The Red Lion at Brafield in South Northamptonshire

We had a business event in Northampton, but as I am local to the area (Olney) I wanted to bring the team to The Red Lion as my experience has always been great. I received great feedback from my colleagues. They said the food was lovely, staff were very helpful and they would definitely return if they were in the area.

Loved this gorgeous little place for a quick lunch! Such a lovely welcoming smile from Erin who looked after myself and Teddy ! Great atmosphere and food was definitely worth it

My wife and I visited while the kids were away. What a lovely pub and lovely food. We enjoyed every single thing we had. The service was also great. The parking is good too. Always a worry of mine with places I Havnt been before. For starters we shared the crispy duck pancakes and belly pork bites. Too die for. I had ribeye for main The meat was cooked perfectly and seasoned so well. Every bite was delicious. The chips were all amazing. We thought the presentation was nice too. Thanks red lion for a great meal. Will defo return and recommend you eating here. The menu has a great choice too.

My wife and I just fancied a nice lunch to celebrate my birthday. We hadn’t been to the Red Lion since before Covid but did recall having nice meals there. On a very wet Tuesday lunchtime, we were greeted with great courtesy (which seems rare these days). The pub and restaurant are very nicely decorated. We chose from the lunchtime menu. The food (steak frites and vegetarian tagliatelle) was delicious, nicely presented and piping hot. I don’t eat meat but there was plenty of choice for me on the main menu, including 3 fish dishes. The service was quick and polite. Very good value too. All in all a very nice lunchtime experience. We will become regulars I think

I came here for Mother’s Day with my mum and dad. The bao buns were nice and the calamari was pleasant (although a tad overcooked). The beef ragu was exceptional, as was the service by all of the front of house staff and I would have gladly given a tip, had that option not been done for me with a £10 built in service charge (we’re not America). But other than my minor gripe about compulsory service charges, an exceptional experience. Will be back soon.

Great food, great staff, an excellent anniversary meal. Our first visit but definitely not our last. Thank you for making our day special

Lovely setting in a traditional village pub, nice dining space, food was average, frustrating automatic service charge.

Not been here for a while and wanted to treat ourselves. Went for Saturday meal. Menu is vast and specials on offer too plus ciabattas if that’s all you want. Very quiet and we were seated in quiet area of restaurant as requested . Drinks order taken whilst we decided on meal choices. We had the terrine and koftas fit starter and burger and duo of pork for main. (The only time I will see a sausage roll on a meal plate!) both meals absolutely delicious. We even managed puddings too! Service was good and not intrusive. Look forward to coming again.

Great food, wonderful Sunday lunches.

Stayed at hotel while on business. Received a phone call to make sure I was not wanting food before chef left on first night. Great service! Both evening service down on the bar was great. Roof was clean just a shame the bed wobbles when someone walks past the room. But I appreciate it's a old building. Breakfast served both morning from 8-11. First morning went down at 8am to be told the chef is running late. As I had to leave at half 8 this ment the best I was getting was a bacon bun. 2nd morning came down again at 8 to be greeted by another guest at the bottom of the stairs wondering how to get out as the Bar was not open. Neither of us could get out of the night exit. Eventually with gentle persuasion the door opened. Anyway 2nd morning the front of house was late and could get access till 8.20. Suprise suprise bacon bun again. Apart from this was a good stay overall.

Lovely meal, wine selection and atmosphere Will be back

Lovely food and friendly, helpful staff.

Terrible experience for Christmas day dinner. Food was sub standard and we had paid £100 per head. We complained and Manager argued regardless and aggressively. Vulnerable person in the group and pensioner but not empathy shown. Would not recommend.

We met up with family for a Christmas meal on Boxing Day the service was very good and the food was lovely we all enjoyed our meals the waiter’s and waitresses were Very attentive making sure we had everything we needed.

Really disappointed with the service on Christmas Day. We have a family tradition of going to this pub for a drink. Arriving today at 12 we were told that we were unable to have a drink there as they were only serving those who had reserved Christmas dinner and If we had read the two signs by the entrance we would know this (there were no signs- we even checked again later on in the day). We said we had only came for a quick drink and would sit outside, for context there was no one outside either in the covered area or on the picnic tables. We were told no because they weren’t serving drinks. When we said this was a tradition the bartender walked away without replying. When we walked by later that day, there were people sitting outside just having drinks. Looks like we will be finding another pub to continue this tradition. The whole family was disappointed.

