Red Lion in County Durham

Lovely visit for Sunday lunch with family. Service very good and food delicious.

Fabulous food, atmosphere, lovely staff. This is a great place to dine. The menu is perfectly put together with something for everyone. It is top quality food , tasty and beautifully cooked. Atmosphere is cosy , relaxed with ambient lighting & pleasant back ground music. We very highly recommend.

I went for lunch with some friends, it's been a few years since I was last there and we all enjoyed our meals the service was just as good as anywhere I have been reading some of the other reviews and I personally think the comments about younger members of staff are a bit harsh, we all have to learn all the staff worked well on our visit and we agreed that we would return.

Just been for lunch, me and my partner had the steak pie and chips, chios were that over done they tasted burnt! I told the waitress to just be told " sorry about that" £30 for 2 pies with inedible chips great!

Got the fish offer ,very tasty and excellent value for the money, drinks not expensive either, helpful friendly staff will definitely be back 😊

Popped in with the pooch for a late meal unfortunately even he wouldn't eat it! Very disappointing as used to love it here :(

Food way below average, used to be lovely what happened!! Waited 1 hour for food also and had 1 waitress on by herself rushed off her feet, hats off to her done all she could but food way below average won't be back

A pub, a restaurant. Very busy on Sundays. Parking, ample. Ambience, typical of a local pub. Staff, friendly and casual. Food, good portion size, tasty and fresh. Free WiFi, yes. Drink menu, reasonably good. Did we enjoy our lunch? Yes. Do we recommend? Yes. It was busy on Sunday, less so on weekdays.

We regularly go hear for Sunday lunch very disappointed today food was look warm and meat portions where very smaller than normal

The food was nice staff didn't seem to have a clue waited ages pub was less than half full

Very disappointed with the accommodation, not very good value at all at £79 without breakfast and a very small room and noisy being on the main road. The bed was clean and reasonably comfortable.The room was quite dusty, on tv wallmount and on top of the wardrobe. Our dog wqs allowed to stay in the room in her crate with us. No wifi in our room (No 3), "this room is a bit of a wifi blackhole" said the barman who came to try and rectify the lack of wifi and tv signal but he only managed to sort the picture by taping the digital aerial to the wall above the spaghetti wired tv (see pics). Toilet seat was very loose. No one seemed to be in charge or available as it ended up being chinese whispers via restaurant staff to get the problems looked at.. Food on the other hand was lovely (see pics) and enjoyed an evening with friends who live locally. In this day and age cleanliness along with decent tv and wifi is essential.

Lovely food lovely venue. Although the waitress got my order slightly wrong last time I dined there. No dramas though

The burgers are amazing! The chips are home cooked, the burger are proper home made beer burgers. The onion rings are amazing too, thick, crunchy and sweet. We had the lion king stack and I had the blue & black burger (blue cheese and black pudding burger) Food was made by Chef Paul L and his team (Sorry I didn't get the rest of kitchen teams names) But the food was outstanding ... Entering my our food coma now xx

Thought the decor was very, very 'tired 'compared to our previous visits. My curry was bland, but the fish dishes were rated EXCELLENT by the three other diners. The 4 desserts were very good. The Timothy Taylor ale was fine.

Been to red lion this lunch time.So disappointed with the service we received. Asked if the lasagne was traditional or brisket,was told it was traditional as advertised on the menu,when it came it was brisket. Woman asked did I want it taken off the bill or another meal.My sister said she'd have another meal,I said take mine off the bill.And guess what,yes you guessed,my meal was on the bill.I was so annoyed, I did say to the women on the till as I passed the payment over,she looked blank and took payment. We've been lots of times before and never had a problem but this time was not a nice experience, needless to say,we won't be back and would advise anyone to double check what they order as the two young girls haven't got a clue and tell you anything instead of asking other members of staff.

Didn't have a room but the food was good, the service was quick and the staff really friendly. Will definitely be going again soon . August 2024, no change the food is still excellent

Great food, friendly staff and very reasonably priced. Will be going back

Just had steak ale pie. Chips rotten pie rottenit been microwaved me knife wouldn't cut the pastry good job had me dog she ate the lot .. not go there again. It was 2 day around 1ish.

