The Red Lion in Dacorum

The worst English breakfast in the uk go to a local cafe the chef should be ashamed

Went this evening, lovely food, great location staff and service was great

Arranged to have a wake in the top room with the patio which was such a great space as the sun was shining. The buffet menu chosen was excellent, tasty, well presented and plenty of it. I bought some personal items along ie flowers in tea cups for the tables, lace table cloth, cake stands etc. to create an afternoon tea atmosphere. When we arrived the staff had set everything up and it looked perfect. Thank you Cezar for being so helpful. Everyone said what a lovely venue and I highly recommend it; in addition our little dog was even able to be included. Brilliant!

The booking was for a family lunch to mark my 78th birthday. Put simply the food was delicious with a large enough spread of options to ensure everyone was satisfied. The seafood dishes were particularly applauded. Service was a little slow but Im writing about Sunday lunchtime peak and our waitress was charming. Definitely a restaurant to which we will return.

Had a great experience here today, Jess our server was very kind and helpful. As always the food was great especially the chicken burger and prawns. Very fair pricing and I recommend everyone to stop in if they’re passing by.

Went for breakfast. Lovely food. Jess and Charlie served us really friendly and helpful.

Good food and wonderful outdoors area.

We celebrated my dad's 70th birthday here and it was just perfect! The team went above and beyond to make sure we felt special, showing warmth and fantastic attention to detail. Every dish we tried was delicious—from the Breakfast Bun to the Full Vegano Breakfast—not a single complaint. The atmosphere was relaxed and inviting, making it the ideal spot for a family gathering. Huge thanks to everyone for making our day unforgettable!

Fabulous place. They really do have a great dining experience. Service staff were lovely. However, my food was undercooked and when I asked foe it to be cooked a little more; I did not expect that they would take a £30 steak and put it in the deep fryer! Yes, having grown up in the industry and worked in many large hotel kitchens, I do know the taste of old fryer oil. My mum was a Michelin star chef and would have called them on this. I just didn't want to embarrass my family by sending it back again. Very disappointing food. Also, they didn't have all the vegan options so there was 1 choice for one of my guests. We were also forgotten a few times and left waiting for service but they needed more staff (not the fault of the waiting staff). Come on Red Lion, do better

Quite a nice venue, plenty of parking but it is advisable to use the overflow carpark as the main one fills up quickly. The pub itself is very nice, very spacious with plenty of tables. The food was adequate, good portion sizes and cooked well. The menu was ok, typical pub restaurant food. I was not really blown away with the menu, they do serve pizza on a Saturday lunchtime. Price is on par with your usual pub food around the area. The only downside was the service, over an hour from ordering to receiving our food. But it was quite busy, so take that into account when going. All in all a pleasant meal out.

This is a mid week breakfast experience - staff very polite and professional. Food was lovely, we had a full English and my husband had to finish mine off as it was very filling. Lovely quality meat and eggs cooked well.

Good food well priced and always served with a smile. Nice garden and pods too

Just had a fantastic meal with a big group! The service was slick, and everyone got their food at the same time, which is impressive. The Crispy Cauliflower Bites were amazing—I’ve already had them twice and can't get enough! The atmosphere was lovely, and I can’t wait to come back for more of that delicious Prawn & Arrabbiata Spaghetti. Truly, a top-notch experience all around!

Lovely place to go for a Sunday roast. We went to visit on a rainy day, but once it's spring, the outdoor area looks lovely.

Very nice atmosphere but food quality isn’t good at all

I recently visited this place for a meal and it was absolutely top-notch! The food was stunning, especially the Rigatoni Vegano Al Forno – it’s hands down the best vegan dish in Hemel Hempstead, and it's definitely my new go-to. The service was spot on, with friendly staff who really knew how to enhance the experience by offering dessert and always checking in. The atmosphere was perfect, and everything felt clean and well looked after. I can’t wait to come back for more!

10/10 recommend, great food, lovely restaurant and staff

Lovely pub, would be nice during summer!!! Id come again with fam. A refreshing atmosphere and polite staffs. Fresh chips.

Popped in for a light lunch. Nice varied menu, with choices of snacks as well. Good friendly and responsive service.

Recommended to eat here - but was disappointed with food

Lovely food, great series, love the place.

