Red Lion Pub in West Dorset

Cosy relaxing pub for Drinks Great service Fun Staff

The Red Lion pub is a fantastic find. The owner is so friendly and welcoming, the food looks and tastes really good and they stock Powderkeg gluten free beer alongside beers from the brewery . This visit we had cheesy chips - best cheesy chips ever.

Lovely pub, lovely staff, lovely food, lovely dog. Great pub. The landlord was super friendly, ran off copies of local walks, knew his stuff. The platonic ideal of a pub.

Went here on a rainy Sunday and the pub was great. Lovely Sunday Roast. Nice atmosphere & great staff. Best pub in the area!

Very nice pub and very nice people.

The building and the pub itself are really lovely. It has been so tastefully decorated and in keeping with where it is situated. There is a nice array of drinks, however what I found to be the biggest let down is the abrasive attitude of the publican and his partner. I think they have no idea of how to read people and from the moment I walked in I felt I was a burden to the publican, I hadn't even put my bag down and he was barking across the pub "what can I get you" - I hadn't even had a chance to look at what was on offer behind the bar. His wife was no better and all but chased out the man sitting at the table next to us as her dog did not agree with his. Some patrons who were late for a dinner reservation - by 12 minutes - also got a bit of a sarcastic response. It is such a pity as this is such a lovely pub but I have never felt so unwelcome - maybe it explains why it was quite empty compared to the two other pubs nearby.

Popped in to refuel whilst walking, group of 7 of us, beautiful pub, seated and served quickly, amazing food and very reasonably priced. Friendly staff , very impressed and plan to return .

A surprise visit for lunch after a walk. Sunday roast was great and reasonably priced. Nice décore and good atmosphere, with friendly staff. Shame we live over an hour away or this would be a regular drop in. All 7 of us cleared our plates!!!

Popped in to refuel whilst walking, large group, seated and served quickly, amazing food, only downside was the food was so good we all ate more than we should!!! lol. Friendly staff and will definitely be back, highly recommend.

Absolutely amazing, the pulled pork chips were lovely and they don't scrimp on the cheese :) 😀 😃 🙂 🙃 😊 😇 😀 😃 🙂 🙃 😊 😀 😃

Great atmosphere and very friendly staff

Had the pub salad with chicken. Very nice and a full plate. Chicken was tender

Stopped in for some food and found the pub very pleasant. Quite stylish inside with nice decor and lots of seating. Food was good although medium rare steak was over cooked. Well priced for food and drink and we'd visit again.

"Absolutely fantastic experience at The Red Lion in Beaminster! The baked Camembert and battered mushrooms were delicious starters. The 10-inch pork sausage for the main course was incredible, and the knickerbocker glory for dessert was the perfect ending to a great meal. The atmosphere was lovely, and a big bonus was that our dog was welcomed with open arms. Highly recommend this place!"

We visited for a drink and open mic night. Good landlords, nice atmosphere and a great supporter of the arts with a big display of art work for Dorset Arts Week.

I've visited the Red Liona few times recently and would highly recommend it for a quite drink, lunch or dinner. The menu is just what you want from a nice local pub. They also host live music, quiz nights and other events which is always a nice surprise. And the Sunday lunch is one of the best!

Excellent food and friendly service, very much a favourite with the locals.

We were on holiday and were passing through Beaminster and stopped off at The Red Lion for an early evening meal. We received a nice friendly welcome, enjoyed our food and the service was attentive.

Friendly landlord, but that's as good as it gets. Horrendous service, no customer focus, the Lady behind the bar made us feel we inconvenienced her by being there. Desperately needs staff that speak and make eye contact at least with customers.

A fabulously cooked lemon sole with caper butter, new potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Such good value too! Definitely recommend

Brilliant Sunday roast, plate was so full. Service and staff were great. Certainly will be back and try out your weekday lunchtime menu.

Had a superb meal here today, beautifully prepared and presented by the landlord. The banter with him was first class which made us all laugh on a dull and damp day. There was four in our party, and the two who live fairly local will certainly return again, but our son and his wife, who live in London, will have to wait until they visit us again, hopefully in the Spring. To say that we were very impressed, is a comment we shall pass on to our friends, who we hope to bring with us next time we visit Beaminster.

Nice to have a choice of dishes on Sunday. The roast was good but it is good to have a choice. Has its own Art gallery.

Surely the best burgers we have had since leaving South Africa 2 years ago!! Good prices too.. Ash and Carla Smith

Lovely food tonight at a very reasonable price. I strongly recommend the pan cooked sea bass with capers. Friendly chat with a range of people after.

Lovely comfortable and friendly pub with good food. Would definitely recommend.

