The Old Red Lion in Central Bedfordshire - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Wow! What a glow-up! This recently refurbished countryside pub has been transformed into a classy gastro pub with a delicious menu and an impressive carvery to offer. Service was top-notch, honestly better than some other restaurants I have visited. Would recommend.

Carvery was amazing! Atmosphere and service was great. Jeremy was very friendly and attentive. Highly recommend!

Friendly staff.. but sadly the food quality has gone down since opening.. the waiting times r ridiculous.. came in for breakfast awhile back and had to wait about half hour for our coffees we asked twice.. then 45mins later the breakfast arrived and was nothing like what iv had previously there.. then the other day i went in for carvery but £17 was ridiculous for what was there.. then i was going to order a dessert and drink.. but was told i cudnt because they were closing the kitchen although it was only 8pm.. and the carvery was still out.. the girl i spoke too was very polite and shes served me there b4 and was lovely.. but the food standards seem to hav drastically gone down theres no love put into the food nomore and the long waits r really puttin people off and its never that busy so i dnt understand the waiting time and im certainly not the first to hav a lil moan bout that.. lovely pub decor wise since being completely renovated.. some nice staff but jus very over priced for the quality of food u get.. which is a shame tbh bcos i know thats what puts many local people off going there and they then choose the local italian restaurant instead.. or chequers (were the foods jus as bad lol) but prices r cheap for familys.. this pub is jus in the wrong location for the menu prices.. the old red lion was a complete dump 🤣 inside b4 the new makeover but was always still busy!!! Cos the prices were reasonable.. where as wen u got there now it’s literally jus the bar staff and kitchen staff in there! I dnt understand why they dnt try to reduce the food prices.. also no ale on tap.. yet it says there is..

My extended family and I ate here twice in the past week as the first visit was so good we had to come back. I live out of town and this is now my go to place when I visit my family who live nearby. The menu is broad, the quality high and the portion size large. This is good quality pub grub in a clean and pleasant environment. The staff are very attentive and I want to mention Jeremy in particular who was very friendly. We have two young children and they provide colouring pencils and paper sheets with activities on to keep them entertained. I recommend that you visit.

Fantastic food and fair price for the quality and portion. Staff was really attentive Would highly recommend a visit

Great pub with beautiful garden!

Very tasty food. Big parking space, friendly staff and cozy atmosphere.

Went on spur of the moment and so glad we did...shown straight to table and took drink order which came promptly...food order taken quickly and first course served in good time....and i must say that although i felt the prices were a bit high the food didnt disappoint...decent portions which made them worth the cost...our server was happy and friendly and informative and nothing was too much trouble for her...will be returning soon with other family members to sample other dishes off the menu.

Really nice lunch. Great service by Jeremy.

We've been twice recently and both times we've had a really nice Carvery and been served by a lovely waitress called Megan.

Just had an amazing carvery today. Lovely food. Great portion size. Friendly staff and very tasty food. Highly recommend

A lovely pub/restaurant and food, good, friendly service. Simple, nicely cooked salmon, a great combo of ribs and chicken (huge!)

Lovely and clean...inside and the gardens .lots of parking.. received a nice welcome...given menus..ask if we required a drink while looking at the menu...not rushed at all...food arrived and was very well presented and cooked as it should be and tasted very good... service by the young lady was very good..polite.. friendly...2nd time we have eaten there recently and will continue to do so..thank you...

Top notch service and food was great 👍

Great food great staff great service and atmosphere also very clean.

Great place great vibe. Service good. Great food every time I’ve been.

My daughter and I ate here the other day. We throughly enjoyed. Great food and great service!

