The Red Lion in Breckland

Exceptional hospitality, excellent food with great service, friendly staff. Good parking. Overall a very enjoyable visit would thoroughly recommend. Thank you.

Christmas is/was coming and the pub was very festive. Lovely decorations and great background music and chatter.

Stopped here on the way to thursford. The meal we has was excellent and the rest restaurant was beautifully decorated. Good value

Day trip to Swaffham. Not many places open on a Monday but The Red Lion was. They were also serving their full menu. A blessing for hot food on a cold winters day. Very pleased you were able to fill us up.

Didn't stay here, stopped for lunch on the way to Thursford show. Fast service, fabulous food, absolutely buzzing place, friendly natives

We book in every year when we go to Thursford and every year is as good as the last. Polite and helpful staff. Top marks and thank you.

Went in for a roast dinner. It was AMAZING will definitely return for another

Stayed overnight, arrived early, room was ready nice decor. staff attentive and friendly but busy. Small restaurant but busy, food looked appetising. Room clean, nicely decorated, soft bed, found the room too warm, I think well insulated, facilities good. Worth a visit. Oh! Nightly price on the nail.

The Sunday Roast, beef and pork was excellent. Top quality succulent meat, delicious veg and cauliflower cheese. Home made yorkshire puddings and very tasty gravy. Home made deserts were also excellent especially the chocolate bourbon cheesecake. 10/10 highly reccomend and will be returning to enjoy again. Very friendly and helpful hostess. Thank you all at the Red Lion for a very enjoyable meal.

The main reason I went there is I wanted a good basic sandwiches and pubs normally are a good place to go. The selection of sandwiches is a bit basic, which could be I,proved. The Ham is a piece of proper ham, and not the other kinds you want. Although they do a lot of meals and from the number of visitors was a good sign. I will bare them in mind for future visits.

We called in here on a Tuesday late afternoon with a view to buying a meal. We found that the kitchen were not yet cooking, so settled down with drinks to wait the 20 minutes until the chef was ready to start work. However, in the interim, we found the barmaid to be so terse and churlish, to the point of hostility, that we decided to leave and eat elsewhere. So, no idea what the food is like at this hostelry . . .

Easy to fine in the main square in Swaffham. Friendly staff. We had a meal here and it was really nice and the prices were good. Totally child friendly.

Easy to fine in the main square in Swaffham. Friendly staff. We had a meal here and it was really nice and the prices were good. Totally child friendly.

Sat outside on a summer's day so didn't really get the feel of the pub. The Batemans Gold at £4/pint was a treat :)

Sat outside on a summer's day so didn't really get the feel of the pub. The Batemans Gold at £4/pint was a treat :)

Great food, good choice and good portion size.

Popped in for a late breakfast. It was a nice day and not busy so we sat outside. We had the big breakfast and it was lovely. Good quality food and plenty of it. It was slow to come but we were not in a hurry so it was not a problem. But at least the food was freshly cooked. Service was polite too. Lovely

While visiting my mum in swaffham we had a lovely meal at the red lion. I'm celiac so no gluten whatsoever. The chef came out and recommended I had a jkt pot with my gammon. And cleaned the kitchen. My partner had the hunters chicken and he said it was the best one he tasted my meal was superb and my mum said her scampi was delicious. Definitely worth visiting when visiting swaffham will definitely come again

This was the perfect stopover for us. The staff were lovely and the food was amazing.

Visited for the first time in ages, loved it!

Stopped off on our way home to Bedford...oh my gosh I had ham egg and chips the chips are to die for, the ham ... 2 slices of gammon ham (really thick slices) and a salad with the Chefs own dressing Mmmmmmm. And don't even get me started on the friendly staff thinking of going back for my birthday meal. Definately recommend this pub/restaurant/hotel

Awful service, won't go again. Rude and obnoxious!

Great pub expecially when the lovely lady who served me was from the West Midlands. Really Enjoyed myself here,can't wait till my next visit.

Great pub and customer service. It's a must

Wow, I have never been to a place like this. Worst pub, I've ever been too rude staff. Customers are like living dead. Broken Britain God save our towns. The owner is a retarded reply to my message with the grace of a bull in a China shop. Silly woman. I only give a bad review when it is deserved. Don't have time for silly little women.

