Kings Arms Weymouth

My wife was delighted with her Ploughman Lunch, which she absolutely loves. We both enjoyed the excellent food, and the service was just as good, really friendly. Highly recommend.

There was a great range of beers, and we had a lovely evening by the fire. I wasn't convinced by the claim that the chilli “isn't spicy,” though! The staff were friendly and helpful, which made the place feel welcoming.

I went back to the kings arms today for the first time in 30 years. As a child in the 1960s, I used to visit on my birthday, put little boats in the stream, and once found a bull head in it. Back then the stream ran through the garden into a field, and it was fast flowing and well kept. Now, despite a week of rain, there's hardly any water and weeds have taken over. I wonder if the hundreds of houses and flats built in the village since the 1980s use the water that used to feed the stream. The field is a housing estate now, half the garden has become a car park and road, there's a lot of decking where grass used to be, and all but one of the big trees have gone. I wasn't keen on the decking. The two railway bridges near the pub that were there in the 60s have disappeared too, as has the petrol station beside it. At least there's a bus shelter outside for getting there on the Jurassic coaster. The green telephone box is still across the road, but there's no phone inside, though these days some people carry mobile telephones around with them. The other pub up the road closed in the 1990s. I hope the kings arms can dig up the road and car park, bring the garden back, and do something about restoring the water to the stream. Some marsh marigolds and loosestrife along it would look lovely in place of the weeds. When I was little, my daddy used to give me glass bottles of real coke at the king's arms. I imagine it'd be sugar free stuff from a tap now. The only food they had back then was Smiths crisp, one flavour, with a bag of salt inside. I can see why so many pubs have gone. I didn't go inside today because a couple of years ago I paid over £3.50 for half a pint of weak larger in Bridport, and I wasn't doing that again. This year, 2026, I did get a pint of Worthington at the greyhound and royal oak for 99 new pence. Most beers now are made from chemicals, as hops and malt are too expensive to use for beer.

We had a lovely welcome from the young lad behind the bar, and the pub garden was beautiful and well kept. We stopped for lunch after a morning out in a lovely area that's worth exploring. We ordered scampi and chips, a Belgium waffle and Eton mess, with the main and dessert deal for 2 for 20.00. We ordered dessert at the same time as the mains. We expected small portions at that price, but they were big, delicious, and great value. I was stuffed. Highly recommend.