The Red Lion in North Kesteven - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

We had a lovely overnight stay in this great location xx the food was excellent evening meal and delicious breakfast with fabulous service from all the friendly staff … we had a good. Nights sleep in comfy bed etc ….. no complaints at all and would definitely recommend it ….. thank you xx

Stopped here on the way back home after shopping in Lincoln. We hadn't booked a table, but there was plenty of room for us. A good range of draught beers available, along with usual spirits and soft drinks. A small menu, but does seemed home-cooked, so I'd rather have this than lots of microwave dinners. We had spinach & ricotta cannelloni & beef & mushroom tagliatelle- both were delicious and well cooked. We will definitely use again!

Unearthed this gem during a random stay in a discounted Holliday resort in rural Lincolnshire. I wasn’t expecting much as it’s not a specialised restaurant but they serve food as part of their Inn offering to guests. What a pleasant surprise! Calling it “home cooking” doesn’t do I justice but it’s traditional dishes made with a lot of love and exceeded expectations, all for a very reasonable price! I had the lasagne which is usually very disappointing even if ordered in Italian restaurants. I’d go as far as saying it’s the best lasagne I’ve had whilst eating out! Everyone on our group enjoyed their meals. Highly recommended!!

Great service, really lovely local people who make you feel very welcome and great to chat to. Good drinks and beautiful olde worldly pub with a lively atmosphere!

Stayed for the weekend in one of their rooms and had breakfast, dinner & Sunday lunch. What a great pub, John was lovely and nothing was too much trouble. The room was really good value, and all meals were home cooked and delicious. Lovely atmosphere and only 8 miles to visit Lincoln. We will be back.

Sunday carvery, advised to go early as only serve 30 settings so arrived on opening. Cold pub and when carvery opened for service the locals rushed in first without us being notified the food was being served. After 50mins queuing to eventually being offered knackered beef only as had run out of food with the excuse that four people must off eaten for free as all 30 plates and cutlery had gone. Scraps given was terrible and cold without any options. Wish we had just walked out earlier and not had bothered. More interested in looking after village regulars.

A great overnight stay in this tranquil village a short drive from Lincoln. and the Bomber Command Centre The accommodation is in a purpose built block in the rear car park. The room was clean and had tea/coffee etc. and was great for our needs. Unfortunately the pub currently only does food at the weekend but we were made fully aware of this prior to booking. They do food apparently at the weekend. However they do breakfasts, but because of the meal the previous evening we did not take full advantage of the 'Full English'. Sam and her husband, John, could not do enough for us and a recommendation for a local restaurant was excellent.

Now I’m not really a Fish & Chip muncher as they don’t always agree with my delicate constitution, however, OMFG, the F&C’s at the Red Lion Dunston every Friday absolutely knock the ball out of the park! Perfect non greasy tastetastic fish and perfect homemade chips 10/10 and a great pint to wash them down. If you like F&C’s then get your arses down here on a Friday!!

Friendly service, excellent carvary and dogs welcome. Really enjoyed our visit after a pleasant walk.

Stopped at Red Lion and despite the fact the restaurant was unfortunately closed for the evening still had a good night. Very friendly owners and wish them all the best.

Had a late booking, room clean but very sparse and not very comfortable, hard wooden floors no carpets or mats. Very good bathroom. Room on ground floor had no blinds or net curtains so had to have lights on and curtains closed whilst dressing. Breakfast had no choice of continental and cooked breakfast very good but no choice of eggs etc. Owner very friendly and helpful.

Our favourite back in 1977 was Scampi and Chips in a basket....me and my soon wife to be centre Billy my best man to be (R) and friend Pip (L)

My wife and I travelled to Lincoln from Sunderland on family business, so being in need of a room for one night and not really wanting to stay central at a travel lodge or the alike we were recommended the Red Lion. From 1st booking to arriving and being shown our room to leaving the following morning after a very good breakfast we really had no complaints. John the landlord was great company in the pub and couldn't do enough to make our stay as enjoyable as possible. The Red Lion itself is a traditional country pub with authentic charm nestled in a idyllic village I'm so glad we opted not to use the central budget B&Bs.

I went to The Vedanta Retreat at Branston House Hotel. I was not able to stay at the retreat hotel, joined it as a ‘commuter’. I booked the Red Lion with booking.com for 7 nights and was happy with my stay there. John, the manager, was extremely helpful As all my meals were served with my Retreat event, I did not use the pub & restaurant facilities. My accommodation was comfortable and clean. I would be happy to book again. Christina Kadir