A great place to stay when visiting friends in Swaffham. A quirkily decorated room that was more than adequate for our stay. Far enough back from the road to not be disturbed. Delicious breakfast, with one of the tastiest GF sausages I have ever had. Will definitely stay here again when visiting.

Strangest experience from the rudest women barmaid. My first time coming into this pub (and last) to have a quick drink in the sun with my partner and son. But the barmaid refused to serve me saying I’m barred, when I explained this must be wrong I have never been here to drink nor am I barred from anywhere she still refused, asked for my whole name and where I lived right in front of people at the bar (why she felt she had the authority to ask a stranger this I have no clue). When it clicked that I didn’t tick all her boxes she said she will go out back to look for the photograph of ‘me’🤣 when there was no photo she was hostile and said she will serve me but will be keeping a close eye on me… So she either served someone who she thought was barred or treated an innocent person with disrespect from her own lack of organisation (the latter) My parter saw this upset me so later when he walked into the bar he was also treated with the same rudeness - ‘No need to tell me, I know what you two are drinking! 😑’ strange entitled behaviour! When he stated she didn’t have to humiliate me in front of people she said how she apologised (lie) and how we didn’t have to stay! So her take, we can either get treated as if we were guilty of something we didn’t do or we leave, lovely environment!! Get your ‘barred’ pictures up then you may stand a chance in not being an unorganised and rude barmaid. When you have got something completely wrong actually say sorry then you could even treat someone with respect

Strangest experience from the rudest women barmaid. My first time coming into this pub (and last) to have a quick drink in the sun with my partner and son. But the bar maid refuses to serve me saying I’m barred, when I explained this must be wrong I have never been here to drink nor am I barred from anywhere she still refused, asked for my whole name and where I lived right in front of a SILENT (awkward) bar of people. When it clicked that I didn’t tick all her boxes she said she will go out back to look for the photograph of ‘me’🤣 when there was no photo she was hostile and said she will serve me but will be keeping a close eye on me… So she either served someone who she thought was barred or treated an innocent person with disrespect from her own lack of organisation (the latter) My parter saw this upset me so when he walked into the bar she was also rude to him ‘No need, I know what you two are drinking!’ strange entitled behaviour! When he stated she didn’t have to humiliate me in front of people she said how she apologised (lie) and how we didn’t have to stay! Okay so either we get treated as if we were guilty of something we didn’t do or we leave… Don’t know why we thought to try the red lion as a change from the greyhound! Learning tips, get your ‘barred’ pictures up then you may stand a chance in not being an unorganised and rude barmaid. When you have got something completely wrong actually say sorry then you could even treat someone with respect

Very nice and friendly, foods lovely, people friendly, coffee nice but pricey.

Needed some grub. We had cheesy chips and they were nice and cheesy 🧀 thanks!

Nice rooms, spoilt by overuse of air-freshenrr or pot-porri scent which meant the windows had to be left open all night. Did I mention they ring every 15 minutes?

Lovely Sunday roast. Staff are lovely and friendly and the value of the meal was excellent. Thank you

Fantastic food and staff so friendly.

This is a proper town pub, frequented predominantly by locals. The staff were friendly and the food was surprisingly good and well priced.

Had dinner there after my wedding ,they did so much for us that we didn't expect at all and made our day extra special. Staff were wonderful food was great . Same service again with dinner there for my aunts birthday .

6 of us just had a meal at The Red Lion in Swaffham. It was absolutely delicious. We all fancied a desert but we just couldn’t manage it. All the meals were fantastic, very very tasty, very generous helpings, great staff and lovely atmosphere. All of our party would highly recommend it. We will certainly go back.Many Thanks. Sandra.

Very nice room,excellent value for money, very friendly staff, will certainly stay again

Sunday lunch with a large group of friends was absolutely fantastic. we had pre-ordered our mains but all came out piping hot. The beef is sourced locally from the butchers and many in the party commented it was the best they had tasted. The chicken was a very generous portion and cooked to perfection. All served with seasonal veg home made yorkies and delicious cauliflower cheese. Cannot recommend this place enough, very friendly, great service and food. We will definitely be back if they will have us!

We were married on Monday and booked our wedding meal here,with 5 guests. Can't say how amazing all the staff were. The food was fabulous,and everyone at the red lion made our day extra special. They went all out in every way possible. Can't recommend them enough for a special occasion,or just to go for a drink. The landlord/lady always interact with all of their customers. 5***** all the way. Thank you to all the staff for making our day extra special. We couldn't of had a better time with anyone else.