Amazed by the look of an old pub we decided to go for lunch on Saturday. Despite the signs outside and inside the building, they don’t offer Ales on the tap because apparently they are not “popular” there. Nothing better than having a look at the menu while tasting a nice crafted Ale (of course, my personal preference). Ordered the drinks and 5’ after, the food. We had to wait 40 minutes for the food, and the pub was nearly empty, only 4 more tables at the time. To mains and a kids meal, one main came first, 2 minutes after arrived the kids meal and 5 minutes after that, the other main. Absolutely ridiculous, considering that we had to wait 40 minutes for this and they couldn’t even serve everything at the same time! Food is tasteless, to be honest, like frozen. Definitely NOT home made like they claim on the signs outside (where they also offer local ales). The prices they charge are definitely expensive considering the poor quality of the food and service. Won’t come back and definitely won’t recommend to anyone.

The range of food is good. At times. Unfortunately today the potatoes were overdone, as were the chewy crusty Yorkshire puddings. The green beans were burned a cd the onions over cooked. They sell quorn sausages but only at breakfast. Shame. Was here a week ago and had much better service and food. [thank you for the person replying 8 years later - hopefully it has improved]

First & last time there if the toilets have this standard ! Don't want to imagine how it's looking in the kitchen & storage food rooms , will not coming back poor hygiene standards.

Sadly this has gone down hill alot since last went. Been few times before once reopened. Once seated out back in wedding area (after prebooking table after it opened at 12pm) it took forever to order drinks, then ages to be told to go up to carvery area a good 45 minuts (very little staff came out back) - even others near us was moaning too saying very slow service The meal itself was not good for price we was charged (couldn't just have carvery on own was told only 2 or 3 courses as fathers day menu) 2 course was £25 on own! meat was cold/carrots was pretty much raw/potatoes was not roasted not even crispy and was cold. Sorry to say won't be going back now proper put off.

Great food and a fab evening painting

Lovely service by Mel ,great food ..Will definitely come back as last yearxxx

The waitress gave us the menus then never came back to take our order, I had to go to the bar to order our food, the bar waiter was not friendly either, when the waitress brought our food she didn't know what food she had brought. The waitress or any other staff never cane and asked us hiw the meal was. When we left the bartender was sitting talking to customers, never even said good evening.When Christian was in the pub it was friendly and the atmosphere was lovely now it will be a long time before we go back.

Cost £75 and the food was disgusting 🤢 waited an hour for the cavery nothing really left all old and bottom barrel food

Very friendly service, was seated straight away, food was lovely and hot, big portions too! My waitress Milliemai was very friendly and checked back to see if everything was okay with my food which I appreciated a lot

Very cozy and lovely environment. Delicious food. Good service.

Absolutely lovely food and really nice people

Third visit in 6 weeks. This time for afternoon tea. Christian and his team knocked it out the park yet again. Exceptional service and absolutely fantastic food, we left fit for bursting. These afternoon teas are taylor made by you from the selection of sandwich fillings on offer and are a great idea for something a little different in way of celebrations . We opted for the posseco option, but there is a tea version also on offer.

On arrival even though it wasn't busy still waited 10 mins to be seated. Half the menu not available. Starters: most of the starters were lovely, camebert was supposed to come with rustic bread. It was sliced white loaf and barely toasted. Stuffed Pork Belly was supposed to come with seasonal greens and and apple and onion jus. We'd ordered x2. Size difference on each plate was noticeable. Jus was a beef gravy that needed a knife to get out of the jug it was so thick and the seasonal greens were non existent that we had to ask for them. How to you mess up microwave mash is beyond me. Filet steak medium was well done. Didn't end up paying for the pork belly. Best partner the meal was the seasonal veg. £110 seemed expensive for a really awful experience.

The staff here are absolutely wonderful! They go above and beyond to assist you with whatever you may need. Recently, they helped make my father's birthday truly special by accommodating us with a birthday cake and decorations. Their thoughtfulness truly made his day, and we couldn't be more grateful. Thank you to the amazing staff for their exceptional service!

First time here. Had the home made pie .. it was delicious. Definitely go back again.

Lovely atmosphere & staff, food was fantastic.

Had a lovely waiter, seated very quickly and everyone seemed so happy and lovely. The vibe was good and the food was lovely, even with the requests i made. Will happily go again.

