The Red Lion in Dacorum

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

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

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

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 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

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

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!

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

Excellent service and food, cosey atmosphere.

Always great food and good service!

I would like to say a big thank you to Jack. I turned up at the pub. I needed some one to help me. Jack was incredibly kind and helpful. I will definitely coming back to the pub to try the food and mainly to give Jack a thank you gift. I'm 54 ,Jack is at least half my age. Its not often some one unconditionally helps someone else. I hope the management keep hold of this young man. He is definitely a star employee. Thank you so much Jack. I will be dropping some thing nice off to you, to say thanks for how you helped me this evening. Ben Hughes.

Great food and kids portions were generous, but it took ages to get as there were over 40 people in a mass quiz that seemed to take priority. Staff dealt with our complaint promptly on the night however.

Lovely friendly staff, service was incredible. Only downside was that my moules marineres was too thick n creamy. There had not be mare taken when plating, a lot of broken shells.

Great food...service and atmosphere...!

Brilliant meal in a lovely location and pub full of character. Nice to sit next to a log fire and relax.

First time visiting the Red Lion. Fab varied menu. Delicious food. Very very expensive for a glass of wine ( more than cost of my main meal)

Unfortunately my fish festive dinner was terrible. The fish was overcooked to the point of being solid paste and it didn't come with samphire. Very disappointing

Lunchtime visit, not busy so not noisy. Not keen on the open plan design but very pleasant today.

Great food and service was excellent for party of six. Sat in one of the outdoor pods which was lovely and intimate and loved the music. Great night out. Would definitely recommend and will be booking again!

Cosy, friendly location with lovely food.

Great pub, with plenty of parking spaces, very friendly and attentive staff, and food always good.

Arrived Thursday evening, table booked for 7pm. It was busy but we were quickly shown to our table and drinks orders taken. Unfortunately, they didn't have my first choice meal and my second choice they couldn't remove the parsley from the dish as it was pre-prepared but they went and checked which wad great. I ended up with a delicious ceasar salad with a side of fries. Marked 4 stars as chicken skin was left on and it was not crispy so it was chewy and quite unpleasant as well as boiled egg on side was a little under with some of the white not entirely cooked. All in all I would return.

Excellent pizza and fish and chips

Good pizza and waitress was very friendly and attentive will definitely be back

Very good. I enjoyed it also good to meet the friendly staff .thank you

Very nice place, great location and lots of parking. The staff and food was wonderful. Good size portions but the service was a bit slow, waiting a long time for our main. I would go back but leave plenty time to enjoy your meal.

Went there for a breakfast birthday 🎉. 12 of us! It really was congenial. Service was excellent. Food 😋.

Lovely food and great service. A lovely setting in both Summer and Winter months.

Red Lion has always been a first choice destination for a meal, however at the last visit the food was dissapointing compared with previous visits. I'm not sure how mashed potato becomes a sticky firm and lumpy rectangle, but that was the low light. Service was however good.

Best Sunday Roast - thank you Shane for looking after us !

The food and atmosphere and staff were lovely. The food was just a bit slow to arrive.

Ate here twice in one week having never been here before. Food and drink expensive but somewhere I would come again for a special occasion. The food was well presented and service was good on both occasions. On Sunday I was advised I could only have pinot Grigio if I ordered a bottle but on the Friday I was able to order by the glass it was not a huge problem as I was offered another dry white wine by the glass but it would be nice if you could order a popular wine by the glass on all occasions; especially as I was the only wine drinker a bottle was not only a too expensive option but I could not have drank it as I was driving. All else was great and I had a good time on both visits.

Friendly staff ... could of done with door being shut to garden as quite a few flysheet about.

Ordered two pizzas, one was overcooked / burnt, mostly underneath, nobody checked if food was ok. The restaurant only had a few tables occupied so no excuse for overworked staff. Unfortunately, there were lots of nats and flies in the restaurant which made it difficult to relax. On the plus side, good beer and wine selection. Have eaten here a lot and always had a good experience which is why this was so disappointing.

