The Red Lion in South Oxfordshire

I had a late lunch in The Red Lion this lunchtime. First time I had been in the pub in 5 years but with new management and hearing great things since the new owners took over I was keen to give it a try. Bar staff were very welcoming to me and my Cavapoo. Lovely friendly atmosphere and spotlessly clean. I ordered a scampi, fries and peas. It was delicious and too much for me to finish it. I will definitely be back soon with the family 👍🏼

With the new landlords settling in, our local pub is finally what it should be. Welcoming, friendly with a lovely atmosphere. This evening had super tasty pizza with our great pint of beer. Staff could not have been better, and the pizza had an excellent base, and generous, quality toppings. I know there’s more to come, but great work guys, thanks!

We went along for the grand opening with the new landlords and it was a vibe! They laid out a buffet, had live music and we could barely move for people. The staff were lovely and the place has a fresh new feel - homely, welcoming and great food!

This place is closed Disappointed. as Google said it was open must have been nice , overlooks a cricket ground . Shame We went 8th August 2024

Welcoming landlord and friendly locals here with nice views over the village green. Had wanted to eat but there were no kitchen staff on the wet Wednesday evening when visited. All in all Great!

Popped in for quench of the thirst, but pub looking bit run down from the outside and feel not a good sign when outside there is a sign saying Pub to Let...

Husband and I visited for Sunday roast 14.7 24 and the blonde woman behind the bar needs a lesson in hospitality skills and courtesy. Extremely rude and we can't be the only prospective customers she has put off. Sadly she put us off and so we didn't get a chance to dine. 0/10.

Best avoided. Woodcotes a nice area but this pub is dreadful. Landlord was rude and seemed offended that we wanted to eat lunch there without a reservation (even though it was basically empty). Gave off real Basil Fawlty vibes.

Landlord was very rude and standoffish. Seemed offended that we wanted to order lunch. Avoid like the plague.

Excellent Sunday roast accompanied by a selection of 8 lovely fresh vegetables!! Well worth a trip from Caversham - will definitely visit again in near future!

Absolutely terrible experience. Refused to take my friend’s Scottish Bank pound notes (pound sterling) with no explanation, and made us feel entirely uncomfortable for the entire of our visit. When we tried to raise it later through their Facebook page they deleted our posts. This is clearly a locals pub for local people, anyone else stay away.

Lovely welcoming landlord and landlady,great menu and spotlessly clean. We'll definitely come back

Great food, great staff and a log fire. What a great find.

Have been to the pub twice first visit was just for drinks, and the second time for food and drinks. Very warm welcome on both visits. Food was fab, will definitely be going back.

We have a takeaway Sunday roast most weeks and it is certainly above par. The beef is always tender, the pork and crackling spot on. Added to that is good selection of vegetables. All in all a great experience.

Spacious and comfortable with a good selection of beers and ciders

Looking at the reviews where one even called the landlord a "Basil Fawlty" type, we had to pay a visit to this pub of course. It's a pub for the locals with a very jolly landlord and all very enjoyable. The food was nice, the pub happy. All very pleasant on our visit, (sadly) nothing Fawlty Towers about it. 😁

Ideally situated right next to Woodcote Village Green with seating in the windows overlooking the green and plenty of seating outside. Good selection of beers and lagers.

This was the pub me & my partner 1st met. We have popped in on odd occasions for a little drink just purely for this reason. As, I have never found the Landlord to be particularly hospitable (for a landlord), and today was incredibly rude to us and friend who was also with us. We sitting in so called pub gdn, with its run down looks and broken furniture and the landlord came and abruptly shut the back door on us, completely ignoring my partner who was trying to politely speak to him. I'd compare him to 'Basil Fawlty' in rudeness. ! Hence to say, will never go again.

Big portions, tasty food, great service.

Great little local pub, very friendly

Limited meals due to staff levels

There don't seem to have been any reviews on this website for this pub since 2018...I wonder why. The food was fine, the drinks were fine, but we were the only people in the pub on a Saturday lunchtime, and the landlord was rude and unwelcoming and made such a fuss about fitting us in to eat (we had pre-booked) that we nearly all walked out. Very Odd.

