin and I was in England last year and must say it is very tasty here in The King‘s Head.

I have eaten in The Kings Head 5 times now. I have tried their Curries, Traditional Pub Food and their Sunday Roast (lamb). The curry was made and the chef asked what level of spice I would like and it did not fail to please the pallet oozing with flavour and with a tender meat. The Roast quite simply put is the best Roast Dinner I have had out in a long time, for me the hardest part to find done well is the potatoes. These can only be described as culinary perfection, crisp flavoured external with soft fluffy centre!! The meat is obviously well sourced with excellent taste. The cost of the food was very good and I don’t think I could cook for myself at that price. The venue is a traditional English pub, with hops along the beams of the old building as well as old work horse tack around the room. With a good selection of beers, ales and lagers and a well stocked top shelf there is no threat of dehydrating. All the staff I have encountered and been very friendly and welcoming. Congratulations on the team for creating these experiences.

Tucked away, just outside the City is this lovely, traditional little pub. Great beer, good food, board games, darts, bar billiards and a lovely pub garden all make this a real hidden gem. Mark the landlord is one of the last great publicans and don't hesitate to buy him a beer and hear some matter of fact humour about the local area. My wife and I love our little local pub!

they fitted 14 of us in for in for sunday lunch at very short notice, they had the option of a roast or a carribean menu, now I love a roast but thought this place specialises in carribean food so went for that and boy I'm glad I did, I haven't had carribean food that good since I left London, the starters were amazing and I went for the curried goat for main and it was delicious well seasoned and a huge portion, I'm still stuffed now some hours later. Some of my party went for the roast and they said it was lovely and they were stuffed too..Chef Lenny what a star he got all our plates out together a variety of dishes and piping hot, this guy did it all on his own and a great job he did, really nice guy almost felt like you was round his house and he was next door in his kitchen cooking for you popping his head round the door to let you know how its going, really relaxed vibe that goes well with carribean food. The actual pub is very traditional looking nice staff and friendly customers, nice beer garden round the back. Will be back to try out some more of that lovely menu

Wir sind Veganer und waren hoch zufrieden mit dem guten Service und dem tollen, individuellen Essen. Nach vier Wochen Pub Food wirklich eine erfreuliche Besonderheit der Küche.

Called in to try the Caribbean menu and was not disappointed. Excellent curry and good selection of Caribbean food from Guyana.Impressed by the personal touch from the chef who asked me what strength etc I liked my curry.

Een Engelse pub met Caribisch eten. Lekker, wel een beetje heet. En de kok moest het in zijn eentje doen, dus het was even wachten. Maar we hadden toch vakantie, dus dat was geen probleem.

Went to try the new Caribbean menu and was not disappointed at all ! Wow !

Went here because we've tried Caribbean before & liked it, wasn't disappointed, big portions of properly cooked food, very tasty & not too spicy (I'm a sensitive mouth person) the meat was lovely & tender, the sauces rich & full of flavour, would highly recommend. The pub itself is like stepping into a time warp, a proper British pub with bar billiards & a carpet pattern to match, would come here just for the fact that "they don't make them like this anymore" very friendly staff in a very friendly proper pub, all round excellent.

The Carribean menu is something out of the ordinary. I had one of the most balanced and delicious chicken I habe ever tasted here. If in Canterbury, go here!

The Kings Head is a very good, traditional English pub with a good selection of beers and pleasant friendly staff and customers. What makes it stand out however is the superb Caribbean menu they have introduced in recent weeks, really original and absolutely delicious. Try the Jamaican Fried chicken stew or, my own favourite, the goat curry, plus a great selection of other superb dishes, all priced at under £9! Sensational you won't better value or quality anywhere in Canterbury. We have eaten all over the Caribbean and this matches anywhere we have been. Hats of to the chef Lenny.

Gewoon goed pubfood, maar je kan ook vegetarisch bestellen! Echte Engelse pub inrichting. Veel keus uit bier, ales, cider, gin.

