The Golden Lion in County Durham

Good food and fast, even though we arrived late on a Monday evening. It was difficult to find details / website on the internet so I called ahead. The surrounding area was really quiet (end of October) and it seemed to be the only place open which was amazing for us. Small, local pub. Really friendly, really good food that catered for our specific dietary requirements (fussy child!!). Lovely helpful people, and recommended local amenities. Would definitely go back if possible!

Visiting the area with friends and called into the lovely local for dinner on a Sunday evening. They were so lovely and welcoming, asking about our trip and giving us recommendations for what else to do in the local area. The food was good pub grub and very reasonably priced. Perfect for a hungover Sunday tea.

My transport office booked me into this property for the night .....and I was not disappointed. As someone who works away from home throughout the week, I have become a bit of a Hotel/ Pub connoisseur all over the UK. From what I gather, it seems to be a family run establishment, the landlord and the lady who run the property are so welcoming and friendly, nothing is too much trouble. As for the two young lasses that work the bar and the kitchen are an absolute credit. The fish and chips is outstanding. As for the GUINNESS... I've been to Ireland numerous times and to different parts, Dublin, Galway....etc. and have NEVER had a Irish standard pint outside of Éireann. BEST PINT THIS SIDE OF THE IRISH SEA!!!!!. A solid 9/10 pint. Credit to the lass who pours them. The rooms are super comfy and clean. I'm so glad I've found this place, I'm definitely coming back for a weekend away. It's worth the 2hr+ drive from East Yorkshire just for the Guinness.

We stayed here 21st and 22nd August. Room very comfy. Breakfast was very tasty! My husband gave the thumbs up regarding the cooked Breakfast option. We also had dinner here both nights, and was not disappointed. Hosts were very friendly and accommodating.

Booked last minute on the way back from the NC500 and was greeted with a very warm welcome. The room was clean and well presented with fresh towels available one the bed. We had dinner in the pub and ordered from the specials board, we were not disappointed it was freshly made and delicious. Ended up chatting and playing pool with the locals and made to feel very welcome by both the hosts and locals alike. Overall a great stay and comfortable night. Thanks.

stayed for one night in middle of walking holiday. No complaints at all. Room was modern and comfortable. Home-made spaghetti carbonara was delicious. Landlord and other staff friendly. Very unfussy. Will happily stay again.

7 of us stayed one night when cycling the Coast to Coast. We couldn't have asked for better. The hosts and staff couldn't have been more helpful, including multiple interruptions as bags were dropped off and picked up for us. Great selection of drinks, far more than you'd usually see in a village pub! Food was also great. Rooms were spotless, comfortable and spacious. Great shower too - a big plus after our cycling! many thanks

Absolutely great food and atmosphere, lovely staff and very friendly. Service with a smile from all :) If you're driving through the village stop by, its worth a visit . We will be back.

Great pub food, served quickly and by very friendly Landlady. Just what we needed after a long day of walking. Excellent value for money and the warm welcome really made our visit. Many thanks.

Food lovely nice atmosphere friendly staff couldn't have asked for more. Daughter loved it as the staff were brilliant with her.

Called in on an ales and dales trip with a group of 48. Had chilli and chips, 10 out of 10, best chips I've eaten this year. Great prices, great food and drinks.

Lovely pub, friendly welcoming atmosphere. Excellent food. Definitely recommend. We had steak burger, sirloin steak followed by apple crumble and ice cream.

Very warm and welcoming friendly owners Beautiful scampi and chips and a great pint, garden area nice and clean and a stones throw away from our caravan site. We love calling in for couple pints and a hot meal

Excellent family get together hosted by Tyrone and Jennifer. Food and service first class. Rooms excellent. Highly recommended.

Brilliant friendly pub, beautiful food, great landlords, comfortable bedrooms. Good value Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Our stay at the Lion was excellent, Tyrone and Jenifer made my wife and I most welcome. Our room was first class with a duel aspect feature and 4 star facilities. The evening meals were various in choice and our selection was excellent along with a full English the next morning. The choice of refreshments at the bar in the evening was very good with a fine selection of ales. Our experience at the Lion has made us determined to return in 2024. Thank you Tyrone and Jenifer, Best regards Derek

Very comfortable and relaxing stay. Very friendly and professional owners. The rooms are clean and the linen is clean and soft. The food is fresh , tasty and well cooked and nourishing.