The booking system for the FIVE rooms needs some serious upgrading - along with the attitude of the Manager!!! We were treated appallingly for THEIR staff ineptitude at booking rooms. How hard is it to operate a booking system for 5 rooms? .........and accept responsibility when they make a mistake !!!! We phoned The Red Lion on the off chance they had a room for the Saturday as we were coming for a wedding. A really lovely girl phoned us back, took our details and booked us into a room. Saturday we turned up at 12noon (as advised), paid and were shown (by the manager) to the room. All the FIVE rooms were also let out to guests at the same wedding. We left for the wedding. We came back about an hour later to get a drink and something from the room. The manager stormed over to our room demanding to know who booked us in etc. as the room had been booked by someone else. He made us feel extremely uncomfortable, saying that none of the staff had spoken to us and had denied all knowledge of our calls. We had to show him our phone log of the calls with the pub number to prove they had rung us!!!. Luckily, the other people were also guests at the wedding and were able to make other arrangements, so we sorted it out and we all carried on to the wedding reception. We came back in the evening and went to bed. The next morning we went to see about breakfast and were very rudely told that we didn't order breakfast the night before so there wasn't any. We had not been told we needed to!!!! Other guests were also being turned away with us, while others were eating. One set of guests said they had just happened to pop into the pub after the wedding to ask what time breakfast was, and was told they needed to book it . so they actually booked at 11pm! While we were there, trying to decide what to do (bearing in mind we were in a small village minimum 20 min drive from anywhere that sold food), we were very rudely (again) told we needed to be out of our rooms by 10am so they could be cleaned. Again, nothing was said about booking out time when we arrived. We went back to our room to pack. We then went to hand in our keys and the manager said, very sarcastically, that we were lucky they 'let us stay' seeing as we never booked!!! We were so shocked we just left without saying anything else.

We had planned to arrive at the Red Lion around 6pm and had booked a table for 7pm but we were running late and didnt arrive till 7pm we went straight into the pub to appologise and collect the room key's the owner was very friendly and helpful said that he had put our table booking back by half an hour as we hadn't yet arrived so not to worry. He then took us over to our rooms gave us a quick tour and left with a cheery see you when you're ready. The rooms were ideal B&B rooms for a few nights, Clean and tidy, Warm, Comfy bed, Good shower, Tea and coffee making facilities and a TV. After a quick settle in, we went over to the pub and were warmly greeted again, and taken to out table, drinks orders taken and served quickly while we browsed the food menu. Food order was taken as soon as we were ready and there was no undue waiting, the food was terrific, Hot, tasty and very good value for money, twice while we were eating we were asked if everything was alright. After the main course the dessert order was also taken quickly, and served the same way, everything was very nice and tasty.. The next morning we went over for breakfast, we walked in to the restaurant and the table that we had sat at the previous night had been layed out for us for breakfast, a glass of orange juice ready poured, Pots of tea and coffee on the table, an assortment of toasts, White, wholemeal, granary, a selection of jams and marmalade and butter, Soon after sitting down the full English was served, Sausage x2, Bacon x2, Egg, Mushrooms, Beans and fresh cooked tomatoe. again during our meal we were asked if everything was ok and if there was anything else that we wanted. perfect. As we handed our room keys back as we were leaving we were each thanked for our custom, wished a "safe journey" and "hope to see you again", over all a great experience, Thank you.

I can't comment on the food, but £2.40 for fizzy water and a splash of lime cordial seems pretty unjustifiable to me.

My husband and I stopped for lunch at The Red Lion today. This was our first visit and we were made to feel very welcome by the owners. Service was great and the haddock and chips was so fresh and tasty and was a very generous portion. We would thoroughly recommend a visit.

What a great pub and wonderful owners to have in our community. We have just had another fantastic takeaway from the Red Lion. We also dined in before lockdown and the food was perfect. John and Sam are always welcoming, even during this difficult period for them, where they are only able to offer takeaway.

Myself husband and daughter all ordered takeaway when visiting Dunston. We had two of the Beef burgers and a Cajun chicken burger. They were absolutely gorgeous and even though it was take away they were served beautifully in containers with sauces and napkins. We couldn’t have been treated any better if we were dining in.If you are in the area definitely give it a try.

John and Sam have transformed this pub into the social hub of Dunston village - despite current Covid restrictions we arrived to a welcoming and cosy, immaculately clean b&b lodge - quite separate from the pub and really quiet. Comfy bed, delicious home cooked dinner in the very popular restaurant - breakfast equally enjoyable. We enjoyed it so much we really wanted to go back this weekend! A proper weekend break. Thanks both.Stephanie and Stephen, Derbyshire

lovelly village pub ,homecooked food ,need i say more . we were very comfortable with the general covid safety that was in place ,in fact is was a nice evening so we sat outside to dine .,thanks again Sam and John

Really lovely home made food Great service and fantastic food, really reasonably priced too! Will be returning

second time of staying both visits were excellent breakfast was very good so was our evening meals, rooms were very clean and comfortable. John and Sam are excellent hosts.We will be back.The Hanleys Norfolk

1977 (photos) Was my last visit with my wife and RAF Nocton Hall colleagues as regulars to the Red Lion. Hasn't changed

We stopped here today on our way to Lincoln for an unexpected Sunday dinner. The carvery that we both had was excellent. The waiting staff were very pleasant. The pub had a nice atmosphere. The owner, John, was a very nice chap and was very attentive. We really enjoyed our meal and whole experience, and look forward to returning.