We were there for a private party and the staff were great. Particularly Sophia who couldn't have been more helpful.

Just ordered and had delivered an upgraded carvery via Deliveroo and have to say I was suitably impressed, Food arrived on time and more than enough for 2 of us and the dog, although we did have to reheat it for a few minutes the food was delicious, melt in the mouth Roast Turkey, perfectly cooked veggies, lovely fluffy Roasties and a lovely beef gravy. Would definitely recommend if you dont want the hassle of preparation etc.

Food was really tasty and waitress Sophia was really pleasant and made the experience special. Well done

What a gem of a place this is ! Fantastic food and service nothing is too much trouble. We take our small dog and sit in the Snug area it’s spotless and so well furnished it’s all very homely. Sophia is an exceptional host on our visits and we are very grateful for a warm welcome and the excellent hospitality we receive. Great job guys 😁

First outing to this local and it didn't disappoint. We were in the naughty corner, very apt... Service, food and good looking bar staff added to the occasion

Staff here are great, always welcoming and nothing is too much trouble, very accommodating, happy and polite!

Waited over an hour to be served, then told a long wait for food. Clearly under staffed. Fell sorry for the poor waitress. She wasn't told there was a wake out the back, with no staff.

Extensive menu, suits all tastes and budgets. I had a burger from the a la carte menu. Well presented, tasted great and good portion size. The staff were friendly and efficient. (The only tiny negative was the additional price of £1.95 for sweet potato fries instead of regular fries.) We have booked to return in a couple of weeks.

Lovely music and food for Spanish Night. Staff were absolutely amazing

Lovely redocorated pub- restaurant. Next to my house. Great atmosphere will be back

The food was not bad .we all arrived at 5.00pm and we got our food at 7.00pm very slow .not going back.

1st time we have been there since it re opened. The staff were very friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. The food was excellent, very much an improvement on the old red lion, where everything was dirty, and the staff then I thought had given up. I would certainly recommend.

Came with family for lunch on a Monday, it seemed pretty quiet with only a couple of tables in use. Service was pretty poor with terrible timings for food from the kitchen, a lot of waiting for food while others were finishing their meals. And the pricing of some of the food and drink was ridiculously overpriced for what you got. Many other places I think I will head to before choosing here.

Awful! Was sat in the cold. No heating. The carvy food was bad quality. Clearly over welmed with the amount of people. Food was terrible. Staff tried to be helpful.

We had a lovely Mother’s day meal, we were shown to the marquee area but it wasn’t suitable for my elderly mother, but they moved us immediately without any issue. The service and food were excellent, especially the Eton mess!

Just had lunch and it was fantastic. Staff charming, dining room light and airy and food hot and wholesome. Will definitely visit again. Well done.

Came here for Sunday carvery,it was lovely, plenty to choose from, waitress was attentive and the atmosphere was good, definitely go back

We have recently moved to the area and come across the old red lion. We were served by Jack, we had a lovely meal with our daughter, she is really fussy but enjoyed all of her food. We had a burger and the pie of the day, was lovely! We will most definitely be trying out the tapas night next.

We ate here while visiting family. I'm not usually a fan of carvery but the food here was very good with generous portions and good options for children. The service here was also very good with friendly helpful staff. Especially the carvery server who was very happy and good fun to interact with.

I ate here many years ago and very much enjoyed the food. I tried it today and couldn’t believe how bad the food was. We couldn’t eat or starters because of the poor quality and taste. The carvery was even worse, cheap cuts of meat, the ham was like jelly, Turkey tasted off and all the veg was tasteless and dry. The waitress was very nice and gave us complimentary deserts as she knew we didn’t eat the starters or mains. The deserts weren’t much better so didn’t finish those either. I paid my extortionate bill and left, never to return. Who do they think they are charging these prices for rubbish, inedible food!