The King’s Head – Canterbury – Kent – EngelandAfgelopen week zijn wij (mijn vriendin en ik) voor het eerst naar Engeland geweest en hadden geboekt bij The King’s Head. Het is een 3 sterren pension, en deze sterren verdienen ze wat ons betreft zeker.Toen we aankwamen werden wij hartelijk welkom geheten door Marc, wat later de eigenaar bleek te zijn. The King’s Head is een sfeervolle plaats om te verblijven mede door toedoen van Marc en zijn medewerksters. In de pub is het zeer aangenaam, zeker als je van Engelse bieren houdt. Ze hebben er wel elf van het vat! Keuze genoeg dus! Ook de lokale bevolking draagt bij aan de gemoedelijkheid van deze pub. Als je geluk hebt, en wij hadden dat, dan wordt er “Canterbury Bat en Trap League” gespeeld. Een oeroud spel wat alleen in Kent gespeeld wordt. Bij de The King’s Haed wordt een prima Engels ontbijt geserveerd, en de Wifi is ook goed. Al met al een plaats waar het goed toeven is als je bijvoorbeeld Canterbury (loopafstand) of Kent wil verkennen. Wij denken met veel genoegen terug aan deze plaats met zijn vriendelijke mensen. Zeker een aanrader!!Henk en Jacqueline (Best – Nederland)

we thought we would have a local roast dinner for st georges day and as we drink here now and again this was our first choice and it didnt disappoint .Really big servings and the beef was cooked to perfection and easy to cut.Sadly we didnt have room for pudding but they looked fab too.Will defo be back again for food.

Spending one night at The King's Head.Absolutely welcoming staff and charming place. Not far at all from the city. If back in Canterbury I will book here again!

Had a great night at The King's Head charity quiz. Lovely friendly atmosphere and a good time was had by all. Thank you to the welcoming and helpful staff.

Mark was very welcoming and his staff are very friendly and happy to help. The new chef was excellent and the food was delicious. Highly recommend.

I visited the Kings head pub for a Sunday lunch with my family. The roast beef was cooked to perfection and all the trimmings were delicious. There was plenty to eat and no one on the table was left going hungry. Dessert was apple and blackberry crumble with custard which my 2 year old daughter also enjoyed helping me eat. Mark is very friendly and all the staff offer great service. Will definitely be returning soon, thank you very much.

Busy local pub with excellent food from New young chef.Landlord very friendly and told us all about the history of the pub

The liver and bacon was delicious and filling after a full day of sightseeing. Homemade chips and a burger left no room for dessert. We will definitely be back.

Great ales and a good selection in good condition. Landlord was very friendly, a great welcome and a really nice friendly atmosphere. Will be back to try the food!

We stayed here for a few days and found everything fantastic. The rooms, the ambience, the people, and especially the food all made for a great break. Mark and his team have done well in keeping one of those rare traditional pubs just as it should be. We will definitely be staying here whenever we visit Canterbury. The Charity night was exceptionally well attended and a lot of fun for all. Dave and Sue

The King's Head has rapidly become the best pub in Canterbury. The condition of the beer is consistently excellent and there is always a really interesting range of ales. The pub is comfortable and welcoming; the landlord, staff and regulars are always friendly whether you want good conversation or a quiet pint and read of the paper. The menu is really good (and very reasonably priced - especially the Sunday lunches) and the food is great. The King's Head feels like a lovely village pub and I cannot recommend it highly enough, whether you are with friends, family (I often take my two little boys in) or alone.

Came in with my wife for a nice Thursday evening, will often pop in on the way home for a quiet drink on the way home, always a friendly warm greeting from the manager and bar maid.New menu this week, with decent variety and well cooked by the new house chef. An old rustic/classic style pub and very relaxed with plenty of things to keep you occupied.Will certainly be back in for dinner soon.