Stayed overnight on new years eve. Such a beautiful pub which is full of character. The owners Sam and John couldn't do enough for us making us feel more than welcome. John made a fabulous breakfast the following morning and Sam made a delicious dinner on new years day.The local people from the village of Dunston were very friendly and welcoming. I would very highly recommend staying for the night in one of there rooms which were very spacious and clean. John was a fantastic host always making you feel welcome and has a great sence of humour. Can't wait to return very shortly. Thank you both for a wonderful new year celebration.Shane and Rachel

After an eventful year we decided to go out for Christmas dinner with my 81 year old father. We struggled to find anywhere at two weeks notice but the Red Lion were able to fit us in. We arrived at 1245!for lunch at 1330. The pub was busy with lots of happy people and we were met by a pleasant young lady who showed us to our table. The table layout was minimalist no glass for water, condiments but a very nice table decoration . In the next 30 mins the 30 or so other guest arrived mainly elderly. Some of the other guest resorted to putting Coates and scarves on it was so cold. Over the 3 and a half hours we had our meal which was OK, apparently the parsnips were very nice but only one of us had one. It seemed that all the meals were plated individually and brought out one at a time 45 mins between courses and no one to order drinks from. I felt sorry for the two waitresses who had no help from the manager/owner? I appreciate that eating out at Christmas is expensive but the meal and experience was not even poor. I hope they don’t open at Christmas next year although greed is a good motivator.

Ordered two Sunday roast dinners. When served the meal had no roast potatoes or Yorkshire puddings. When pointed out to staff they said it was a new chef. When the meals were returned it now 2 small roast potatoes an one small yorkshire pudding on each.The meal was only luke warm and the portions very small. The waitress returned to ask if the meal was okay. I pointed out that we firstly got a meal with main items missing, it was not very hot and the portions were only suitable for children. She said she would pass our feedback on to the kitchen. No one made any attempt to resolve the situation. Wouldn't pay good money to eat here again.

We stay her for three nights. When we arrived, the new owner came over and told us that they had just brought the pub and this was their first day. He advised me that the previous owner told him that there was no bookings that he had cancelled them all, then went on holiday.The new owner made us very welcome, and said they would help us out. They made a room available, had it cleaned and then helped us sort out the problem with hotels.com.I have never meet such wonderful owners that would go out of their way to accommodate us.We were staying for Bed & Breakfast. The chef did not turn up and the owners made it themselves. It was the best breakfast I have very had.The next day, the owner made his famous curry that he cooks for family and friends, as the chef, still hadn't turned up and they would have to find another one. And like the breakfast it was out of this world.The pub is very relaxing, and the people from the village are lovely too. I would recommend this place to anyone, you will not find better people to look after you.We will be going again soon.

Stayed here for a couple of nights and had a comfortable stay. The pub can be a bit awkward to find as it's in a fairly quiet location. The staff were very welcoming and more than helpful. The selection of beers is ok but I have to be honest the food was poor. Only ate the once... well that's to say- half of it and left the rest. I could see by other people eating that their food was pap too. Beef pie was my chosen dish but the quality of the meat was awful with frozen chips and who wants raw celery mixed in with the salad! The rooms are very dated but clean infact they have just about stood the test of time since the 1980s or even 70s. I would have no problem with staying again but next time definitely eat elsewhere. No shops around that I know of, or other pubs and restaurants so think before you book.

Waiting staff lacking basic information regarding menu and serving etiquette. Food served from carvery counter, mediocre, meat very dried out under hot lights, food not hot enough. Stingy on meat portions. Wouldn’t return. With right management could be a much better venue.

Went here today for a family meal, the restaurant is lovely and has a homely feel about it. The lady serving (sorry we didn’t get your name) was very helpful even after we confused her lol. Was great the with children and made us feel welcome.

I have lived in this village for over 30 years and eaten here many times, but the food served this Sunday was the worst meal I have ever had while eating out anywhere. The beef (not much of it), Yorkshire, and roast potatoes were OK. But the vegetables were appalling, the carrots were chucked in with parsnips and did not look very appealing (I dont like parsnips and was not going to try picking out just carrots) the broccoli looked as if it had been put on to boil about two hours before it was a mush and looked disgusting, The cauliflower cheese and the mash was cold and congealed. I dont know how they expect to charge for such swill and get away with it.

This is my first visit for a number of years after a bad experience of dinner with some American friends. This was a Sunday Carvery which was way better and good value. This is a old world pub in an attractive Lincolnshire village. The decor is eclectic with low beams and plenty of carpet variety! The welcome from the staff was friendly as we hadn’t booked - but they found us a table in the pub dining room. There’s a bigger room but I think I preferred the room we were in. It’s a serve yourself Carvery (with no limit on the roasties hooray) and the selection of veg etc was fine. Everything well cooked and hot. Cost was about £38 for three including a round of drinks. Great value. All in all a good place for the Sunday roast.

lovely pub brought the family for a bit of grub and we were gladly presented with big portions nobody went hungry the specials was a brilliant choice I had salmon it was to die for my wife had bangers and mash and she was full and delighted we will defently be returning.

Visited for an evening meal with a friend. The food was dire. Mushrooms cooked in stale, old fat. Asked for medium rare steak that came out tough and inedible. All served with greasey onion rings.

very friendly staff, came with menus and drinks orders etc. however the food was all just fried and chips were cool compared to the rest of the meal, somethings were missing and not as advertised on the menu. Jamaican Jerk chicken was smothered in what I thought was just BBQ sauce, not spicy and not pleasant.

Place packed full in and out with folks having drinks; good atmosphere.

