The Red Lion in Eastbourne - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Food was disappointing, the service was poor and the atmosphere was flat. We won’t be visiting again.

Went today for a roast .only place in the area available. Booked online but no booking when I got there.anyhow managed to give me a table bit was plenty available. Was there over 2 hours for roast and a starter .meat was tough couldn't cut it. Was definitely reheated .4 frozen roast potatoes which were very dry. 1 bit of broccoli. Small dollop of swede.handful of peas if that.and was very peppery.. very expensive and over rated.willl not be back.£120 3 roasts.3 starters.3 cokes.2 pints

We had a very pleasant evening there. Nice feel about the pub. There was a menu with many choices and our food was lovely.

Nice dog friendly pub with garden at the rear. The food was mainly good. Well cooked vegetables and careful presentation but terrible pigs liver. It was tough and sinewy. Luckily we had brought our dog, and she didn’t mind too much. Why do some places buy cheap pigs liver, when for just a little more, they could have tender lambs liver, and everyone would be happy.

Oh my golly - great find!!! Dinner on a Sunday! Amazing friendly and highly attentive staff…food sublime! Sea bass off main menu and chefs pie - stuffed full of pork gammon and leek and boat of extra gravy - delicious! Highly recommended (and not expensive!) . Also dog friendly…wish we’d brought our dogs!

Nice pub with a an ok garden , food was ok

Great food , great service, my only negative is the lack of real ales available, being a choice of only 2 . However, this is just me and my personal preference, not liking what was available. There are plenty of other beers on tap. A good varied menu of which our party of 4 all really enjoyed our dishes with no complaints.

Great food nice atmosphere with friendly staff

A really nice pub lunch in the garden. The food was great and reasonably priced. Friendly staff and no long wait for service. I will be back next time we visit a friend from Willingdon.

Had a great meal here on Saturday. Friendly staff, tasty food and very reasonable. Will definitely be going again.

Some good beer, food quality and choice is very good, lovely beer garden, and dog friendly

Lovely experience’s on two separate occasions at a Wedding & Comedy act - Food is top quality & the servers are extremely hardworking.

Thoroughly impressed with the food and service provided. Delicious food and very attentive staff. Must add the biscoff profiteroles were amazing 😍

Lovely Sunday lunch been here twice both excellent and dog friendly.

We love visiting The Red Lion, it's a really lovely experience !The atmosphere is great , the staff are very friendly and efficient, especially Lisa and the food is really delicious . Very well done x

Top and top again. We had received the recommendation from our hotel, Chalk Farm, which is a 1 minute drive away. Highly recommended.

Temptation on my doorstep. No matter what the time of year I am always tempted to pop into the Red Lion. Can always guarantee a warm welcome. Excellent service and good food. No matter how busy the staff are they are always helpful. Just popped in for a drink but its never just a drink. Always tempted by the food on offer whether its a snack or a meal. Today was no exception. A simple drink in their beautiful garden became a drink plus snack..Maybe blinded by the beautuful weathet and it being a local it was simply a delight. The atmosphere was wonderful, the weather perfect, the drink hit the spot and the food as always was brilliant.

food was good service was good would definitely recommend for a bite to eat in a clean friendly place

Great pub in the quiet part of Eastbourne (willingdon). Very friendly staff and a extensive drinks and food menu. The food was outstanding and the potions huge. After an appetizer and main course no more room for dessert. Great prices for this level of food. When I will return to Eastbourne I will for sure visit again!

Unfortunately we did not enjoy all of our choices. It was obvious thet the place was ideal for other diners and we were surprised at the atmosphere it was friendly añd had a regular clientel.

Exquisite food and phenomenal service! I dined here last week and left without an ounce of disappointment!!!

Great menu, offers Vegetarian & Gluten Free options! Truly outstanding for a small country pub!

Visited but hadn't booked but they managed to find us a table despite being super busy. I had the curry and it was delicious! Staff are lovely, helpful and friendly. The service is brilliant. Really reasonably priced and great quality. A really nice pub with a lovely atmosphere

Went in to check it out. My father and I were looking for a place to take his sister's for a meal close by . The food was amazing we had the soup of the day and then went straight for desert which was sticky pudding awesome 👍👍👍👍. Still full and a week ago. Great staff spot on service a really nice experience will be back.

Excellent service above and beyond. Caters for all dietary needs. Perfect ☺️

Really enjoyed it!! First time there but will definitely be going back!

As always brilliant & friendly service, food first class, especially the roast & chefs pie. My 89 yr old Mum in Law has been coming here for 70 years, and love it!

