The Lion Restaurant in Liverpool

An experience that takes you on a journey from Japan to Sri Lanka and excites your taste buds with such exotic foods

Food 10/10 drink 10/10 Service 10/10

Amazing food. One of my favourite restaurants. The food is absolutely delicious and freshly made. Always met with friendly staff. Highly recommend.

Excellent food and excellent service. A real gem in the heart of liverpool!

One of the best Sri Lankan restaurants I’ve visited. Great atmosphere from the moment you enter the restaurant and very beautiful interior deco. The menu covers many Sri Lankan dishes and also Japanese cuisine. Tried the Chicken Koththu, Fish Cutlets and Fish Rolls which were perfectly spicy and delicious and also very filling. They also serve Lion beer which is rare across the country. Owner and the staff are super friendly and will definitely make you feel welcome. Will be going again to try a few more dishes as soon as possible.

Food was amazing but listen to your waitress on how hot spices are

Came for my daughter ls 14th birthday meal after wanting to try this place for 6 months, it was absolutely beautiful dint let the spice level put you off they cater to all spice levels frsh beautiful food was absolutely beautiful, frshand clean our servers was soo helpful dianne was so helpful with all of the menu !!!!

I would say, the service here is exceptional. Excellent environment, friendly services, and authentic dishes. It's a bit pricey but I think it should be as the restaurant will need to maintain the quality of the food. First time I came here, the head chef was there to welcome us and he was very consistent. I always visit here once or twice a month, or order on deliveroo. It's the best in Liverpool! ❤️ #lovefromthephiilipines

Absolutely amazing, authentic food. The service was impeccable. Friendly and efficient. Such a cosy atmosphere. Highly recommend.

A little hidden gem! Excellent food and service, highly recommend.

Absolutely incredible food and friendly service!!!

Excellent lovely service and gorgeous food

Llevó a los de mi hijo que no han llegado a casa por Navidad. Uno de España y el otro regresó recientemente de Brasil y Argentina. A veces es difícil complacer sus gustos, pero ambos disfrutaron mucho de esta comida. Una vez más el personal y la comida no fallaron. Volveré enseguida.

Fantastic food and service *****

After being out in the cold all day I had to ask for the heater above the table to be turned off as I was sooo over heating they turned it off right away... As for the food well OMG it was tasty got 4 starters covering both sides of the menu and the sticky beef in teriyaki was nice and we used the Sri Lankan starters to gauge how spicy the rest would be.. For mains we went with the T-Bone with sticky rice and veg and the Lamb {wife said it was a bit tough} steak was amazing and next time I'll be ordering rare only {my own fault asking medium rare}.. Took desserts home sadly the fudge cake was missing it's sorbet and the mochi portion was only 3 pieces but not a deal breaker adding drinks my total for the night for 2 people {with tip} was £118.40 Will we go again hmm good chance we will after we tried the other Japanese and Thai venues

A really nice, small restaurant with lovely Asian cuisine and a really friendly atmosphere. The staff (both in the kitchen and in service) are very attentive and friendly. The food is consistently very good and everything is freshly prepared, so you should have a bit of patience. But that's not difficult given the friendly hospitality. Definitely worth a visit...😊👌

Ein wirklich nettes, kleines Lokal mit schöner asiatischer Küche und wirklich sympathischer Atmosphäre. Das Personal (sowohl in der Küche als auch im Service) ist sehr aufmerksam und liebenswürdig. Das Essen ist durchgehend sehr gut und es wird alles frisch zubereitet, also sollte man auch ein bisschen Geduld mitbringen. Aber das fällt nicht schwer bei der freundlichen Bewirtung. Auf jeden Fall einen Besuch wert... 😊👌

Would have loved to be able to review the food but after 20mins of waiting we hadn’t even been asked for a drink so decided not to wait! One person serving for 12 tables! Still at least The Reds served up a decent night against Madrid!

Lovely restaurant and amazing staff who go the extra mile thank you!!!

Thanks for a great meal food was amazing and staff was great thanks!

Very good place to have Srilankan street food around Liverpool area. Food was tasty and presentation was very nice. We we served well by the friendly staff

La comida era fantástica y el personal era tan atento Definitivamente volviendo Tenía amigos de América. No podía elogiarlo lo suficiente

The food was fantastic and the wait staff was very attentive. I had the coconut roti and pork devil, and both had the perfect level of spice.

