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Red Lion Hotel, Wareham

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user reviews of the Red Lion Hotel, Wareham

please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.

Surprised to find it so quiet upon entering but perhaps it's because it doesn't offer a view of anything other than a road. Or maybe it's because the Morland Original lost its condition very quickly, the beer range is uninspiring (Tribute, OSH and London Glory also on sale), the cider choice is almost non-existent (someone tell them that bottled Rekorderlig doesn't count as a cider) and its quite expensive. Nice looking inside and out though.
paul_d102 - 5 Jun 2017 19:36
I normally steer clear of Greedy King pubs as the choice of ales are poor and not very tasty, but I was pleasantly surprised with the not so usual GK suspects here.
Woodforde's Nelson's Revenge, Morland Original, Old Nutty Hen (a must try beer) and Old Gold from Belhaven.
I was really looking forward to the Old Gold. Doh! This has to be one of the worst beers ever produced.
It was so vinegary I thought it was off, but the bar staff told me it should taste like that. I wasn't the first to comment about it.
They were kind enough to change it for me for the Nelson - very good of them.
Good food at reasonable prices.
fugglehops - 6 Oct 2016 21:04
Large imposiing old street-corner building which is now part of the Greene King hotels chain. It has been modernised but still has something of the old charm of a bygone era about it. We sat in the spacious bar area which was comfortably furnished and quite "genteel". Friendly barmaid who offered us a selection of 6 beers which included a couple of GK products as well as as guest ales. Both our beers were in good condition (Cask Marque) and although this is not a "pub" it is the kind of place you could take the wife and inlaws to !
mcroyal - 12 Apr 2014 13:08
Hotel bar with the emphasis on food which looked pretty good, they did have a good selection of real ale on, 4 i think with a couple from smaller breweries. Tried a beer from the Dark Star brewery which was very good.

The bar area was very well decorated and it has a outside drinking area witha lot of benches and tables available.

Pleasant and efficient bar staff.
beershot - 2 Sep 2013 14:56
In spite of the claim of an "ever changing range of personally selected real ales", two of the three ales were from Greene King. Hardly surprising since this is a Greene King pub! No one who knows anything about beer would ever deliberately choose Greene King ales - I think the claim about the ales is rather misleading.

Service and atmosphere on the whole pretty good though.
Mark888 - 26 Nov 2012 03:53
My wife and I ate here with friends and found the food and service t be very good in a pleasant environment. It has only recently opened after refurbishment and the new staff have been well trained and are very polite and friendly. Recommended.
minacker - 5 Sep 2011 21:53
Unlike the previous visitor, we had a fantastic meal. Simple food but so beautifully cooked and presented - full marks to the chef. The service was friendly, especially the barman (Martyn?) and helpful. Would definitely eat here again if we visited the area again and would recommend to anyone.
gillyg1963 - 4 Sep 2011 20:04
Thought i would try the food after the hotel was opened and all i can say is NEVER AGAIN....Service was awful....spent 15 minutes looking for menus and finding out even though we were the only people in the hotel and there were 3 members of staff on we still had to order are food at the bar..................and when we recieved are food is was just awful....burnt...tasted foul...............NEVER AGAIN STAY AWAY............JUST AWFUL
DAVIDHORE - 30 Aug 2011 01:05
Oddly, our experience was different - completely empty, and the only member of staff present very unwelcoming. We found the emptiness and atmosphere so uncomfortable that we left without breakfast next morning. Room was indeed reasonably clean (if you don't count a heavily scaled kettle and a dirty cup), but a little expensive at �60 for such a basically shabby outfit, with only shared bathroom facilities. However, it was a Monday so perhaps weekday and weekend is very different - but it was August, so holiday season. Maybe we were just unlucky, as other reviews are clearly very good!
mrsp63 - 2 Sep 2009 18:45
Good homemade food, really nice atmosphere, very friendly, great staff behind the bar (and very handsome!). I would not recommend the accomodation though, very dated and in desperate need of a refurb and regular maintenance. From what I heard from the locals, the weekends are the best time to go into this pub if you're on the lash, will probably pop in 1 weekend but not to stay over! 8 out of 10 for the pub but only 2 out of 10 for the accomodation (the staff made my stay bearable!)
little_lady - 20 May 2009 14:56
Best pub in wareham, got pub food and well mannered bar staff. Best place to go to in the weekend if your looking for a excellent night out.
what_a_dive - 21 Apr 2009 01:27
really nice hotel, it is very large and has a good selection of ales. I come here often in the weekends because there is always good entertainment on, and the staff are so friendly, there is also no bad atmospere. They also have a number of rooms available however I have no seen any of them yet because I have never rented one before. If you want a great night out COME HERE I WILL BE WITH ALL OF MY FRIENDS BECAUSE WE ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD TIME.
sexy_liam - 31 Jan 2009 00:14
1 Real ale: Greene King IPA. Not my fave, but good quality nevertheless. Food is simple and very cheap - but really tasty and of good quality! Odd serving hours, though...
nomadic_boozer - 14 Apr 2008 12:28
One of the better pubs in Wareham. Good range of lagers ,Just a shame they only have Greeneking IPA available
pubwatcherdorset - 12 Mar 2008 15:43


Had a fantastic game of tit cricket in here one summer evening.
harbourdrinker - 12 Sep 2007 15:43
Decent pub, had a meal here. Waited quite a while for our food but there was only one person on bar duty and serving food, and she apologised for the delay which does help. Food was great though, and huge portions for the reasonable price paid.
Pubgrabber - 14 Nov 2006 17:38

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