First time iv been the salt pepper wrap was nothing to write home about little batter strips no chicken in all crispy batter , asked for chunky chips got chunky potatoes skined chips no potatoes all dry

Nice place to eat we passed it on the way to my wife parents so it's just off the main road easy to get in and out. Parking is just outside so you can't get much nearer to the place easy for access. We enjoyed our meal staff very friendly and helpful we would definitely go back.

The lovely waiter customized our meal! Nice outdoor children's area and friendly customers We ordered three different steaks on the menu. Each one has its own characteristics and flavor. The finish is very high and the price is affordable. The wine selection is also very good. Very friendly for intercontinental travel Highly recommended!

Food was great but it took a long time to get served and get the food. Seemed like it was understaffed.

Lovely sunday lunch yesterday, staff lovely, food perfect!!!

As I entered pub, I was asked if I was from changing life's a place that is for men and really bad reputation, before he served me he took the way I was dressed and was going to refuse me, to be served all by the way I was like a tom boy, other customers were not asked at all only me not good services at all, why would they say I wasn't from around here, local when the place is next door to ur pub, and I have been in few times with my 17yr daughter and I was in last week, how didn't I look from around the area can I ask u that

Food was amazing went for tea with the lasses and the service was spot on every need catered for.

Don't know if there's been a change of manager or chef but disappointing last night. First we ordered a drink with no ice, it came with ice, not listening, we were then brought meals which weren't ours, not once but twice, malanan curry our normal wasn't anywhere near its normal standard, tons of sliced peppers, only 3 desserts to choose from , we had to ask for more drinks 3 times, staff all had mobile phones hanging out of back pockets, unwashed glasses piled up on the bar, finally I paid cash £115, no one completed to take it and I had to drop it off at the bar in case someone nicked it, vert, very disappointing, will look for a new venue in future

Overall food was pretty nice. Due to the busy dining area there was a serious lack of meats and desserts available on the dinner menu. furthermore, the veg on the sunday dinner was slightly hard and is served to share instead of being served on the plate or a side plate as the norm. Drinks were very nice and served cold. Would come back

Probably the worst meal I've ever had anywhere in the world and I'm 59 years old. The chips were near black and the gammon steak was like an old leather boot .... totally inedible ... I've been a few times before and used to be great. It's a bit sad tbh

Called in for dinner and I ordered a chicken parmo and the middle of my chicken was still raw. Even though we got our meal for free i will not be going back to this place.

Tried the Thursday steak menu. Advertised on website as £35. On arrival menu stated £40. When I went to pay I was given a bill for £45. Changed to £40 when queried. No apology or explanation. Food good and service okay.

Called in for food. Corned beef pie & gravy were tasty. Chips were absolutely huge, not chips at all, and so soggy, carrots were disgusting. Ciabatta was very floury and very dry. Will not be back anytime soon.

Food was excellent service a bit slow as they were busy staff were friendly. Would go back again.

So we went there on Saturday night for our wedding anniversary never again two out of four meals were not available because thhad no mashed potatoes (basics) the table service was terrible and as for the toilets they were totally unusable no toilet paper and were blocked to the brim wit human waste when I asked they said somebody else had already complained, but they had no body to clean a toilet again (basics). Totally unacceptable unprofessional and down to bad management..

Excellent Sunday lunch really good and staff were great.

Food was fantastic staff so helpful drink was great recommend it any time

Use to be nice but our last visit 3 weeks ago was disgraceful. Food was revolting and made 2 of us I'll. The price for the "food" was shocking. We complained but they ignored us. Wouldn't never go again.

Not one to leave bad reviews for places but this one warrants it. Absolutely shocking service. Arrived at 2ish, waited 20 minutes to be served our drinks. Waited another 50 minutes to be served the food. Ordered the chicken fajitas that were tasty. But they forgot to bring the youngest ones so had to wait for that and the adults were finished before she started. Then ordered the brownies for the kids and waited another 45 minutes for those, and they didn't clear the main course in between. Seriously, how long does it take to heat up brownies in a microwave? The place wasn't even that busy. It's like there was one server and one chef for the whole place. Just shockingly slow service and won't be returning in a hurry.

