Secret Drinker reviews the King’s Head in Stamford
The King’s Head is a very cool place.
The staff look cool, the clientele look cool, it serves cool drinks and the little touches are cool.
If you packed this pub-restaurant in ice, stuck it in a fridge and sent it to the Arctic circle, it would still maintain the same level of cool.
But what I really liked about this Stamford pub was that, while maintaining its hipster undertones, there was still a real traditional feel to the place.
It’s a juxtaposition that works for this beautiful stone building (established in 1675 a sign on the wall told me) tucked away just off the town centre.
From the outside, it’s yet another stunning property in a stunning-looking town. But once you get inside, there’s a little more on offer to catch the eye.
I was met at the door by a very cool-looking barmaid - brightly-coloured hair, piercings, oversized jeans - who welcomed me with a smile, found me a spot to sit and let me know it was ‘table service only’.
Now, in previous columns I’ve had a good old moan about table service, apps and how - like those hideous fast food restaurants where nothing’s fast anymore because the delivery and drive-thru customers seem to be prioritised over those in a physical queue - they cause a vein-popping backlog.
(In case you didn’t realise, Michael Douglas in Falling Down is fast becoming my hero).
But, in this small, intimate place, it works a treat.
A large blackboard lists the beers on offer (even if I had to take a photo and zoom in to be able to read them properly - it’s my age, not too much booze or the fault of the scribe), while keeping the punters from the pumps also allows the business to shoehorn a few more tables into what is an already tight venue.
From the list I plumped for the Baker’s Dozen Breakin’ Bread after being told good things about this Rutland brewery, and I can’t say I was disappointed.
Now able to start taking in my surroundings, it was at this point I truly found out how cool the King’s Head was.
The rest of the staff were dressed cool while on the table next to me was a bloke with a fetching moustache and his pal with thick-rimmed specs, neckerchief and thick jumper with the sleeves rolled up.
Together they looked hip enough to present a new tech show on BBC Two.
The beer mat in front of me told me to ‘Go To Your Hoppy Place’, as did my pint glass which also had a shades-wearing can of beer giving me the thumbs up.
I later checked the pub’s website and found this dude had a similarly drawn pal which appears to be some kind of weapon-wielding barbarian beef burger. Axe and Caddy, perhaps?
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These little touches, plus the beer mats plastered around the bar, a packed wicker magazine rack, stack of board games and darts board stickers in the urinals are nice visuals and options that just add to the experience.
These columns don’t always go out in order and it was around Christmas time when I visited. A sign let me know mulled wine was on offer for £5, while wreaths hung and fairy lights lit up the beams.
This was exactly the kinda cool place where a humble hard-working widower would take the high-rolling, self-absorbed ex-girlfriend city slicker who was back in town in one of those festive movies.
It looked great. It looked cool.
KING’S HEAD, MAIDEN LANE, STAMFORD, PE9 2AZ
DECOR: A traditional old pub brought to life by some lovely, quirky touches, giving off a cool, intimate feel. I really enjoyed this pub. 4/5
DRINK: I went for a pint of Baker’s Dozen Breakin’ Bread pale ale (ABV 3%). It was fantastic. 4/5
PRICE: I paid £5.70 which was reasonable. 3/5
ATMOSPHERE: This was a Sunday afternoon towards the end of the lunchtime crowd but the place still had plenty of conversatiion flying about. 3/5
STAFF: Really nice, helpful and friendly. 4/5
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