Incredible food and great service, the devil chicken was out of this work and worth going out your way for

Qué fantástica experiencia alimenticia. El Mixed Meat Kottu era para morir, y el personal era tan encantador y amable. Este es un lugar maravilloso para la comida genuina de Sri Lanka.

First time trying, although it looks suspicious that Japanese and sri lankan doesn't really blend together. We order crab curry, roti paratha, vegetables tempura and rainbow sushi. Crab curry were delicious, crab was soft easy to crack the shell, curry taste nice that hit the spot. Portion is ok although i had all of it. Rainbow sushi is fresh, my daughter says the sauce is too much but i like saucy anyway. Vegetables tempura could be better if they use the right batter but i am still happy with the food i ordered. And the mutton roll is perfect. Thumbs up to the chef.

Pequeño, con solo 11 mesas, pero muy buen ambiente, muy bien equipado, con personal muy amable. El menú es muy bueno, y variado en las dos cocinas, Sri Lanka y japonés. Toda la comida estaba recién preparada, caliente y muy sabrosa. Me encantó todo... nada de lo que quejarme... 5 estrellas todo el día...

I have driven past this place so many times thinking” I’ll have to give it a try “. Finally went there with my wife last night. We both tried the Sri Lankan dishes, devil chicken & lamb curry with fried rice. Absolutely delicious 😋 The lady who runs the place is so friendly and helpful. We will definitely go back to try the Japanese menu. I would definitely recommend this lovely little restaurant 🫶

Este lugar me llamó la atención al pasar en coche, nos detuvimos para comer y fue increíble! Elegimos del menú SriLankan, la comida era tan sabrosa! Las porciones de los niños eran muy grandes también. Pedí Pollo Diablo, me pareció que la especia media era un poco suave, la próxima vez elegiré la picante. La cerveza de barril era Asahi y Cobra. El lugar tenía un buen ambiente. ¡A 5 estrellas de mí! Gracias

Así que nos sacudimos, siete adultos y dos niños de profundidad. El consenso general fue que la comida era bastante buena, pero la espera fue bastante excesiva. Lo que realmente me sorprendió fue que el menú era un poco caro, pero también había una propina del 10% automáticamente añadido. ¡Eso puso mi parte de la cuenta en 13 libras! Eso no es genial en esta época. No en mi mundo al menos.

The food is really tasty but was disappointed by the prawn curry . The prawns hadn't been deveined . As a Caribbean person I aspect an Asian restaurant to have served prawns with the vien removed for sanitary purposes. Apart from that the food was good .

Excellent food and excellent customer service, chef was willing to remake coconut roti twice as wasn't to our liking and still it took off the bill, all the food was 10/10 amazing especially daal and chicken devil

Food was good. Will visit again Mutton rolls Crab chilli and garlic Squid (japanese)

Been here now twice while visiting the area. Both times I have been amazed by the quality of the food which is all freshly cooked to order. Nice small cosy atmosphere and very friendly staff. As someone who lives close to London and has dined there several time in the past I put this up with some of the best restaurants I've been to there in terms of the quality of the food, and I can say with certainty if this restaurant was in central London it would be constantly booked out with people queuing out the door. The roti is amazingly buttery and my favourite dish the devil chicken is beautifully cooked and flavoursome. One word of caution particularly if you are new to Sri Lankan food like I was, be careful of your spice level choice. Mild is still fairly spicy but the flavour is amazing.

Really good quality food, and lovely presentation. Very friendly staff.

first time in this restaurant 15 minutes from the center of Liverpool... certainly different from the usual ethnic restaurants. traditional Sri Lankan cuisine 🇱🇰 and Japanese dishes but don't expect sushi. The cocktails were very good and both my wife and I enjoyed starters and main courses. my daughter ordered chicken and chips. It was a pleasant discovery and definitely worth returning.

