The Red Lion in Powys

Stopped here with a big group of friends for lunch. Fantastic welcome, lovely food and really friendly service - couldn't fault anything. Recommended !!!!!

We visited in April 2019, we stayed in Builth Wells and it is a nice village but we were so happy we visited the Red Lion. Great ale and cider selection, great pub food and curry options and great hosts. All four of us really enjoyed this and it is a beautiful part of Wales and liked the we visited the oldest pub in Powys.

We stopped off for lunch as we were driving from Swansea to the Lake District. The pub is set in a gorgeous part of the country. It claims to be the oldest in the county and the inside is in accord with this with low ceilings and uneven floors. It has the cleanest pub toilets we have seen in a long time. The menu was interesting. On one side were listed curries, pies, etc., that seemed a little overpriced. On the other side were more “cafe” offerings that were very reasonable. We all had some form of meat, eggs and chips. The sausages and ham were outstanding and the eggs very good. The “dime bar” pie was wonderful. With non-alcoholic drinks, the three of us ate to satisfaction for £30. If there is a negative comment to be made, it was that the bartender (who had a proprietary air) came over as a little unfriendly. However, this affected neither the location nor the quality of the food. While we wouldn’t drive 50 miles to get to the pub, we would certainly consider a stop there on any journey that would take us close.

Stopped off for evening meal and drinks after a days walking in the hills. We were warmly greeted by the barman, shown to a table and enjoyed some wonderful food. Definitely worth a detour if you're in the area.

Visited here on Easter Sunday during a weekend away. All thoroughly enjoyed the food and service. Great portion size for the roast and for a brilliant price! Meat well cooked too. Landlord was really friendly and welcoming. Pub had a great cosy feel, loved the painting of the walls too.

We called in to the pub on our first day in the area, the staff and locals made us very welcome and offered suggestions for places to visit as well as allowing us to join in with their lunchtime banter. It was nice to be part of the action. The meal was excellent and was in plentiful portions, so much so that we had to leave the veg. We were not rushed and spent most of the afternoon sitting and chatting even after we had finished our meal. We went back the following Sunday and were treated exactly the same, the roast lamb dinner is highly recommended by me. We will definitely be back again

Two evening meals here during a 2 night stay at The Granary just down the lane opposite. Good beer, friendly landlord and the food was excellent. Decent menu for choice plus a specials board. Pleasing surroundings in a restaurant full of history. Couldn't fault any of it and a very warm welcome. Highly Recommended

Had a very tasty and filling Sunday lunch here yesterday. Prompt and friendly service, food was proper home cooked flavour, veggies served separately, all very hot on hot serving dishes! Sunday roast so tender and good portions. In the area for a week and booked my return tables already!

Down to earth Pub, really nice food plenty of it, friendly Landlord, will definitely return, will recommend to anyone.

Staying locally to the red lion, visited early evening warm welcome given and taken through to a dining room with drinks in hand . Good choice on the menu . Had three courses all served in a reasonable time.food very high standard no gastro rubbish here just proper food good portions and delicious taste . Cosy pub lots of history pleasant staff a must to visit

Tried to eat here on Saturday but full, so booked for Sunday. No wonder it gets booked. Both had welsh lamb served in a delicious mint gravy and ample vegetables. All we could manage for desert was ice cream. So delicious in fact we called in again later in the week. I had the lamb again, and my partner tried the chicken off the special menu. (This changes nightly) A very cosy and friendly pub that also does 'special evening meal themes too'.

Went for a very enjoyable long walk around the Brecon Beacons (about 10 miles) and run up a real appetite, so was looking for something substantial. Passed the lion on the way and, read a few reviews and thought we’d give it a go. Definitely worth it. I had the steak and ale pie. My wife had the lamb and mint pie. Both were more than enough and very tasty. Sizeable amount of gravy in the pie (always good). Nice side of chips and veg. Left full and happy. Would recommend.