I’m not one to leave negative reviews, but after a visit today, I couldn’t not. There was roughly a 20 minute wait from being seated to someone taking our drinks order, then the same again for the drinks to actually arrive at our table. This was followed by a 50 minute wait for our food, and one child’s meal being forgotten about and subsequently arriving when most at the table had finished their food (as well as the peas and beans that were supposed to come with the children’s meals arriving after the meals were finished, and only because I queried where they were). The food was nice, which was the only positive thing about today’s visit. It then took three times of querying where the children’s desserts were before they arrived, though unfortunately the brownie bites seemed to have been incinerated and were rock hard and quite unpleasant. The desserts were eaten while surrounded by the dirty plates from our main courses which, oddly, had been only partly cleared away. We were offered at this point, as we were packing up to leave, some free drinks which we declined, because by this time we had spent almost three hours waiting for the various things we’d ordered and were utterly fed up and desperate to leave. We’ve visited in the past and while service has often been a little slower than is ideal, it has never been this bad and I felt our experience needed to be shared.

Visited with family last weekend and the food was terrible. Sent it back to be re done and it still came out awful. I did email and give the pub time to respond but I have heard nothing. Service was shoddy and slightly rude. A shame as this has always been a nice place to eat.

We called in for lunch but a lot of people must have had the same idea on a Monday. Food was nice but when the waitress first took our drinks order we waited nearly 30 minutes to receive them. Then at the end when I went to pay the card machine was not connecting to the WiFi very well so the young waitress used her own initiative and her her phone as a hotspot as that had taken 10 minutes. Would go back as food was nice.

Waited over 45 minutes for our meal. Not enough staff working and the young lady who served us wasn't too pleasant. Mams order was wrong but we'd waited that long we just kept it. Didn't come and check if we wanted anymore drinks either. Really disappointed and will not be returning anytime soon

Inside is traditional and plenty of room . Just off the A167 next to the road , a few miles from Durham and Chester le Street a good place to have a hearty meal .

Very dog friendly with treats, water and even blankets available for our 2. Staff were very helpful and service excellent. Sunday roast was amazing. The beef I had was melt in the mouth gorgeous and loads of veg cooked to perfection. Just travelled from Scotland, so just what we needed.

Really disappointed . Ordered a club sandwich. £10. It came on sliced bread, should have been on bloomer and frozen chips. No wonder the place is empty. Wont be back I'm afraid

March 2024 just popped in for a quick meal. Food was delicious as normal. I had gammon and egg which is a favourite of mine. Mothers Day 2023 meal with wife, sister in law and mother in law. Place was busy but the service and food was really good, portions were generous.

I visited today with my dad & Frank the Frenchie puppy…. We didn’t realise that food wasn’t served until 12, but the lovely lady who was working sorted us out with coffee & deserts. Great service & lovely atmosphere. Always loved visiting here with my late mum, so how accommodating & lovely she was this morning was massively appreciated!! Thank you so much!! Highly recommend 🌟

We were recommended to try the Red Lion as a good place to eat, and it did not disappoint. Arrive early as it soon gets busy, even early in the week. The service and food were great, really nice chunky chips accompanying my pie. A really nice pub on the edge of Chester-le-Street.

Stayed two nights. Great value stay with lovely breakfast. Very warm welcome and friendly staff. We’d definitely go back. Had a lovely evening meal there on our last night as well.

Brilliant service and excellent meals, the mixed grill is massive and well worth the price.

Went in for lunch today, always a treat to go there but today feel disappointed. Not sure what’s changed be it chef, staff or ownership but something is wrong. Despit clearly being a husband and wife in our 70s the waitress kept addressing us as “guys”. I’m not a guy, I’m a woman. Why this nonsense. No need to make any reference to guys or girls, just treat us as customers. The chips were under soiled, the slaw was very watery, roll for burger clearly stale. Please sort it. We are happy to pay for good fd and service but if we want trash we can go to a drive through.