As my wife is gluten intolerant, there was only mussels or berger. We both had the berger, which was OK. But the service was very good. we have been a few times now, so it must be OK.

Really nice and cosy. Great atmosphere.

Whether you’re a tourist looking for an authentic English pub experience or a local in search of your new favorite nightly haunt, The Old Red Lion offers something for everyone with its cozy, candlelit atmosphere and delightful service. An absolute 5-star establishment that I can’t wait to revisit

We have been several times as its my sister’s local pub. Really nice food, pretty pub, good prices and lovely staff. Went today and had the beef carvery roast.. was sooo tasty. Staff are lovely, didn’t catch the name of the lady who served us but she was great. Booking was made swift and easy by Christian for our group of 10 so thank you!! Will always return. Xx

Fantastic service, food was lovely 😍

I came here with my dad and sister. Cristian our waiter was very friendly and attentive. Food was amazing and we all had a wonderful time. We will definitely be coming back

Wonderful setting and decor. Friendly staff and amazing food. Definitely coming back for another meal.

Fantastic little find! Cosy, beautiful decor, lovely food and the most friendly staff I have ever come across! The drinks were delicious, I had a banoffee cocktail. Children and dogs are very welcomed. We will definitely be back!

Great place, amazing service and hospitality

Just had a lovely meal, the ORL never fails to disappoint. Great Value for money with amazing service. Sophia our waitress was first class start to finish. See you again soon!

The waiter Cristian was very polite and helpful and a pleasure to do business with. The food was delicious and plentiful

The waitress Sophia was great but the food was cold

I had the fish and chips it was very nice indeed 😋

I was really disappointed with menu. Very expensive for basic dishes like pasta. Portion sizes are small. Starters for four tiny halloumi sticks were £6.95 and not even that great. It was over priced average pub food with a lot of things not even available on the menu.

Food was lovely as always, only put 4 for atmosphere as unfortunately it was quiet for a New Year’s Eve but I guess people stay at home more. Staff were friendly and waitress was lovely.

Had a lovely meal Served at the table was a lovely chilled out atmosphere our waitress was called Sophia she was amazing red loin should be proud to have her

Held a Christmas meal for 10 people and played Hit Mix Bingo. Everything was wonderful from the staff to the food to the entertainment. Thank you Briony and team for a great night, we will be back

We had a celebration for an 18th 21st, 50th, 60th and a 25 wedding anniversary. I booked the snug for us. We had several individual tables and the area all to ourselves. It was wonderful. I booked in May for December with Bryony who was brilliant at fielding my questions. We pre-booked our meals. Abi was our server. She was exceptional. The food was good. Everyone was full 😊. The crumble was odd. Someone had gone a bit too cheffy and replaced the crumble.topping with what tasted like rice crispies ...so that was a shame. I would highly recommend this venue and team ....we had a blast. Thank you 😘

A Festive Christmas's Lunch for 18 people. Good food, carvery much enjoyed. Staff as always very good and helpful.

Food tremendous as usual , the carvery of champions. Not our fave waitress this time but you can't have everything it wasn't the shouty one either but the yts lad. A great friendly caring place which ever staff you get 😁

Busy a little slow with service But the manager did give us a round of drinks

Just back from a 5.30 booking. We both only wanted the carvery. Jack was lovely, very friendly and helpful. Sat for 35 minutes before being taken to the carvery. Not very busy there either. Turkey was great but the beef awful. It was at the end of the joint and he did say another was waiting to come out after this one had finished. Very chewy and fatty could not even cut or eat it. Red cabbage etc were great. Creamed leeks literally one spoonful left. Roast potatoes so disappointing not crispy at all just like cooked potato. Yorkshire pudding deli. Staff are lovely.

Brilliant good. Friendly service from Abi. Great gluten free selection 👍

Popped in for a late lunch, amazing service by Jack and the pie of the day was top notch and the burger looked great that the Mrs had👍 we found this place by chance and we will certainly return to try more off the menu,10/10

My first course, pate and toast, the toast was burnt. The carvery for the second course, the meat was very nice and plentiful but the roast potatoes were poor. Service was very slow

As usual excellent meal/service. Thanks to Abby for your service all done with a smile. Great place to visit.