Nice warm fire lovely landlady . Good beer and loads of choice

The landlord and landlady are nice people, easy to chat to and knowledgeable of the area. Food and drink prices are very reasonable

Delightful rural pub with a jolly landlord. It is cosy with a log fire. Perhaps a reservation, is the limited choice of real ale.

A very warm welcome and the best fish and chips I've eaten in ages. Great value and really well kept beer.

Unless you're a local drive on by.

Excellent Sunday roast best in the area. Prices very reasonable especially for two courses and a bonus having plentiful vegetables served in separate dishes. Staff very efficient and hospitable. 😊

Always welcoming staff, and always a great laugh with the customers x

yes i remember what great pub this is went in to angela reads 60th birthday plus many years ago used go in it with roger skinner my partner them day till he got killed lovely pub nice people

Friendly pub with a good selection of drinks

The service was so friendly made you feel welcome ' and the social distance was really very well put in place Jay and her team ' really doing a great job - with entry via rear door and exit via front - signing in table etc ( giving your details )

Decent pub on the village green. Good for a pint while watching the cricket

very nice , very pleasant , warm friendly responsibly priced

Very good food - and lovely friendy staff😊

Traditional menu, Fresh vegetables, good sized portions well cooked and adapted fajitas for a vegan. Delicious.

A great location for a beer overlooking the Wo odcote cricket green. Good beer and a welcoming atmosphere.

Great place and thanks for your hospitality

Excellent food, tasty, and lots of it. Group of 9 was not a problem and the food was hot and very very tasty. Not a lot was left, and the service was excellent!

Unless you're made of money, best avoided. £3 for one pint of soda and lime is sheer extortion! No wonder pubs are going out of business with this kind of rip off going on. Only given one star as no option to give none.

Lovely community pub with very decent good and a lovely local atmosphere.

Sorry but £3 for a soda and lime, how is this justifiable?

There is something about a steam fayre that provokes memories. Is it the smell of coal dust on the wind mixed with oily steam, the toot of a whistle, the overpriced warm beer, the industrial street food, or is it the homemade cream cakes, thin iced coffee and particularly the lack of a cash machine in a cash-based society. No-one of th Corps of yellow jackets knew where a local bank was, 'but there should be one in Reading!' 10 miles away. Why would I need a bank on a Sunday? But Lo there might be a cash machine, in the village Co-op, when it is open, but this is rural Oxfordshire, where people do not properly shop on the Sabbath, but might be worth a try as it sells newspapers! It is only a mile from the Steam Rally, and I needed money! After a hot walk past the village green, all neatly covered over with its wheeled sou'westers, I found a surprisingly modern corner co-op shop open, and fully trading after church and before dusk; in reality, all day. Within its air-conditioned cavern was a working, free cash machine, and the fridges also supplied a couple of ice cold drinks. On the way back to the steam rally sits the Red Lion pub, brooding over an unused cricket lawn, but with a sign, promoting a Sunday Roast Lunch, and Real Ale! Who could resist? The headboard says it is the pub at the heart of the village, but The Lion is maybe no longer at the heart of the village, that has drifted away with urban sprawl, but A village pub is still The heart of a village and has been so for some 175 years, and has resisted modernisation. Walking through the front door felt like a time vtrip to the fifty’s. The menu looked as if it had been written more than a few years ago and had similarly resisted update, but lack of change makes life easy for the kitchen staff. The low front door is only a step off the highway, into a dark haven sporting a large, unlit log fire and a long bar. Today I was only interested in a cool beer and Sunday Lunch, and not in the local farmers in yellow corduroys of various hues, propping up the bar, and pausing in their bucolic conversation as they give me the once-over. There is a small, somewhat sparse back room restaurant opening onto a sun terrace with a cooling breeze blowing through the French windows. Maybe a good place for a family meal out with modest expectations I ordered a cold beer at the sidebar, but was told all the beer is served at a proper Room Temperature, but did I want ice in it. I hesitated, but the Landlady came by and suggested I try the Lager, which was 'proper cold!'. I did and it was. -0C Sunday Lunch was still being served, but a pre-booked large party was expected and did I want lunch. I said yes, and was directed to a table in the back room and quickly a large serving of mixed roasted meats, Roast Potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and bubbling gravy arrived with a generous side dish of several mixed veggies. The meal was quite pleasant, but let down by the meat, machine sliced in precise 3mm slices from a butchers roll, complete with bits of string. Tough, solid, and unappetising, but good gravy and crispy Yorkshire. A £17.00 bill for a meal that filled a hole, and lager that cooled me down, but the Red Lion is not on my list for a revisit.