Recently had lunch and whilst still tasty, it’s not as good as it used to be. Tuna melt was small and ciabatta wasn’t fresh. Chips we overcooked. Avocado club sandwich and purple slaw were great. Service as usual was good.

Nice meal, friendly staff. I like the interior, nice and warm on a cold day. Plenty of parking.

Food was fabulous! Will definitely eat here again, when I am in the area.

Called in last Saturday for a drink, lovely pub

Lovely warm Chicken on salad, a little steep for a January lunch but nice. No specials anytime of yhe day

Food was excellent and very good portions especially the belly pork

Decent pub, good prices, friendly staff. Nice local.

Christmas Faye - soup was a little bland but nice and hot. Turkey was lovely and roasties - veg was very hard, overall a nice meal though. Service was excellent

Lovely place and a very relaxing atmosphere,also great food.

Staff were very attentive food delicious

Very disappointing service this evening. We were a party of 8 (4 of them young children) booked in for a Sunday dinner so ordered the children's food to come out at the same time as our starter but the service was so slow that the kids had finished their large meals long before we got our mains. We had to ask twice for children's menus and the children's dinners didn't have vegetables on when they arrived so we chased that up and they came out as they were finishing. The mains were lovely but they didn't have all the meat options available and we had multiple rounds of drinks whilst waiting for them that we kept having to remind them of. We had one small dish of vegetables to share between 4 adults. During the meal, we asked multiple times for stacks of empty glasses and bowls to be taken but it all kept piling up and by the time we left, it was all still on the table, including some of the plates from the starters. Every time someone at the table ordered a drink, the staff just took the order and walked off without allowing time for anyone else to order their drinks and we kept having to ask or remind that we'd ordered drinks. I asked for 3 boxes to take some of our food home in and had to ask someone else and then they just brought one over and walked off before I could ask for more so then we had to go up and ask again. I can't count how many times we had to go up and ask for things! Then we asked twice for dessert menus and then had a third time for someone to take our order. After the order was taken, my son started to be sick and one of the waitresses came over and whilst he was being sick, she was talking about how they didn't have some of the desserts. She then realised and asked if we'd like a bucket so we said yes please and about 10 minutes later, (as we were heading out) she came back with a bucket full of water - I'm not sure what use that was supposed to be for someone who was being sick. Then she proceeded to tell us that they didn't have the other pudding we ordered so there were only 2 other options but we just wanted to get out of there by then. If you're going to have so few dessert options then you need to have plenty of stock. I would of understood the poor service if they were understaffed but we were there for over 3 hours in the end and didn't even get a dessert whilst staff were just faffing alot of the time and moving empty tables around and sorting cutlery without seeing to customers in between. Shame as the food was delicious. There were bits of chewing gum stuck under the table and we were sat near the kitchen door too and I wish I'd had some WD40 because it was squeaking the whole time. We all came away feeling disappointed and after seeing recent reviews, I can see this is not an isolated situation at all. Lazy staff and lack of training.

Nice pint ,lovely food and friendly staff.

Had dinner with friends on average wet Thursday night. Restaurant was very busy, partly with festive diners. However, there was no rush for us to speed through the meal, relaxed pace. My friends had the excellent value steak deal; starters, steak, chips and a bottle of wine was £35 I think. I had bread, olives to start then pub classic scampi and chips. Everything was well executed, came to table hot and portion sizes good. With a soft drink and one coffee and tip our bill was £20 each. Ample parking too. Would recommend.

A wonderful pub and restaurant. I really enjoyed the food, and the atmosphere along with the service was great and fast. The location is also a nice area. Service was fast and the employees were polite. I do recommend. I cannot say anything about the rooms as I have not stayed in one, but I do imagine they are great.