Bad customer service, leaves a lot to be desired. Waited a while for anyone to acknowledge us. We have been before and it was a lot better maybe the barmaid just had a bad day.

Visited yesterday for lunch with my family and a couple of friends after my daughter got married in King’s Lynn, the welcome we received was great, lovely flowers and a lovely home made cake was provided as a gift. The owners and the staff were so hospitable, the food was great and gluten free was provided for a couple of us. This helped to make a low key wedding something special, and mitigated the couples disappointment at cancelling their wedding during lockdown. Thanks so much.

Had a lovely roast with family, choice of beef or gammon. Well portioned and more than enough. Would definitely go back. Managed a dessert of bread and butter pudding 👍

18th Feb 2024 We chose The Red Lion as a place to go for Sunday (roast) lunch with my daughter and her partner, and in-laws (6 of us in total) as my daughter had eaten in here on a few occasions several years ago and found the food to be very nice. Upon arrival, four of us opted for the beef, one had pork and my daughter had chicken. When the lunches were brought out the beef appeared very fatty and not a decent joint. Upon further inspection, the plates consisted of meat, a yorkshire pudding, 2 roast potatoes, a roasted carrot, something green (liquidised), something which resembled sausage meat which tasted very rich and unpleasant, cauliflower cheese which not everyone likes, some green leafy veg (minimal) and gravy. To cut a long story short, three of us ate around the fatty beef what we could and my husband barely touched his which is most unusual for him. The pork and chicken were both fine but could have been bolstered up with a decent portion of potatoes/veg. When we were asked was everything alright, a couple of us sad 'no not really' and my daughter shook her head in a disaproving gesture. The waitress didn't say anything, other than it was a different chef on that day, but there was no offer to take the meals back to the kitchen or allow us to choose an alternative meal. My son in law mentioned the beef tasted different, as though it wasn't beef but he wasn't sure what exactly. We all had a dessert as none of us were full up, least of all my husband who had only eaten a few mouthfuls of his main. The desserts were all alright. When the plates were cleared from the table, I asked for the remainder of the beef to be boxed up as my husband and I have a fox that visits the garden, of whom we feed on a regular basis. My son in law paid for the meal and when he went up to the bar to do so he reiterated the disappointment over the mains but nothing was said and he was prompted for payment which he did via his card. There was not even an apology given. When we left The Red Lion, I could smell the beef in the box and it didn't smell pleasant at all, as though it had gone off. As a result, we didn't feed much of it to the fox and threw the rest away. In the early hours of Monday morning, myself, my son in law and his Dad each had stomach pains and had to get to the loo. We were all very ill, felt sick with diahorrea and in all visited the loo around 7 times throughout the following hours. We each felt unwell after Monday and even now not completely 100% well. My son in law and I had to ring in to work sick and we do not get paid sick leave so this has cost us both a day's pay. My husband has been to the loo a couple of times and said it wasn't good, but as he had barely eaten the meat was by no means as bad as the rest of us. My daughter emailed the restaurant's owner on Monday and after a very brief response that the matter would be looked in to (still with no apology) there then followed a more in depth email. In this email there was finally an apology provided and the offer of a refund for the deserts (bearing in mind they are £6.95 each x 5, £6.50 x 1) and the main meals were £17.50 x 4 for the beef, and £16.50 each for the pork and chicken. Not exactly a reasonably priced lunch, and more over a total rip off for the content and poor quality. The refunds for the desserts was a bit of an insult to say the least and a cheap opt-out for the mains. The money was re-imbursed to my son in law's card. Meanwhile, on Monday, I had also complained to the owner myself about the dissatisfaction of the meals. Initially I did receive a response but I did eventually when I got back on to the pub/restaurant. The response came across as sarcastic, stating the owner's daughter did not mention about their being a different chef on on Sunday, that the meat is sourced from a local quality butcher, the Red Lion fed 70 people on Sunday roast dinners and not one other person (except the 4 of us) had been unwell! He explained the desserts had been refunded and that was pretty much it. As such, I have taken the this website to log a review to warn other people not to go there - or do so at your own risk! In this economic climate especially, eating establishments need to be careful if they wish to remain in business as there is plenty of competition elsewhere.