Been several times and consistently excellent food . Love eating here as food is really superb - very friendly and helpful waitress last night - 13th Feb

Great pub grub with a relaxing atmosphere.

Great food, great atmosphere, lovely staff, and good beer

Another excellent meal at the red lion. Freshly cooked fish and chips and delicious belly of pork, with polite and attentive staff. What more do you need from your local.

Nice enough inside, and the staff seemed on the ball and friendly - but the food! Had a roast beef lunch, which, frankly, looked and tasted like a Supermarket value microwave meal for one. A big soggy, flat Yorkshire pudding hid the contents of the plate. Dry, cold, stringy, tasteless beef; soggy, insipid roast potatoes; raw Broccoli; wet, tasteless red Cabbage; a very wet, grainy, bitty Carrot puree; one big chunk of Parsnip, and a jug of brown water on the side. Good service and pleasant staff doesn't make up for such poor food. Wont be rushing back.

A great little pub in the heart of a traditional South downs village. Tonnes of character, great service, great food, good selection of beers and if you love the author, George Orwell, he used to sit and write there.

Always friendly and good service

Popped in for a drink after visiting the area. Didn’t eat but staff and atmosphere were great. Very friendly, lovely decor.

Good quality pub food. Friendly staff. Lovely garden

Had a meal with friends. Was underwhelmed by the food.A festive roast dinner was ordered by one of us,small portion and not tasty. Chips very tasteless.Food on previous occasions much better flavour wise and portion size.Prices too high for the food served. Wish we had just come in for a drink .

We visited on a weeknight in December and ordered off the Christmas menu. The traditional Turkey dinner arrived, it was 1 and a half thin slices of turkey, 1 overdone pig in a blanket, some hard veggies (peas were like bullets), a thin slice of stuffing and 3 soggy watery potatoes. It felt like it was not freshly cooked and it was a very disappointing and tasteless meal. A lot of people look forward to a meal out but we would not recommend this meal. The pudding came with ice cream, it was pure ice like it had been dug out of a tub that had been defrosted several times. In general the food was definitely not up up to the price that was charged. I think these things could be easily rectified by the management.

Firstly, I must say that I'm both surprised and disappointed to be writing a negative review - we've eaten here many times before and always enjoyed the experience. However, the meal we had here last Monday - our wedding anniversary treat - was way below expectation. No, being British, we didn't say anything at the time - it was a special day, and neither of us wanted to spoil the experience until afterwards. I must say that the service was as good as always, the atmosphere very pleasant and the eating-out experience generally well up to standard - but, everything was let down by the food. Unfortunately, we ordered the Christmas lunch at £15.25. We soon regretted it. The potatoes were good, the vegetables VERY al dente, but the meat content consisted of two thin slices of Turkey breast, one pig in blanket and a sliver of stuffing - not even a ball. This, in my opinion, was small even for a child's portion. ( Perhaps I should mention that we owned the Cat's Whiskers restaurant in Eastbourne until 1997, so I know what a reasonable portion should be - I put out hundreds a year personally! And we made a good profit.) I know that Christmas is a busy and, hopefully, profitable time for the restaurant trade, but the profit margin on this meal was way, way above the acceptable - as far as the customer's concerned, anyway! It's not the way to encourage repeat business.

Very friendly staff good beer and very tasty food at reasonable prices.

Could not fault a thing food was melt in the mouth staff friendly will def being returning when next in town 🙂

The Red Lion is our favourite gastro pub in Eastbourne. The landlord and his staff are very friendly and efficient. Nothing is too much trouble. We were a table of 10 and our food arrived all at the same time and was piping hot. Always beautifully presented and very generous portions. And very tasty. Their roasts are fantastic value with the meats and veg perfectly cooked. And their liver and bacon is tender and tasty. We will definitely go back soon.

Excellent food particularly the veggie options 👌

Very friendly staff who couldnt do enough for you. The food was excellent and great value and not expensive. They are also dog friendly.

A great pet friendly pub! Max and I love it

Lovely lunch in the garden, food good and beer great. Look forward to using 'our local' more. Really good on a Sunday evening roast.

Wonderful experience! Pie week is amazing and the fare on offer last night was better than ever! Steak, chicken and lamb pies were so full of meat, options for mash and gravy and accompanied by generous portions of vegetables. Service is always amazing and would thoroughly recommend! Very reasonable too!

We had a 70th birthday meal. Staff were amazing, food was lovely they couldn't have done more to make the night special. 17 people all enjoyed they're meals. Absolutely fantastic service. Thank you to all the staff x

Lovely staff, great food. Staff went over and beyond to be very helpful. We were travelling from the West Country for a family wedding, got in touch a few months previous to organise a pre wedding dinner, we did not know The Red Lion and took a gamble so glad we did.