We dined here mid week so it was fairly quiet , we had prime position by the log fire. The food was excellent and the service was first class. The menu is varied with dishes to suit all tastes. Good selection of Palmer's local ales and lagers. Will certainly be going back soon.

Visiting Beaminster and wondering where to eat. One of our party was vegetarian and we liked the look of the posted menu. We made a good choice and were not disappointed. Two of our party of four had vegetable lasagne, one had venison and one lamb pie. All of us were very impressed with the main course and also with the excellent desserts. We were very well looked after and I can strongly recommend eating here and look forward to returning.

Great place for a meal at any time , specials to choose from as well as favourites. The food is always lovely and freshly cooked as well as being very reasonably priced. Easy to park and situated in a lovely small town which is full of surprises, packs a lot into a small area. Also they have an art gallery within the pub which has a selection of very reasonably priced art to suit all budgets and all from local artists. Always a great place to stop and have a meal.

Very pleasant pub and welcoming landlord. Excellent meal deals Wednesday to Friday.

This is the third time we have eaten at the Red Lion eight of us in our group the food was good and I like the landlord Bryan very dry! Prices are reassemble, beer good. I had home made pizza. Not keen on Black Pepper on chips. That should be my decision.

Really like the pub pub staying locally for a week so have had supper here good simple food done well. Staff and landlord friendly. Particularly like Bryan the landlord nice funny helpful bloke.

This place was empty whereas the pub next doors was very busy. We decided to give this place a go, could it really be that bad....? Unfortunately, this place ain't good. Received the wrong food, ordered pulled pork burger as they said it was real pork and very popular. Got a ropey findus beef burger served instead, so politely mentioned this only to be told by the owner 'we don't have pulled pork burger on menu!' What?! Am I making it up then? 'Oooer, well there's some pork in that beef burger!' There was No sorry, no attempt to put it right no adjustment on bill (as findus burger is much cheaper), instead the owner blamed us. Albeit the sever/chef was polite, overall the service was completely atrocious, incompetent, dismissive and they just don't get it! Now I know why it was so empty. Shame as they are sat on a goldmine. Something very wrong here. Avoid for now.

Absolutely lovely with the bonus of a working fireplace, nostalgic memorabilia, soft music and lighting. Topping everything off is a mini Art Gallery

Sadly the food was not good value , the steak and button mushroom pie had no mushrooms and two small bits of meat I told the waitress and she said I will tell them in the Kitchen , no sorry just a couldn't careless look , the same waitress that put the food on our garden table and told us to go get our cutlery from inside the pub , not what you except when you send £65

Trial beer portions, mackeral that slid off the bone, loaded fries with chicken all delicious. Great service. All very, very reasonably priced.

Great food mackerel was spot on very helpful and they catered for my granddaughter with a nice small portion of fish and chips which she loved would recommend

Great tasty food, nice staff. Couldn't find a car park for the pub so have to park in The Square, pay and display

After a long walk to beaminster, we had a wonderful lunch at the red lion. Delicious food, excellent service and to top it 2 courses for 15!? A bargain considering the quality of the food. Interior was comforting but not out-dated by any means. Can imagine it to be very cosy in the winter. Also a large garden which is a positive. Will definitely be returning if we are back in the area and also recommending to any family and friends!

Birthday party just the 4 2steak Chips onion rings tomatoes and Prawns 1 Macaroni cheese 1 Fish Platter Very Strumpious all enjoyed We are Local and Friend from away Thankyou Chef

Couldn't ,welcome our dog enough . Staff were great. Would go for a meal again if in the area .

Having been to the Red Lion in Beaminster a few times now I felt a need to write this review as the food has consistently been the highlight. This visit I had the cod & chips, the chef uses his own recipe for the batter,(tempura I think) adding of course the Palmers beer. Hubby had the Sea bass on a warm potato salad. Both dishes were perfectly executed. The landlord Brian is always pleased to see us and brought over a little treat for our four legged pouch which she gratefully received. Defiantly recommend the place for a bite to eat as the menu offers a great range to choose from. A great place to stop off for lunch on the way to the coast, or like us just a great place to go for lunch. Will defo have a glass of the NZ Marlborough wine next visit Brian!

