Traditional English pub atmosphere with some good vegan options on the menu.
Cuisine: Burger, Curry, Salad, Sandwich or Jacket Potato and a chocolate sponge desert.
Opening Hours: TBC – lunch through to the evening we’d guess.
Location: Main Street, Keswick, CA12 5BL
Date Visited: Oct 2020
Price Range: £6-7 for light bites, £12-14 for larger meals
Contact: 01768 772 083
Website: https://www.lakedistricthotels.net/kingsarms/
WiFi: TBC
Charging: TBC
The King’s Arms in Keswick feels very much like a traditional English pub with its dark decor, bar full of real ales on tap and cosy log fire. Refreshingly, the menu has a good selection for vegans, with several choices and a very delicious desert (if you like chocolate cake, which we do).
We stopped in on a chilly October afternoon after a long walk. The staff were incredibly friendly and installed us near the fire, which was ideal.
Being hungry after our morning excursion we ordered the two vegan main meals they have on the menu – a lentil and vegetable burger and the sweet potato and spinach curry.
The curry was really good, warming and filling although somewhat overwhelmingly flavoured with coriander. The burger was OK but a little plain. It could have done with some kind of sauce or relish. The generous portion of chips were very tasty though.
We shared the Rosy Chocolate Beetroot Sponge with vegan Belgian chocolate ice cream for desert. When we come again we will have one each! It was fantastic. So good we forgot to take photos!
It’s really pleasing to see some of the more ‘traditional’ establishments in the Lake District begin to cater for vegans. The Kings Arms is actually a hotel and part of the larger Lake District Hotels group, which have been steadily rolling out more vegan options across all their premises, so they are to be commended for that.
The Kings Arms is a good option if you need vegan food in Keswick in the evening because many of the prime locations are lunchtime only. It’s also a lovely place to settle down for a relaxing afternoon or evening with a book or some maps, particularly if it’s cold outside. The warm, comforting interior is a great example of what a British pub should be.