We ordered food via Uber eats few days ago and it was extremely delicious hence why we paid a visit to the place itself. Incredible cozy place, staff were very welcoming and friendly. The food was 10/10 ♥️♥️

A lovely restaurant serving both Sri Lankan and Japanese food. Be prepared to wait a little as all their food is cooked fresh, but it is well worth the wait. The food is so flavourful and tasty. You won’t find freshly cooked food anywhere else that’s is as flavoursome. If you like spice you can have mild or hot. The ambience is nice and the restaurant is well decorated and clean. I would strongly recommend you try this restaurant. Try the Sri Lankan Lion Lager too. We have been to this lovely place many times now. I honestly don’t think there is much better restaurant in Liverpool. 🇱🇰 & 🇯🇵 food

We went to have sushi, only to be told that the sushi was off because it’s busy due to the Taylor Swift concert (which we weren’t going to). The lady we spoke to was lovely and asked the chef for us, who was willing to make maki rolls - we appreciated this, but the whole point of us making a reservation was to come and eat lots of different sushi. I would’ve appreciated someone calling me to let me know, or telling me when I called to confirm our reservation the day prior, considering that a large portion of the menu was off. I don’t think Miss Swift would appreciate this, The Lion are in their “no sushi” era

The salmon curry was delicious and service was friendly. The only note was it was a bit slow at times.

Went to the Lion for my sisters birthday, great food, good portion size, tasty, great service, lovely vibe, great music. 6 mains dishes were loved by all of us. Great local place to enjoy Sri Lankan food.

I with a group of friends from Slovakia. The service and food was amazing and nothing was too much trouble for the staff. I ordered the soft shell crab sri Lankan style at £16 i thought maybe a little expensive but when i arrived it was well worth the money. It was a huge portion and came dressed in a spiced masala gravy whuch was rich thick and tasty. The crab was very fresh and filled with soft sweet white crab meat what a treat. Would highly recommend a vist to the Lion

First visit. Blown away. Food sensational and very fresh. What makes it though, is the lovely girl front of house. Very welcoming. Cannot wait to return.

A nice place to go to eat, since there are no recommended restaurants for lunch or dinner in the area.

Please note, this is not a bad review on the food in anyway way. We have been here before and really enjoyed the food and service. We came here for the Valentines Day offer which was good and the food was beautiful, we did eat it all. BUT, we were sitting there finishing our drinks when a couple came in and asked the server was the food Halal? She informed him that ALL the meat was in fact Halal. There was nothing displayed on the restaurant door, window or menu that they served Halal meat? To which I was rather annoyed about it as myself and partner DO NOT eat Halal meat as we are totally against the barbaric killing of the animals in the process. I really did think that all restaurants had to display the “Halal” sign in order for Non Muslim people to make an informed choice? Either way, this has spoilt it all now as we did love the food in this place but sadly we will never be back.

Wow and not in a good way. Service was non existent. Waited for 45 minutes for starter and longer for mains. Restaurant was freezing . Sat with my coat on the whole time. When food finally arrived ,it wasn’t worth the wait. Kottu was dry. Couldn’t taste anything due to the burning sensation in my mouth due to the spices used. Definitely wouldn’t recommend

Fantastic food, a gem of a place in an unexpected location. We had a wonderful pre match curry and we'll definitely be back.

Don’t know if we caught these on a bad day but walked sat down heater by us not working so had to move. Orded two pints and two cocktails.15 min later had to remind girl about my drinks , pints came anuther 15 min cocktails came, One toilet that was blocked so had to run over to pub opposite .Then the food came it’s was very good and that wot saves this place . ,Will give it anuther go because of the food ,Food 5/5 Service 2/5

Poor description on menu. Egg fried rice tasted bad and was extremely spicy. No information on menu. Poor service. Don’t recommend

Great food, friendly staff and a pleasant atmosphere. From the Sri Lankan menu, the Salmon curry is deeply aromatic and beautifully seasoned. The black pork curry is dark, savoury and packed with big robust flavours. Excellent little place!

Absolutely superb. Most strongly recommend. As a real foodie I don't give 5* to many places, but this is a real gem. Exceptional quality of food, coupled with wonderful atmosphere and outstanding service.

Wonderful food, amazing service and great atmosphere. One of our best wedding anniversary nights out.

Great place to eat with family or friends . Well worth a visit

We went in early so it wasn't busy, the restaurant was nice, great menu the service was good and Food was lovely

Whery nice place, staff makes effort to make you happy, and even chef get out of the kitchen and ask if all is good and makes effort to talk with us a bit. He prepered individual plater of sushi for us not only following our preferences but he made it even better and it looks like an art. I understand that we were lucky that he had time to do that, but anyway, he made an effort, and we appreciate it. (There was more than what I have on pictures, but I couldn't fit it all in one photo 😅)

Best sit-down restaurant in Walton! The food, service, and atmosphere are perfect for a dinner out. Would highly recommend.

Been here twice now. Love it!!!