Staff on Christmas Day were excellent and lots of extras provided Really love atmosphere

Shocking service!!! As usual we went for our traditional Christmas day drink, as we have done for the past 10 years as we live right near the pub. Upon arrival we were told that we could not have drinks as you have to pre-book a table? we said we would be sitting outside, we were still refused drinks. I am shocked by this treatment!!! We are regulars to the red lion, no more we will drink here. We have supported this pub through thick and thin. As we live right near the pub and no longer welcome, please ensure you keep the noise down.

Lovely Christmas Dinner here with 2 friends. Couldn't fault a thing ❤️

Six of us ate here for our 'Office Christmas Do'. Table booking was easy via the website and staff friendly when I had a query. Emailed choices through ahead of the evening from the Festive Menu and all plates arrived as ordered. Everyone commented on how delicious the food was and simply couldn't fault it. We also had a lovely round table which makes dining in a bigger number a much more pleasant. Well done Red Lion!

Everybody had a lovely time abit of confusion with meals but overall a very pleasant night

I had the Mac & cheese bites, cauliflower bites, and the pumpkin & sage tortellini. All of them were very tasty, the bites were crunchy as they should be, and the tortellini had a lot of flavour, big portions as well. The staff were all very nice and attentive, would definitely come again.

Really painful wait to be served, they served us drinks within 5-10 minutes and then seemed to totally forget about us. Young waitresses hanging about looking at phones and chatting, nice friendly staff but seemed like they needed somebody to take charge of them. 25 minutes before we ordered. Then.... food came really quickly and was amazing. So 5 stars! Will return, but service needs streamlining.

Excellent service lovely food you have to book here as its very popular

Professional service but let down by the food

Not been here for few years and came with family to check it out again. Well it was a very successful visit. Efficiently organised pub with a great menu. The food was excellent with huge portions, lovely staff too. Will come again as it’s also close. My only complaint - no French mustard!

Had a amazing time the food was exceptional, service was excellent

Good atmosphere, decent service and lovely food. Some food was rather too salty, other portions quite small for the price but overall not bad.

The food was very good staff friendly and helpful overall a very enjoyable afternoon with my children and grandchildren 10 out of 10 from me.

Lovely pub, lovely staff, fantastic Sunday lunch - why go anywhere else. Excellent service. Pork loin was delicious and the cracking - I needed more it was the best every. Love our visits to this pub - Chris is a brilliant manager - be back real soon.

Very disappointed today after always having superb food and service. Service was slow at best and not busy. The usually delicious fish and chips was not good today, very greasy. Had to order desert at the bar after a long wait. Not sure we will be returning soon.

Great tapas. Recommend the pork belly, whitebait. Good pint of bitter. Lovely outside area with service. All in all a good spot.

Superb evening. Everyone should visit

We love visiting this pub especially if we can sit outside however on this occassion we thought we would struggle to get a table inside following the storm however after a little wait we managed to get a table inside. Both of us had the Sunday roast beef and it was cooked to perfection, the cauliflower cheese was the best we had ever had nothing about the Sunday lunch could be faulted. The pub was extremely busy inside following the storm as all the guests that were outside had to be found tables inside but the waiting staff carried on regardless and the lovely manager was stressed but buying him a drink he soon mellowed. Absolutely lovely pub and staff. PS your belly pork is absolutely delicious as well.

Great food well cooked and presented. Good friendly service. A little noisy for me.

Not easy to find a pub that serves food in the evening on a Sunday after the lunchtime rush is over. Although some of the food options had sold out by the time we dined at 7pm, the quality of the roast beef dinner was surprisingly good. The beef was still quite rare and the vegetables were tasty. The Yorkshire pudding was a little dry and the potatoes slightly hard but still edible. The New York cheesecake was excellent as was the non-alcoholic cocktail. We were encouraged to leave a little earlier than the two hour slot we had booked but the staff were very polite about it and we could see they had had a long day so didn't mind.

Unfortunately won't be returning which is a huge shame as it's a beautiful place and location. Went for lunch yesterday and some of us had sickness and diarrhea following the visit. There were around 10-15 flies buzzing around in a corner of the restaurant where we were sat. Told staff about this who didn't do anything anyway.