Very nice pub. But be aware that you will not be served food if you have not booked in advance. Even if you have a seat and had a few drinks. Menu looks great but no good for walk-ins.

We only stopped here for a drink but while we were here we noticed how clean the inside was. We looked at the menu and decided we'd definitely come again soon to try the food.

Fabulous meal, so tasty. I had chicken supreme ( not the usual chicken supreme) and my husband had beef madras. Very friendly service, can’t fault this pub. Will definitely be going back.

Popped in on a hot day after our walk at Butt's Brow ...lovely cold Guinness in the nice garden with good tables for food ..Closed at 3pm until 5pm ...but we wasn't hurried ..Friendly young guy served us

Popped into the Red Lion at Willingdon today for lunch (12:00) - we were the first in the lovely garden. When asked, we said straight up on arrival that we'd have sandwiches for lunch (as we know they struggle with 'unexpected' visitors). Having had drinks we went to order food but were told they're too busy and we couldn't order. Only to be followed immediately by two much larger tables behind us placing orders and sitting down exclaiming their food would be 15mins (we were the first in the garden, the two other tables were much bigger [there was two of us], and they were walk-ins too). Not sure why we weren't allowed to order food today. But can say the service when questioning this was very dismissive and very blunt. Today's visit was very very poor - and handled even worse. We'll be giving the Red Lion a wide berth from now and sharing our experience. Shame.

Popped into the Red Lion at Willingdon today for lunch (12:00) - we were the first in the lovely garden. When asked, we said straight up on arrival that we'd have sandwiches for lunch (as we know they struggle with 'unexpected' visitors). Having had drinks we went to order food but were told they're too busy and we couldn't order. Only to be followed immediately by two much larger tables behind us placing orders and sitting down exclaiming their food would be 15mins (we were the first in the garden, the two other tables were much bigger [there was two of us], and they were walk-ins too). Not sure why we weren't allowed to order food today. But can say the service when questioning this was very dismissive and very blunt. Today's visit was very very poor - and handled even worse. We'll be giving the Red Lion a wide berth from now and sharing our experience. Shame.

Although there are other pubs closer, The Red Lion is always our go to place. Unfortunately we did not come across it until 18 months ago but thank goodness we did! Everything and everyone is fabulous. Lisa is exceptionally caring and friendly.

Friendly and welcoming, I was looking for a last minute booking and they help us out. Unlike others in the area. Also they allow dogs so that was a bonus for us as we have a little puppy. We will be back next year when we are in the area.

Seemed like a place for 'local people'. The staff were not especially welcoming and there was a long wait on food.

Excellent gluten free options only let down by the staff who didn't even come over and ask if we wanted any desserts after taking the plates 20 minutes beforehand, very disappointed as this meal was a treat for my future daughter inlaw for her birthday

Great food service and atmosphere, lovely pub!!

Pub is in a'posh' area and the clientele are largely well-off retired people so the atmosphere is a little formal but quite pleasant. Lack of unwanted muzak and noisy teenagers. Good! Lots of cars outside so you might have to park along the road a bit. Staff are nice and quite efficient. Beer is good. (Guinness £5.90). Food; my curry wasn't great, with no bits of meat bigger than an Oxo cube and the rice dry. I guess I drew the short straw; Two pals had the meat pie, a very generous portion with nicely-cooked vegs; they both said "Excellent 10 out of 10".Third pal had liver and bacon, "Great, at least 9.5 out of 10". 'Afters' all fine. Don't think you'll go far wrong dining here; go for the meat pie. [ For the time being, pub opens at 12 not 11 as advertised . Phone them].

Oh my, what a lovely beef pie 🥧 😋

A real Gem nestled away in Willingdon village

Excellent pub food, good ale and a nice garden in the fine weather. Although an old building it seems to lack a warm pubby atmosphere.

Very fine pub, friendly people.

We booked a table to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary. We were greeted on arrival and shown to our table. The staff made us feel welcome. We ordered a sharing platter which was lovely with warm bread. We both decided on Surf and Turf which came with chips, peas and onion rings. The steak was cooked exactly as we had requested and was flavoursome. The prawns were succulent and tasty. We had also ordered a peppercorn sauce. The sauce had a lovely depth of flavour. All the food arrived hot and beautifully presented. The staff were attentive but not intrusive. We were very impressed with the whole experience and will definite be back again very soon.

Super food! Lovely garden, very relaxing vibe.

Been here often, never disappoints, good food, good atmosphere, decent pint, what more do you want.