I looked on my phone for places to hv sunday dinner we staying in llanafan which is 1hr drive 2 red lion pub and had a very warm welcome and dinner was stunning and very hot we all hd beef and a drink try this place

We we're looking for a local pub for a dinner treat when I came across this pub on the Internet, we booked a table. The landlord was very friendly and helpful, the menu had what you want ,i had a lamb steak, the wife had a vegetarian pie. The food was very good, and nicely presented, the lamb was out of this world. If you're looking for a place to eat, this is the place to go ,you won't be disappointed

Have driven past this place on several occasions en route elsewhere so have always been curious. It's the oldest pub in Powys. Then someone we know (back home in Buckinghamshire) said it's the nearest pub to his house in Wales. So we swerved in here for a quick one before Easter Monday lunch. And we were not disappointed. Old building. Cozy bar. Friendly landlord. And a good pint of Brains bitter (always a good sign). Interesting looking food. So we will definitely be back. Firth of Fifth? Readers of a certain age will know this as a track on arguably the best Gabriel era Genesis album Selling England by the Pound. So when you walk into a pub in mid Wales and this is playing you know you are onto a good thing. Keep the faith and check this place out.

Claims to be home cooked food. Garlic bread was shop bought slices. Followed by ribs which came from Aldi/Lidl. The sauce very cloying. Such a shame as lovely cosy pub with friendly staff.

Not the easiest to find, lived up to the recommendation from friends. Cosy, lovely staff and a scrumptious plate of food. Thank you!

We had a most interesting evening at The Red Lion with Olympic Clay Pigeon Shot coach watching rugby and a fine meal. Welsh hospitality and humour at its best

I've been before when I needed a good honest Sunday dinner + a couple of pints of Brains,there are some establishments that I have been to struggle to get one of these right!

We moved to the area a few months ago so have been trying various eating venues for the first time. We thought the Red Lion looked lovely from the outside but decided to just have a drink on our first visit. The interior is small but full of character which was why we decided to eat there the following evening. We're so glad that we did, the meals are excellent quality and portions very good. The bar area is small but any locals congregating there are friendly and welcoming. The landlord is very amusing and the rest of the staff pleasant and efficient. We have eaten there many times since and have never been disappointed. It was little wonder that we chose this venue for our annual family Xmas meal and we certainly weren't disappointed. We were a party of 20 but all the meals were served at the same time. I'm reluctant to praise them any higher because next time we visit there may not be a free table for us!

We stumbled across this place by accident - but so glad we did! The food was awesome and the serving sizes were enormous! Staff were very friendly and welcoming and the restaurant area was quiet and comfortable. And the toilets were the cleanest we've seen!

Never been to this pub before but heard great reviews . Food was lovely great atmosphere . Bar staff very friendly would recommend this for anyone who wants a nice meal out . Even got singed too with my cake .

We were running out of places to go as the area was very busy with a Bike and Beer festival...

Still visit this pub for a meal each time we are staying in the area. Always welcome and always remember...

Een aangename herinnering aan onze Wye Valley Walk is de avond doorgebracht in The Red Lion (aangeraden door B&B; daar...

El Red Lion es pub con carácter tanto por dentro como por fuera. El propietario es muy amable y servicial y su whit seco es muy divertido si descubrís. Fuimos allí cuatro veces en una semana y me pareció todo el vert comida sabrosa, y...

Nos dijeron que este era el lugar para un asado de domingo - la más antigua en Powys.

Visitamos el pub el domingo pasado por la vuelta a casa después de unas vacaciones. Encantador pub, con montones de carácter, pero no particularmente personal acogedor. El Domingo almuerzo estaba bien preparado, con una buena porción de tamaño, pero era muy soso.

I want here with my parents for a evening meal on the Wednesday steak night with wine or dessert I had the dessert, lovely friendly pub when we stayed in the area last year it was a place that was advised a a place to eat been for drinks before on another evening and at lunch time when we are back again in the years to come