Pre booked with a party of 10 for parents wedding anniversary on a thursday for the meal saturday. Arrived with no trace of pre booking. When manager was called it was them who took the pre booking. No apologies and ran out of half the menu. Never will return. What a way to deter local customers

I have been to The Red Lion many times before and have always being extremely satisfied with the food, service and ambiance. However yesterday we were left feeling very disappointed and underwhelmed. We chose The Red Lion to celebrate mine and a friend's birthday. The main courses were very good and we have no complaints on that score. Our server Matthew was also exemplary. He was however taken off our table and was requested to work inside due to the storms and the amount of people who had moved into the bar. However the desserts which were brought out (Eton Mess) by another server were presented in small wine glasses. The server told us that due to 'breakage, theft and damage wine glasses were all they had to serve the puddings in and normally they would be served in a bigger bowl/glass'. When asked if this would be reflected on our bill the server said she would ask the Manager. When we asked to see the manager as this was not the only issue we had, he stayed in the bar and said he was too busy. This is not the service I expect from a professional and normally well run establishment. It was very disappointing and we shall not be recommending The Red Lion to friends and family. Matthew our original server was fantastic and this is no indictment on him. A disappointing experience for somewhere that is normally excellent.

Like this pub but they could sort out a playground for little ones. With such a large garden ot would be perfect to let kids to play. Other than that it's a nice pub. Food is good and staff is friendly

Very very over priced for very simple food. Nice for a drink in the sun but give food a miss!

Food was amazing and the service was brilliant

I come here every year to celebrate my birthday with family, we love the outside area so the kids can play in between courses. I have to say that today is the first time I can safety say I was truly disappointed with it. Having paid a deposit of £160 to hold our reservation and giving them our pre order a couple of days before hand, they still made mistakes. First of all we had our starters which was all good, then my daughter wanted more calamari so I ordered another 2, they came and it was lovely. Then they brought out 2 lamb ragus and I preordered 1, the server was a bit off with me when I said it was wrong, then my daughter (who’s birthday 12th birthday was yesterday) and my nephew got their chicken goujons which were over cooked and burnt at the ends and hard as a rock. I asked were the last two remaining mains dishes were as 2 guests hadn’t got theirs and they had forgot 2 roast beef roasts which those guests (my brother and my 14yr old nephew) had to 15 minutes for after we all had our mains. I mentioned that I wasn’t happy to our server and she came back and said she spoke to the chef apologised for missing she / roasts and said because I had ordered and extra 2 calamari it messed cooking if the mains up which was why the chicken goujons were over cooked. My fault clearly. On top of this they whacked on £30 service charge to our £330 bill which they took £15 off at our request. Next year I will be going so elsewhere for my birthday lunch and for any other future celebrations.

Served by Matt and Louise. Delicious food and great service We had a fabulous lunch.

My wife, son and I visited on a quiet Friday lunchtime, Service was polite and efficient. No complaints. The food did not disappoint. Once the courses had been ordered they arrived nice and hot and in a suitable amount of time. Highly recommend the scotch egg, calamari, half roast chicken and fish and chips. All in all and very nice dining experience.

Szef kuchni na złoty medal bardzo smaczne potrawy 😋bardzo ładnie serwowane .Cudowne miejsce przemiła obsługa i szybka.Dziekuje i polecam wszystkim

Lovely country pub, sunny garden, excellent food, and the manager and staff are excellent warm and welcoming! Thank you

Great English Pub with friendly staff. Unfortunately the Scotch Eggs and Pork Belly had sold out 🥲

Brilliant food great service but need cheese.board on menu

I LOVE this pub. Food is excellent, service was professional, and it was busy as in full. We went on a Tuesday. I'd say you have to book to avoid disappointment!

The blonde waitresses were deceptive in not telling us that a tip was already added to the bill. They didn't say a thing as we tried to calculate a tip to add to the bill. Very slow service and deceptive. Crossing this off my list

Had a meal last night with family the food was very good but the service was poor ! The young staff just seem to be chatting behind the bar ,we felt completely ignored didn’t get asked if we wanted a coffee had to ask for the bill twice ,I did ask to speak to the lady in charge and she did apologise . I have to say this isn’t the first time it’s happened did mention it to the manager the time before but obviously nothing has been done about it . Shame as it spoils a nice night out . That’s the reason I gave it 3 stars !