Drinks over priced and food menu not changed for several years.

Very friendly atmosphere lovely food and a lovely setting. I'll be back again soon

Nice friendly local. Watch the red kites over the green as you eat lunch.

Food 🍲 is. Good the pice. Are very good

This place has gone down hill, freezing cold, publican, grumpy and wouldn't get us coffee said we were to late at 2.10, kitchen closes at 2. Wouldn't recommend going here.

Great traditional British public Reputation for excellent food

Very good Sunday lunch choice of beef or pork with all the trimming at a very good price seperate dining area ,can recommend to take all the family there ,across road cricket ground and playground short walk across recreation field .

Great food, good value, good staff! Good British Pub.

Some friends and I popped in for a drink. Located in the heart of Woodcote opposite the playing field it seemed very much a locals pub and good atmosphere. A Greene King pub.

Always friendly. Great atmosphere.

We called in at the Red Lion for a bite when we were visiting friends in the area. We were really pleased with our choices. The portions were good and the food was well cooked with plenty of flavour. Staff were friendly and helpful.

Went to have lunch there, 12 of us, but were told that there were too many of us to serve, despite us saying that we'd only do a small number of options (e.g. Everyone having a baguette chose the bacon and brie option). A ridiculous approach to doing business, especially on a Friday lunchtime. Took our business elsewhere.

what a gem friendly country pub great food. owners great and welcoming loads of parking choice of beers live entertainment occasionally

For Sunday lunch It was a choice of roast pork or roast beef. I opted for the pork and my friend had the beef, the portions were large and there seven different vegetables! The only thing that I felt could have been better was the crackling with my pork, some of it was a bit chewy but that was not enough for me to dock any stars, as it was a minor point. The service was also excellent. I have lived in the village for many years and although this pub is my local this is the first Sunday lunch I have had there. I will definitely do it again. It is great value for money.

After a day of walking my partner and I decided to pop in for a drink and a bite to eat. We thought the menu had a great variety of choices and decided to go for the special which was steak and kidney pudding and chips with vegetables. We also ordered breaded brie that was supposed to come with toast as per on the menu. When the meals came we immediately looked at each other in amusement. We have never seen such anemic looking chips (we are pretty sure they were yesterdays)and the gravy is just beef stock from a paste . The few vegetables we shared were actually not that bad but everything else was a joke. Not only was the "gravy" so runny it wouldn't stick on a chip, when we ordered more "gravy" a different flavoured stock appeared to what we had before with no improvement.(we also got charged for this extra "gravy") The steak and kidney pudding was somehow both undercooked and overcooked perhaps due to the level of microwaving it had received. The contents of the pudding wasn't completely terrible but you could tell it wasn't cooked there!. My partner have to soak it so thoroughly in the stock to be able to cut it through though I gave up on mine. When the breaded brie arrived it came without the toast as advertised on the menu. When I asked for the toast that is supposed to accompany the brie I was met with quizzical look from the bar lady who then had to read the menu to make sure I wasn't making it up. We then waited almost 10 minutes for half a baguette in which time the Brie had cooled down . If that wasn't bad enough it actually tasted so terrible and we think it has gone off so we didn't eat it to be on the safe side. After the meal I complained that all of the food was very terrible only to get an apology from the barmaid and nothing else was done. £31 for a lunch for two that was anemic, runny, overly microwaved and overall tasteless is quite upsetting, we wish we had gone to the fish and chips plaice a few doors down. I'll definately never eat there again and would recommend the Plaice for a nice Fish lunch instead! Nice strongbow though.....