A gem waiting to be discovered – The Red Lion , Lianafan Fawr, Builth Wells Powys WalesIt’s a bit ‘out of the way’ and from a distance, looks like farm buildings that could do with lots of T.L.C. - but as you get closer, you see a long low, very old, whitewashed Pub – The oldest Pub in Powys.So for a Pub off the beaten track – how do you attract customers ?We had the pick of four or five eateries in the area – all within five miles of each other – but there was something just a bit quirky about ‘The Red Lion’ menu, so we booked. Good job we did – it got quite full.Wednesday was ‘Steak Night’ – a choice of Rump or Pork steak (peppered) was on offer.The deal was the main course and a sweet for £12 – or The main Course and a glass of wine for £12..With House wine at £11 a bottle – we chose the main course & sweet option. The Landlord was friendly, amusing and efficient.The Rump Steak was Fantastic ! – tender, melt in the mouth, served with all the usual trimmings – onion rings; grilled tomato; mushrooms; chips; peas etc. There was a choice of Salad or peas.The Landlord had advised us that we’d probably not need a starter. How right he was.Of the six or so sweets on offer, half of them were home-made. The bread and butter pudding (with ice cream or pouring cream) was lovely and eggy, with lots of sultanas. The Ginger & Lemon Cheesecake, although bought in, was a good portion – and hit the spot. The usual a la carte menu offered soup (£4.50); Prawn Cocktail (£5.50) Garlic Mushrooms (£5.25) The twelve Main courses offered, ranged from £11 for chicken, to £17 for Rib-Eye Steak.There were at least three vegetarian dishes offered.There are three different ‘Offers Nights’ in the week which are superb value for money.The Red Lion at Builth Wells serves high quality food, and is worth seeking out.IMW

booked for a birthday meal with family 5 of us , very good menu to suit all and priced very reasonable , all food came together hot and plenty of it ,enjoyed the evening very much , thank you Alun and Helen

This is the typical oldie worldly pub of days gone by very friendly and good basic food. The staff are lovely and friendly even to English people like my wife and I.

We were able to eat here twice in one week and were delighted with the food and the welcome inside the pub. Such a shame that from the outside it was not so welcoming. Signage light not working. I am sure many people pass it by, which is a shame, because we were delighted with every aspect once inside the doors.

Eaten here several times and the food is consistently good. The value comes with the deals e.g. steak and curry nights. Quaint and very old pub with character. Book ahead if you go on a weekend.

Been here already one year ago, we tried again - and again the food was superb. This time we came on a sunday, enjoying the well-priced sunday roast. Last time chosing from the menu the bill was significant higher - but the quality of food is always worth the price. We will certainly come again.

Spent a week in Mid-Wales not far from The Red Lion and although we tried other eating establishments this was the best by far.Excellent food,large helpings,varied menu and helpful and friendly staff.The sunday roast is top dollar and very reasonably priced.Suggest you book as its a popular venue with locals and passers by.Keep up the good work Alan.

Well worth a visit if you are in the locality. Pub food at its best - generous portions, large selection of food and drink, excellent value and genial hospitality on each of our several visits. With so many pubs closing these days great to see a quite remote one so well patronised.

Take pot luck with this one.. food good but often served cold (unless you are a local it seems). Last 2 visits found food cold soon as served. Moody landlord, harassed staff. Won't be going again.

Waited quite a while for our meal, but it was well worth the wait. Lovely Sunday Roast, beef cooked to perfection and lots of lovely freshly cooked veg and roasts. Staff very friendly.

We hadn't booked as we were only in the area for 3 days. This was our nearest pub and it's very pleasant with friendly service. Good range of beers and ciders plus wine. For main course there were two choices of roasts (lamb and beef both £8.75 and ample portions) and about 5 other choices. They have special nights Mon - curry Wed - steak Fri - fish all priced at £10. No dogs in bars.

The food is very good in this place, and the portions are made for hungry people. The barman is friendly. An overall good experience.

Lovely old pub out in the sticks. A warm welcome from the host followed by an excellent meal. Its not haute cuisine, its very good pub grub that you would be hard pushed to find fault with. Served piping hot and attractively.

We were treated to a meal here by friends. The natives were friendly, there was a good choice of menu.Food piping hot when it was served, huge portions and good quality vegetables.We just managed a sweet.If we can find the Pub again we will be back.

We were staying in a cottage 2 miles down the road so I rang to ask if a group of us could come to watch the rugby world cup Wales v England game only to be told 'no there will only be enough room for locals and the television will be too small for you'.

7 hungry cyclists decided to call in for a well earned sandwich Sunday afternoon. looked nice! just a friendly smile could have made it so much better, from the barman, may even have been the landlord (couldn't tell)! Asked for a menu three times! The waitress could have said "excuse me please" and not shout "I need to get outside". We all have our bad days I guess! Having said that pint was nice and the sandwich (after the 15/20 min pause) was very pleasant! wont be rushing to go back after the poor welcome.