We decided on Sunday morning that we'd go to dinner rather than cook Sunday lunch. We arrived at red lion at 13.30 we had not booked so we enquired if there was a table to which the answer was yes, but the carvery finishes at 2pm ... we went in and whilst my family took their Sears I went to purchase the tickets for carvery and the drinks .

After a walk in a nearby village we chose the Red Lion for lunch. First impressions were promising, it was tidy, with a decent size car park in a village location. The interior was stone walled rooms with a traditional pub look. We were the only people inside so were surprised the drinks and the food took so long to arrive. Food was only average. Portion size was fine for lunch but the quality wasn't there.(too much fatty meat in the beef stew) It's a pity as this could be a great village asset.

We've been here a couple of times very recently. The time we ate, the food was good, generous portions although the steak was not cooked as requested. The second time we just went for a drink and it was dreadful - the coke was flat, there were no other people in the bar and no atmosphere at all. We left by 10 as it felt a bit awkward to be there! Would definitely go back for food though.

Having looked at the reviews here dated earlier, I can only assume that there has been a change of staff in the kitchen. The chicken & Chorizo stack was bland and lacking of ANY seasoning and swimming in oil with burnt chorizo, even the chicken had no taste, was over cooked and dry. The Paprika and cream sauce left a sour taste and the coleslaw was DEFINATELY not home made or if it was... was off (tasted of plastic).

Really disapointed says hubby wanted fish and chips. Problems with supplier and fish is full of bones. Much the same for me my lamb shank was cooked in mint, can’t stand it. Both had scampi and felt very let down we were in the area all week but didn’t go back.

This review is written rather late due to computer meltdown .

Have just been to The Red Lion tonight for a meal. We haven't been for ages so thought this would make a nice change. The seating has changed with more tables in the bar area. The menu is halved since we last visited although there was a Halloween special. I chose prawns as a starter and it should have been served with seeded bread....There was none! My husband ordered garlic mushrooms and his was a soup.

Went for a last minute meal, Friday night steak deal was great value for money. Beer was well kept and friendly service.

Came for Sunday lunch with the family. The decor inside is dated and everything is in need of a good clean. Looks and feels a bit grubby and tired. The food was edible but nothing special, quite disappointed as expected more. I can't understand why pubs insist on serving frozen chips. It's Lincolnshire. We are surround by fields full of potatoes. Take the time to use local produce and make hand cut chips. Frozen chips are horrible and instantly bring the dish down. I must admit we felt uncomfortable having children with us, we made to feel as though they weren't welcome. Probably won't be returning.

Just had 2 wonderful meals and a bottle of wine for £20. Fantastic quality & brilliant service. Looking forward to our next visit. G & Lois

Not been here for a few months for Sunday Lunch. Went last week and found place had been revamped. Good job done! Sunday Carvery was still as good as ever. Well cooked tender meats, good selection of vegetables and potatoes. Friendly chef. Pint of Black, Double Vodka and coke and two all you can eat Carvery's. £28.00. Excellent value and food. Try it !!!!

Good value if you stick to the lunch specials. Nice, local pub. Full bar. Food you'd expect from a pub, ranging from Sunday Carvery to burgers, soup to sandwiches, Fish and chips to steak.

Era la única pareja en el restaurante pero fue temprano. 2 comidas Burger y las patatas fritas y las hamburguesas estaban demasiado cocidos. La hamburguesa era casera pero tan seco. El personal era encantador y la cerveza era buena. Red House no era del gusto...

Como entras, te das cuenta de que has entraba en ese precioso pueblo antiguo que me encanta. Personal amable, eficiente y encantador. Muy servicial. Tuve un plato de pollo y supongo el producto era de procedencia local. Absolutamente lleno de sabor. Mi esposa tenía un...

Me alojé por una noche y comimos en el restaurante. El alojamiento está bien, pero muy de moda y la ducha no era más que un hilo. La comida era malísimo, tenía una hamburguesa que era como de goma y oían había sido recalentados. Enviarlo solo recibir otra hamburguesa recalentada que era ligeramente más comestible. El bake brócoli era como comida para bebés y parecía que salió de un tarro. Esperaba algo mejor en la mañana, pero el desayuno era decepcionante, champiñones fría también y huevos cocidas.

Really nice menu for lunch with lots of choice including game. Food well cooked and presented, very generous portions. My only negative comment is that with 4 eating areas, it may be a good idea to close off the dining room on quieter weekdays so that customers stand a better chance of being able to find a staff member to take orders in the first place!!!!

Having just got back from Sunday dinner at The Red Lion, Dunston I have to say it bought back great memories and the atmosphere and food was still great.We've used thus pub on any an occasion. Thus time we had their carvery service which was excellently cooked, generous and varied portions. You are always welcomed upon entry and the bar has a great selection of beers, some local.The prices are very reasonable too.Given the quaint village location, lovely old pub building, big portions and great prices The Red Lion is a place to visit for drinks and food and I'm sure will always be a popular eatery.

One night stay as in the area for a Wedding Reception. Cannot fault the service, so friendly and went out of their way completely-the landlady even ironed my boyfriends shirt for him as we had forgotten to before we left. We were asking about taxis and they offered to take us to the venue too.Breakfast was excellent, really fresh and tasty. Thank you!