Excellent meal and service. The pub was warm and cozy on a very cold night. I ordered a king prawn curry it was delicious 😋 my friend got the sea bass she said that was delicious too. The waiter/waitress couldn’t do enough for us kept coming over asking if we wanted needed anything else. I will definitely return and will recommend the place to family and friends.

As always 5 star, food was perfect and only £30 for two including drinks. Would definitely recommend.

Had Sunday lunch. We had the feather blade of Beef. Absolutely delicious

Food was freezing forgot to bring my full order not impressed

Called in for an early tea and ordered mussels, waited for almost 50 minutes for them to be served we were actually getting up to pay for our drinks and go when the food turned up! The waiter apologised because he had spilled water on my wife's bread but didn't say he would replace the bread we had to ask! We ordered the Shetland mussels as they are enerally particularly good here . Whilst the mussels tasted okay some of them hadn't been cleaned properly and had beards on. The garlic and white wine liquor was extremely salty so we left it. Standards have dropped here, we weren't even asked about our meal when paying and judging by some of the more recent reviews and our experience others have noticed as well. What was a good restaurant is now mediocre. We won't be back for some time.

Chicken kivef was dry couldnt taste the garlic Chips were dry as tho they had been heated up many times Big portions but food isn't very nice Chef needs to start from scratch think about the food he's dishing out Large meals but no thought about whats hes serving.

Took are friends who were visiting for Sunday Lunch, they were very impressed with the food & the friendly staff

Waited an absolute age to be served once we had been seated. There were other tables that were seated after us but served before us. There weren't many people in which made it even more frustrating as the staff seemed more interested in doing anything else apart from serving us. When the food finally arrived, it was Luke warm, to which I would normally complain, but at this point I just wanted to eat and get out. We've been a few times, but will definitely not return.

Food was amazing and the service first-class, will definitely be returning soon.

Visited today for late lunch. The service was very slow and sluggish. Our waitress could not have seemed more disinterested if she tried. Food was quite bland and salty but the wait for food wasn't too bad *edit to answer the owners questions* Firstly yes the waitress was the young girl with the pony tail. she seated us, took our drinkers order and left us, no drinks arrived for a good 10 minutes. I clocked the same waitress cleaning an adjacent table and taking another tables order. I flagged her down and asked if she could take our food order, then she remembered we had drinks and said she'd bring them over, which was another wait of several minutes. The food was, Cajun chicken burger which tasted very salty and the beef brisket lasagne which had no real taste. I appreciate that some of my issues may seem like nit picking. But they all added up to make a less than ideal dining experience.

Visited today for a late lunch. The service was very slow and sluggish. Our waitress could not have seemed more disinterested if she tried. The food was quite bland and salty but the wait for food wasn't too bad

The Red Lion is a steady-hand when it comes to the Sunday pub-lunch with a warm atmosphere, and an excellent internal theme. The food was rather good, excellent value and reasonably well presented. Excellent portion of fish and my dining partner’s steak was cooked perfectly. The only minor gripes we had were the availability of one of the more specialist beers on the day (Theakstone’s Summit specifically) and a slightly wanting portion of roast potatoes in my dining partner’s meal - though they were excellently cooked! Overall a very pleasant and excellent value experience that I would recommend, especially for a family outing.

Service was as bad as the food....waited ages while the barmaid finished playing with her phone... asked for menu multiple times. And we were the only people in...while two other couples who came in got sick of waiting and left...

Came with friends on a Wednesday evening at 7 and it was pretty busy but we were seated and served quickly. Our friends are vegetarian and picked here as there was a good choice for them. Their veg fajitas were very spicy and plentiful and my mushroom tagliatelle was nice if not too warm but hubby's lasagne was a disappointment as more like a shepherd's pie 🤨 his choice of a pint of Summit was also off so not his night. Newcastle did beat Man United 3 - 0 later so he was happy tho! Outside seating available and plenty of parking

We all had a lovely meal, the steak was tender and the lion burger huge, the waitress was great, she went over and above all night even letting me have garlic prawns on my steak which wasn't on the menu., would highly recommend 10/10.

