Red Lion, Lenhamback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Hard to review a pub after TWG has done so, he uses such pretty words and is generally correct from I’ve read. At the risk of repeating then; well kept beer in a good atmospheric old Kentish pub with friendly staff and folks at the bar who look as if they’ve appreciated the place for some time. The carpets are a bit staid and the décor old fashioned in a 70s way, but it gets away with it and, as below, a bit of Old Dairy or Rother Valley or Gadds even wouldn’t go amiss. I didn’t try the food, but will the next time, especially as lunch in the Dog & Bear a couple of doors down was an androgynous empty experience. This is the most proper pub of the two.
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My first drop-in was made here yesterday, on the recommendation of a fellow qhaffer and deciding to leave the smarter but somehow more corporate-looking Dog & Bear nearby. A picturesque, seemingly timeless Kent village such as this needs a more traditional, community-focused pub at its disposal, and happily the Red Lion fits that bill. A warm welcome is found here, alongside sound service in general. A pleasant hubbub of conversation emanates from each of the four sides of what is effectively an island bar area, with more intimate seating areas and a function room away from it. This, coupled with the civil clientele and traditional Victorian country pub decor make for a happy hostelry (yes, it is "dated" but rather appropriately and deliberately so surely - and it is not in bad condition).
The usual array of non-cask beer and other beverages aside, the cask ale offerings were disappointingly generic (Harvey's Best, Sharp's Doom Bar, Tim Taylor's Landlord and Fuller's London Pride), which may suit less-adventurous beer drinkers but in a county now bestrewn with brilliant breweries the more-informed types will feel underwhelmed. Nevtheless, our Harvey's halves were all conditioned properly.
Food-wise, I've little to say as we didn't decide to eat here. I believe a reasonable mix of meals were chalked up on the board though which may be worth investigating.
Certainly a fine pub to visit in winter-time, for a cosy bit o' banter with friends. My only suggestion would be to perhaps supply some more local beers if the conditions of your tie allows any workable leeway for it.
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Not a bad pub really, but decor is a little dated these days. Ale selection was okay, but food we had was good value, tasty, and reasonable priced. Not somewhere we'd rush back to, but if in the area would drop by again.
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I love this pub. Red hot Stone menu, service, surroundings etc etc all fantastic.
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Having recently moved into the village we have found a home from home in The Red Lion. We are always met with a warm welcome whether we pop in for a quick drink or a 3 course meal. Food is fantastic, portions are huge and the chef Ian is always more than happy to accommodate dietary requirements / fussy eaters! Would highly recommend the Hot Stones menu - great value for money, and quality of meat is exceptional (local produce). Recently, the staff at The Red Lion catered for my partners birthday, and we arrived to find the function room beautifully arranged and laid out, food was incredible and service was exceptional. Our party of 15 were very happy with and appreciative of all the effort the staff went to to make sure our celebration was a success; no task was too much effort. Cannot praise this place enough - keep up the good work!
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Have had the pleasure of using the Red Lion now for well over a year, you always receive a nice welcome, food is always outstanding and the selection of ales and wine is excellent.....would highly recommend the Red anytime !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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For me, this place is great as purely drinking pub. They always have 4 or more ales on tap - always Harvey's and Masterbrew - which are kept well. The setting, on the square, is excellenent and the pub is done ouit well. However, I found the food to be poor quality and totally overpriced.
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Slow service. Rubbish food. Burger was described as home made but what you actually get is a Birdseye style burger with a cheese slice and cheap oily chips. All the meals are over priced. Could be really nice but the staff obviously aren't interested in making an effort.
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Good free house
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Fair free house situated within spitting distance of the village square and Dog and Bear Hotel. Not sure I agree with previous comments - warm welcome from the landlord and a range of clientel inside. The food menu looked very nice with some interesting dishes. I drank the Sussex Best too which was OK, but I thought this was Harveys Sussex Best as K&B got taken over ages ago??? It did come in a K&B glass though - i've read up on this and I have got terribly confused on the situation. Something to do with East and West Sussex though. Nice interior, real (I think) wooden beams etc. If I had time for 1 pint, I would choose this place over the Dog and Bear.
Sharp - 19 May 2009 19:56 |
Popped in whilst passing on a Wednesday evening. Whilst it seemed a pleasant enough place, I definately picked up what I could only describe as "vibes of a local pub for local people".
Reading other reviews it would seem that the choice of ales, whilst good, hasn't changed in a year. It's not a bad pub, but in this age of ever-improving pubs I can only describe it as "average" at best.
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Can't think of much to add to the review below, except to say that it is a rather more relaxed place than the neighbouring Dog & Bear Hotel.
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Tidy well kept traditional country pub on the village square. Pub has a plain, smokey public bar plus a more comfortable saloon where the cask pumps are kept - Old Speckled Hen, London Pride, MasterBrew and K&B's Sussex. The Sussex was in very good condition.
The pub serves food and is popular at lunchtime.
Exposed, ancient wood with a scattering of horse brasses and some modest pictures on the wall. The deep red carpet is a bit like an old ladies tea-room, but good old fashioned virtues of the landlord welcoming and farewelling compensates for such slips of taste. A very decent pub.
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