This was our first time at The Lion and it did not disappoint the food was 5 star and so fresh .. the service was amazing the lady who served us was so friendly and couldn’t do enough for us .. she made the experience at the restaurant for us .. the food is so tasty and it’s such a lovely atmosphere in there .. can’t wait to return

The meal was very delicious. And the environment was clean and wonderful. I was seeking a place like this to taste srilankan kottu and dumplings. Both were super. Owner and his wife and the staff were really friendly. Thank you for the fantastic dinner time ⏲❤ super proud of you ayya and akka as a srilankan 👏

Great atmosphere lovley staff . And the food is just amazing great little local restraunt . Give it a visit you wont be dissapointed well done

The food is always amazing, the service and restaurant itself always spot on. I’m a fried rice fan, try the chicken and you can then select how spicy you want it. My number 1 favourite place to eat.

This Sri Lankan restaurant was recommended to my friends and I during our recent weekend stay in Liverpool. The food was absolutely wonderful. But let me give a couple other pieces of information before I get to that. The restaurant is not in a great area, and as we walked from our airbnb to the restaurant -- and had to walk back after dark -- we were a little uncomfortable. But there were no problems. There was a huge negative: service was incredible slow. In fact, when we arrived, some lads at a different table warned us not to stay, because they'd been there two hours and only just received their food. As we had no other plans for the evening, we did stay, and it was a little over 90 minutes from when we sat down at our booked table to when the food arrived. I don't know if that's normal or if there were short-staffed that evening. It seems to be very much a small family-run operation. Now to the good part: the food was exceptionally good. So if you're willing to spend a long evening at the restaurant, I highly recommend it.

Excellent food. Very caring and accommodating owners and staff. Goes the extra mile to keep customers happy!!

Ein Lichtblick zwischen den vielen Imbissbuden in der Umgebung. Das Essen war sehr lecker und der Service ausgesprochen freundlich.

Intimate cosy restaurant, good food great service, would recommend.

Good food, terrible hospitality, believed the wife working on the front, she need to have some training how to run restaurants, otherwise they will run their business down, we are the only one eating there and simple order and still she missed one entree, we waited for half hour maybe she back and asking if need more or asked the food but she didn’t bothered, after tired of waiting we inquired the other meal she just realised and pretending it was us who is not so sure to make the order, there is no professional attitude offering at least a discount or dessert in the house to remedy the situation but she was insisting it was us weren’t clear what we ordered which is very strange, so we decide being the grown up here and ask for the bill and just be done to get out of the place. never seen any behaviour like this in my life going out to restaurants. I hope she read this review and take the feedback, reviews are important

The food here is really good. It's a tiny cosy restaurant with a name like a British pub but a menu like a high end Asian restaurant, which was a surprise considering the name. Good portions, decent variety and the staff are nice. If you haven't tried it yet I do recommend. The only con for this place was the music at one point was really bassy and loud after a stressful day when we just wanted to relax and enjoy the food, but it only happened the once.

First time here, food was fresh and hot full of flavour would deffo recommend

I have ordered few times from the restaurant, food was delicious very flavourful best Srilankan food I have eaten in Liverpool. Loved the chicken fried rice and the starters. Definitely coming back reasonable prices and good quantity as well

Excellent food and hospitality. Aruna the manager looked after us extremely well. We had 2 starters and 2 mains.

What an odd combination of food options - Sri Lankan and Japanese! And just delicious! The service was wonderful, the food lovely! I would eat here regularly if I lived here.

Great service and superb food.Highly recommended.👍👍👍👍

What a night!. Food was delicious, everything freshly cooked, homemade, full of flavour. Portions are big and well worth the money. Starters in particular where very tasty (would go back and do a “tapas style”of starters😊) Was asked if we was there for an occasion, we told them it had just been my parters birthday therefore came for a mid week meal. At the end of the night they sang happy birthday to him and gave a chocolate cake! Lovely touch. Great vibe inside and Staff where lovely! Friendly and attentive. Highly recommend visiting. Our order (see pics): Starters- Beef Teriyaki Chicken fried gyoza Yakitori Coconut Roti Mains- Sea bass, suzuki Devils mixed meat/seafood (rice separate) Devils mixed meat (rice separately) Chicken teppanyaki noodles (If you don't like spicy, get the mild devils still has a slight kick but very tasty)

I tried Sri Lankan dish and was delicious. Highly recommended restaurant and of course friendly customer service.