Enjoyed a delicious Sunday evening meal at this atmospheric pub to celebrate our last night in beautiful (and wet!) Weardale. The food was excellent as were our conversations with the very sociable and welcoming hosts. Just the best place to be on the first night after clocks go back and it's dark by 5pm! Thank you for making our very elderly Jack Russell so welcome too.

We stayed 4 nights in a lovely room in a building behind the pub. Accessed by an outside staircase the room was bright with windows on 2 sides, modern temperature control, a comfortable bed, good en-suite shower and toilet, TV and minimal furnishings. No mini-fridge, no space for a table other than 2 bedside tables. Evening meals at the pub were good, traditional pub favorites and others on the menu. Breakfasts paid for as an extra were ok. As a base for hillwalks it is very good, maybe a bit pricey.

Very friendly and welcoming country pub, dog friendly too, in the heart of Weardale. Good selection of home cooked food. Visited three times in a four night trip and would definitely visit again.

We come here at least once or twice a month, the food is always great - especially love the steak. Always fresh. Excellent value for money. Tyrone, Jennifer and their staff are always welcoming. Children and dogs are also made to feel at home. Overall this is a very friendly and cosy country pub. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

Very friendly pub , good food and comfortable surroundings. Return each time we're in the area. Recommended to my family who enjoyed a lovely stay with Tyrone and Jennifer

We visited this pub a few times while staying in St John's Chapel, always a warm and friendly welcome. Good selection of beers and home cooked food is available every evening, we tried a few dishes from the menu, fish pie, lasagna, chilli, fish and chips, all were delicious and the chips are perfect, crispy on the outside, fluffy inside!

Disgusting, reheated scampi and chips, plus came with a hair. Not worth £12.95. Fish and chips not much better. Don't go.

A damp smelling over priced dump. The room smelt really foisty/damp to the point I could not sleep. I sent n email asking to move to another room or a refund for the second night. No reply. Shower luke warm and took at least 10 mins to reach temperature. Bathroom really grotty. No clean towels or tea making facilities on 2nd day. All in all a really grotty place. Avoid.

First the positives. Food was ok and reasonably priced. Staff were friendly and the food came out relatively quick. Now the negatives. I do realise it was a Saturday night but sooooo unbelievably loud could not hear myself think!!!!! More like a nightclub than a bar if you like that thing then fine go right ahead. I could not get to the bar to get a drink and when I did was served out of turn twice so I gave up and just had the one drink, There seems to be virtually no respect for personal space at all especially when someone burped in my ear - very pleasant. Fortunately I never need to goto County Durham ever again in my life and this trip is a complete one off.

We arrive soaking wet from a day's cycling C2C & the owners couldn't have been more welcoming - clean, warm rooms with lots of hot water and fluffy white towels with hot radiators to dry our clothes and shoes and then a delicious home cooked supper in the pub and great beer. Incredible value for money. We would recommend to anyone on the C2C ride and everyone else as well.

Great village lovely scenery, food very average, problem was the burglar alarm kept going off all evening and ultimately went off all night which meant we didn’t sleep well so unfortunately we would not book again sorry but the manager knew about this but didn’t do anything about it hence my Review.

We stayed the weekend locally and had two dinner visits hear Friday and Saturday night, both nights me and my wife had different dishes which where very nicely cooked home cooked food, the lady that took our order couldn’t be more pleasant helpful and so friendly, the young man behind the bar was talking to myself as if he had known me for years, anyone who doesn’t find this pub anything other than a lovely place to eat and drink with a warm atmosphere needs to look at themselves

Lived here for 5 years but always an "outsider" socially ostricised treated as a leper i hope to God the locals never have to live elsewhere because then they will have a taste of there own medicine and know whats coming to them

Very friendly welcome, the room we stayed in was lovely and clean.. The food was delicious and the ambience was just brilliant.. We'll definitely be back

Just stopped at the Inn. Had a couple of lovely pints and a cracking curry. Wish I could have stayed for more. Have heard very positive things about the Inn and have to say I’ll be back. A great meal and two pints for £15, you can’t go wrong. Beautiful evening so had the pleasure of sitting outside.

