King William Ale House

Reviews

• SJ P.

  star star star star star_border 27 May 2026

  The King Will is a fantastic pub with an old man feel and young clientele. The pub doesn't' look very distinguishable from other pubs on King Street from the outside, but on the inside the place is huge, spread across three floors with plenty of nooks and crannies to loose a few hours in.
  
  This can be a little daunting if you've never been here before and arrange to meet a friend, then spend the next 10minutes trying to find them, but it does mean that large groups will have plenty of space and a nice leather sofa to relax in.
  
  There are several pool tables on the top level as well as bar, though during the day and at quiet periods the only place to get served is the downstairs pub and the front near the entrance.

• Karen P.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 25 May 2026

  Bar staff not particularly friendly and snappy when we asked about food being available.
  
  Very poor Sunday lunch: none of it was home made, cold Yorkshire puddings, cold roast potatoes and over cooked veg. We were gutted as we were so hungry.
  
  The pub itself is dark and atmospheric with loads of places to sit. There are pool tables if you fancy a game.

• Will P.

  star star star star star 23 May 2026

  Bristol city centre pubs are usually stressful affairs, with painfully loud music and aggressive jostling at the bar. The King Will is nothing like this sort of pub. Its in a beautiful timberframe building over three floors. Its the sort of building where the first time you go there you'll probably get slightly disorientated trying to find the toilets. This gives it a ramshackle charm I love. It also means that its often easy to find a corner or even a room just for you and your friends, which is a real bonus at somewhere as cheap as this. Open fires in the winter and a cheap pool table seal the deal for me, making it a favourite haunt of mine.
  
  I'm struggling to think of negatives. The place hasn't seen a paintbrush in a while, but then I wouldn't say it needs it. Being a bit saner than most other centrally located pubs, it's probably not the place to go and be noisy, but I don't think anyone would give you dirty looks if you did. In my opinion a first class pub.

• Mark M.

  star star star star star_border 21 May 2026

  Located within a stones throw of the Bristol Old Vic, the King William Ale House looks like it hasn't been decorated since the time the Old Vic was built. It's décor is probably pre 20th Century and with that comes a lot of charm and plenty or atmosphere.
  
  The booze is cheap and sourced from the Sam Smith "independent" brewery, so what's on offer is a little different from what you will find anywhere else. The food is also fairly cheap, but unlike the drink it's not that great to be honest. This isn't the place to go for a nice meal.
  
  Split over 3 levels it can feel like a bit of a maze at times, but it's definitely worth a visit if you're looking for a cheap pint in the centre.

• Henry N.

  star star star star_border star_border 18 May 2026

  Like most of the pubs sitting down on King Street, this has something of the old man's establishment about it, though if you go in there on the weekend, by virtue of its location, it's bound to be stretched to breaking with a younger clientele.
  
  The downstairs is pretty big, though there are several different parts and a couple of booths, meaning it can still be cosy. The alcohol is a bit of a strange arrangement - it's a Samuel Smith's pub which means they only sell their own drinks (no Stella for you!). The emphasis is on ales though they do do their own lagers too (some of them organic) and from memory I'm sure it's all pretty cheap.
  
  They also have a couple of pool tables (cheap again) upstairs, though this still isn't enough to drag me in on too frequent a basis. This is a nice enough pub, it's just not as good as the Old Duke down the road.