Lovely staff and great service Food was very good

Went for a Sunday Roast with friends. The food was amazing, tastey and such a generous portion size, The best I have had for a long time, will definitely go back again. The staff are lovely, and friendly.

Had the Sunday lunch, it was the 2nd time we've had been there and it was as good as the first time, staff was also very helpful and friendly. We'll worth trying.

My girlfriend and I decided to stop by for some lunch on our way back home to Hertfordshire , we both had the cheeseburger and I have to say it was one of the nicest I’ve had , proper cheese melted on it , and the pink slaw was lovely , the lady serving us was lovely and the whole vibe of the place was proper English pub , will be returning when we come back to the area for sure . Thanks again

Fishing near by and went for dinner. Wow!!! This place has such a great vibe and the food was so good!! So glad we stopped by!! Great food and friendly service!! Highly recommend.

really friendly and the customers were a great laugh. Service was a little a slow but only because we were against a strict time. Food served to others looked lovely

The girls that worked there were helpful food was horrible though

We were part of a coach party going to see the Thursford Spectacular, coming from Southend in Essex it was an early start, so we were booked into the Red Lion for a full English, which was served hot and quickly, which set us up for the final part of our journey to take in the show. We were also booked into the Red Lion for an evening meal after the show, when we arrived all was ready for us, for the staff to start serving our meal once we were seated, the meal was served hot and tasty. Our whole experience within the Red Lion was 110% first class as staff done a wonderful job, having to see a coach full of people to contend with, nothing was to much trouble to ensure we were all satisfied with our eats and drinks. Once again thanking all the staff for making our day to remember.

We stopped by the restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed it. The staff were extremely accommodating and the food was great! The restaurant area has only a few tables but this totally works to their advantage. I suggest booking ahead!

Popped in for lunch with our two dogs, fabulous welcome and great atmosphere, ordered bacon & egg sandwich, bowl of chips and chilli burger. Food was amazing freshly cooked, nicely presented and hot, staff were lovely, toilets fresh and clean and lots of interesting things going on via the info tv’s Would definitely return as found this to be the best dog friendly pub in Swaffham and certainly the best food.

Lovely stay at The Red Loin was a lovely place friendly management and staff, felt very welcome. Rooms were lovely, and food was very tasty. Will definitely be back next year, Thank you . Happy Christmas 🎄

Fantastic food great price , friendly staff

I highly recommend the place,the food is amazing and I cannot fault the service! Fantastic !

We were made to feel very welcome and the food was good quality with equally good service. Good place to stop for tasty, freshly cooked pub meal, no complaints !!

Very friendly, open to family and delicious hot food. Highly recommend the Sunday roast. The hostess was very friendly, welcoming and served us with a beautiful smile.

We went there for lunch. Beautiful food. We had garlic mushrooms for starters and Ploughmans for lunch.

We went for an evening meal while we were staying near Swaffham town. My husband had Scampi, I had vegetable lasagne, which seemed completely filled with 🍆 aubergine. Unfortunately I found it tasteless, not what I was expecting.

Average place to stop for a beer. Not much atmosphere. Right in the heart of lovely Swaffham. Seating indoors or outside.

Very poor service, food took ages to come but an apology was given in that they lost the electric in the kitchen. After our meal we waited and waited for our plates to be cleared and an order to be taken for the sweet. In the end I went up and called for service, The waitress was busy talking at the bar. we had no sweet just paid the bill.

Service, welcome and great hospitality with Gemma and Fran along with a fantastic and friendly chef make the Red Lion best in town.

A very friendly and welcoming pub

My partner and I enjoyed a fabulous meal here on Friday evening. The staff were excellent particularly the bar lady/waitress that looked after us. We would highly recommend this pub and prices very sensible. Many thanks Steve & Tracy 😁

I rang about half an hour before we got there. The lady who answered the phone kindly said that there was a table for two. When we got there, we were greeted by the same lady and another waitress who showed us to our table. I ordered the prawn liquinie and my husband the beef burger. Both were delicious although the liquinie wasn’t liquinie but was spaghetti. Both of generous portions.

Only had drinks bur atmosphere good, very busy both I side and out parking just across Road Free in e Evening.

The barman was very cheerful and helpful allowing me to bring my German Shepherd into the bar while I had a meal. The landlord was a little brusk when I advised him not to touch him (my dog is ex police and trained not to allow people to touch him in case they try to harm him). Food generally good considering the price.

