please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Good pub, friendly staff & locals, and a good range of ales which readily change once the barrel runs out. I believe they keep Youngs ordinary and London pride as regularss and after that who knows, but there are 6 ales more to choose from ... yes 6! Can't remember last nights full range but after we drank the T.E.A dry it was promptly replaced with Crop Circle.
Looking forward to the next visit.
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There is a chalk board above the bar that says “REAL LOCAL PUB WITH REAL ALE”, I couldn’t have said it better myself.
I found the barman to be very friendly and the couple of locals that I met were very nice. My Youngs was the first of the day so the barman pulled last nights beer through making my pint spot on (it’s amazing how many bar staff will not do this). Along with the Youngs I spotted 3 other real ales and various lagers and maybe a couple of ciders.
There’s plenty of outside seating and a pool table with plenty of elbow room. The drinking area is still separated into 2 bars so you can escape the live music and go to the other side of the pub.
You can tell as soon as you enter that this place is being looked after and has a great team. I wish I could pick up this pub and move it to N11 where I live!
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Nice one Salty - got my copy yesterday and good to see this pub returning to that very page! Might well pop down for some cider later on before the winter closes in.....
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Sorry, forgot to comment about Johnwarkstache's statement of the ammount of 4 legged clientelle who freqent this establishment. Has he met "Eddie" the crossdressing dog!
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Paulio 1966, Try looking on page 323 of 2009 Good Beer Guide! As for the pub excellent as usual. Recent offerings Waylands "Blonde Belle, Nelsons "Mister Mate" and "Spanker", Cottage "E Type" and Sharpes "Eden" Thats just a few of the ever changing range.
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Two real perries on when I called on Thursday!
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A wonderful, wonderful pub. A fantastic range of well-kept real ale and cider served by friendly helpful people. Drop in on Friday evening for a delicious home-made curry.
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Real cider seems to have returned as a permanent feature, currently Burrow Hill and some barrels left over from the beer festival. Well worth a visit.
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Not seen the 2009 Good Beer Guide but this should be in it!
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One of the better pubs in Greater London. Have visited many many times and have yet to be disappointed. Highly recommended.
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I had a cracking pint of Declaration and Nelson's Delight on Sunday evening (i think the beer fest had died off by then) but this was their standard roster. They do like their Hogs Back brewery which is fine. What a splendid garden they have and what an agreeable clientele they attract. As I have banged on before - Isleworth is alright if you know where to go - and this pub needs support. I could quite happily chill in their garden even with the flightpath to one side - so what? Planes, shmanes. Get some lovely beer down you. Oh and fair play to Trainman for glugging a pint of St Austell's Proper Job - a gorgeous pint. I would love this pub to have a try with more St Austell and Skinner's. my only disappointment was the bar-lady's lack of Belgian beer knowledge when asked.
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A most enjoyable visit on Saturday to take advantage of their weekend beer festival. They had 30+ on stills in the garden shed (sorry 'Olde Ale House') and 8/9 on handpump in the bar. Also a fair number of ciders & perries. I got to sample, for the first time, Jarrow Rivet Catcher, St Austell Proper Job, RCH Pitchfork, the choice also included Alton Pride and many other fine beers. I was pleased with the efficient cask cooling system on a warm day and presumed the very slight haze to the beers was temperature related, they all tasted tip-top. Exception being the 9% AoverT, I had to try it one day, but gave away my half of this awfully sweet beer after one sip. Sat in the beer garden - half grassed, half paved & covered, plenty of picnic sets, most agreeable, even entertainment in the shape of the pub kitten who periodically dived from the shrubbery to ambush either pub dog as they wandered past, haha!
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Bar does tend to get a bit crowded with regulars but I generally find them very amicable. Have noticed some bar staff seem slow to serve or ignore the part of bar without pool table, unless you are a local who can call out thier name. Can't get over how many dogs there always seems to be in here. Like to see a dog in a pub but bit like Battersea sometimes having to step over them. Good garden. Not a massive real ale drinker, but can see this is very much a pub for the real ale. Does seem to be live music on every night but can always go in other bar if not agreeable to you. Once saw a man play a banjo in here with a saucepan on his head which had a chipolata dangling from the handle. All in all, I like it
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This is not my local (That would be the shady Milford) but I did like the beer (DaisyCutter was exceptionally fresh and tasty) plus they do try to be a bit wider than your standard "Largar" drinks with Leffe and Fruilli plus several ales. I have found the "local cronies" rather agreeable - if you ask nicely they will let you see the pumps, it's not difficult. I used English - it works sometimes. Isleworth has it's salty characters but they tend to drink in the Bridge, The Milford or the Coach & Horses near Hounslow end of London Road. Live music adds to the atmosphere although rather too many accoustic blues acts for my liking...