A great pub, food, service, beer, everything was excellent with friendly staff.

Friendly service, very pleasant pub

Very nice pub. Good service, great menu and reasonable prices. We were quite late, but the waiter offered us decent snacks. The cheese plate was wonderful and beautifully presented. True, it was a bit noisy, but this is a pub)) I recommend.

Just wow, attended a private function the food was next level for a pub. Fresh and quality ingriedients

Well ,a hidden gem, lovely staff ,so nice to be at this pub ,great portion size ,the food was well done ,with great flavours,I can always tell when perfection has been implemented.fantastic garden ,would recommend.Dogys were welcomed

The food is always fantastic at this pub. We both had the home made steak and kidney pie and it was amazing, lovely vegetables to accompany it. Malbec was excellent too and all reasonably priced. The staff and management are always so friendly and we would thoroughly recommend for great pub grub!!

Great food and friendly staff highly recommend 👍

Lovely food and friendly staff. Dog friendly too.

Nice atmosphere and good food. Buzzin, good beer and locals friendly

Have recently started using the Red Lion when visiting family in the area. I have eaten there several times, most recently last weekend on two days. The food was of good quality and good value. The service was professional yet friendly and there was a good atmosphere both nights. I'm not a fan of Hall and Woodhouse ales but good to see Ale for a King as an addition to Tanglefoot & Fursty Ferret. If The Red Lion had regular guest ales it would get a 5* rating from me.

Excellent food 1st class service can't fault it in anyway

Great food and atmosphere will be back again soon

Great atmosphere, wonderful food and proper beer.

We are staying nearby and thought that we would support the local pub that had been recommended to us. The dining room was packed and it is clearly a popular eating destination. However, I don't understand how this pub got such good ratings. It was such a disappointing Sunday lunch, maybe we caught it on a bad day. The meat and roast parsnip were the only passable parts of the meal, insipid gravy, flat tasteless yourkshire, too peppary red cabbage and undercooked roasties. While my husband had an equally mediocre tasteless pie. The service was good, but it was telling that no one asked if we had enjoyed our meal and so we felt unable to tell them how dissatified we were.

Amazing steak, delicious deserts . very polite friendly staff. Great service. Good choice of main meals and a super daily board.

Came here with my friends for my birthday meal and could not fault anything. And the best steak I've had for a long time, and also the best blue cheese sauce! Everyone needs to come and try it. 👌🏻

We had the most amazing family meal for 24 at The Red Lion Willingdon last week. All the food was superb, and the service was exemplary. Everything was served exactly as requested, excellent quality, piping hot and with a smile. The whole back room was put aside for us, well decorated, warm and friendly. I would wholeheartedly happily recommend for any events large or small. One of the very best venues in town for this size event. Thank you to the whole team.

Good real ales realy good food. Book!

Compared with on year ago when the restaurant was a cheap canteen yesterday it was very cosy and comfortable,. The food was very poor belly pork the tiniest ever with soft crackling [ main feature of belly pork] and atrocious apple crumble with chunks of apple on which unpleasant crumble had been thrown. Would never praise the food compared with an exact year ago when it was superb. new zealand wine was a stupid price -over eight pound for a large glass crazy --this is not the poshest restaurant in London so should get real -beers were high price --avoid the place.

Went here for a late lunch. Not disappointed fantastic food and service can't find fault with anything

The staff were very friendly and the food was delicious.

What a little gem great food great atmosphere and excellent service

We had lunch here today. A varied menu, food was excellent and the staff were really friendly and helpful. We are booked to go again. Give it a go!

Great food, good portion sizes. Great value for money.

Always lovely food, nice setting, great pub.

Been to the red lion multiple times and everytime I've had a fantastic meal served by lovely staff. Thank you for the lovely 33rd birthday meal last sunday!

Lovely venue. The food was triumphant, the staff were very cheerful and kind. Very clean and welcoming. 10/10 would go again.

Visited this week, standards have dropped significantly since a new chef was installed. Used to be 5 stars. Would have given 2 stars, but as it was tasty i added an extra one. The meat was dry and curled at edges, roasties were sent back as dried out after hours in oven to keep warm, yorkie was soggy and floppy. Veg was good, gravey was good and saved the meal. Table opposite also had 2 bad meals. Sent them back. Hope it recovers as we won't go again, which is a shame as we go there quite a bit.

Lovely food. Staff were really nice.

Great food and very polite and helpful bar staff

Let me start by saying the food is very good. The customer family experience is appalling, as we experienced on a half term trip with the kids. When we walked in, we sat down with our kids ( teenagers) at the bar, I was polite...

Great local pub. Very friendly and great food.