A group of 10 of us booked a meal here as a repeat of previous visits. We liked this venue as it has real ale on draught ( London Pride). Things started to go wrong when we could not be served this as it was not ready to go and was informed by the manager that it need to rest for 24 hours after being laid down. Yes but most publicans do this in time so as one barrel finishes another is ready to go. Next up was we have run out of Bombay Sapphire, pretty much a standard these days. Next no flavoured gins, again a standard these days. Once sat down we all began to complain about the temperature in the restaurant. Upon asking could it be turned up we were informed that it was as warm as it was going to get due to the heating not working 100%. We asked to speak to the manager which we did and he explained he had only been manager for 5 weeks and it wasn’t his fault. When we said his stock levels were poor he batted these comments away as a matter of fact and from my point of view could care a less. When we pointed out people sitting in a restaurant with there coats on again he suggested it was as good as it gets. We suggested to him that we would expect some sort of compensation for having to dine in such uncomfortable conditions he said it was outside his remit to be able to offer anything. I was already at that point to walk but others in the party were prepared to endure it. When speaking to the staff about our conversation with the manager they didn’t seem surprised that he had done nothing to address our problems. So my advice to others thinking of spending a night there is to check the weather forecast and.go on a warm day, don’t be to particular about what you would like to drink, infact probably take your own. My advice to the Oakman Inns is give your managers power to resolve issues at source or get rid of them. Either way I and my party of 10 won’t be back unless we have cast iron guarantees that they have done something to address this diabolical way of dealing with customers. I should add that the service staff did a fantastic job in trying to recover this situation.

We were a table of ten who have visited this restaurant on many occasions However we complained that the venue was freezing cold noting that other customers were sitting at tables eating with there coats on. The evening went from bad to worse as there was no London Pride, Bombay Sapphire, or Tanquere gin available 2 of our starters were not properly cooked and set back Our concerns were made to the manager who had lots of excuses but no solutions and became argumentative Our bill came to over £600 The manager decided to not charge us for two starters and took off the service charge, meaning our waitress who we had no issues with lost her tip Unfortunately we have cancelled a further booking and will not now be returning to this venue due to lack of the managers attention to customer satisfaction

Very cold. Several types of drinks unavailable.

Very disappointed food cold food burnt, two of the four meals were sent back, bread no butter, tea no milk

Amazing food as always, lovely pub, and great service

Lovely pub with delicious food, good portion sizes. We ordered the beef burger, chicken wings, seasonal vegetables, kids meal and definitely no complaints. Friendly staff and a beautiful vibe about it. Hopefully we can return in summer to make use of the garden seating.

Terrible pub poor atmosphere rude staff and expensive….don’t think they are keen on passing trade very focused on locals ….shame,

Went for Xmas day dinner With a cost of £105 per head we expected far more than we received. Food was very poor.....tasteless. Only high point was there was plenty of meat but vegetables were almost non existent and were terrible. Brussels were like bullets. Puddings again were bland and very small. Real disappointment.

Great atmosphere and food was delicious

Lovely place, lovely staff, food not so good. calamari starter soggy rubbery and a very small portion, I have had much better for 1/2 the price the Gammon main was extremely tough, I could have cooked it better at home for best part of £18.00 you expect an outstanding piece of a gammon cooked to perfection. certainly not the case, 2 pasta dishes very bland sent back twice all in all very disappointing.

We were looking for somewhere for an intimate wedding reception and had been to The Red Lion before so reached out to see if they could help. We booked a room for dinner with our family (including our dogs!) and extended into the room next door for the evening. Everyone who came said how great the food and the service was and we are so happy we chose to have our reception here. I was so happy to have such good vegan options too! We were able to make the day our own by decorating the rooms too. The staff before and during the event were really helpful and we are very grateful to everyone who contributed to make our day so special. I’m sure we will be back beforehand but we will definitely be having our anniversary meal here next year!

This pub is great for food...you should try the pizzas; drinks, coffee. Nice atmosphere inside and lovely garden with plenty of comfy places to seat and even pods.

We visited The Red Lion on Leighton Buzzard Road for an early dinner on a busy Saturday night in December, and the experience was nothing short of fantastic. Despite the joint arrival of most customers and large Christmas tables, Jack went out of his way to find us a table, which set the tone for the evening. Ellie, our host, was attentive and welcoming, ensuring we felt taken care of from start to finish. As the evening progressed and the place grew even busier, the staff maintained their professionalism and poise, seamlessly attending to every guest with efficiency and care. It was genuinely impressive to see how well they managed such a lively crowd. The food and atmosphere were equally great, but it was the exceptional service from Jack and Ellie that truly stood out. Their dedication and calm approach made our night unforgettable. We’ll definitely be returning soon!