Nimmt man in der Gastsube Platz, fühlt man sich - wenn man Dinge wie elektrisches Licht außer Acht lässt - in eine andere Zeit zurückversetzt. Trotz seines erkennbaren Alters wirkt das Gebäude gepflegt und ist sauber. Das Essen war bei unserem Besuch hervorragend. Die Portionen waren stattlich, die Normalpreise sind es allerdings auch. Ist man mehrere Tage in der Gegend, empfiehlt es sich an einem der "Themenabende" vorbeizukommen, an denen es bestimmte Gerichte mit Wein oder Nachtisch zu einem günstigen Aktionspreis gibt. Einen Besuch ist der "Löwe" auf jeden Fall wert.

You will love this pub .the food is fantastic and all prepared by Helen.try there curry nights worth or just a sit down and a beer

We visited on a Tuesday night, I chose the chickpea curry & my partner chose the steak and ale pie. We were very hungry so it hit the spot but no highlights to speak of. They can't be doing much wrong as the place was full by 7.30pm.

We called in for a drink as we were staying local but were not very impressed. When we asked for 2 drinks and said we weren't eating the landlord didn't seem very happy but as soon as the locals came in he couldn't have been more friendly to them. Because of this we only stayed for the one drink and didn't return even though we were within walking distance.

Our second visit for Sunday lunch, the first being 12 months ago. 90 mile round trip and arrived to a cheerful welcoming landlord and good honest to goodness food. Plentiful and well cooked. A pleasurable visit. Booking recommended

Out at a place called Llanafan Fawr. Sunday night meal and pretty full which speaks for itself. Excellent friendly service. Good menu with specials board. Wales oldest pub. £8 night motorhome CL adjacent. Could access TV via motorhome aerial but the views made up for that.Starters are huge and a meal in themselves. My wife had a prawn cocktail whilst I had home made soup. The lady that served us was very professional but extremely friendly with it. For main course she had salmon whilst I opted for fish and chips. Again, portions were ample.I recommend The Red Lion. Bit of a gem really.

Whilst on holiday at Trallwm Forest Cottages, we ventured to this pub on the first night, as the closest establishment (Trout Inn in Beulah) was shut on Monday nights. Their loss! We had a lovely warm welcome from the landlord, who also waited on our table. Very knowledgeable about the menu, and the food was very reasonably priced, and turned out to be the best pub meal we have had in quite a while. My partner (not being a meat eater) went for the veggie bake with salad and chips, and she was raving about her food. I had a chicken breast with leek and ham in cheese sauce with vegetables and new potatoes and it was utterly delicious. The pub itself looks basic - but it is very old, and don't let that put you off - food, drink and service were all exemplary. Would definitely pay a return visit if we are ever in the area again. Thanks!!!

Not a "pub chain" joint...thank goodness! Great hosts,greap food,great beer!....this is proper honest to goodness grub,well presented and good value.IF you are a "pub chain" customer,the Red Lion Llanafan Fawr is not for you,leave it to us,we love it.Thank you Allan&Helen.

After a long drive this was very welcome discovery. A very traditional pub serving home cooked food - lasagne and chips was really good and the gammon my partner ordered was excellent, and the portion was huge! A million miles away from the usual modern pubs - very welcoming and good pub grub, worth a visit.

We dined on 3 occasions and every time food was of a very high standard, and the welcome good the staff have everthing just right. The locals are also very friendly which also adds to the overall experience well done too all

My family and I visited this pub for an evening meal, earlier this month, on a weekend evening. Inviting from the outside, it has a charm and character about it on the inside, but when you look more closely, the place needs a good clean and paint. Unsightly marks on the wall next to our table were quite off putting when trying to eat. A small calor gas heater was trying its best to warm the restaurant but to no avail! Food was good , home cooked fayre, but basic in style and presentation. Reminded me of a cafe rather than a restaurant. Desserts were very overpriced for the size of the portion. Barman doubled as a waiter and was pleasant enough but the whole evening lacked ambience in the restaurant and flair in the cooking and presentation. The place is running on its heavily signposted history as the 'Oldest Pub in Powys'. After the more positive reviews, we had expected more.

Enjoyed an evening meal at the Red Lion-we were a group of grandparents, parents & children. Very extensive menu & great food in a comfortable, friendly atmosphere.

