please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Nothing but praise here. Superb selection of real ales always on tap and the food is good quality and keenly priced. A real backwater pub without the cliquey feel you might get in other small locals. Uniformed staff is a plus point and the only thing against it is the compact size of the place.
spexx - 12 Mar 2008 22:15 |
The best kept cellar in bromley, well done Chris.
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Once again a great pub.
If you are in Bromley then check this place out
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The Red Lion fully deserves the accolade of SE London 2007 Pub of the Year, and indeed this has been my favourite local pub in Bromley for some now. Well-kept range of ales (including a regularly changing guest), friendly welcome, good jukebox and of course a well-positioned dartboard with a good standard of opponents often on hand (though alas my last visit the Saturday before last was yet again hampered by my frustrating inability to release the dart...)
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An excellent pint (or three) of Greene King Ale Fresco. Friendly staff and very good value food. It's always worth seeking out when visiting the area.
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Great pub which I go to when in the area. Was there lunchtime today. Great Harveys Sussex Bitter. Sat outside with 11 friends on the seating, but still chilled and relaxing. Should have a bottle price for wine though - otherwise would be a 10!
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I finally tracked down this pub on my third attempt - you really need a map and compass to find it unless you live in the weird Bromley North Triangle. But it's certainly worth the effort. A good friendly backstreet pub, but I was impressed that the greeting given to first-timers like me was as friendly as to the obvious regulars. The beer wqas well-kept and the food excellent value.
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http://www.selcamra.org.uk/PuboftheYear.htm
Fantastic stuff – a thoroughly deserved win, a full ten years after the Lion first won the inaugural gong. The landlord is a modern-day hero for maintaining such a fine, diverse range of ever-changing guest ales in a chav-free Greene King tied establishment.
Hopefully this will help the ‘shirts’ open their eyes and see what a mess they’ve made of other treasures like the Lewes Arms – although, sadly, I very much doubt it.
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South East London Camra is pleased to announce that the Red Lion has just been voted 2007 Pub of the Year
anonymous - 11 Mar 2007 18:28 |
This is now my 'local'..I can honestly say it is a great pub..
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I moved to Bromley about 9 months ago and my first port (pub) of call was the Red Lion (as it is the nearest to me)- without doubt this is one of the best pubs I have ever been in and there have been a few. I have tried the rest around Bromley but this one takes the top prize ! The great points are - 1) Cracking pint of Abbott (plus the 2 guest beers every week that are worth a try), 2) Very friendly Landlord and Staff (I always base a pub on whether the Landlord remembers you the second time you come in and knows what you want - well done Chris), 3) Real Local pub atmosphere and friendly with it, 4) Very reasonably priced which includes good no nonsense food, 5) Books and papers for those who want a quiet pint and the Sky TV and darts for the athletes of this world !. Overall a great pub for Summer and Winter (not forgetting Spring and Autumn)- very welcoming and snug place. Proud to call it my Local !!! 10 out of 10
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Excellent local run by friendly landlord and landlady who provide excellent pints for reasonable prices. The real ale choice is particularly impressive with frequent guest beers complimenting the regular Greene King IPA and Harveys. A good selection of Lagers is also stocked including Fosters, Kronenbourg and Stella with Strongbow for the cider drinkers.
Well prepared and very reasonably priced food is available throughout the day until 7pm with a sandwich for little more than a pound all the way up to a full meal for up to £4.50.
An unusual but welcome feature is that one wall of the seating area is almost entirely covered by a bookshelf which visitors to the pub can dip into while they enjoy their pint, newspapers are also provided.
The Red Lion is well worth a visit for anyone who appreciates their different ales and a good friendly honest local pub.
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Having just moved back to Bromley after 2 years absence I was delighted to discover that this fantastic backstreet local is still being run by the same couple. Siobhan & Chris have being here for many years providing excellent beer at reasonable prices. Harveys as always is excellent & Old Ember was a rare treat at 6.5%
If passing pop in & try it for yourself !!!!!!!
anonymous - 18 Nov 2006 16:12 |
I have been drinking here on and off since the arrival off the present Landlord circa ‘97. During all that time the beer has been consistently excellent. I don't think I have ever had a bad pint. The Landlord is passionate about the quality of his beer, and that's not just the Real Ale, all the beers are good. The Landlord is always present ensuring standards are maintained. The additional staff are well chosen, polite and efficient.
The pub is indeed owned by Green King. I am very thankful to the Landlord for fighting to keep the guest beers Green King have tried to take away- there are no other pubs in Bromley selling such a range of cask beer- strong heavy Scottish beers, stouts, porters, real lagers, fruit beers etc etc. If the beer range isn’t as varied and interesting as you might like complain to Waverly TBS (wholesaler) rather than the Landlord. There is now a blackboard behind the bar that lists all the up and coming interesting guest beers that shall be on sale during the month.
From 12-7 excellent value food is served- for example, one can enjoy sausage, egg and chips for 250, or ham and tomato sandwich for little more than a pound.