Shared a steak the size of my head! Absolutely delicious and super friendly service. Would recommend!

Decided to try on the off chance and was pleasantly surprised. We went on Steak night Wednesday, the steak was really good and seasoned well. The deal came with side orders, sauce and a bottle of wine or alternative drinks. Team were knowledgeable and friendly, we will for sure be returning. There is also a dog friendly area !

I used to come here before covid, when I heard it had reopened I remembered how much I loved their carvery..... booked for Sunday evening 7pm as these days only serve it on a Sunday I asked what time they finished serving carvery and they said until 8pm. Arrived 15 minutes early, ordered a drink then went straight up to get our meal. The beef was lovely though cold, cauliflower unedible I could not cut it or bite into it so I set it aside. Scraping of hard mash bottom of the pot did not have that, Roasties were nice but it was just luke warm. Friend thought she would get some more leeks and gravy to go with her last piece of meat but came back and said it had all been cleared away and it was only 19.27 meant to be 20.00. Very disappointing evening. Also advertise cask beers, they only have 1.

Food was very good all staff very friendly and service was good I would definitely recommend this lovely pub restaurant.

This place is the best in the surrounding area nothing can beat this. The food is amazing every time I go and service is brilliant

Very cold, kept my coat on while eating dinner. Food nice but overpriced.

Great food, even better staff, friendly and attentive. Will definitely be going back soon.

We been welcomed by Cristian, which have been a fabulous host. Food was delicious and the atmosphere was excellent.

Jack was a great server all night. Me and my partner ordered multiple drinks and food and everything was impeccable! Highly recommend, not only coming to the Old Red Lion, but having Jack as server. Also, Brandon the chef was great and the food was delicious! 5 stars!

Great meal, thank you Jack for being a fab waiter

We were served by Jack who was absolutely amazing! Great service from start to finish and would highly recommend the food here, it was amazing! Tried the burger which was amazing and my partner tried the special pie of the day which was also spectacular! Definitely recommend coming over to the Old Red Lion!

Second visit for Sunday roast carvey because our previous experience was so good the month before. Some other friends had recently made good comments so we thought it would be fine. But we found the meats a bit chewy and the roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding rock hard. Maybe would've been better on another day.

Had a carvery here sunday afternoon, the staff were brilliant - so friendly and helpful and the food was incredible!

Came with a group at lunchtime. We were seated in the cosy Snug area which felt like our own private dining. Christian and Jack made us feel like VIPs! Loved the Teriyaki Pork Salad, highly recommend 😗👌🏽

Pie and a pint for £15.95, individual homemade pies and plenty of variety as well. Lovely pub, well worth a visit. Staff are all really friendly and welcoming. Great value for money, what more could you want. Looking forward to returning.

The young man that served us was so attentive and polite. He showed us the snug which was a lovely place for me and my daughter to sit. He recommended food and tempted us into having a pudding. The nachos were fantastic. Our waiter made the whole experience a great one. Thanks. We will be back.

Came for a meal with my wife and 3 children at around 5pm. The team here are great. Very friendly, welcoming and informative. Nothing was too much trouble. The menu here is great. Something for everyone. Our waiter, although his name escapes me, was a very attentive. I would certainly recommend adding The Old Red Lion to you favourite eateries.

Beef was not edible too tough couldn't cut it and far too red, veg not much variety. Very disappointing and over priced

Superb service from Cristian Sanz the food was amazing and cooked to perfection Cannot recommend highly enough we will definitely be coming back

First time when we visited for a carvery it was fantastic but unfortunately this time we was slightly disappointed the meat was tough and the potatoes where hard , plus I was shocked at the size of the child’s portion for a carvery we could only just manage to fit a Yorkshire pudding on there let alone anything else .