Excellent carvery, good choices of roast meat and desserts. The pub also has a number of self catering accommodation. An ideal location for a peaceful rest and not far from the central Lincoln.

Went here for fathers day lunch on Sunday. Appears only to serve a carvery, but three of those two pints and a lemonade and lime came to just over £32. The problem is the small bar, the fact that we were sat in a table in the bar, not something I expected as we had booked. The carvery had four meats, although unlike some I have been to, we were not offered a selection, just one meat. Selection of veg, all fairly well cooked. I am just not certain as an overall package if I could recommend this establishment. The bar service was a bit chaotic, food OK, but good value. Maybe give it a go and make your mind up. I cannot see me rushing back here.

Well, I ordered the squash, beetroot, goats cheese burger, I had visions of a slice of each in a stack on the burger...but no it was a single veggie burger tasted of nothing....paid £9.99 , didn't eat it, didn't meet expectations, nothing more to be said,

We visited the red lion again and just want say that its a good as ever. Food great and plenty of it, the beer selection was also good. As I was going to write this review I read some of the other reviews and I'm shocked at the negative reports. Have been visiting this pub twice a month for more that 10 years never had a negative thing to say.KEEP IT UP. THANK YOU RED LION STAFF

Visited the Red Lion in Dunston Lincolnshire tonight, 19 the March and had one of the worst meals I have ever had!I have been here before and always had a good meal, so I decided to take my Mother for her 75th birthday. It started of bad as the table had not been laid properly with one place setting missing a fork, 2 salts and no pepper on the table, 4 of us had to share 1 menu, ( it was pre-booked as a table for 4!) the waitress didn't really know what she was doing and didn't know the menu she said it had changed recently!We ordered 3 starters, 2 arrived and 5 minutes! later the 3rd starter arrived. One of these was chicken goujons which was dried up chicken fried in dirty oil that you could taste and burnt! The other 2 were deep fried Brie which were cold and again dirty fat tasting!The mains arrived and 2 of these were dried up, one was braised beef rib with home made coleslaw and sweet potato fries, however the coleslaw was missing and the beef was dried up, the confit duck in plum sauce with broccoli and rice was also dried up with no sauce, both were just bland with no real taste from being overcooked. It seemed as though there was no chef and meals had been cooked earlier in the day and left to heat up in a microwave.Believe it or not we tried a sweet to see if the could redeem themselves, the jam rolypoly arrived and was like a rock and the jam was gone just a dried up trace of what might have been Jam.We were offered a complimentary drink due to the desert being inedible, so I asked them to knock the 2 coffees of the bill. To cap it all they said they could only knock one off. Really!!! One thing is for sure I will never return again!!

The last time I had lunch at The Red Lion was some years ago and sadly our lunch visit failed to meet the high standards of previous years. Little has changed inside except it now looks tired and dated. My Sea Bass, ginger and lime fish cakes tasted as if they had been reheated from the previous day. Likewise the sautéed potatoes which I left on the plate. The side salad was simply grated carrot, sliced lettuce, a few pieces of cucumber and a tomato. It Would have been improved by some dressing! My friend had a vegetarian goats cheese burger which was tasty but overall she scored the meal 5 out of 10. I scored mine at 3. Each dish came in at just under £10. Ignore the Red Lion advertising banner on the B1188 - there are better pubs, offering higher quality food a little further on either way you go! I would not recommend the Red Lion to anyone.

I visited here on Mothering Sunday and it was busy, service at the bar was slow but there was a lot of people waiting so as excepted. Ordered our carverys and went and joined the queue the poor lady who was carving was doing a great job didn't let a queue put her off, she was chatty and let me know what everything was she even left the carvery to help me do my mothers lunch, and she carried to our table! What a lovely place, the waiting staff were lovely too, we ordered pudding I had sticky toffee lovely and warm and tasted fantastic, can't wait to visit again hopeful for an evening meal, you have some great staff your doing a great job thank you for a wonderful meal.

My wife and I took my mother to the Red Lion on Saturday 5th for an early Mothers Day lunch. On entering we found a table in the dining area, which wasnt hard as very few people were eating. I noticed at once how cold it was and as I sat down I felt a cold draft blowing on my back so I moved to the opposite side of the table and sat next to my elderly mother, but was concered about her being cold. We ordered our food which was slow cooked feather steak with veg, my wife had lasagne and mother had a southern fried chicken dish with chips. The beef was nice but a very small portion, the three veg were terrible, I am used to having carrots cooked lightly but my veg were raw and tasted earthy, so I had to leave them to avoid indigestion. Mother left most of her meal, which is most unusual for her, and my wife failed to finish hers. My wife complained to the waitress about the raw veg and she did apologise. Very disappoinred, we shall never go again .

We have been regulars at this pub for many years but have finally got round to leaving a review for the first time.Today we had an excellent meal - fish, chips and mushy peas - all superbly cooked and very tasty. I had the usual lemon cheesecake afterwards and I have still not found a better one anywhere else! As usual, all the staff were exceedingly friendly and we were made to feel more than welcome and very relaxed.We come back to this pub time after time because the food is great, they come up with different superb ales and the very nice people there make us feel at home. We will continue to do so and we thank everyone there for providing such a great service.Kind regards.Mike & Vida.