The food was disappointing compared to a previous visit and similar. 4 kids with us all ordered the children's pizza and none had more than a couple of bites. 4 adults had 3 floppy and quite bland pizzas, the best dish looked to be the Caesar salad with chicken which looked good. A very ordinary bottle of wine was £29. Bar service prior to the meal was incredibly slow. I could only assume that the pub is short staffed as those behind the bar clearly didn't have a clue.

Go there often with the kids and dog and staff are so friendly and helpful. Food is always good.

Great location and menu choice. Dog friendly .

Booked a pod for a bottomless brunch with friends. The food was excellent. The waitress Katy was very friendly and really looked after us well. We were offered a new Rose Prosecco instead of the usual prosecco which was lovely!!

Food was great, service was excellent, beer was really good, place has a nice ambience, quiant outside appearance, decent car park would definitely visit again - highly recommended

We had a good Sunday lunch here. Very good food

Excellent food and friendly staff

Visited for the first and last time today…. It was an awful experience from start to finish. We had a table booked at 4:15 and left the restaurant at 8:10 due to the worst service I have experienced anywhere. We ordered drinks in the first few minutes of sitting at the table to wait 45 minutes for them to arrive and get several wrong along with drinks that we did not even order (which were also added to the bill). We then ordered food and waited an extremely long time for starters to arrive with some missing (these were then an extra 20 minute wait). We had different members of staff come over 3 times to inform us we had ordered food they did not have in stock and that we needed to change them - even though this was an hour after originally ordering. We then waited a long time for our mains, which the cauliflower cheese came uncooked to the table and was cold - we had to ask for it to be cooked. There was a certain staff member who was really annoyed that we kept having to correct our orders and slammed a dish on our table and said ‘I’ll leave this here as I am busy and do not have the time’ - even though the dish she put down was not part of our order in the first place. This was extremely rude and made us all feel uncomfortable. When asking for the bill we asked several members of staff, which took half an hour to have a card machine with us - we were asking, being told yes and then nothing. Apart from 1 member of staff (who we tipped individually) were acting as though they had no idea what they were doing and had no manners what so ever. Our service charge was £60 - which was requested to be taken off because the service we had was diabolical, in-fact it was embarrassing that any member of staff thought it would be okay to leave that on the bill. When we asked for it to be taken off we were told the manager has to confirm and that he would be over - we could see the manager who was too shy to come to the table - which he never did. NEVER AGAIN will myself or the other 9 people at my table be going back here. Disgraceful with a rating of 1/10 doesn’t even cut the service of our meal. For 15 people to be running and serving a restaurant and only 1 be polite to us tells you everything you need to know.

I give it five stars, as I bought my girlfriend here. It is very peaceful and romantic outside. It was one of the most lovely places I could have spent time with her. I cannot comment on the food or the service, I was fully focused on my girlfriend. We had a lovely evening together here.

We went here for a family lunch. Food was good and service was OK. Very noisy in the restaurant but overall the occasion was good.

Lovely food, I had the sausage and mash with Kale and beans. It was cooked perfectly. It's a restaurant and not a pub so I wouldn't go there for just a drink. Also the Landlord was an odd fellow, I'll leave it there🙄

Great pizzas, salads and cocktails in beautiful gardens. The outside area is so cool, plenty of seating choices and just a really chilled vibe 😎 the service was excellent and a very professional team looking after you 💯

Fantastic pub with delicious menu, lovely garden, cosy decor, friendly staff and dog friendly. The chorizo scotch egg, wood-fired pizza’s and lamb kleftiko were outstanding. Will definitely be our regular from now on.

Excellent local venue. Delicious food, lovely atmosphere wonderful service. We love this place.

The team here are always amazing, friendly and welcoming. Food is always delicious.