Very friendly and accommodating staff, after a busy Bank Holiday they really did their best to fit us in for dinner.Such reasonable prices for made to order, good old fashioned pub grub.We would definitely returnMy only improvement would be maybe a little background music for some ambianceSee pics of dinner and menu

Fantastic village pub felt at home Tyrone and the staff and locals were so welcoming. Would highly recommend this pub. Without a doubt we will be back. The beer was also very well kept. If your in the area for me it’s a must try.

We weren't sure what to expect when we walked in but the host was lovely, really welcoming. We had scampi and chips and gammon and chips. The chips were perfectly cooked and the rest of the food was also delicious. We got some great tips for a walk the following day. The only downside was it was a little chilly but everything else was great.

Great home cooked food with a honest welcome. Proper pub to have a pint and food. I had the chicken pie. Best meal out I have had for a long time. The couple running bar were very friendly without be over the top. When I am on holiday Here again will definitely visit again.

Stayed for a week in this lovely village and ate in the pub 3 nights. Good home cooked food adequate portions, it's not a gastro pub, just a lovely friendly local pub. Staff are very friendly and Covid precautions are in force. It's well worth a visit.

We spent the weekend at St Johns Chapel with friends who had hired a cottage there. Friday and Saturday evenings we were booked in for a meals in the Golden Lion. From walking in the atmosphere was lovely everybody was really friendly, the hosts and all the staff were wonderful and Covid aware precautions were taken seriously. The food was really good homemade piping hot well presented and went down a treat, this is a proper village pub and couldn’t be better, thank you all for been so welcoming.

This was a great find during our stay in The North Pennines and visited twice. We loved this little local pub with its perfect pub atmosphere and quality homemade food. Just perfect after a days walking. The staff were lovely and welcoming, and we felt totally at home and wished this was our local. Covid precautions in place.

Absolutely gorgeous meal - all 4 of us enjoyed every mouthful and there were 4 empty plate and full stomachs. The food consists of well cooked, quality ingredients served by friendly staff in homely surroundings. We will definitely be returning to this little find!!

Lovely pub with great staff. Meals for the 5 of us all very good. Covid secure . Definitely will return!

Staff : 10/10Vibe : 9/10Food : 8/10Our group of 7 had a lovely time at this hostelry and soaked up the friendly atmosphere.At about 9.30pm we had to move on to get to Allendale Town but it was hard to tear ourselves away as we were having such a good time!

we just needed an ensuite room and evening meal as off to a long day's work the next day. This inn did that. The self-catering apartment was very simple; a most comfortable room, excellent bed and linen, a small shower room and our own sitting room with kitchenette. The pub had a small and plain menu, very much in the retro style, and we ate plenty. The service was first class.

Popped in here as close to where we were staying. Both had Chinese chicken curry which was nice enough but nothing special. We didn’t return.

Went for Sunday dinner, very disappointed. Wife and I had steak pie, very small portion and not very nice. Daughter had beef dinner, which again was dry and Yorkshire pudding was the worst she’d ever had. Vegetables were ok. Definitely will not be going back.

First time visit, will definitely be back. Friendly staff, quick service, plenty on the plate and beautifully cooked. Would highly recommend this place.

Lovely dog friendly country pub serving the usual pub food which was reasonably priced. Good to see happy staff ! Would definitely visit again if staying in the area.

Tyrone the owner and his wife were very helpful in sorting me out with a room at very short notice. Tyrone also cooked me a lovely meal which was needed after a tough day cycling.Julie the head barmaid was great, as were the friendly locals. Everyone there made my short stay very enjoyable.Nice people, nice food, good beer, secure bike storage and a cosy room. Thanks again guys Ps. I loved the parading sheep

We stayed here in the old coach house for 1 night the other day small living kitchen area with a couch and TV and bedroom upstairs with 2 single beds. Clean and tidy and it’s great it allows dogs as that is why we visit the area for walks. Cheap and cheerful and the pub is reasonably priced and dog friendly too. Will stay again as it’s great on a budget.

The Golden Lion is a typical country pub with a loyal local client base. Staff and customers are friendly and helpful. The food was plain but good and reasonably priced. There is a good selection of beers on offer and a number of activities held at the pub. The pub is dog friendly.