Good to have some different choices such as Faggots and Liver and Bacon, which are not so fashionable.

Am letzten Sonntag wollte ich im Red Lion ein Sunday Roast essen, wie ich das jedes Jahr ein Mal tue, wenn ich in der Gegend bin. Ich wartete eine halbe Stunde vor dem Pub, bis er um 12:00 Uhr öffnete. Der junge Mann hinter der Theke sah mich an und sagte, sie seien leider komplett ausgebucht. Es war aber niemand im Lokal. Er sagte, gleich würden ganz viele Leute kommen und alle essen. Ich könnte leider nichts essen, da alle Tische reserviert seien. Ich ging dann in ein australisches Lokal nebenan zum Essen (exzellenter Service und tolles Essen). Als ich um 12:30 Uhr wieder am Red Lion vorbeiging, sah ich, dass dort nur drei Leute drin waren... Offensichtlich wollte man mich dort nicht bedienen. Das war jedenfalls das letzte Mal, dass ich dort hingegangen bin. So kann man Kunden verlieren. Schade eigentlich, das Essen ist nämlich gut...

Mi esposa, sus padres y yo parado en Woodcote y decidimos almorzar aquí. Hay un aparcamiento en la parte trasera del pub. El León domina el cricket Ref verde. El personal y la gente era muy amable y había un agradable ambiente de pueblo. Animales aparentemente bienvenida como había un Loro Africano gris y un perro presente cuando llegamos! Hay una opción bastante buena, en el menú y también hay una tabla de ofertas especiales. La cerveza era agradable y la comida era deliciosa, especialmente el chocolate caliente tarta fudge! Nos lo pasamos muy bien y creo que fue una buena relación calidad precio y se puede recomendar el lugar :)

Went with my partner last night. As always a friendly greeting and always efficient service. We have eaten here on a regular basis over the last few years when visiting my father. The food is consistently good. With Sunday roasts being a particular high light. Last night was no exception really enjoyable and well priced

I booked a lunch table for four on the phone. A welcome, cheery voice, I just knew it would be good! The pub is set on the edge of the village cricket green. It's a real local in the true sense of the word. Nothing pretentious but a comprehensive menu of lunch bites, standard fare and specials all at realistic prices. We all chose something different and the food came quickly and all at the same time. We all cleared our plates! Having visited 2 other local pubs for lunch in the previous week where the menus were ambitious, the food and service poor and the prices extortionate The Red Lion is very refreshing. Plain and simple with a warm welcome and at a price that does not break the bank! Well done!

We heard about this place because of a wine we like in Australia called Woody Nook. The Red Lion is listed as the UK stockist so we wanted to buy a bottle or two and thought we could also try the food so we booked in for 4 of us for the Saturday evening. Our table was right next to the open fire, very welcome on a cold wet blustery evening, the welcome too was warm. We were offered pre dinner drinks. I asked of course for the wine list to check out what wines you could buy and take away. The menu had two options set menu and a la carte but you could mix them up so most of us did by choosing options from both. The starters were excellent,mine was whipped goats cheese with baby beets, stunning combination. My husband had the crab Tian also nice but the chilli slightly overpowered the delicate crab, the bread we had with it was also excellent, a crusty French stick. One of our friends chose the red mullet and reported that too very good. My mains were also very good, I had opted for the sea bass, my husband had the rib eye which he enjoyed but thought it a little bland. The wine we chose with dinner was the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ( Woody Nook) such a great wine at the price. So I opted to share a cheese plate with one of the others, with a glass of the Nooky Delight a very nice fortified wine from the same vineyard. The other two had the crime brûlée and said it was the highlight for them. We took away 4 bottles, which we had gone for, 3 to lay down and a fortified to share with cheese. We were pleasantly surprised by the bill too, value for money. We would most definitely go back.