Excellent food-focussed pub with a small number of clean, quiet, freshly decorated and warm family and standard rooms upstairs. Plenty of free parking but also on a direct bus route to Durham and Newcastle, both a short drive/journey from the pub. Beamish, Jarrow, Barnard Castle and the Durham Coast also within an easy driving distance. Food was solid, freshly prepared pub favourites (grills, pizza, etc.), welcomes children but still feels like a nice rustic country pub. I felt the rate was very reasonable, particularly as it included hot breakfast (from 9am). Staff were welcoming and attentive, and both the area and pub felt safe.

Long time since we’ve been here. Going to be an even longer time for another visit. Food was awful quality. Had better in a greasy spoon cafe. Don’t bother going. 😞 and yes it was the right one!

Sunday lunch was delicious. We will return.

Good friendly pub tight parking

I recently had my reception for my wedding here! And they went above and beyond with preparing the table and room, I was able to have Sunday roast menu on a Wednesday and enjoyed the food and atmosphere! All the staff were amazing! I would definitely recommend for private events

Stayed for bed and breakfast. Room was spacious and bed was extremely comfy. One of the best breakfasts I’ve had, Thank you

First time coming thought we would try instead of our local south causey inn reviews looked good, Food looks Good ! However Average pub meal lacking flavours tastes extremely bland wouldn’t come back again but service was overall good just food wasn’t to our liking.

Nice pub But the barman was a bit slow serving He was busy talking Whilst trying to serve people

Great service. Oops Tagliatelle so good forgot to photograph before enjoying. Really tasty. Another meal here tonight - Tagliatelle - chef adjusted amount of Pesto for me. Absolutely delicious. Kevin enjoyed the gammon. Recommend a great place for service, friendliess+ good service.

Went here for tea with my husband and two young sons, ordered the Sunday roast, myself and my husband both agreed it was best Sunday roast we had ever had out, it was beautiful, both got the slow roasted beef and Yorkshire puddings were great too. Plenty of choice for children's meals and all were good portion sizes. Well worth a visit. I would definitely come back here if i was visiting the area again.

The food and service were good but the general decor and ambience are really tired

Lunch with the sister. Lovely and friendly. Really good choice on the menu

Sunday lunch was good, with the sticky toffee pudding one of the nicest I've ever had.

First visit, called in for a meal as dog friendly, staff very efficient & polite, meal was served promptly & very tasty, would recommend.

Arrived at 6pm for a booking made the day before was told I wasn't on the list and kept getting told we don't do walk in we not we booked I know it in my call log eventually they decide to let us in the women who took our order I recognised her voice she remembered me ringing the day before no apology at all my friends meal was cold told the waiter who just shrugged his shoulders no one returned to our table again to ask if we wanted a drink dessert or anything was disgusted in the whole evening and won't be returning

Was nice waited a while but it was nice

Very busy went on recommendations good service, food warm

Food was fantastic but the service was poor.

Excellent food. Reasonable price. Best sunday lunch in a long time. Definitely recommend

Wonderful place to stop on the way home. Great location, Very friendly staff

My family and I recently visited the Red Lion for lunch and we had a great time. It's a charming pub restaurant that caters to families, offering a comfortable atmosphere and it's decor suited to it's target audience (families). We all ordered our food, with my family each choosing the scampi and fries while I opted for the BLT with fries. The feedback from my family was overwhelmingly positive, as they found their food to be delicious and the scampi tasted fresh. As for my BLT, I must say it was absolutely fantastic. The bacon had a unique, char-grilled flavour that I had never experienced before, and when combined with the perfectly toasted bread, it created an amazing taste sensation. The accompanying skin-on fries were also delightful, providing a fresh and tasty complement to the main dish. However, I do have one minor criticism to share. The Coke Zero we ordered seemed to be running low on syrup or had a low percentage of it, resulting in a lack of taste. Thankfully, the staff kindly replaced it without any issues when we brought it to their attention. Despite this small hiccup, I wholeheartedly recommend visiting the Red Lion. It's a lovely establishment that offers delicious food and a welcoming environment for families.