Visited here the Saturday before Christmas, the pub was very busy. A lady sat us down and within few minutes came and took our order the food came not long after we both had chicken off the menu. The food was fantastic and the service was lovely nice to see the same chef as last time we visited, thank you for a wonderful evening.

We called in here after a trip to the Kinema. It wasn't very busy at all but was greated by the landlord who had not got a clue what was going on and had to wait for his waitress to see if they could accommodate us, we then were told to chose a table and left to chose our food ten minutes passed and nobody came over so I went to the bar to ask if we ordered there the landlord informed me the waitress would be right over, ten minutes later she came to take our order. Throughout the visit this one waitress was doing everything on her own, she was taking orders, serving the food, serving drinks behind the bar and sorting people's bills at the end...doing everything on her own whilst the landlord disappeared after the second time I spoke to him. Our food was shocking my fish was just a mass of greasy batter and the frozen chips undercooked and my partners curry was disgusting served with rice undercooked like bullets, we felt so sorry for the waitress trying to manage on her own we paid and left. Rest assured you have a good member off staff there but she needed help, it was too much for her alone, as for the food well its definitely had a well deserved slating from us to our friends. You need to make changes and quick, it is disgusting to serve food like that to paying customers.

Nice pub, well presented.Sunday carvery well presented plenty of choice. Food not hot, just warmVegetarian was a joke, carrot, cabbage topped with potatoes and cheese.Coffee wasn't hot either, Staff made it obvious they were ready to shut.Heard it had a bad reputation, but had changed management so happy to give a try. Sorry will need to do better

Fabulous welcoming warm friendly place with extremely good food. Fantastic quality. Decided to pay there and then for a Christmas meal booking in full..... if the Christmas meal is going to be anything as GOOD as our eve meal experience.... then yippee, roll on Christmas. Well pleased . Cannot find any faults.

My dad has recommended this place for years, and I went with him for the first time tonight.I had the most gorgeous rump steak, will definately be going again next time i am down

With the weekend falling between 2 family members Birthdays we decided to have a family meal at this local Pub/Restaurant. Booked for 7PM we turned up to find a quiet car park and a very quiet interior. The greeting was warm though and we asked where we were eating, were told the restaurant. We were left to find our own way to our table - situated in the corned of a low ceilinged room which had pale green flowered wallpaper combined with beams, pillars and woodwork all painted in a matching pale green matt paint. Orders for Starters and mains were taken promptly and it was not too long before the starters came out to the table. The portion size was not generous, and the overall reaction from all 6 of us was that they were average tasting at best. The main courses that followed were of a similar nature with average tasting medium sized portions being served. Then came dessert...... "Can we see the dessert menu please" one of our party asked - we don't have one the waitress replied, if you want tosee what we have for dessert then please go through to the Bar and look at the board there. Wow, what service! I went and got the board from the bar and took it back to the table for all to browse. Again the fayre that came out was average, well apart from the Rhubarb Crumble that I ordered - it was not even a crumble buried in the custard, but a small amount of fruit covered with a stodgy partially cooked dough layer hidden in the gloopy custard. It was rejected - with no apology coming from the kitchen or management, but left to the newly hired waitress to mumble her way to a Sorry.. The service was not sparkling, the atmosphere was not light and it really did not tick all the boxes for a double birthday celebration. Take time to look at other local eateries where you will find a better offering in nicer surroundings with better trained and more lively staff!

£7.95 for an absolutely awesome plate full, you name it they serve it. Friendly pub and unreal value. Can't wait to go back. Only thing I'd like to see is a bit more effort with beer garden. Tables were all about odd and grass was long. But ffs it was £7.95!!!!!!Amazing!

We were booked into a Holiday Park, 6 miles away down a single track road, we stupidly assumed the pub (White Horse) there would be open but no, it was closed and we were directed to this little GEM !!! Fabulous food, couldn't fault the food or service. Although I had the 'burger' it was a not like a burger I ever tasted. It was finely chopped duck breast in Hoysin sauce etc , loosely pressed into a burger shape and served in a brioche bun, absolutely delicious !!!! Fresh, home made crumble to follow !!!

My friend and myself decided to try this pub. On our arrival we were greeted by a friendly young lady and we ordered a drink and then sat down and decided what we were going to eat. There was a very good selection of snacks. We ordered our food and did not have to wait long for it to arrive. Very nicely presented and we both enjoyed our snacks. The place was not all that busy but this being a Wednesday and in the country not surprising. Would certainly go again.

we arranged a meal with family for 12 people and pre ordered food for a tuesday night. this was a quiet evening with only 1 other table eating so we had the whole room to ourselves. the staff were nice and the starters arrived promptly and tasted nice. the mains arrived and we soon realised all the mains were not right. the steaks were all over done and chewy. the chicken was dry as a bone and the fish cakes were frozen and tasted like they had never seen a fish. this was all unfortunate and left us all very unhappy. we decided to tell the staff as without telling them they cant improve. they got the landlord and his attitude was "a like it or lump it" approach and to tell us that we were wrong. this ruined our night and ruined our experience with the red lion.