Although the pub has a large number of regulars, the atmosphere is always friendly and welcoming- i.e. quite different from many of the central Bromley pubs. If your in Bromley shopping its well worth making the short walk past Bromley North station for a pint and a sandwich.
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Great Place....Real Ale is great, landlord and staff very friendly
anonymous - 30 Oct 2006 10:57 |
Been going to this Pub for a couple of months now and have to say its the best pub in Bromley. Staff and Landlord are friendly, quality of real ale is outstanding, plus the guest ales are great. Its well worth the 30 minute walk and is now my 'Local'
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Regarding my comment below and the helpful reply , i was unaware that this was a Greene King pub. (Mind you there are a lot of them about these days.) i always assumed it was a free.
In that case the Landlord needs to be applauded for standing up to the corporate shirts at the brewery.
Anyway this is still one of the nicest in Bromley.
Cheers
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This is an excellent pub and the landlord is to be congratulated on keeping his guest ales. However, beware!! It is strongly rumoured down here in Lewes that Greene King are trying to remove Harvey's from the six remaining former Beard's pubs which they own. This, the Lewes Arms and the Wellington in Seaford are three of them - I don't know which the other three are. We have a petition going in the Lewes Arms. If one of these pubs is your local and you want Harvey's to remain, you may wish to do the same.
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With regard to the posting by norealaleinorpington the problem for the landlord is that this is not a freehouse. He fights very hard to keep his independence in repsect of the beer he can sale. Harveys Sussex Bitter is his choice and it is his best seller in what is actually a Greene King pub.
I agree that it is still a great pub
anonymous - 10 Sep 2006 21:56 |
In a town of chavpalaces serving alcopops, aftershocks and pissylager to 15 year olds, what a delight to find this haven. Top quality ales with friendly service and devoid of the scowling locals normally found in other back street locals.
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I love this pub. Serves good beer and has a great atmosphere about the place. It's like your local should be.
anonymous - 22 Aug 2006 12:45 |
I don't wish to appear either negative or as a beer bore, but went last week and it wasn't as good as it used to be. (Last weeks visit was first for a couple of years.) Why? Because the beer range was , whilst well kept a bit average.
This used to be one of the few pubs in the area where you could get a pint that was not one of the Fullers/Youngs/Greene King variety. It was a true free house and the eclectic range was just brilliant. Last week there was only one 'unusual' beer and that was a shame.
Still don't want this to detract from the fact that this is a good pub with well kept beers and one of the best in the area
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Lovely, lovely place. Really good, welcoming atmosphere, great guinness and just feels right.
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This place is a gem. Despite being the youngest two people there by comfortably 10 years we were more than welcomed and the atmosphere was really friendly, not to mention the quality of the beer being excellent, a far cry from the unforgiving Bromley town centre of a friday night and very welcome at that. Definitely worth a visit. Hard to believe this is in Bromley, feels very local.
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The quality of beer in this pub is outstanding. As well as the masssive variety offered, I have yet to have a poor pint in terms of quality. Chris keeps a great cellar and himself and Siobhan are great hosts.
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Have been using this pub on & off for the past 10 years.Harveys Sussex always on.Excellent Long standing landlord who knows his beer and the best well chosen staff as well.Quite simply the best pub I have ever had the privilage drink in... and I've been to a few !
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Excellent back street pub,a proper pub, 5 very well kept real ales, reasonably priced snacks well worth a visit.
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friendly and knowledgable service, ales always well kept and reasonably priced. Decent clientele; simply what a pub should be.
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Another good pub up in the only classy bit of Bromley. Great ales, good service and books and books and books. Toilets adequately clean, bar and glasses spotless. Well worth a visit for the ale fans.
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Top quality pub, well worth a detour for.
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An absolute gem of a boozer. Great beer well kept, no chavs. Everything most other Bromley pubs just don't have.
anonymous - 16 Jun 2005 15:02 |
How have I lived in Bromley for 20 years without discovering this place? Well, probably because it's in a teeny tiny back street midway between Bromley North & Sundridge Park train stations. The best of at least 3 Greene King pubs within a half mile radius (though you'd be forgiven for not knowing any of them existed). IPA, Abbot & Harveys Sussex always on with quality guests frequently rotating. Check out the range of pump clips decorating the attractive darkwood bar. Not overly pricey with a real suntrap of a front courtyard. Landlord highly knowlegable on ales which is always a bonus. A proper pub-goers pub in the quiet, old part of Bromley town. 10
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This is a cracking little pub, a local tucked away in the side streets in Bromley North. It serves a good pint of Harveys and several other guests. It is small and gets crowded but the atmosphere is always chatty and happy. No hormone-fuelled idiots here. Thoroughly recommended for a good beer with good company.
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Round the back in Bromley North. I very friendly local that serves a very good pint indeed.
Being out of Bromley High Street means that it is not full of brain-dead cretins, as Bromley is on a Friday and Saturday night these days.
Graeme - 2 Jul 2004 13:58 |
One of the best pubs in Bromley - superb ales always. Greene King tied with regulars of Harveys, Abbot, Greene King IPA plus 2 regularly changing guests. Local atmosphere, lovely interior and exterior, 10/10
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