Great pub - lovely environment - great staff. Well done Chris

Had the best steak ever. Many thanks to you all, perfect service!!!

My son booked this for us and it was fantastic

Excellent food and service and the staff are very friendly, helpful and attentive and i would recommend this pub

Really nice meal out, reasonably priced and good friendly service. The scotch egg was the best I've ever had. Catered well for the child in our group too.

Was my first time visiting this wonderful pub. We were pleasantly surprised and how big the pub was plenty of room outside as well as covered area with a very large awning/gazebo area. There was only 3 our party and we had only gone for some drinks, but after sitting for a little while and studying the menu decided to order some food as well, I had a lovely burger and chips whilst they shared some pork belly bites everybody enjoyed the meal no issues at all and would certainly attend again.

Nice pub, have been several times before and never disappoints!

Covid practices in place and very busy. However, service was attentive and food served without undue delay. Portion control was as you would expect from a pub of this style with matching prices. Will return in the future. I have regularly returned here more as a drinker than Diner. Although I have had lunch here twice on both occasions my guests and I have been happy. The staff are all helpful and engaging. The food I have witnessed being served is well presented and good portion control. A consistent experience and worth a visit! A recent meal with the same two guests was not as satisfying; the main and dessert for one was below parr and the cold coffee served to his partner was the other. All 3 points were brought to the attention of the serving staff. The old adage of find out if it is the Chefs day off still rings true before ordering! After frequent visits it remains popular for drinkers and diners alike . Recently taken over by new management, price rises on beer like everywhere else to meet energy costs. Still a popular weekly visit for me. New management again who has taken a different slant on the entertainment offered which appears to be well received.

Great pub/restaurant. Food was excellent and service equally as good.

Great pub with an amazing garden which is complemented by the polite and attentive staff. We have eaten here many times over the past year and have never been disappointed with any of the food or service. The menu is varied and well priced. I’ve always found the beer to be well kept, no matter what I’ve had, and both me and my wife also enjoy the wines that they stock. Will return regularly and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend The Red Lion to anyone.

Lovely staff, Great food. Perfect.

Was part of a group of 11 for a surprise birthday party. The maggot and the lack of service has been described by another correspondent so I will stick to food. My Slow Braised Lamb shoulder Ragu in a Rich Tomato sauce was lamb mince in an insipid light sauce with a few bits of carrot. £18 really? Didn't make a fuss as didn't want to spoil the mood any more after the maggot episode. The Artisan bread came with a bowl of 90% vinegar - presumably the olive oil had run out. Although the evening was a good one overall it could have gone the other had the group been less good humoured.

It was a special birthday event so we had a table of 11 people. One of the main courses arrived with a maggot on the plate!! The waitress swiftly took it away and came back, apologised and said the chef thinks it might have been on the lettuce! The water we asked for arrived after asking the 3rd time and only 5 glasses banged on the end of the table for 11 people. When I complained about the lack of service I was told that it was because there was also another event (live music). Disgusting lack of service and we will definitely not be returning

As someone who is very fussy was very impressed with the roast dinner here . Was cooked to perfection presentation was lovely and service was great

Lovely well kept garden. Lots of parking. Pub is clearly very well looked after. Beer well kept and food tasty - had a lovely time and will be back.

Good food and friendly staff; excellent lunch

We came as a large family group to celebrate a birthday. We were a mixed group across the generations. We had two tables in a nice quiet area at the back of the pub. It was a lovely day, so most people were in the...

Mains and starters lovely,desert waps flavourless

Lovely place. One of the cleanest looking McManus Managed pubs. Neatly maintained. Staff busy chit chatting instead of serving customers. Local Ales like Phipps missing on the bar taps.

The food was really tasty, it was hot and well presented. The service was friendly and thete is a nice atmosphere, great for couples wanting a dinner out.