We were a party of four, staying in the area and looking for somewhere to eat. Having read the reviews about this place we thought we'd give it a go.We found it unwelcoming from the start. The lady serving behind the bar didn't even raise her head from pouring a pint to welcome us. When we asked if they were serving food she said it was too late - at 7.30 pm. REALLY!!Needless to say we promptly left.....

Stayed here for one night in March 2019.

I just loved this pub. Everyone really friendly, great menu - not just standard pub grub and they have proper puddings like bread and butter pud. Great beer, good prices, friendly hosts - what more could you want.

A real village pub,with proper pub grub,at prices that don't take your eyes out! Good parking too.good friendly staff,which is what you would expect in Co.Durham.We had two small well behaved dogs with us,they were warmly welcomed.

We stopped off here overnight during the Coast to Coast cycle ride - it's slightly off the main route but a nice diversion and ideal distance for those doing it over two days.

We went here as we were going to book a cottage for Christmas. Lovely home cooked Sunday dinner. Veg were lovely ( cooked) I had the beef and my friend had the pork . Beef was a bit overdone . But the meal was very tasty. Staff were lovely . We didn't book the cottage as it was very run down . But we would go back to St. John's Chapel . Lovely friendly place .

Tyrone the owner put me up in one of the adjoining flats when I broke down on my motorbike miles from home late on Sunday. Nothing was too much trouble for him, he made sure I had some food as I am diabetic even though he was officially closed, gave me some chocolate in case of emergencies and even lent me his phone charger. Plus he called his friend to come and try to help fix the bike who spent hours on it without taking anything in return and even tried to get hold of Ian “Pixie” Pattinson to come help me (Isle of man TT rider who lives in the village). I am forever grateful for his kindness and help and will be back in future as I have never met such a pure old English village like this where they all go out of their way to help strangers like me. You are a legend Tyrone and thank you

We like to go to pubs quite early with our dogs before the pub gets too busy. We have been to the Golden Lion for the past few weekends and enjoyed it every time. We had one of the specials this weekend and it was delicious lovely brown homemade chips and the fish was huge but well cooked, and served very quickly. The staff and owner are very friendly and helpful. We will be going again hopefully on a regular basis

It was quite busy as it was a Bank Holiday weekend and the Agricultural show had been on across the road.(A good day out) Just as well we booked a table for food at 8 O'clock. (They do food up to 8pm) It took an hour but we were in no rush as we had our table of 4.Food was Good Pub grub . Home made Steak pie .Sheppard's pie . Burger & chips and a sirloin steak. All very nice, not the cheapest but where else do you eat in the village ?.

Just returned from a night away at The Golden Lion . This place is a little gem in the middle of beautiful Weardale . We were warmly welcomed to the pub on arrival and shown to our room which was spotlessly clean ,and had a kettle , tea , coffee and biscuits T.V with free view toilet and shower . The pub itself is traditional and a great base if you like the countryside and walking . The owner Tyrone has not had the pub long but he is doing extensive improvements and well what can I say " What a hard working man ! " He was at the bar in the evening serving drinks chatting to us and in the morning cooked our breakfast , basically anything we wanted , so we choose poached eggs on toast . Tyrone took the time to chat t us and discuss plans he had for the pub and accommodation and recommended local walks .If you enjoy walking or just a night away from the hussle and bussle go here , this place is going from strength to strength and we will most certainly be returning. Good pub grub at really reasonable prices , clean warm accommodation and a warm welcome from Tyrone all the staff and locals . Loved it :)

I spent most of my childhood and teen years in St John's Chapel and visited The Golden Lion many times.

Paramos, como un grupo grande de comida. Nos dijeron que había un menú muy limitado (sólo había 3 filetes disponible entre otras cosas). Los pedidos fueron tomadas por una señorita que era muy servicial, pero tenía que mantener el registro con la cocina como ella no estaba seguro en varias cosas.

Called today, was really lovely,proper homemade Sunday lunch,Turnip was so nice we had to ask what they had done with it. !! Had chocolate fudge cake to finish was good. Staff obviously new but still did a good job.Will definitely be back.

Bajo nueva dirección y lo que están haciendo una transformación, una vez mugriento pub ha mejorado considerablemente, ahora es realmente limpio y fresco (y entiendo que tienen planes para nuevas mejoras).