I have friends in Woodcote and because it is their local we have stopped at The Red Lion three or four times. The last stop however was exactly that. The meals and the coarse attitude of the staff were even worse than those previously, we've called it quits. The Red Lion staff and owners should take this review as a very honest assessment. I love pubs, the unique character they offer, and definitely embrace the comfortable informality and homemade small kitchen food on offer. The Red Lion unfortunately offers none of these. The owners are no longer trying, they are merely treading water and offering those who walk through the door a tired, dated, and poorly managed product. The food....I won't waste many words, but will say of the four plates received this last time around, half the food was cold, there was a hair and a small piece of a wrapper in the Ploughman's, and two glasses still had lipstick on them - this with only a dozen people in for lunch. I'm not actually sure how the brewery continues to support this establishment - that said the ales and bitters are the only thing they seem to keep flowing, which may be the only reason it's still open, dirty pint glasses or not. The locals are obviously accepting the situation, but in my opinion what it needs is a pair of young landlords with a bit of passion for the market to make this The Red Lion roar again.

Whilst the décor is not the finest, it isnt straight out of the 'fake authentic tat' catalogue that so many pubs seems to decorate from either! What counts is the food, the staff and the clientèle, all of which are good. In particular, the food is always tasty, generous, nicely cooked and reasonably priced. I've eaten here for family Sunday roast,Tuesday lunchtime Chilli and many more in between. It is consistently good.

I know I've been taught "if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all" but in the case of The Red Lion in the Oxfordshire village of Woodcote I guess I do have something niceto say; it would be "nice" if the owners and breweries were to take some of the money they've made from the local over the years and beginning with the manners of the Staff, to the food coming from the kitchen, and the interior - give the Lion a grooming. There is a balance to tweaking a pub to hold to some of it's ambience, but in Woodcote it is the patrons dealing out the only personality inside. The locals and potentially owners will now post loyal comments, but lets be honest - The Red Lion is in a perfect location overlooking a beautiful green, unfortunately it doesn't even come close to living up to the view.

Best place in the village for a pint and a baguette. Good choice on the menu. Great place to sit and watch the cricket on a Saturday afternoon as the Rec is just across the road.

Daughter and family are moving to Woodcote shortly so thought we would check out the local. A nice warm welcome from landlord/barman. Food was excellent and very reasonably priced. Would highly recommend!

On a quiet bank holiday afternoon the only place open seemed to be the Red Lion, a welcoming country pub. It was between meal times so there was no food or coffee on offer but people were having drinks, smoking outside and chatting. The landlord was very pleasant and there was a local paper to read. It had a friendly atmosphere. There were one or two local papers to read. Low ceilings and the beams had fairy lights along them which might look nice in the evening.

The Sunday vegetarian nut roast (homemade) is delicious and the accompanying veg is beautifully fresh and varied.My husband says the meat is delicious too. Good sized portions. It's just gone up to £9.50 and for another £2 you can add a dessert...bargain! Staff friendly and are always obliguing. We come here when we can, as the price is fair and the quality excellent. I can't comment on the weekday food but the Roast is a must. Oh and dogs allowed too (not in the Restaurant part but in the bar area where you can also eat). The restaurant is clean and smart and the bar area nice too. Overall recommended and worth driving too, especially as the parking is good.