We wanted to take friends out for lunch and Mum and I decided on getting away from Bridport and driving to The Red Lion. The menu has a variety of good pub food options, along with a specials board and a clever option of half price half portions for smaller appetites. There is a £15 two course lunch Wednesday to Saturday,…any starter and main or main and dessert, which we all opted for. Two of us ordered the homemade steak and ale pie….delicious short crust pastry, melt in the mouth beef along with veg, chips, mash or new potatoes, which was thoroughly enjoyed. The salmon from the specials board looked delicious glazed and sat upon fresh salad vegetables, a big hit. The fish and chips a pub favourite was probably the best fish I have eaten for a long time, perfect batter and fish succulent and moist, perfectly cooked and also came with tender baby peas. Our desserts were scrumptious…the knickerbocker glory’s were consumed with gusto. Treacle/golden syrup pudding was my favourite and the apple crumble delicious too, served very hot , with crunchy crumble and hot custard served separately in a jug….a lovely touch….I always prefer custard, sauces and gravy served separately, well done chef, it was all perfect. We were looked after very well by Brian and the chef, the food was excellent and we will be back and telling friends what a wonderful meal there is to be had at The Red Lion. Your hospitality and passion for your amazing pub is a credit to you. Thank you.

Had a lovely family dinner here. Pub was quiet, it was midweek. Landlord was friendly and helpful and had a good sense of humour which always helps. Good menu, lots of choices. All the meals we chose were excellent. Puds were a slight let down, not so much for the quality as the price, we felt the main in courses were better value than the desserts. Desserts were brought out by the chef who was also nice and friendly. We will eat here again and recommend to friends locally.

Thank you Bryan and team for the lovely meals. We all had something different which came out hot and delicious. Thank you also for the use of your function room.

Booked for sunday lunch walked in not a soul in there was worried. Neednt of been wife had a lamb dinner i had beer battered fish n chips it was stunning fresh well cooked food service was great friendly landlord a great experience when were down again will definately call in.

A lovely quirky pub, a very warm welcome and delicious food. Can't fault it. I had crispy halloumi fries, a lovely Soul Bowl with roasted cauli and broccoli and bits of beetroot, walnuts, felafel - all topped with houmous. And the Rhubarb and Apple crumble with proper custard. A chance find but I'll be back soon - not least to try the kedgeree on the breakfast menu. Also an Art Gallery in the skittle alley which is well worth a visit on its own.

Great food, service with a smile and a laugh. Very good choice of beers and wines, plenty of seating inside and outside. Check out the Art Gallery which showcases local talents, they are all available for purchase.

Lovely roast dinner & very friendly landlord. Would recommend!

A lovely pub with a warm welcome and a strong community spirit. The art gallery is well worth a look too.

Lovely quiz evening. Good sense of community spirit. Landlord conducted reading the questions in a style not dissimilar to Michael McIntyre!!

Four of us had a great lunch, good vegetarian and gluten free options. Beer was well kept and served at a good temperature. Service was efficient and friendly. The art gallery was a great added extra.

We had a superb bacon roll, with crispy tasty bacon in a soft roll and a perfect mug of tea on Saturday morning after our dog walk. The landlord and the chef were very welcoming and funny. We'll definitely be returning. Highly recommend.

Friendly pub with food. Dog treats too!

Loved this place, the waitress was so friendly and the landlord very helpful. Great dog friendly pub and the biggest pot of tea ever 😀👌

Always great food and a friendly welcome.

Ate here for Sunday lunch on mother's Day and had a great time Great atmosphere great food and the staff could not have been more welcoming, price is very reasonable for very high quality Pub food. Would highly recommend it.

Red lion recently started to make pizzas so we tried it was super delicious long time didn’t had delicious pizza in a pub :-) 5 stars for pizza :-) I definitely recommend people to give a go- you will not be disappointed .

Visited on New Year’s Day, was a lovely warm welcome. The owner is really friendly and gave our dogs treats. Food was excellent - we just had nachos and halloumi fries and cheesy chips but all was delicious. Would definitely recommend this very dog friendly...

Nice pub food friendly staff good night out

Just Wow ♥️ Popped in today (Christmas Eve) just before end of service, the welcome we received, with 2 sandy dogs in tow was only seconded by the amazing food! Thank you to the outstanding chef and the warmest of hosts. 100% deserve 5 stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Lovely ambience, great food and an ART GALLERY at the back! Get down there if you want arts and music!

Four of us had a lovely meal - excellent value, good range of imaginative choices. Plates of sea bass, steak and sea food were soon emptied. No room for desert! Staff were friendly and attentive. Really enjoyed the open mic session - impressed by standard...

Enjoyed one of the best fish and chips we have had sat in the sun in the garden. The pub is very dog friendly and the owner could not be more helpful and made us feel very welcome. There is also a good selection of...

Good food and helpful staff. Nice atmosphere .

Not been here for years so popped in when we saw the reasonably priced menu outside. This pub has had the upmarket Palmers refurb , very pleasant. Only nice thing i can say about the place. Walked into an empty bar (telling) no greeting. Old...