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

Have been wanting to try here for a while now and only wanted light lunch...there was only few things on the menu that contributed to light for us apart from fish and chip pasta or pizza......I chose scotch egg..I love scotch egg but this had chorizo...it was edible and I did eat most but the oily dressing didn't do it for me it killed the taste of the egg and halloumi fries were smothered in a sauce that also killed the taste....I'd ask for them to come normal if i went again...maybe it's just my taste....sorry

Have not been to the Red Lion for a few years and it was a really great time had by my family . They had refurbished the outside so we were in a wooden pod .It seats family or friends up to 8 people . You have to experience it yourself. Food and waiting staff brillant.

Had family from overseas and took them for traditional fish and chips. Food was amazing. Our server Shayne was very friendly and professional and made our evening great. Thank you Shayne. We asked to be moved to the pod and this was done without and fuss. Thank you

Enjoyed a very tasty breakfast with a nice range of brunch options all set in a relaxed atmosphere. Highly recommend.

Always lovely to come here for our usual! Scotch egg and Pizza. Drinks are always good and choice of beers/ales on tap.

Haven't eaten there but I found the staff friendly and welcoming. It's a large pub and usually has a good attendance, which is nice to see.

It was my first visit and I was quite nervous But once I got My meal and the service which they provided I was quite Happy and Enjoyed my meal, Very pleasant Staff we ordered Three Stakes and they All to be Cooked in different tastes and we were All pleased 👍

Lovely outside seating area, good food ,friendly staff.

We had a birthday celebration there and it was brilliant. The food was amazing,we had a buffet and it was very varied and delicious.thankyou for everything

Amazing rob was significantly patient and had the best customer service ever. Great toilets amazing atmosphere thanks Rob x

Very disappointed with my meal. Taste wasn't bad but looking at it put me off. Very beige. My husband's pizza was ok. Red wine was nice.

Good food. Friendly staff. Good service. Not busy so ambience lacking.

Nice pub, service is great. We have been there a couple of time for breakfast and it was really good. We really like the location because is very hidden from other places.

Very disappointing food - plastic ham (advertised as Prosciutto) and sliced cheese. Wilted salad, mayo with a crust on from being out too long. Staff completely uninterested in feedback ( offered in good faith)

Booked a pod which was great, very comfy for 5. Service friendly. Pub busy and our food did not all come out together, first 2 mains bought to table then 10 minute wait until all 5 of us had our mains. Food average at best. Salad with burger dishes consisted of a slice of tomato, one lettuce leaf and a couple of pieces of wilted rocket, very poor. Chicken milanese was not milanese, it was a breaded piece of chicken breast, whereas it should have been flattened. Cheese for pasta dish and sauces were not provided despite being asked for. Only brioche buns available which 3/5 of our group do not like, a choice of bun would be better. A very pleasant lunch out with friends due to good company, lovely pod, but disappointing, the food just filled a hole. And was over priced given what was served

Popped in for a quick pint with friends after work. Beer nice and cold, what's not to like 🍺

Food was nice. Six of us went and sat outside, it was a pleasant outside area. Friendly staff. Two of the meals came out but had a bit of a delay before the other meals came out. Had to ask for the condiments after the meals were out. It was quite busy , but !!!! Found it quite expensive for a pub menu I was also unaware a service charge added to the bill ( it may have been written somewhere I didn’t see it )

Lovely example of a gastropub! Deborah served us today and is a shining example of a waitress and accommodated our request for a quieter area to eat, real asset to the team. Food was beautiful, piping hot and plenty portion wise for the money, so 🎩's off to the chefs! There was also a live band that set the mood perfectly for a Sunday afternoon. Highly recommend the place if you are in the area 🤙🏻

A definite improvement since our last visit, with more vegan options back on the menu. I can recommend the Nourish Bowl salad and the heavenly raspberry and chocolate chip cookie dough dessert...vegan desserts are sadly becoming more rare again and this one is worth coming back for again and again!! ...and service with a smile is always appreciated! Thank you.

Good parking, great service and nice decor.