A bit dark and run down. I felt a little intimidated in here (not by the owner) which is a shame as it looks like they have the best selection of ales on cask in the area

Friendly pub with good staff and food. Managed to fit 8 of us in at short notice- great that they are also so dog-friendly too. Can recommend the triple burger, steak and Hunter's Chicken. . Treacle tart and Jam Roly Poly also really tasty/

Nos dieron una cálida bienvenida. Pub bajo nueva dirección. Buena cerveza. Comida servida en v personal joven, muy dispuesto a agradar. Patatas fritas caseras no estaban. Parecía que estaban en una curva de aprendizaje empinada. La comida era promedio.

Paramos una noche en el León de Oro. Tyrone y su esposa no podría haber sido más servicial, ya que su cocina estaba siendo remodelado nos reservamos en otro lugar y luego incluso nos más nos recogió. La cerveza era buena, la sidra excelente, las habitaciones encantadoras y un desayuno genial. Estoy seguro de que cuando se va la cocina organizada la comida será fantástico también.

Had previously visited and reviewed this venue when trying to arrange a meal out for a residents group that I organise .I was very impressed on my two earlier visits but this time the party was truly 'blown away'. We were placed in the upstairs function room and this was really special. The style and décor was fabulous and the staff had really made an effort in the way the table was arranged and laid. We were given excellent attention by the lady who served us our drinks to start with. This was well done, promptly and efficiently and the prices were very reasonable. The two course meal was served in a similar fashion and the food was very hot and tasty having been cooked fresh to order. There was even an after dinner chocolate mint to round it off. The prices again were very reasonable. I must mention the guy behind the bar with a beard (sorry I did not get your name) who went out of his way when I made my first enquiry and took the booking. He was very helpful all through the process. I am already being pestered by my group as to when we will be returning

Myself and my Wife and my Teenage Son stayed here for One Night .I Wished i found this place Earlier great place to stay .Glen and Caroline were great Hosts Nothing too much for them .My Son loved his accommodation Separate Kitchen and Lounge.The Bar food was great value for Money.I Cannot say anything Negative about the Golden Lion ideal place to Stay Lovely Village .Just to have say Glen and Caroline are great hosts .Do not Miss this Place you will not be Disappointed all the Best for the Future regards Tony and Dawn

Excellent food - I had the Mart Pie - delicious. Played pool and really enjoyed the Golden ale. Great service - very friendly. My wife had the Gammon

Welcomed by the bar person who quickly served us with drinks and took our order. Pleasant, clean open area. The meal was hot and pleasantly served by the waitress.Strongly recommend booking especially on a sunny weekend as they had to turn people away!

Dog friendly pub limited menu but the steaks were cooked well so hit the spot. Friendly staff, believe it offers bed and breakfast too. Set in the village of St Johns Chapel

Recently stayed in the Old Coach House which is accommodation from the Golden Lion. Visited the pub every night for food and drinks. Really friendly staff and locals who are also very welcoming.

Stopped here for lunch this week and had a real treat. Lovely quaint restaurant/pub with a really nice beer garden which we would have loved to use if the summer weather had co-operated. The food was absolutely delicious. The home made vegetable soup was huge and came with lovely fresh bread and the BLT was great. My husband had the Ploughmans platter which came with a very fine piece of cheddar cheese, a great pork pie, some herb laden pate, chutney, salad and some pease pudding and I had a simple tuna baked potato which was very tasty and great coffee rounded off our memorable lunch.The staff (especially a young lady named Gillian) were extremely welcoming and really couldn't have been more helpful. All in all a real find and we will definitely be back.

We had a great dinner at the pub. The food was delicious: we tried the steak and ale pie and the scampi with chips.The pub has a nice atmosphere, dogs are welcome too.It is recommended to book a table before you go.

We visited the Golden Lion as part of a stag-do this weekend, and were lucky enough to enjoy excellent meals, great beer, a few good rounds of pool and truly hospitable and friendly staff!

Stayed here with my 11yr old son and my friend while cycling the c2c recently. Fed and waterered us well even though it was bank Hol Monday and pub menu shouldn't have been available. Stayed in one of the apartments which were ideal for us, clean, quiet and private. Breakfast the nxt morning was great: full English as requested. Hosts were very friendly and helpful: highly recommended as a stop off on this route.