We came in today and I can't say enough how hood the meal was, perfect burger and i fell inlove with the chips. And they are pet friendly which is awesome! Staff is very friendly and very welcoming. 100% recommend!

Busy, full of locals. Pleasant atmosphere, and obviously popular. Also serves food. Reasonable prices.

We were able to walk to The King's Head from our nearby B&B and it was just as well we could. The meal was great, the beer mellow and there was a good level of friendly, good natured banter with "the regulars". The staff were polite, helpful and very professional. An excellent place to eat a great pub meal when visiting Canterbury.

Staying in a local B and B for cricket week so was looking for places to eat each night. Found this on first night and was so impressed we visited again for dinner on the other 2 nights of our stay. The food was freshly cooked, hot and delicious with a good choice including homemade specials. The service was very good with the chef and landlord checking that we were enjoying our meals. Particularly can recommend the fresh fish on Friday evening. Will be back again for cricket week next year.

Best pub left in Canterbury, it's an oasis in a desert of lager-dominated pubs catering to the student demand. Four real ales available, always a mild among them, and the landlord Mark knows more about beer and how to keep it in his little finger than most of the rest of the landlords/managers in the city can dream of.Always a friendly atmosphere, good locals, mixture of clientele and one of only two Canterbury pubs with a bar billiards table.If you thought proper, traditional pubs were dead...just try here and you'll be delighted.

Best pub left in Canterbury, it's an oasis in a desert of lager-dominated pubs catering to the student demand. Four real ales available, always a mild among them, and the landlord Mark knows more about beer and how to keep it in his little finger than most of the rest of the landlords/managers in the city can dream of.Always a friendly atmosphere, good locals, mixture of clientele and one of only two Canterbury pubs with a bar billiards table.If you thought proper, traditional pubs were dead...just try here and you'll be delighted.

Average pub grub served in friendly surroundings. My steak was fine. My husband had a meat pie but the meat in this was very poor quality. Food arrived quickly, served hot. Everything seemed clean and we didn't get food poisoning.

you need to book as the fish is locally caught and it is delivered the following morning. you can/t get fresher. Its all good.

Fantastic food, good service, excellent value, bar welcoming, I had a meal with 12 family members for my birthday 2/01/16, all meals served hot and together. whole experience was great. We will go again.

A new owner , very nice people.Good ale and very good food, I suspect a new cook also.Decent prices, this pub deserves a better rating.

This fully restyled pub was a pleasure to be in. I admired the mix of vintage and design with which it was decorated. Somehow I'd expected more from both staff friendliness and the water presssure in the top floor shower.

Easy to find, welcoming, friendly, comfortable room, excellent breakfast. Poor parking facility but manageable. Within 15 mins walk of Canterbury East Station.

If you are looking for a great local pub that serves great food and beer, then look no further. It is friendly, clean and everything you need in a good ‘local‘. Paul, the chef is a real ‘find’, he creates exciting and tasty fare. But don’t all go at once and make it too popular!

This is essentially a "no frills" pub which serves a wide selection on up market fare. The servings were more than generous and the quality good, although our curries needed more salt! The service was friendly and helpful (the chef worked hard by serving some dishes himself!). The pub serves a wide selection of draft beers. The ambiance was as I said earlier, basic, the tables are all within the bar area.

I mainly go here on Thursdays for Curry night. The curry's are home-made, and for 7.95 you get curry and any pint from the bar. The curry's change every week, and are always BRILLIANT!!! I really can't compliment the quality of food enough. Sometimes the curry's are pretty varied, from Thai, Caribbean, and Indian favourites, but the chef is happy to come out and talk you through them, and more importantly tell you how hot they are! This guy is a star!The pub itself has a nice atmosphere, and sky sports, so you won't miss the big game whilst enjoying your food. And though I can get busy the land lady does a great job handling all the curry and drinks orders.Why anyone would pay the same money for microwaved, rubbish curry in a chain but, rather than home-made delicious curry here is beyond me! I just want them to do takeaway now....