We held an 80th birthday party here and it really was a let down. Service very slow- excuse being they were busy, but we had booked and pre ordered and so they should be staffed accordingly. Food was average at best, some served warm rather than hot, some pizza bases black and not edible, and yes they took them off the bill but that’s not really the point, we would rather they served food we could eat. I won’t be visiting again in a hurry

Ordered food it was OK but putting service charge on your bill of 15 % outrageous we were 5 feet from the service desk didn't tell you that at ordering your food if they want people to return scrap service charge if we as customers think we've had a good service we will leave a tip cost of living 👍

Great Vegetarian/Vegan options.

Lovely food and attentive staff.

Good spot for a Sunday lunch in Hemel

Classy place, great service and food. So beautifully designed feels nice place to be. Found randomly mid long journwy

Had to wait 8 minutes for two beers Food late coming Had to pay a service charge for two people. Would have left a tip Never again

Perfect place for a family meal of 3 generations.

Service was great, food overpriced and just ok

Red lion was really good service and food was cooked nice too. Very nice place to have a dinner and drink. Great atmosphere and really relaxed. Thankyou staff gor a birthday dinner.

Amazing food and service, made our wedding anniversary so special!

Sunday lunch surprise. Portions too large now for this elderly geezer! Should I ask for children's portion in future???

Me and my partner come here to celebrate our engagement meal on the 28th September And from start to finish service was excellent. Great communication throughout with emails and pre ordering food was easy The food was beautiful Definitely recommend and would be back Thankyou to the team at red lion

Lovely Sunday roasts, potatoes could be better hence the 4stars, lovely vibe and thoroughly enjoyable experience at the Red Lion

Just had a superb Sunday lunch with son and daughter in law. 2 meat eaters, 1 vegan and 1 veggie. Warm welcome, nice table, great service, good menu choice, excellent food and a lovely opportunity to entertain our loved ones without having to cook and wash up!! Can't recommend it highly enough. Thank you Red Lion !!

Great pub, friendly staff, fast service, good quality food, and cooked very well, reasonably priced and there is a great selection to choose from the menu.. overall enjoyable experience and will come back again

Honestly the food was divine…service was quick but not too quick and with a smile, give the puccia bread a try …goes so well with the Lamb Shoulder which btw fell off the bone ……my good lady is a Pescatarian and had the simplicity burger which was B e a utiful..bravo Chef ,Staff & all the Team 🥰🦎

Food was lovely, service was fantastic but the wait for our food took a very long time.

What a gem! Beautiful, well kept pub and restaurant. Unplanned visit by virtue of having my car serviced in the garage next door. The only reason I gave 4 stars for atmosphere is because it was just after 9am and I was the only customer. Friendly, attentive and happy staff, great service and excellent food. I had shakshuka and it was excellent. The easiest recommendation ever!

Great food and service. Staff kindly catered for various different dietary requirements and have advice on suitability of dishes. We were surprised to be sitting in a near empty restaurant as this is a very popular place. It's definitely a favourite of ours.

Great brunch. Generous food portions, extremely tasty and well presented

Nice pub, good seating indoors and out. Fodd was nice, the only criticism would be was that the spaghetti bolognaise was quite watery. Have eaten here before and will be visiting again. They also do amazing pizzas as they have a proper pizza oven, oh and the outside pods are cute.

Lovely outdoor area. Food is nice, nice and snug inside in winter

Beautiful place to have a romantic meal or dine with family, lovely atmosphere, great staff, good quality food.

When we phoned to book we asked about aircon as we had young baby's with us which they claimed to have. Unfortunately this is not the case! Normally this would not be a problem but we booked because they claimed to have aircon and travelled half an hour to eat here!

Really very good pizza... like in Italy 🇮🇹 Excellent service, friendly and kind staff…Well done♥️

I love this pub, we often go for dinner and it never disappoints.

The place is filthy the tables and chairs especially sofas are just disgusting birds poo everywhere lots of leaves and stuff from the trees the tables are sticky the service is just.. there is no service at all. No one comes to serve you you have to go and get the waiter to actually take your order and we have seen this with other people as well when they had to go and ask waiter to approach their table. Waiting time is unbelievable this place is the worst of Oakman group and we won't be coming here again especially for the hygiene of the place. The only good attentive waiter I would say was mid age lady unfortunately didn't catch her name. Definitely not worth the money you paying we prefer to spend our money else where when you get good service good food and especially clean hygienic place.

