Dylans at The Kings Arms climbs higher in the Estrella Damm Top 100

Housed in a beautiful 15th-century Tudor building on George Street in the Cathedral Quarter of St Albans, Hertfordshire, this local neighbourhood gem has an emphasis on high-quality ingredients such as Txuleta Prime Rib Dairy Cow and fresh Cornish Day Boat fish, as well as an extensive range of craft beer, specialist wines and spirits, and a friendly vibe.

One of the key reasons for this continued success is Head Chef Josh Searle, a young, local talent who adapts the menu to make the most of the season’s best produce from small, local, and family suppliers. Developing his own style of cooking while staying true to Dylans ethos of simplicity and quality, Josh cooks the kind of food we all love to eat. Josh has been with Dylans for six years now, working as Head Chef for the past two years.

Led by owner, Sean Hughes, this family-run pub works closely with its team, not only to ensure that everyone enjoys their visit but as a key community asset and somewhere for neighbours and visitors to meet.

The exciting menu boasts bold and playful flavours, such as the Scotch ‘Bonnet’ Egg and Habanero Jam. To start though, we’d strongly recommend the lamb croquettes from the a la carte menu, or the beef shin spring roll from the specials board if they have it.

As for the mains, the Cornish Dayboat Cod is popular, as is the Slow Cooked Pork Cheek Bourguignon. However, for a real taste of Dylans we cannot recommend the English Dairy Cow Prime Rib highly enough. Served with a rich brown butter gravy, the meat is juicy, full of flavour and cooked to total perfection. There’s genuine quality in every bite.

As well as an incredible a la carte menu and Sunday lunch offering, every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday you can enjoy a set course midweek lunch menu; don’t miss out on the cheeseburger here! The menus change with the seasons, with smaller changes applied daily due to the nature of the small suppliers.

Recently acclaimed as a place to eat one of the best steaks in the UK by Top Jaw and Sorted Food, over the past 12 months Dylans’ reputation for offering unpretentious but high-quality dining in a casual pub environment has grown, making it the place to dine in St Albans with bookings for Sunday lunch now being taken two to three months ahead!

And now, thanks to its ascent in the Estrella Damm Top 100, Dylans is sure to attract even more hungry diners. Owner Sean Hughes comments: “We’re absolutely thrilled with our new position; it’s a testament to how hard the whole team has worked throughout the year to make Dylans at The Kings Arms such a special place.

“A jump of 22 places is a fantastic achievement for a small, local, independent business like ours. Our aim was, and remains, to run the pub as a key community asset, but also to create somewhere locally to rival the most exceptional pubs and restaurants in London, so to be acknowledged in this respected guide amongst such quality establishments means a lot. We’d like to thank everyone who has been with us on this journey, especially our trusted suppliers and our most regular customers.”

Top 100 Gastropubs was conceived in 2009 with the purpose of recognising the hardworking individuals in the gastropubs industry.  The list is created by collecting votes from more than 100 industry professionals who are key people in the hospitality industry. Judges come from leading pub businesses, editors of media brands and food writers who are geographically spread across the UK to ensure no regional bias.