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You know the scene. You fancy a beer and you want to see what's on offer. But you can't because a load of local cronies (there's more descriptive words i could use) have monopolised the the bar. Do they shift to let you have a peep? Do they b*ll*cks!
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Sought this pub put after it came out in the top 50 pubs in London in Time Out a few years back. Glad I did as it has become our not so local local. Aside from the wide and changing selection of real ales always on offer it is a real community pub with a local amateur theatre group.
Had been in need of a bit of TLC in recent years. Mercifully the reburb has been symathetic (aside formthe suspect baby boy blue ceiling in the lounge bar).
Attactive beer garden except when Heathrow inbound flight are directly overhead - they're so load you have to pause your conversations whilst they fly over.
The two annual beer festivals are worth attending.
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Have now been in three times since the refurb and feel the pub is back to its best. But at £2.95 per pint yesterday for the range of bitters I think this is a bit steep. I enquired about this, thinking it included the budget price increase as it was £2.85 last week, but was informed that the budget increase had not yet been implemented. God knows what they will be charging then. Won't be getting much of my custom.
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Good back street boozer that has been tastefully done up without losing its atmosphere. Wide range of beer. Deservedly popular with locals.
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Salty, sadly it is the same red lion. Honestly, my first visit was a bit grim but what a vast improvement since then! I found a totally buffed up boozer with top notch ale. I think the service could still improve but that's just me being picky. It was a lot better than other pubs i've visited recently. Keep the faith.
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Attended a mini Beer Festival here last weekend with the emphasis on dark winter beers and porters. An intelligent selection all in good condition - although those from the Ale House at the back were a tad too cold. The pub has kept many of the older fixtures and fittings and this adds to the general ambience. The staff are friendly and helpful. The journey to find this place was well worth the effort, it is less than ten minutes walk from Isleworth station.
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Made my first visit here last Friday - great choice of real ales, all in great condition. Shame I live on the opposite side of town.....
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I visited the Red Lion yesterday for the first time in months.The beer was as good as ever but the decor is now very good.The refurbishment has worked well.
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Zapu, I think you must have visited the wrong Red Lion! Paul the new owner has worked realy hard since taking the pub over refurbishing inside and out. The quality of the beer is always good and if you are served a bum pint by accident it will always be changed no questions asked. The only down side of this establishment is the public bar can be noisey at weekends.
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Sorry bootsy, it must have been a different Red Lion that i went too. Inside it stunk of sweat, stale beer (and worse!). The pub was strongly recommended by a friend so I really tried to enjoy it, but i couldn't because, apart from the the stink, the beer was awful. From a selection of 6 beers, you would have thought one of them was ok! The poor girl behind the bar tried hard but she was clueless, and as for the other surly git... I'll give it 2 for effort.
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A great pub for ale lovers, and perhaps the best pub for miles; friendly staff and a ‘unique’ interior. I’ve spent many nights sampling guest ales here. The snug bar side (having a refit when last there a few weeks ago) is usually nicer, as screaming females and younger locals seem to loiter in the sports bar! Can’t blame the pub for that though! The garden is also a lovely spot on any sunny afternoon. The feeling of community is inescapable!
Overall a great little place!
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Went there on BH Monday. Beers in the festival were okay but the ones at the bar were in excellnt condition.
Good pub all round, no frills, just avenue for people to enjoy themselves.
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The wonderful institution is under "new" management - the same chap who owned it about ten years ago. The place is undergoing a major overhaul so the smell of paint is overpowering. The beers are still first class and there are so many to choose from. The garden which was excellent is now beautiful. This is one to watch and the best time will be the next beer festival. The festival is over the August Bank Holiday and hosts some great local bands. This beautiful old boozer needs more customers. If you try it you will be very pleased with yourself that you did.
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Must have gone downhill since winning Pub of Year awards. On my last visit the beer was mediocre, the service off-hand and the whole pub looked pretty scruffy. An overrated pub.