Had lunch here with family. A lovely pub with generous space outside so you can enjoy the sun. Food was great, particularly the pork bao buns and scotch eggs on the starter. We also had the burger, fish n chips and veggie aubergine for mains. The burger was ample, but possibly a little over done. The veggie dish was full of flavour. Staff were friendly and welcoming. The only small issue was the wait time. The pub was busy though and possibly short staffed. I would go back again

I attended this restaurant May 2023 in the hope of celebrating my anniversary with my husband and children, unfortunately this trip ruined my anniversary. A few weeks prior to attending, my husband and I had ordered a magnum champagne and was assured by the landlord...

Had pork stroganoff from the daily specials menu, it was delicious and superb value. Service was excellent, we were made very welcome. I used to come here 30 years ago, I need to come back more often.

Excellent meal, great quality, decent portions. Very helpful and friendly waiting staff. Will definitely book again.

The Pub itself was nice and the service staff was courteous and friendly. The meals were okay. The Brownie was to sweet (but quiet good for English dessert). The starter wasn't spiced very well. The burger tasted okay with fries that were too soft but...

Food was lovely. Nice surroundings, friendly staff. Very overpriced!

Lovely meal, great environment and service!

We did go for food on a regular basis. We went last night, the fish and chips were good the pork was so tough if could not be cut - even using a steak knife, so I left it. Waitress said I will tell the...

Nice Sunday lunch , good service , good food . My sirloin of beef was nicely cooked and came with a good selection of vegetables. Service attentive and friendly.

Nice enough food, not fantastic, service was a bit sub par in some elements and in others quite good, mixed experience, but overall good.

Great service and lovely food. Highly recommended.

Lovely food, welcoming atmosphere and staff were friendly as well.

I’ve been here a few times for a meal out with work and the food is always delicious and the staff are really friendly too!

Lovely setting and fabulous food. Staff were great. Chocolate brownie was amazing. I’ll definitely be back

Great dining and atmosphere, Staff very friendly and welcoming.

Just had a great family gathering to celebrate my son’s 21st. From the very first enquiry the service was excellent. H the area at the rear was kept completely for our use and fitted over people people in easily. There was no issue with decorating...

Lovely food reasonably priced in a vibrant atmosphere. Spent a leisurely Saturday evening here, and didn't feel rushed. Nice staff too

Nice atmosphere good food, shame I don't live anywhere near it now or I would return.

First time visit must say staff are really friendly welcoming and the hand battered fish chips was the best I have ever tasted partner had pie and was also impressed. Defiantly worth a visit.

We booked a few weeks ahead advising we were vegan. On the day, service was slow. The only vegan option was a burger in a bun served with coleslaw. No vegan buns were available so they gave us bread. It arrived without the coleslaw. When...

My Son and his girlfriend took us mum's for dinner for a mother's day treat. The food was great. I had the prawn linguine it was delicious. The service was good considering how full the restaurant was. I would recommend the red lion.

Went with friends for lunch,on the website iw was advertised that you could have 2 meals for 18.95,when we asked the waitress she told us that they haven't offered that for a while...still showing on website. Two of us had risotto that should have come...

Food was good and staff friendly, but I asked for a change to my choice and everybody on the table who should have had fries, ended up with what I had chosen. Seems like the chef/cook couldn't be bothered to get the fries out of the freezer. A little over priced for the portion sizes too, but I am old and not used to this gastro stuff.

Meal for four. Beef cheek doughnuts for starter £8.95 Deep fried nugget type things resembling nothing like beef cheeks or meat, just breadcrumbs. Pork belly main, absolutely delicious. Dessert was good along with the cider. Choose another starter as it wasn’t worth eating.

Lovely place, food yummy would recommend a visit

Visited today with a group of 14 for an anniversary dinner. Big thanks to Izzy and the team for all their help and for making sure we had everything we needed. Food and atmosphere was lovely, as always!

So disappointed. Went to celebrate a birthday. Service hot and miss. Food was nice but meat cold and overcooked. Lots of debris on floor and uncleared tables. No one came with bill so had to go yo bar and pay. No one at bar and...

Tasty but didn t like the service

We visited as a large family party of 17, ranging from 2-80+. We were seated in our own area, which was ideal for us but also thoughtful of other customers. Service was prompt and attentive and the team, especially Freya - but also the manager - couldn't have been more helpful with extra cutlery/sauces etc, as well as checking on drinks and whether there was anything they could do for us regularly during the service. Food was good, with sensible, but generous, portions.