Great food as always, lenty of it and friendly staff.

overpriced food that tastes sour and slimy. And one very rude lady that seems completely socially inept. Not sure who runs this place but they need to get their staff in check. after seeing the reviews on here i do not know why i bothered going. poor experience. spend your money somewhere that deserves it

Was passing through and partner needed to use the toilet upon arrival to the pub. Was looking forward to having a drink or two but was shouted at for using the toilet under the assumption we were not paying customers. Unfriendly and rude staff that need a reality check. Instantly walked out. Do not recommend Upon reading their response you can see what type of people they are. The lady FOLLOWED my partner into the toilets who happens to be heavily pregnant while yelling at her. I’m sure the customers are not fussed to our apparent “rudeness” as you had very few in there. You did not give us a single chance to explain before jumping the gun. Word of advice to locals and people travelling through, check the responses to bad reviews to see how immature, childish and unprofessional these “people” are :)

sat outside and ate lunch in the sunshine watching the market.

Great service, great food and friendly locals, what more could you ask for

We called in for lunch while visiting the area. The food was lovely, reasonably priced and the service excellent.

Popped in for lunch today. What a great place to eat and drink. A very warm welcome and great food and drink. We will be back. Many thanks. 5 stars

Very good. Lovely food, not expensive. Been twice, looking forward to sitting out the back in summer.

Very friendly and pleasant staff and great surroundings. Food was good, enjoyed our lunch, good value for money.

A lot of open space friendly faces and with a cosy barn feel about it

Thank you for a great breakfast and dinner for our outing to Thursford. Looked after our group fantastically. Lovely food.

Good service, cute decor and reasonably priced, or so I thought, before realising my burger was just straight out of the freezer - shame because it can't be hard to serve a fresh burger. Family enjoyed the scampi and steak and ale pies however, and the chips were enjoyable.

Just sat outside waiting for the Christmas light switch on in town so haven't been in, but enjoyed the nice glass of red a mate bought me.

Very tasty Red Pepper soup, quick service. As we were on a bus trip.

We stayed here when spending time in Swaffham. Lovely place to stay, accommodation was great. No pub noise as the rooms are separate from the pub. Clean and decent sized rooms. Bar staff were friendly and lovely place to have pint. No complaints.

Very friendly establishment. Well organized pre booked meals especially as there were 38 in our party. Exceptional good value for money for a well cooked tasty meal that had very generous portions. Highly recommend.

Great pub! Good food, friendly local atmosphere.

Just what a local should be, warm, friendly, clean, good food and lovely staff

Good range of beer at reasonable price

Nice lunch. Very good choice of mains with good selection of desserts.

Lovely pub nice staff and good beer

We went here for the first time in October 21 and they lady behind the bar was lovely and friendly. There was a good selection of meals on the menu plus a specials board. The food came out fairly quickly even though we were pre-warned of a 30 minute delay. The food was delicious and extremely good portion sizes. We were pleasantly surprised at how good value the food was too. Would highly recommend.

Was unwelcoming and yes i have been there sitting outside owner putting uptables at 9 pm on a Friday night 👎 atmosphere althouh the pub looks nice

Friendly pub with good food. Chips were especially nice. Will be back! Second trip with family: food was amazing and service excellent! Now a family favourite.

Friendly place and staff for a peaceful drink, sat outside in the sunshine watching the world go by. Always go there when in Swaffham, good food too and reasonably priced. Definitely recommend

Stayed here for two nights with friends for a wedding. Such a nice pub - owners are really friendly, great selection of gins and lagers, rooms are nice, comfortable, spacious and clean. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend- great value too.

Food was excellent, friendly staff , premises well presented

My mum and daughter stopped here over bank holiday weekend as they were visiting us at our caravan at Ashill, the rooms are lovely and clean and everything you need , all the staff are so friendly and nothing is to much trouble, the food is excellent and all home made, good selection of beers and the pub has that nice friendly atmosphere , would definitely recommend

Popped in here for lunch as had the dog with us. Very friendly staff and good selection of food. All food was tasty and hot and well priced. Would recommend.

Friendly staff, plenty of seating outside & in, dog friendly. Good selection of drinks. Well worth a visit

We have eaten here a couple of times this week. The food has been great. We also stayed for a night and found the room comfortable and clean. A great pub with good staff in a great village.

Dropped for lunch while on holiday. Great pub lunch style food. Recommended.