Brilliant breakfast, well cooked and loads. Excellent friendly service and a pleasant venue.

Really don't like leaving reviews like this, especially when it's a place we have been to many times and have had a great time. Tonight was different, terrible service and it seemed the people working there didn't care one bit. They brought our mains out when the table still had plates on from the starter. Our waitress seemed like she didn't care and really didn't want to be working there at all and the matradee was to busy singing and messing around with the kitchen staff and didn't even care to ask about how our evening was, even when we asked for the service charge to be taken off. The food was really greasy and over-cooked and flavourless Really disappointing expecialy when we was celebrating my partner's birthday and we have been here before and had a great time.

Went yesterday for lunch. 3 adults and 2 kids. Had starters, pizza for the kids (an adult one to share) and main for the three adults. Starters were okay. Pizza was okay.. little underdone. Mains were a huge let down. Two of the adults had the porchetta which was bland. The mash was great. Gravy tasted cheap and was watery. Veg ok. The chicken burger was a monstrosity. Nobody wants that much chicken thigh in a burger. Fries were good. Chicken was cooked but only just. Why not use breast? Much nicer for a burger. Drinks wise we had squash for kids, soda and lime, a coke and just tap water. Overall for £145 for three adults 2 courses and 2 kids 2 courses it was a rip off. No alcohol consumed which would’ve justified the price. To top it off, all three adults were unwell later in the day. Wouldn’t go back, which is a shame because the setting is beautiful and the pub itself is lovely. Service by a lovely lady was lovely. Everyone else was a bit ‘meh’..

Excellent service in a very nice and clean venue. Great food and staff. Highly recommended.

A really lovely pub, I really enjoyed my meal here the food was really good quality and the staff really friendly and lovely. Had a good experience and enjoyed ourselves in the pod it was very clean and comfy. Shared a starter which was the salmon very nice and fresh, tasty as well The pizza was lovely and the Lebanese fries And ice tea was good too. And followed by a Portuguese custard tart for dessert. I highly recommend this place was our first visit and would go again.

I visited the red lion a few years ago and left after my starter as it was that bad. I have come back recently, and I’m ashamed to say it’s the same. Poor food quality, and strange tasting. The pizza had a plastic taste to it and the chicken burger was bad quality for the price I’m appalled. The service was alright nothing too impressive. The only positive I can find here is the nice garden. Will not be coming back again.

Food Good but not excellent, and pricing a bit steep. Service very good.

Lovely place for food and a beer, really nice feel and staff are very welcoming.

Waited 15-20 minutes for service. Then we left.

All very good, excellent service

Had breakfast here once and on a different occasion stopped for a coffe/tea, whilst we left the car in the garage nearby. Nice and quiet ambience. The place has a lovely big garden that we plan to visit. It looks well managed and welcoming.

Service and ,food absolutely fabulous

Great place to have breakfast, work, have a drink or a bite to eat

Have been coming to this place for years and have never been so disappointed with the food or service. Booked a table outside and when we arrived the waitress told us to go and sit wherever. Had to wait about 20 minutes before our two drinks were brought to the table and another 20 for the nibbles we ordered to come out. When the food came out it was nothing short of disappointing. The calamari was overcooked and cold. The garlic bread was overcooked and had little resemblance to actual garlic bread (there was not a trace of garlic,just rosemary and a drop of olive oil). The Lebanese fries were half cold but thankfully the chicken wings were both warm and tasty (the only good part of this experience). Once we finished our food we had to wait a further 10 minutes for our waitress (who was inside talking) to bring us the bill. Despite her slow service all evening when it was time to pay the bill she moved swiftly to take payment. Finally, despite the restaurant section being well looked after, the bathrooms are another story. The women’s toilet was an absolute state and looked like it hadn’t been cleaned all day. I don’t ever write negative reviews, however this experience was so shocking (especially with how many positive memories I have of The Red Lion) that I felt it was important to draw attention to it.

Very expensive breakfast. Wife took me for a treat but 62 quid for 2 breakfasts is way too much and it was not that great. Staff are friendly and helpful so 5 stars for or them.

