The Kings Head is part of the Honeycomb Houses collection, which includes The Porch House, The Nags Head and The Frogmill among others. It is a fairly large hotel with more than 60 rooms set across several floors, offering a range of room types.

The feature rooms, located in the Georgian part of the building, really steal the show. These front-facing, elegantly styled rooms have high ceilings, sash windows and overlook the Market Place and the architecturally striking Church of St John Baptist.

We were lucky enough to check into one of these for an overnight stay, here is what we made of it.

Arrival

On arrival, the downstairs bar area was packed with large groups which gave it a lively atmosphere. Check in was quick and easy. One thing to note, the hotel does not have its own parking, so you will need to use a nearby public car park a few minutes walk away.

The Room

This was one of the largest rooms we have stayed in recently and there was a lot to love. The super king bed was very comfortable, and we enjoyed having both a sofa and armchairs in the room which meant we used the room as a space to relax rather than just sleep in.

The tall sash windows offered lovely views across the Market Place and Church, thanks to the thick curtains, the room stayed both dark and the room was surprisingly quiet overnight.

The bathroom was well stocked with Bramley products and we appreciated the his and hers, or in our case her and her, sinks which made getting ready much easier.

On arrival, there was Rave coffee and fresh cookies waiting for us, a small touch that always makes a difference.

There were, however, a few small drawbacks. There was no water bowl provided in the room for dogs, so it is worth bringing your own. The room was extremely hot on arrival, set to 30 degrees, and it took a while to cool down to a comfortable temperature.

The bar and dining area

Despite the hotel being very dog-friendly in the bar area, the brasserie itself is not dog-friendly. This seemed to cause a little confusion during service. We had to make ourselves known and ask a member of staff for menus rather than being approached, which took away slightly from what could have been a smoother start to the meal.

The different seating options throughout the hotel also worked well. After dinner, we moved to the sofa and armchairs near the open fire which made for a lovely, relaxed end to the evening. The next morning we noticed guests using the same area as a working space.

Despite, that the staff were incredibly welcoming to Ralphie, who was given plenty of biscuits and attention in the main bar area, and we liked the dedicated dog station downstairs for treats and water.

The food

To start, we ordered the rosemary potato bread, £8.25. It might sound expensive, but you receive a whole warm loaf, and it was divine dipped into the butter, completely worth it. We also tried the vegetable dumplings, £8.95, served with wakame and a soy and ginger dressing. A generous portion of six, crisp on the outside and soft inside.

One of the best things about the Kings Head is that they serve Sunday roast into the evening. I chose the dry-aged native breed roast beef, £23.95, served with roast potatoes, maple-glazed root vegetables, cabbage, leeks and peas, a Yorkshire pudding and traditional gravy.

The beef was beautifully tender and cooked just right. I also really liked that everything was served on one plate. I have had a few roasts recently where all the sides arrive separately and you can easily feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it.

This felt perfectly portioned, generous without being overwhelming. It arrived piping hot and did not taste like it had been sat around waiting to go out, which can so often be the case with roasts. Everything was well seasoned and full of flavour. A very good roast indeed.

Rachel went for the Caesar salad, £17.40. It had a good amount of anchovy and a nicely balanced dressing, though we both agreed that homemade croutons would have taken it to the next level.

For dessert, we shared the tiramisu with a scoop of Jude’s vanilla ice cream, £8.45. It arrived as a small slice and was deliciously light with a lovely flavour, though slightly lacking in structure.

Breakfast

In the morning, we headed down for breakfast. There was a small continental buffet table, although the fruit did not look freshly replenished, and overall it felt a little uninspiring.

We ordered the Full English, £12.95, and the smashed avocado with an egg, £10.95. The smashed avocado was enjoyed.

The Full English looked great when it arrived, but unfortunately did not deliver on flavour. The bacon was stuck together, the fried egg undercooked, and the mushroom very dry.

For us, a good hotel shows consistency across all services, from dinner through to breakfast. After such a strong meal the night before, breakfast felt slightly lacklustre in comparison.

Overall

We had a genuinely lovely stay. Being right in the heart of town means you can step straight out to explore and easily retreat back to the hotel for a rest. The room was spacious and relaxing, and the service throughout was warm and friendly.

It is a very comfortable stay and one we would recommend. The only element that slightly let it down for us was breakfast, but overall, this remains a solid choice in the centre of Cirencester.

The Kings Head, Cirencester

24 Market Place, Cirencester, GL7 2NR

Bitten were invited as guests, all views are our own