The story
Dylans at the Kings Arms brings modern British cooking to a fifteenth century Tudor building on George Street in St Albans. Owner Sean Hughes reopened the historic site in 2015 after a lengthy closure, naming the venue after his late chocolate Labrador. Exposed beams and polished timber frame a space that balances everyday warmth with quiet craftsmanship. The Good Food Guide has recognized this steady approach for three consecutive years.
Head chef Josh Searle directs the kitchen with a focus on straightforward technique and local ingredients. His seven year tenure at the establishment allowed him to refine a cooking style that respects traditional pub standards while introducing precise flavor combinations. The menu shifts regularly to feature small suppliers across Hertfordshire and the south coast. This dedication to seasonal availability keeps the modern British plates sharp without unnecessary complexity.
The kitchen prepares chargrilled onglet with chimichurri and beef fat chips alongside whole Cornish sea bass roasted with rouille potatoes. Regulars often return for the Txuleta dairy cow rib or lamb chops finished with simple herbs. Desserts frequently highlight olive oil, featuring dark chocolate mousse with flaky salt or a lime sorbet balanced by citrus vodka. A green tiled beer wall dispenses guest casks and ales, while a curated wine list completes the evening.
Recognition
Details
History
2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
A pub with deep roots in the city the Romans called Verulamium, the Kings Arms occupies a handsome Tudor building in the Cathedral Quarter. Its beamed ceiling and burnished wood surfaces evoke an atavistic note of bygone days, and the history extends even to the name, Dylans, which commemorates a gone-but-not-forgotten chocolate Labrador. There is a seam of stylish grandeur running through much of Josh Searle's repertoire, and yet it never severs its connection to pub cooking. Chargrilled onglet with chimichurri, beef – fat chips and brown butter gravy could well be the best steak and chips you'll eat this year, or there might be Cornish sea bass with ratatouille, rouille potatoes and grilled artichoke. Familiar dishes are given productive tweaks to keep the regulars interested, so buffalo burrata might come with chestnut and pumpkin-seed panzanella, while a riot of spice inflames the punningly named Scotch Bonnet egg and habanero jam. Locals lavish special praise on the meat offerings – astonishing dairy cow burgers, luscious lamb chops, the lifetime's best roast pork belly. Olive oil typically plays a resourceful role in desserts such as dark chocolate mousse with sea salt and oil, or lime sorbet with olive-oil vodka. When it comes to drinking, a surprisingly extensive list of Champagnes must wait its turn behind Nyetimber's superlative Sussex sparklers, while a baker's dozen of wines in all three colours come in three glass sizes. Cask ales and a selection of guest brews dispensed from a green-tiled 'beer wall' are a strong draw too.
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