Amazing food, large restaurant and individual pods outside that seat 8 people.

I've been going to this place for a year now, not every weekend but once a month. Consistency in Attention is always bright and cheerful , food made with a touch of finesse, cleanliness to show that you're welcome to feel at home, music low to be able to have a conversation or to enjoy your meal or drink of preference. Give them a chance and correct me if I'm wrong Enjoy your experience

What a beautiful place. Great food, amazing ambiance and lovely lovely people. Would love to go here again.

We had such a good experience here. We had two babies with us and felt so welcome: a nice spacious area with space for prams and high chairs, and no issues when they made noise. The staff were warm, attentive and just provided overall great service. The food was good and there was something for everyone - gluten free for one person, kids food etc. Plenty of car park space and lovely outdoor area too, we will definitely be back.

Attended for a birthday party. Reasonable atmosphere but very friendly and sociable staff. The food I'm afraid was not great. The vegan offerings were not particularly adventurous. Pretty much OK otherwise.

bakewell tart latte was amazing. was served by kalina, her and all the staff were really lovely :)

Lovely pub,happy and helpful staff.

Really good food. Price was good as well, a slightly better variety on menu options is all it is missing.

Visited for breakfast and food and service were 5 star. Had the full English breakfast and it was amazing, can't fault it. It was a friends birthday so I arrived early with a cake and asked for it to be brought out after breakfast which was done faultlessly, singing included, it was much appreciated, thank you

Excellent menu with Gluten Free and Dairy Free options. Lovely atmosphere with helpful staff. Would definitely recommend

Very busy pub, had lunch around 13.30 was rammed, grest food scotch egg was amazing, dogs are allowed

Complete denial of food poisoning despite three out of four of us becoming ill within hours of dining there. Our meals were great (at the time of eating), our waiter Shane was absolutely delightful… the low service score is not for the waiter it’s about the after care we received when reporting our illness. We spent over £120 for stomach cramps, diarrhoea and nausea, just to be told by the manager that it was nothing to do with them. Just a coincidence that we became ill at exactly the same time I suppose! Really disappointing. I hate leaving negative reviews, I believe in giving a fair opportunity to resolve any issues, but our concerns were dismissed so here we are!

What an amazing pub, great atmosphere and decor, fair pricing . We had four of us and a dog. The waitress was lovely and our food stoves very quickly . I was so impressed, everything was fresh, nothing microwaved or from a tin. Amazing

This was our 4th visit to the Red Lion and have always enjoyed the food we ordered. Sadly on this occasion, the standard of the food fell below expectations. The 10oz sirloin steak I ordered, although medium rare (as requested), was dry and quite bland. The chunky chips were cold and under cooked. The garnish consisted of two tiny cherry tomatoes and one tiny mushroom, which was underwhelming . The béarnaise sauce had developed a skin by the time it was served. The service was pleasant and attentive, but sadly on this occasion wasn’t matched by the standard of the food. I’m hoping this is a one off poor experience and may be tempted to return in the future.

Great pub just outside Hemel Hempstead. Interesting menu.

It was very noisy. Other than that it was good.

Great atmosphere. Shane was excellent.

Great place for pizza made in a wood fired oven... Service: couldn't fault it. Very friendly and helpful. Will return for more. Great night out.

Came as a party of 8 for 60th birthday. Food and service was great, looked after cake and balloon, made ready for our visit. Excellent service

Over priced decidedly average food. The service was good however. Note that a service charge is added to the bill. I will not be returning.

Lovely breakfast - found a nice table by the fire, the food was tasty and the staff friendly, polite & obliging.

I've been for lunch a couple times when in the area, lovely lunch both times. Very nice waitress that took care of us both times, I should've asked her name but she is a blondish lady, very kind & helpful

I hired one of the lounge areas for a baby shower, entertaining 25 people. I emailed my enquiry and received a quick response - from then on the service was excellent. I had regular communication with a member of the events team who answered all my questions and helped me choose the perfect space and buffet menu. On the day I was able to arrive early to decorate the space and the lounge was already set up, it was the perfect space for what we needed - private yet close to the bar with plenty of room and seating. Throughout the event the 5 star service continued; we were well looked after and the drinks and food kept coming. Whenever we needed anything the staff were friendly and accommodating - nothing was too much trouble. And the food itself was absolutely delicious! I had so many comments from the guests about what a fantastic venue it was - I would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to hire the Red Lion for an event