An amazing gem of a restaurant hidden away in a random spot. It was a surprisingly cosy and had a warm atmosphere. The food was absolutely delicious. We had 100% authentic Sri Lankan food. One of my top underrated places in Liverpool for sure. The Sri Lankan Chicken Curry was definitely the best I've had and I highly recommend it. Try it with the authentic level of spice if you're up for it.

The nicest food I ever had and the excellent service. We’ll definitely come again and recommend to our friends.

Party of 6 +1child. Service was great. Not the biggest place but was good. Food was delicious. I ordered medium spicy but would recommend next time mild. I had Sri Lankan devils mix. Beautiful. We all said that we'd return. Compliments to the cook and the staff.

The food in here is belting!!! The Srii lankan curries are epic!

Unbelievably brilliant, probably the best curry I've ever had, amazing

Great food quite busy defo going back

I walked into the restaurant full of expectation, as friends had made positive comments. A menu was given to me, but then I waited twenty minutes for any kind of attention? Waiters attended other tables, but seemed to totally ignore me. There was absolutely no attempt to even speak to me! My drinks order hadn't even been taken. Once it got to over twenty minutes, I told the barmaid that their service was unacceptable and left.

Food is tasty, overall is above average. Good and friendly services. Will come back again! The fried veggies is a bit salty!

Amazing place, came here with my friend for a meal, loved it so much I returned here with my mum and my daughter for a meal for mum birthday, fab food fab staff and all round amazing restraunt. Well recommended 😊

Visited here with girls from work, 12 of us. Food was amazing, not one person disappointed! Would definitely recommend

Highly recommended Food was amazing ! Staff were so friendly :) Love it

Ok, but not my cup of tea really,

Food is amazing and full of flavour, especially the lamb curry. Me and my partner always come here with it being so local to us. Always great service and would highly recommend!

It's been at least a month since we had dinner at The Lion after reading so many great reviews on Facebook. For that reason I won't be able to describe the exactly starters, main courses and sides that we had that night. However, one thing kept strong in our minds: they're absolutely brilliant and if you enjoy Asian food at any level you should definitely try them! The venue is small, which was perfect for the intimate atmosphere that we were aiming - two couples both with toddlers under 2. I can tell our families felt very welcomed and had the greatest time with very good sized portions, amazingly flavoured and prepared with excellence! Service was also spot on! Price was totally fair for what we got and I simply can't wait to go again!

This place is great. Only place on county road imo that offers a more upmarket restaurant experience. Staff are friendly and food is delicious!

From the service to the food was absolutely amazing 😋 I had to bring my friends the next time ...I love it😘😘

Was on a short visit to Liverpool and this restaurant was recommended by a dear friend. Very friendly staff. He was so professional. Great service. Food was amazing and spiced as per individual taste. Definitely deserves more than 5 stars.

Amazing fresh, tasty food, the service was immaculate. The staff are attentive and very sweet. I recommend this place 100%.

Lovely little place on the County Road well worth a visit

Sri Lankan Daal curry with Paratha roti was the best I have tasted. Excellent food.

That was the best takeaway I've ever had . The reviews aren't LION. The restaurant is amazing inside as well. Absolutely faultless.

We were down in Liverpool for the Rangers game and we ate here pre match. Excellent food, from a very varied menu and reasonably priced too. The service was also very efficient and friendly.

Food is fantastic full of flavour and the quality of the meat tasted good. The starters are punching way above their weight all high quality decent portions. Came here last year and brought back a big group of friends and family. Everything was spot on until paying the bill. Creating drama over how we pay was embarrassing I recommend this place to my group and you took a good 5/10 minutes suggesting one person pay the whole Bill when we all wanted to pay individually for our own food. How can you expect someone to foot up over £150 at your convenience. This let down the good food and experience. Maybe I'll be back in 2023 hopefully this issue regarding paying won't happen again.

We got sushi & the salmon curry, was absolutely amazing! Our waiter was kind and very welcoming!

We have intended to try this restaurant for a while now , Not the cheapest restaurant , and certainly not cheap for Walton road . However , the restaurant was very clean , Service was very good and quality of food was excellent . We will be back soon, well worth a visit . The food is always superb.

We ordered 4 Sri Lankian dishes, chicken curry, lamb curry, chicken devil and seafood devil, served with roti or rice. Each of them are quite spicy but extremely delicious and we love them! Also, the owner is nice and provide good service, will definitely come back if we visit Liverpool next time!😄