I walked in and was about to order a meal / drink, and was about to use the toilet when I was stopped and, said "the toilet is for paying custermors only". Was so discussed I just left the pub straght away

I have eaten at this pub many times in the past as I have a family member in Woodcote, and always been very impressed. Ok the food isn't always excellent quality, but it's not expensive either, particularly in this part of England, The last time I ate here was the night prior to writing this review, and both myself and the other party were disappointed. The other party's chips were bland and somewhat undercooked (although the fish was relatively okay) and my cottage pie as definitely a triumph of style over substance; meat was there, but only having dived a considerable distance into it under a massive coating of fluffy potato. The 'garlic' bread wasn't actually garlic (although this wasn't necessarily a bad thing) and the salad... well it's pretty hard to muck that up really,We didn't bother with desserts and had a mince pie each once back home, two out of a 79p six pack from Aldi, which we joked would have probably not been much better at the pub and for 10 times the price! I may give the Red Lion another go, but would be prepared to drive a short way to search other eateries in the area from now on when in Woodcote, or just eat at home. Woodcote is a little thin on eateries, but the new chippy barely 3 minutes' walk away may reverse this somewhat (see separate review)

I've not eaten at The Red Lion for a very long time so we thought we would pop in for a quick meal. Menu was fantastic, tastes great. Would recommend.

Having read mixed reviews I decided to write my own about our 'local'.We visit regularly with family and friends (and our dog), the landlords are always welcoming and you'll see the same regulars propping up the bar. One chap even brings his talking parrot with him which isnt something you see everyday!Whilst admittedly the decor is tired, the food here is exactly what you would want from a no frills pub, and priced accordingly. Nothing frustrates me more than all the fancy decorated 'gastro pubs' in the area that charge £14 for a burger, which simply isnt justified in what they serve. The menu here is quite varied for such a small set up, and having tried most of the menu I can honestly say overall its great and sensibly priced. I highly recommend the fish and chips which is better than most take away chip shops and is only £6.50 on Thursdays!TIP: If going in the evening you're best to book a table as they like to spread out the orders when busy.So to some up, this is a great little pub for a drink or no frills food and would recommend it any day of the week.

went to this pub a few times recently but last night decided to eat there for the first time. The food wasn't even close to the standard of the other pubs in the area. I found myself eating the food out of politeness rather than hunger or taste. We are spoilt in this area for gastro-style pubs and while this pub doesn't profess to be that I did feel a little disappointed at the quality of some of the simple factors like undercooked potatoes and veg.

We saw this pub in Woodcote and decided on the spur of the moment to stop there for lunch. We were very pleasantly surprised, the food was very tasty and we will return. I can definitely recommend it to anyone for lunch in a restful and pleasant atmosphere.

We enjoyed our visit to this friendly pub with really good food, and generous portions. Typical older style English pub overlooking the village green, where cricket matches are staged regularly. Only 30 minutes on the bus route from Reading (X40 Thames Travel), means that you do not have to drink and drive!

Had roast Sunday lunch,large portions,with 5veg,very good value for money, would have know problem going again, we'll worth a visit

The Red Lion delivers great value on food, an excellent menu and good quality pub grub. If you want to pay £15.00 for posh pub grub, go somewhere else. If you want good value food and good service the Red Lion is for you.

Brilliant selection of food on the menu but unfortunately the end product was awful. Ingredients by no means fresh, my mushrooms had turned some days ago. Chips were fried in old, over used oil as this was reflected in the taste. VERY expensive for the food presented. Unwelcoming staff and no atmosphere as we were the only people there - I can now see why.

We visited The Red Lion today for Sunday lunch. The service was friendly and efficient and the food itself was excellent and plentiful. We would definitely go again on a Sunday and will probably try the fish and chips on a Thursday.

The food at the Red Lion is great. They cook veg nicely and the portions are generous. Sunday roast has lots of different veg with it as well. We've eaten here many times over the last few months and will be back.

serivce is good, and food is average for what you pay, its the whole decor that lets it down. Inside and out bit tired looking, broken furniture outside garden could do so much more business.

The Red Lion is a nice pub with great food. The decor is average, but the roast on a Sunday, and Fish n Chips Thursday are just excellent!

We liked this pub - nice food and welcoming staff. Quick service and a good diet coke and a lovely cup of coffee

I've been going to the Red Lion for about 2 years now for their Sunday Roasts. Its a great meal every time, as you get a good quality roast, and 8 (yes Eight) different types of veg, all nicely done. It always reasonable value, and I've never left hungry!