The menu was the best I've seen in a long while. Especially the vegetarian options. Lovely food which was presented well. Food did take a while to arrive as it was busy. The staff were friendly and welcoming and made an effort to engage the kids in conversation. The atmosphere was relaxed and as a lincolnshire country pub should always be! We will be coming back!

Came for lunch a couple arrived and ordered after us got their food 15mins before we did no explanation as to why the food was late. When asked where i food was we were told the waitress was getting round to it. The chicken tasted like it had been sat out for a long time on a hot plate the order was wrong when we asked the waitress for gravy she stood at the bar for 10mins before getting it. Half the food was cold. Wouldnt recomend or visit again

4 of us visited for lunch & all had a good meal here.The lady serving was very polite & always happy to help. She even organised a lilttle tour of the bed & breakfast apartments for my mother & the missus.The portion size of both the mains & the desserts were generous. We left feeling very full indeed! The huge yorkshire pudding full of vegetables, roast meat, potatoes, & gravy is a bargain at just over a fiver.There is plenty of seating available with the option to sit outside if required, & you can also order take away fish & chips on the way out if you still feel peckish !!!

Popped in on a Saturday night the pub seemed very full, was surprised how good and how quick the service was, the lady who served us was polite and very attentive, i ordered a beef pie and my husband ordered ribs. The ribs fell of the bones and was delicious, my beef pie was to die for and the pastry was butterey and flakey, I have my pie with chips and veg all very nice. We both ordered desserts too I had the lemon cheesecake and my husband had sticky toffee pudding. We did have to wait about 15 minutes for the pudding but we didn't complain, we will be back soon hopefully.

I have noted the spread of reviews about this pub but, speak as you feel, we went as a family of seven for a nice long lunch in hot sunny weather. We had our meal outside and it was very nice. The service was good, the staff were friendly and the food was very good and of reasonable value. For us as a family, we enjoyed our experience and would go again without hesitation.

Visited recently. Nice place but the sirloin steaks were not good. My father in laws steak had a large lump of unedible gristle.My sirloin was just ok, not worth paying the extra for and a bit tough. I say it how it was! The kids enjoyed there food though.won't be visiting even though I live quite local.

Have been to the red lion on and off over the years now, was one of the places my husband and I had a date! however have not been for several years now, my husband had a hankering to go back , so off we went: The decor is out dated and frankly naff now, the menu has not changed ! It was never haute cuisine, always a good honest pub but it is in dire need of a revamp both on the decor and menu front. My food was overcooked but my husband had gammon and few complaints! Can't fault the staff but was a bit perturbed to being party to a new member of staff being inducted, if I was that new starter I might well have walked straight out the door! Given the setting this could be a really good pub, and it is not reaching its potential at all either in food or atmosphere, it's not bad but very very very average. Please someone get rid of the duck egg blue and pub red!Plus side is there is seating outside perfect for a sunny evening and lots of car parking space, and we have over the years always had very good serviceOne new fangled thing is the ability to use cards, last time we went it was cash only! such a shame because it could be so much better without even going down the gastro pub route. Could do better Red Lion!

We popped in here for a Wednesday evening Steak Night -Two steak meals and a bottle of wine for £19 - Bargain. The steak was done to our specification and came with chips,tomatoes, mushrooms and onion rings. Could not fault the staff who were exceptionally friendly and welcoming. We were staying at Branston Hall for a 2 night break and would sooner have eaten here than there! Would definitely return if in the area.

We visited this pub on the off chance really. A nice sunny evening, so a 30 minute walk from our village and back would be a nice treat. We arrived at the pub about 7 pm, noticed on the board outside, new chef, new menu. That will do we thought. We were the only two in the pub for meals , so we chose from the menu. I had a southern fried chicken stack, the wife a turkey & tarragon pie in creamy sauce. The meals arrived, well presented and hot. Well the rest went downhill from there. The chicken was over cooked in a deep fat fryer, and too dry to eat. The peas that came with the dish had been turned into bullets by the microwave, it was bad. The wife's meal again had been overdone in the deep fat fryer, the croquettes were black , as were the parsnips. Infact I ask the waitress what was the black vegetable. She looked at the menu board and said its a carrot or a parsnip. When she took the plates away I said that there were a lot of issues with this meal, she could see that both meals had hardly been touched. At this she said that she would inform the chef. When I went to pay my bill, it was for the full amount, no reduction. I asked waitress had she passed my comments on to the chef, she said No, he was busy. I said I feel that I should not have payed full price for the meal, she replied oh sorry. Would I go again NO.

It was great to visit a pub that still maintains its traditional values. Superb, hearty food and warm, friendly service.

Our daughter visited us from Tenby in Wales, so we thought we would bring her to a lovely cosy restaurant that we had been to many times before. Oh how wrong and disappointed we were. I had booked a table in the restaurant on a Saturday evening. Just to be taken into the bar area, no music! No 16 oz steak for my husband, not a very good selection on the menu, what has happened to you Red Lion, we have had some lovely meals in the past, need to have a re think of that awful menu, where is the Salmon, why did you not have the steak! Totally embarrassing! Have visited you at all times of the year with various family and friends, and never experienced these problems. What a shame it was so lovely!!!!!