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I've been in three times over the last two months and I have to say that the beer quality has been disappointing. Marvellous selection as usual but standard left something to be desired. Friends who I was with said the same thing. Last time - about three weeks ago - we just had the one pint and then left. It wasn't bad enough to hand back but it wasn't right. Great shame - just hope things improve under the new management, which I assume has taken over by now. Rate it now as 6 but would have been 9 once !
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What can one sayabout a pub which, having won the CAMRA Pub of the Year title two years running was excluded the next year to give the others a chance!!
Chopperbomb should also keep his eyes open as they have several beer fests each year when the normal eight real ales are supplemented by dozens more.
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Cosy pub. Fantastic Ales.
Bit of wear and tear, but that's the way I likes it.
Used the pub as a meeting place for my mates before we headed off to a party. Late friends are truly a blessing in disguise, great excuse to spend a few more hours tasting the Red Lion's varied and tasty wares.
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The best pub in Isleworth without a doubt! It's a bit shabby inside (although not overly so) but the great beer garden, the ever changing guest ales, the quiz nights, the live bands on Fridays and Saturdays and especially the recent Beer Festival make this pub a must visit. The staff are friendly, there are 2 seperate bars and although no food is served I cannot recommend it enough. Darts, pool table, locking full length tolet doors. What else can I say. Everyone should make next year's August bank holiday the time when they spend the whole weekend here at the Beer Festival. Mine's a pint of Stinger!
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I made my second visit on Saturday and enjoyed a good selection of ales having found a comfortable spot near the left hand entrance. However I'm not surprosed by Hans's post as my first visit a couple of years ago was spoiled by inconsiderate families and their hyperactive offspring. On that occasion a heavy shower sent everyone scurrying indoors from the beer garden with people shunting furniture around and children running everywhere; it became intolerable and we left as a result and hadn't been back since until just now. I certainly wouldn't go back on a Sunday afternoon.
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We visited this pub today for a beer festival that was held this weekend. The beers were well kept and there was an excellent selection. We were having quite a good time, until we were unfortunately accosted by a woman and her six children in the beer garden. Normally, I am fine with children in pubs, as long as they are well behaved, but this woman came over to our small table and asked if she could sit with us. We said we were leaving soon, and would rather not have six children on our laps. She proceeded to stand directly beside us, with her children screaming and running around our table, and then after 10 minutes they sat down and told us 'our time was up'. Oh, well. She ruined a great first impression for a decent real ale pub.
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Currently up for sale for £ 185k according to the website ukbusinessesforsale.com. It would be a crying shame if a splendid pub like this was sold to new owners and changed for the worst
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Visited on Saturday. Lives up to the hype it gets in beer circles. Friendly place in a residential street (luckly locals), very close to Isleworth train station (trains to / from Waterloo). A few very unusual real ales including a cask conditioned "real" lager from Harviestoun (not much like a lager to be honest but a nice splash) and the increasingly familiar Belgian bottles (Maredsous on tap was a bit more interesting - far better alternative to Leffe). Tables on the street and in the largish garden. Small stage for live music. Divided interior. Liked it.
anonymous - 10 Jul 2006 12:04 |
Visited on Sunday 9th April 2006. What a gem this place is! Excellent selection of beers plus warm friendly staff and a relaxed, if slightly scruffy, ambience. Ladies take note of the free 'items' in the toilet - it's a thoughtful touch. Decor is dated, but clean. Only slight downer was the hoards of children in the bar. They were quite well behaved, unlike their parents who were more intent on getting drunk than keeping an eye on their offspring!
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Faultless.
Excellent beer. Friendly staff. Most locals represent the better class of drunk.
The past quizzes were fiendishly hard, but it would be mean to deduct marks just because I'm not that knowledgable.
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In my humble opinion this is the quintessential local pub. It's warm, and comfortable, and slightly shabby from good use over many years. The people who run it are great. They not only know their stock, they serve it right, they're happy to oblige your requests, and they know their customers.
They offer a really good selection of Real Ales, Belgian beers, cidars and perry. They make me happy by giving me lots of ice in my G&T without the grumbles and evil looks I sometimes get at other places.
And the community of people who come here to comfortably chat is friendly and laid back in just the right way. Women can confidently come here for a quiet drink on their own.
I don't know about the food they have here since my partner and I just come here for a drink and a cosy chat in the evenings. But they do frequenly wander around offering gorgeous chips now and th
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This One of The All Time Great Pubs and well worth a VISIT.
Good Live Music At Weekends Only But Still Worth A Visits for the Fine Selection Of Real Ales.