Cold and uninviting - very disappointing - coronation chicken with jacket potato was cold 😢

Had a few pints here in the last week and service great, always welcomed. Lovely little dog that wanders the bar looking for belly rubs!. Had an evening meal and everything as you'd hope! Pretty typical pub food, well presented and catered for any special requests from the kids👍🏻

It was a welcoming pub nice staff and the food was respectable. Enjoyed our evening there.

Visited here on 3rd September as a party of 6. The staff were apparently "overwhelmed" in the almost empty bar due to a function happening upstairs, however, we were not informed of this prior to ordering meaning we had to endure long wait times and...

We visited the red lion last night with our children as we are currently staying in the town in a friends holiday home - the food was lovely and wouldn’t hesitate recommending to our family and friends for a nice meal my only concern was...

We went for Sunday lunch today - 3 adults and 2 children - we all had different types of roast (lamb chicken, beef and nut) and all were very tasty and very generous portions, particularly in terms of the meats, which were all very good quality. Our children had the half size portions which they liked, our eldest very rarely finishes a Sunday roast but said it was lovely and ate the lot! The staff were very friendly and accommodating and were able to fit us in at short notice. I would highly recommend this pub for a family lunch/Sunday roast.

Excellent selection of beers, nice interior.

The pub is very central and is a Palmer's house with a good selection of beer. The Sunday carvery offers a choice of three meats or a vegetarian option. The portions were quite large and the food was excellent.

Nice friendly welcome thank you

Lovely Sunday lunch here fresh, hot & plentiful, so much so we could not manage a pud! Friendly staff who managed to accommodate us as we had not booked! Will return.

Me, my husband and doggy Milo were warmly welcomed by mein host (whose name I never got - sorry!), who was welcoming, charming, and obviously a dog lover, as Milo was made to feel at home too, playing in the pub garden with the landlord's...

Very nice food , a good place for a meal and a pint

Quirky place. Dodgy garden space. Random staff if you can find them. Great location but could be so much better

Great place, good pub grub with friendly staff in a nice setting. Worth a visit.

Good food and atmosphere. Although they were busy we did not feel like we had to wait too. Great evening!

We called in for a quick drink after a long walk. Lovely pub, great beer and excellent cake! Very friendly service and relaxing atmosphere.

Great pub with fantastic staff! 🤣

Great staff, great lunch and peaceful environment. Would definitely recommend 👌

We went with friends while on holiday, the staff were very helpful and polite, we had a different meal each and were not disappointed. Would recommend

Popped in here whilst wandering around Beaminster for a drink and a snack. Had a good bit of banter with the landlord and the chef and they went the extra mile to make sure we enjoyed our stay (some tapas snacks that strictly speaking were...

Great food & drink. Staff are very friendly & the Manager is very welcoming

Delicious lunch and friendly staff! A proper traditional Sunday lunch in a traditional pub in beautiful Beaminster.

Friendly helpful landlord. Good beer. Tasty local food - sausages, mash, gravy and delicious vegetables. Vegetarian had homemade homity pie. Comfortable seating and attractive retro layout. Relaxed ambience

A really nice pub, the service was friendly and welcoming, the foods nice. We had a great night there and would go back.

Lovely morning dog walk then a tasty lunch. I had homity pie for the first time I can highly recommend it is very tasty. Good staff and atmosphere.

First time here; a meeting of friends. A proper pub. Had excellent homity pie. Great atmosphere with friendly, attentive landlord and landlady, good relaxing music in background, good facilities. Very hospitable and would be wonderful to use the skittle alley.

Great pub that also does excellent food. Lovely atmosphere and definitely worth a visit 👍👍

As a large group of ramblers we enjoyed an excellent Sunday roast today (27 Feb). The food was really enjoyable and well presented and the staff very welcoming. The service was good and very quick to serve us all. I would thoroughly recommend a visit....

Had a late Sunday lunch today as part of a large group of walkers. We had booked and arrived early but no problem for the staff. Food orders were taken swiftly and efficiently. Roast lunch was delicious, plenty of meat and lovely fresh vegetables. Staff...

Lovely evening meal with very friendly service and value for money. After eating went upstairs and challenged each other to a game of pool and then darts . Embraced our younger selves

Excellent Sunday lunch, friendly service and felt very welcome. Nothing too much trouble. Lovely atmosphere well worth a visit.

We had a great dinner food was delicious and well presented. The staff were super friendly and went out of their way to accommodate my dietary limitations! Lovely log fire and welcoming atmosphere. Well done Red Lion team we will certainly be returning very soon

Lovely food and very friendly staff. Dogs welcome too.

Had fantastic roast lamb with beautiful veggies. Cider was top notch,excellent service,lovely surroundings,can't fault it in any way