Kings Head English Pub & Bar / Dania Beach
Important: This article was last updated on March 6, 2009. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
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500 E. Dania Beach Blvd., Dania Beach
954-922-5722
daniakingsheadpub.com
Cuisine: British/American
Cost: inexpensive to moderate
Hours: lunch, dinner daily
Reservations: accepted
Credit cards: AE, D, MC, V
Bar: full service
Sound level: quiet to moderately noisy when the bar is hopping
Outside smoking: yes
For kids: boosters; high chairs
Wheelchair accessible: yes
First impression: Waitresses in Kings Head logo tank tops and jeans suggest you're going to have a casual experience, but the menu says otherwise. Along with burgers and traditional British fare, some menu items — duck confit, filet mignon and grilled yellow fin sesame tuna — lean in the other direction.
Ambience: Old books, model ships and a portrait of that great foodie, King Henry VIII, all conspire to age the room. Just pay no attention to the television monitor, the piped in rock and roll, or the huge window that mandates a modern day view of the umbrella-covered outdoor bar, all of which upset the mood.
Starters: Lonesome Brits can eat Stilton with port wine poured on it – just like home. Large crumbles of the heady cheese puddled with creamy port are $7.50. Also worthwhile is a pate and sausage platter ($10.75) with two heartily textured pates, (cracked pepper and duck/pistachio), bangers (British sausage), and homemade pickled onions.
Entree excellence: Crunchy good fish and chips, made with either center-cut cod loin ($14.95) or flounder ($10.95), are first dipped in ale-infused batter. Another ale-coated delight is Uncle Robert's Meat Patties ($8.50 as an appetizer; $10.50 as an entree with chips and peas). The well seasoned ground meat sausage patty is sandwiched between thinly sliced potatoes, dipped in batter and fried virtually grease free. Steak and kidney pie ($12.75) or steak and mushroom pie ($11.95) are delicious and enormously portioned in family-sized au gratin dishes loaded with tender beef cubes, sliced fresh mushrooms, rich sauce and flaky puff pastry caps.
Sides: Don't miss house-made sauces — lemon caper cream, Diane and Jambalaya. They're $2 each as sides, but accompany some entrees. We chose the slightly sweet Grand Marnier sauce on an otherwise simple grilled fillet of flounder ($18.95) to bring it to life.
Sweet!: Made on premises desserts include flame-roasted apple and sultana crumble with perfect tartness and a light bread and butter pudding ($6.75 each).
Liquid assets: Toast the Royals with beer (it goes down best with this kind of food) and let the staff guide you through drafts, ciders and bottled goodies. — Judith Stocks