In June 2013 my daughter moved into rental accommodation in Wincheap - not far from this pub. The first time we went there we had no idea what we were getting into - to my delight they served draught Perry as well as draught ales. They had a pub menu up with specials on another board. We were welcomed -never been there before but made to at home. We had various choices. After having driven from Wales to Kent and loaded and unloaded a transit van the King's Head was a delight.The next week we were back again - doing some hard graft in the garden - cutting down and burning a lot of overgrown trees and bushes. We had booked for Sunday lunch and there was no blink when we walked in at the end of service slightly aromatic.We have been there a number of times now and always had great service, at the start of September a party of 9 of my family descended and were all served with great aplomb. Sadly they do not do good Christmas Eve - apparently the landlord decided that the chef deserved some time off gnashing of teeth.We did turn up for drinks Christmas Eve, Christmas day and Boxing day - the service was great on all days, and on Boxing day everywhere you looked in the pub there were people playing bar games - from liar dice to crib. a great place to eat a great place to drink.I will never forget the day their special desert was fresh fruit cut up to dip into a chocolate sauce. I never knew a sauce could spread that far.

Early on a Saturday evening in late November The Kings Head was busy, warm and welcoming. The purpose of our visit was to eat and we were pleasantly surprised to find the day to day menu was interesting and different and that the chef creates specials from seasonal, locally available produce on the day. We chose from the specials board and our salmon with prawn beurre blanc and pork loin on stilton mash arrived freshly prepared, beautifully presented and perfectly seasoned. Compliments to the chef!We had a nice evening with friendly staff, friendly regulars and excellent food. We thoroughly recommend a visit to The Kings Head.

Do try the burger it was very good meat and tasty, chips also soft inside and crispy outside. The service is good food is well presented and served by chef.

Often visit this pub when cooking at home is too much trouble as the food and beer are superb. The curry night on Thursdays is great value,The staff are friendly and the service is always good. This is a locals pub but you are always made to feel welcome.

A friend took me out for dinner here and I must admit I was a little doubtful about eating here. I had many years ago popped in for a drink and it didn't score highly on my list of places I really wanted to eat in Canterbury. However I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and menu. Food was fantastic and restaurant quality. The bar man, although a little harrassed and busy was really friendly and clearly wanted to ensure we enjoyed our food, as did the chef who came out and checked everything was ok. I was really impressed with the food and think this pub is well worth a visit if you fancy restaurant quality food in a really relaxed, pub environment.

I and a few friends regularly visit this pub for thier Thursday Curry night and occasionally for the regular pub quizes.It as a good atmosphere with a good selection of 'continually changing' real ales.The curries, which a pint of your choice is included in the price are always quite tastyI can only reccomend the pub for its atmosphere, and friendly hospitality of the staff and oter customers

This is a locals pub, but if you find yourself at a lose end good beers and home cooked food are a welcome break if you happen to be walking to Morrisons at Wincheap or maybe on you way out of the city having missed the last park and ride bus service.

Feel a bit fraudulant as we didn't stay here, but we did have dinner here once. But as food was so good, felt compelled to comment.Quality = First class. My partner (a regular restuarant goer, worldwide),had rump steak. Said it was the best she'd had in over 2 years. Not just the quality of the food, but the way it was cooked, (seasoning etc). Chef knew what he was doing, & clearly enjoyed it as well.How often does your 'hot' meal turn up........well, not so hot? No worries here. Food was piping hot! Quantity = Plenty of everything.Location = Great. Just a 10 - 15 minute walk from Canterbury centre. Not so great because of it's immediate surroundings. Although, once you're inside, or in the very attractive garden/patio area, just forget about the close proximity of industry. Anyway, it's not the pub's fault. It has been there for 500 years!The family dog wandering around the restuarant might put off some people, but I say it's a small price to pay, IF, that sort of thing bothers you.Hope the same chef's there when you visit!!