Landlord was very warm and welcoming. Very enjoyable experience. Excellent food, fantastic service. Really friendly staff. Would definitely recommend the Red Lion for either a quiet meal for couples or for a family meal with children.

Great Pub food in a wonderful Welsh pub. Recommended by hosts of Pwllgwilym B&B, Builth Wells. We had the steak & ale pie with vegetables. Very generous serving and delicious.

Although it is called a public house, it is now a restaurant with a small bar in one corner of the entrance room. Our party of seven had one mediocre meal at this restaurant. The food was hot and fresh and not too expensive but nothing above average. The man behind the bar was not very friendly and did not appear to enjoy being there.None of our group would return there as the overall atmosphere was not very pleasant.

Have eaten in this pub many times over several years whilst holidaying in the area and it has been consistently excellent. Really nice atmosphere, good food and service and always nice ales.

We stopped on our way back from a weekend in West Wales and it was 2.30 on a Sunday. The landlord was happy to do food " As long as you have the roast". We chose the lamb and it was excellent. Even though it was the end of service the food was fresh, hot and plentiful, and the staff and landlors friendly and fun. Warmly recommended

Yes, you read that title correctly. There isn't really much more to say about the "oldest pub in Powys" however I have vented and given a detailed account of our experience below.This pub is excellent if you enjoy receiving extra sides that you did not pay for or expect. Those sides being hair in your food, rude staff and management, and wild accusations of you being a liar.We found, not one, but three hairs in our meals whilst visiting the Red Lion Pub in Builth Wells. The first was found in the salad accompanying one of our starters. We let this slide unmentioned (which was a mistake on our part) as to be honest it looked like it probably came from the waitress, and as we did enjoy the starter, we thought we would be lenient.The second was stuck to the outside of one of our pint glasses that was delivered to our table. Again, you can't really complain about something like that without looking like a tool, so we let it slide.The last hair, however, was found on one of our steaks, cooked into the juices on the top of it. If you ask me, my guess is that the pan was wiped with a dirty rag - but obviously that is completely conjecture.We stopped eating our meals after the third hair was found, as frankly, it was a pretty disgusting thought to think about all the other hairs that could have been in the meal, as well as the others that we might have already eaten!We advised the waitress as she collected our food of the situation, and she was visibly shocked, almost to the point of anger! She advised us that she would speak to the chef, as "this has never happened before!" The manager came to see us (after about 15 minutes of waiting for him) and advised us that as we did not have the hairs in front of us anymore, he could only assume that we were lying. He made a big deal out of the fact that we could have planted the hair, or that they could have belonged to myself or my partner (or we could have made the whole thing up!)We felt that given the circumstances, we would be willing to pay for the starters and drinks, but not the mains, seeing as we only ate a small amount of them. He refused to accept this, and insisted that we pay for everything apart from one of the mains.The whole experience left a bad taste in our mouths (literally, as my partner has been sick since we got back to the hotel room). We would not recommend this establishment under any circumstances, unless you suffer from trichotillomania (in which case you will probably love it!)

We stopped at the Red Lion on our way to Snowdon this time with friends. We were delighted with our welcome. Between us we had prawn cocktail, spring rolls, steak and ale pies, welsh lamb pie, plenty of veg and potatoes. We had no room for any of the lovely puddings. Good tasting, great value. Worth making the detour.

We were recommended by the owners of the cottage we were staying at in Built Wells to visit The Red Lion Pub for dinner one evening. I ordered the minted lamb steak and my OH ordered the Leek and Lamb Pie. Whilst I enjoyed my lamb, the Leek and Lamb pie was absolutely delicious! The pub provided everything we expected from 'the oldest pub in Powy's'. Lots of artifacts, a cosy atmosphere and low ceilings. The great service and tasty, fresh food was an added bonus. Worth a visit if you are passing by!

We were delighted to be given this recommendation by our B&B. A traditional pub with flagstone floor and white washed walls. A good choice of home cooking, liver and bacon, steak pie, curries, lasagne and much more. Great puddings as well. I had bread and butter pudding. Godd taste although no crusty top.It was a welcome change to have a meal for 2 and drinks for £35. Warm welcome tasty good value food.

Great 'old school' pub, stone floor, traditional tables, classic pub menu. Very good value and great tasting food.