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Rough n ready back street boozer. Hoards of children running riot and parents didn't seem to notice or care. They were very cute tho so for once I didn't actually mind, despite them playing under the pool table we were having a game on, oblivious to our presence. They were having fun tho, bless 'em. Only problem was the kiddies' room, where the pool table was, smelled a bit of sick... Oh and hats off for the Hallowe'en decorations, good effort! Can't imagine I'll be going back tho, not really my cup of tea.
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Finally got myself over here a few weeks ago - what a lovely boozer! Excellent beer range, wide range of events, gigs etc, and pleasant garden out back. Only slight irritation: the regulars tend to occupy a line of stools along the bar so you have to order your ale from behind or between them. But I can live with that.
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Went here last night for a few - very welcoming, great atmosphere - without doubt the best pub in the area.
anonymous - 15 Sep 2005 11:09 |
Quite like the pub - interior could do with a bit of a spruce up but nice garden. (same carpet for the last 50 years I think).
Definitely an interesting selection of beers but whoever is n charge of selecting them has a definite and unwelcome bias for light coloured summer ales - in fact nearly every beer they sell is of this type.
A few more traditional best bitters with at least a quarter inch of head on them and a nice brown colour wouldnt go amiss. (and I'm not even from oop' north)
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Third pub in a recent crawl - outstanding for the variety and condition of the real ales. Keen to promote BBQ and Music festivals too. Pleasant garden out back. Back street location - why is this pub not in North Wembley instead???!!
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I will be holding another cider making demonstration at this most excellent of pubs on the Saurday and Sunday 29th and 30th of October. Possibly even a perry this year.
Last year's production was a great success with all concerned attending the tasting session on the 10th of June trading in thier share certificates for as much or as little of the cider as they wanted. The remainder was sold at a very modest £2 a pint with the proceedds going to charity. I'm not sure of the arrangements this year but I am requesting that anyone with excess apples and/or pears please bring them along.
Another very successful Solstice beer festival as well.
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I've lived within 3 miles of this pub for 50 years - it took my fellow cycling instructor Aussie Mike to show me where it was just last year! Great beers compensate for the need of a good lick of paint. Deserves its reputation. Wish I lived in Linkfield Road, but perhaps not right next door eh?
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Fantastic pub for real ale fans. It's a bit scruffy (decor) but the choice of beers and the fact that it's a real pub more than makes up for this.
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when are you going to book the Muttz Knuttz to play here again, last beer festival i went to in August i think they stole the show on the sunday or that could have been the Delirium??
anonymous - 10 Mar 2005 13:44 |
Yes, this is still a welcoming local pub.
Come out of the exit to Isleworth BR,
turn left then left again at the Bridge Pub.
Then it is 5 minutes walk.
anonymous - 1 Feb 2005 19:56 |
I cant beleive this pub isn't at number 1! Fabulous fabulous place. Go there!
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Hi Sapphron!
The place is missing YOU!
Be swift, Miles.
anonymous - 2 Dec 2004 01:10 |
I love the fact that if I'm meeting my friends I feel perfectly welcome and comfortable (as a single female)walking into The Red Lion. This is partly down to the staff who are always welcoming but also the locals, a really friendly crowd. I also love the range of fruit flavoured Belgian beers on offer and the fun events, there is always something going on.
anonymous - 24 Nov 2004 13:28 |
I visited the Red Lion on Saturday and was impressed with the warm welcome I received and also with the quality of the beer and entertainment. I particularly enjoyed a pint of Village Elder. I also enjoyed reading the bloopers made by the regulars and staff stuck to the side of the bar.
I was pleased to see that the pub has not been ruined by over decoration and modernisation. It still feels like a local pub "where everyone knows your name". although I don't leve near I will definately make the effort to visit again.
anonymous - 23 Nov 2004 18:21 |
How many real ale pubs do you know where you can still have a choice of 8 draught ales in good condition at 11:30am. This is a great pub. DON'T MISS THE PANTO.
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I have been travelling around the world for nearly two years now. When people ask me what I miss most about home, I tell them "The Red Lion, Isleworth". Great Staff, great atmosphere, allways something crazy in the pipeline. Cant wait to get back home at Christmas/New year for fancy dress parties and Pantomime. Go Red Lion!