Booked a birthday meal for 7 of us on a quiet Sunday evening and unfortunately the meal was a complete disaster,Having chosen our meals we were informed that there was no cottage pie after ordering it, no big problem we chose again. Our meals arrived fairly promptly but sadly this was the only good part of the meal. Salmon with new potatoes produced a dried up piece of salmon with potatoes definetly reheated from lunch. Next came the 2 vegetarian spinach and ricotta pasta dishes, after cutting into these we discovered that the cheese toping was in fact hiding a cottage pie !! Not ideal for vegetarians! Also this was the very dish they said they didn't have. After returning the 2 meat dishes to the kitchen the replacement meals came out, these were the correct meals but sadly still frozen in the middle!!! The apologetic waitress explained the chef was a temp and got the microwave timings wrong, shattering any ideas we had that the food was home cooked.The waitresses were lovely and tried their best offering us a third replacement meal but by this time the rest of our party had finished so we declined. So sad that a once good pub with home cooked food has become a microwave palace.

This is a lovely country pub with a selection of real ales in draft and a great menu. My only criticism is there were no veggie options on the specials board. It was pie night but all the pies were meat. lovely friendly staff and huge portions for a reasonable price. Unfortunately despite the dessert menu looking divine I could not manage one!!wifi would have been good as the mobile data signal is very intermittent.i would recommend the red lion for good pub grub!

the food was really nice fresh cooked to order we were seated straight away with no problem that we had not booked veg was fresh not frozen chips were hand made the place is really nice and cosy I loved it

Just been to the red lion for lunch with my family we really enjoyed it I had a 'ultimate' burger and it was fantastic, served on a board with a cone of chips it looked different and was very yummy! My only down fall was the poor chef and waitress was being moaned at by a customer, people can be very rude the poor girls didn't know what to do. I will defiantly will be returning hopefully there won't be any rude customers.

Decided to pop in here for old times sake as used to dine / drink here regularly 15 years ago. Gone is the nice beer garden and children's play area, replaced instead with a huge yet tatty looking marquee & some old tables with ancient umbrellas falling to bits! Not an appealing entrance! The bar which used to be great for locals to play pool in etc is gone, replaced by an oddment of old tables and funny seating to make another dining area, very sad & a great loss for the village I'd say. Now onto the food, as it was Sunday lunchtime our only option was the carvery, the presentation was shocking, I was invited to "help myself" after my meat had been put onto a stone cold plate and it all looked so overcooked and rotten I nearly just walked off. Instead I stood frozen for a second with a false smile trying to pretend I didn't know what to pick first! Not good! I should have said no thanks & asked for my money back, but I was starving and it was 2:30 so I stayed. Result, I've had better food in hospital with better cooked veg and more attractive presentation. Come on Red Lion! You used to be a charming old pub in a lovely village with a reputation for good food, but somehow the charm has gone! The village needs a good pub & it could be amazing, but for now we will stick to the Kings Head in Navenby.

Went for a 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration. There were 30+ people having the carvery. To say the service was slow is an understatement. Only one waitress was serving the desserts so the first table had finished their's before the last had even been served. The carvery was also nothing special. The meat was nice, but the vegetables were overcooked.

We only stopped here for a snack and a drink, both were fine but the young lady who served us neither managed a smile nor an apology when she went to answer the telephone in the middle of giving us our order, I don't think we will return.

Lovely Sunday Carvery for my Dads Birthday.Choice of 4 Roasts and fresh vegetables.Would recommend this restaurant for good home cooked food.

It was our son's girlfriends birthday and we chose the Red Lion because she is quite a fussy eater. We were not disappointed, we got a very warm welcome from the owner and the staff. Excellent attentive service. Great choice of food and generous portions. Overall a great night out. Highly recommended.

We have had dinner at the Red Lion at Dunston a few times. Friday evening they do an offer 2 steak dinners and a bottle of wine for 2 for 20 pounds. A good offer and good food. They also have an extensive menu and a specials board. Be prepared for a wait for your meal sometimes up to an hour once the order is placed, but a nice atmosphere and the waiting time soon races by. Drinks are a little bit on the expensive side but worth a visit to the pub for a special occasion such as a birthday.

my wife and myself had a lunch time meal on 07/03/2014 my wife ordered a stake pie with vegetables and chips , the meal was served , the meat was rock solid had as much fat as meat bone dry , the gravy we were given was so thick and black it had a job to fight its way out of the gravy bowl , chips were so dry you had a job to swallow it , I had burger and chips with bacon cheese and onion rings , the bacon had not been cooked as it was still red in texture and full of uncooked fat , burger had a taste of cooked blood ,onion rings were green when the batter came off , chips again were dry we were so disappointed with this meal we just got up and walked out .

We had booked a family Sunday lunch which included my elderly (86 years old) mother. The table was booked for 1.45pm but when we arrived the table was not ready. It was not occupied by other diners it just needed another table adding to it, also not occupied, to make the table large enough. As my mother is quite disabled, we made our way to the table to await it being made ready. By this time the whole party had arrived but we were stood waiting for the table. This was now half an hour after the booked time. The meal was nice enough, although the meat was running short. The bar staff and waitress had very poor attitude and made us feel like nuisances. Desserts were ordered and half of these were served, but we had to go and ask where the rest were. When they were served no apology was offered. On the whole a very bad experience.