We were recommended to try the Golden Lion for an evening meal by our B&B hostess in nearby Cowshill. We were disappointed when, on walking in, we were told that, despite all the outside advertising boards about food, we could only get a meal if we had pre-booked. However a few minutes later the barmaid said she would see if the chef - who was having his tea - could rustle up anything. She then came back to say there were a few items we could choose from but just then the chef/owner himself came over to us and we explained we didn't want anything with chips and asked if we could have something with bread. Despite having previously been told categorically that sandwiches were not served in the evening, the chef himself immediately offered to make us a chicken & bacon mayo sandwich. We had to wait about ten minutes while he poached some fresh chicken and he then produced two rounds of the most delicious sandwiches I have ever tasted. At £4.95 per round they were absolutely the best ever and if we're in the area again, we shall call in for a repeat order.PS. If you are staying nearby and are likely to be calling in for food, you should perhaps ring ahead to make a booking so that you don't experience the same initially negative response we received.

Two night stay in the Coach House, warm and very comfortable.Proprietor could not do enough for us, food was excellent and the sausages amazing!Very quiet due to time of year (late Jan) but well worth the visit and the scenery wonderful.

excellent food served professionally friendly welcome as you arrive at the bar and throughout the meal would recommend this place they also have room that are to a very high standard but at a fantastic price

Made to feel very welcome on a cold night, excellent food and a very reasonable price. made to feel very welcome.

We spent 3 nights at the Golden Lion, the accommodation was very clean, food was fantastic and the welcome very warm. Don't be put off by this venue being on a main road, traffic is light and we didn't hear a thing, even with the window open at night.

Booked a table as suggested on web site. Meals are cooked to order so you have time to enjoy a pre dinner drink. Great pub atmosphere and attentive staff. The meals are good pub classics and could not fault the cooking or presentation.A great end to an enjoyable walking day around St John's Chapel.

Went for a meal last Friday , never booked , got there at 6.15 couldn't have meal until 7pm it wasn't full either , we had a drink ordered scampi , when it came we were very disappointed of the amount on plate , 10 scampi , alright portion I surpose a hand full of chips and peas, not worth the money , we have had a lot better locally!! Won't be rushing back !!!

Stayed here for two nights in the Bothy King room.Glenn & Caroline lovely friendly hosts, brilliant bar staff. excellent food in great quantities, Very comfortable room with everything one needed

We were recommended this pub as a good place to eat, but were warned to book, as it's very popular. We all really enjoyed the food & drinks and had a lovely chat with the very friendly & helpful chef/cook. Would definitely recommend.

Travelled here on the recommendation of other friends. Took the wiggly windy route - the sun was shiny after all. Great pub, friendly staff and locals. Would definitely return to sample the proper menu - meals looked great. Free BarBQ for bikers (with a donation for the Air Ambulance).

Visited at a weekend after booking, as we'd heard they are very popular. Seated in a lovely area away from the busy bar and the food and service was just excellent. Everything obviously cooked to order and followed by a similar desertI would have gone for the cheese plate, but just too much food even for us! Brilliant place to eat

We explained we had traveled 350 miles and need to eat. We were abruptly told there was no room at the inn!No apology, no understanding of our situation.Not offered even a sandwich or a drink!We were saved by a friendly local who directed us elsewhere.Our party and guest later in the week avoided this house.

had the mart pie with home made chips and veg, wife had braised chicken and veg. absolutely great, staff are nice too!

The food was freshly cooked, excellent and good value for money. The pub was warm and welcoming and the staff was friendly

Visited the Golden Lion for an evening meal. Nice pub in a lovely country village setting. Service seemed a bit slow though so we ordered something quick, or so we thought! Nice food though once it arrived and big portions!

We came with a group of 6, there lovely staff and service and absolutely delecious food! Good atmosphere and suitable for many with a great pool table. Thoroughly enjoyed our visit here!

Regular patrons of this beauiful pub, often have a meals here it's good homely food and is very clean with friendly staff. The food is consistay good, what more could you want. We will certainly call again soon.

Visited here on bank holiday and pub was fairly busy and was told there would be a delay as member of staff was out to pick up some potatoes Several tables full of people left without ordering food and to be honest when the potatoes arrived the chap looked as though he had to peel them before cooking meals. To be fair we didn't wait as long as I expected for our meal but seemed a bit off when you would have thought