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this is truly an amazing pub, so rare to find a traditional pub with such a fantastic atmosphere, and plenty of real ale in tip top condition. the staff are extremely friendly and helpful, and there is always something interesting going on. its just won the CAMRA pub of the year for the area, second year running. live music is on weekends, and they've just started doing real sunday roasts, which you can never finish as the portions are huge!
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Remarkable rare example of a real pub and well deserving it's status as one of the 12 best CAMRA rated pubs in Greater London. Amazing selection of perfectly kept real ales with 9 guest ales changing daily. Seperate public bar for the sports watchers, the pool players and juke box listeners. Live blues music on Saturdays and Sundays. Traditional Sunday lunches. Two great beer festivals every year with over 50 real ales! Wish I lived nearer except it is only 2 mins from the railway station.
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This is a fine establishment & I consider it one of the the few remaining "proper" pubs. I do have one samll gripe though. As mentioned on a previous comment, there are 2 dartboards. One of them is very poor though & you have to play over the table football. The other one is fantastic, on a stage complete with backlights. However, I have been in there at least 3 times on an early afternoon for a long stint at the oche with my friend, only to find the decent board not in use because of a screen hanging down for a forthcoming theatre production. The friendlier barstaff are happy to roll this screen up (or say they don't mind if we do) so we can play darts for hours on end & spend lots of money. The other barstaff though say we can't play & we are forced to go to a nearby less nice pub to play our darts (we last went in at 3pm on a Wednesday & couldn't play because the screen was down for a play on the following Saturday evening! Why don't you just roll it down on the Saturdy afternoon?)Still a lovely pub though & one of a dying breed
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Utterly, unassumingly brilliant. How many pubs do you get these times that offer a Christmas Panto? In January? If this pub was in a TV soap, no one would believe it could actually be real... The last of the great British community pubs.
Miles - 8 Nov 2004 17:32 |
Great pub fantastic staff great atmosphere,i've been drinking there for 37 years.But it gets better and better and they have won the best pub award again.
chilly - 22 Oct 2004 11:38 |
This is not a half bad pub - Good ales, beer garden and music.
TheGP - 11 Aug 2004 14:46 |
Yet another amazing champions beer festival at this excellent backstreet pub. The extensive and diverse range of beers out in the old stable sold out again. but there was still plenty available from the nine handpumps in the pub. As usual a good range of Belgium bottled beers available. However the real coup for this years May day festival was the presence of other cider than the usual festival Old Rosie.A five gallon tub Rich's sweet cider had sold out, and I was doing my best on the Orchards Perry. Wow! It was a single variety perry, Cannock, these pears are extremely rare coming from only six trees which only exist in the one orchard belonging to Keith Orchard (yes that is his real name, a treat for even cider officionados. One drawback of bank holiday Mondays visit was the Punch and Judy man, he was scarey but the kids loved it.
simon - 4 May 2004 11:56 |
A great London boozer, welcomes all, pool table, quiz machines, 2 darts boards, 2 fruit machines, live music, front and rear beer gardens, friendly staff......the biz.
mikey - 21 Jan 2004 16:54 |
I have recently bought into the myth surrounding the Red Lion. It recently won Cameras regional annual ale award. I don't drink ale but I still find myself strangely entranced by this pub. Good character, great beer garden, the saloons a little rough maybe but that's okay.
Good for: A quiet pint (or two)
James - 27 Nov 2003 14:50 |
I realy enjoy the live music and the excelent range of quality real ales.There is a bar for each facility and a good outdoor area for the beer festivals and theatrics/charity events.
John - 2 Sep 2003 19:06 |
Update: Live music on Saturday AND Sunday now. The Tapas are no longer being served but excellent food available on special occasions and spuds/paninis all day. The pub operates a strict ANTI DRUGS Policy and the public bar clientele are far more interested in the sporting events and the Real Ale festivals, held on a regular basis and accompanied by excellent music
Bev - 30 Jun 2003 12:58 |
get those flipping dogs out of the pub!!!
steve - 8 Jun 2003 15:36 |
Dependant on which side you got into depends on what sort of night you want. To the left you get good music and company, to the right you get a bit of attitude but the chance to buy some good cocaine.
Mark - 27 Nov 2002 20:08 |
Good atmosphere; lots of guest ales; Guinness not bad ;) - free saanies on pub quiz evenings.
Fergus - 9 Aug 2002 20:04 |
Live bands every saturday night, with great Tapas menu. Nice garden. Real Ales.
Linda - 13 Jun 2002 11:31 |
