The Red Lion Bishopgate in Norwich

Excellent service and food with friendly staff

Went in for a Sunday roast and was very disappointed. Had the pork belly, no crackling very chewy meat as if not cooked properly. Took my housemates in for their first roasts ever because I am a big time fan of English roasts. But mate how disappointing was that, my partner went for all meats which was £25 quantity was so less. RLB is good for drinks but second thoughts for food again nah.

Stood at the bar whilst the bar staff ignored me and served people who were clearly new comers to the queue. Very poor customer service. If I could give a nought, I would.

Absolutely loved having lunch here. Lovely food, great service. Will definitely return!!

Lions den next door light snacks and coffee bar river swim and sauna afterwards. Red lion Great food and service, lovely staff and clean!

Newly refurbished and with the addition of the lion's den is definitely a good stop while walking by the river or on a dig walk as they're very dog friendly.

Really good pub in a quiet part of the city via a nice walk along the river. Food was tasty and portions were generous. Service was friendly and professional, and prices reasonable. Thanks

I ordered the burger with pork loaded chips and was delighted with a generous portion of pork over some well cooked, crispy+fluffy chips. My friend who ordered the fish and chips was equally impressed at the crunch on the batter. Burger meat was simple and delicious, the meal was pricey, but it's worth it if you've got the cash!

A beautiful spot for very good pub food next to the river. Spotlessly clean with very friendly staff.

Sat here now. Feels right to do this review. Lovely place. Spotless clean, even the fake plants in the toilet and Brass the front door Spotless! Bar staff very friendly and welcoming. Locals friendly and chatty. Food average prices and very nice. If we are in Norwich again we not hesitate to visit again. Thank you for a very nice meal. Did not feel out of place at all, as you sometimes do in pubs that maybe classed as locals.

I went to a wake here. The food was chosen by the family. Beautiful fresh seafood, cheeses, cold meats etc. Well presented. Comfortable surroundings, cosy.

Nice cosy little pub, with a good selection of beers.

Didn't have food but ale was very good

Went here for a steak with my partner, we both thoroughly enjoyed our steaks and they were cooked perfectly too. No room for desert, the portions were great and so was the service

We all had a great time. Friendly and very efficient staff. Thank you.

Had our Christmas do here this weekend with 20+ members of staff. Every person thoroughly enjoyed their meals, staff were great and food came out seamlessly. They were very flexible with changes to the booking as well. Thank you!

Argyle on tour!! The 3rd pub on my pre football match yomp has led me to this pub. Unlike the other 2, this one is more of an eating house than a pub. And, it was busy, packed with Norwich supporters eating huge meals ! They must be rich in Norwich. There certainly was some grub being consumed ! Nicely positioned on the river and next to a cute foot bridge it looked enchanting from outside and was very smart inside. Lots of real ales and the food coming out looked delicious....

Absolutely lovely staff, very friendly and welcoming. Felt so comfortable and not rushed at all. The food was incredible, I had the steak with the garlic and parsley butter, I asked if the chefs make their own butter and was nicely surprised that they do. Amazing food, my husband had the Haddock, chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce, the fish was cooked beautifully and the sauces were perfect. The sticky toffee pudding was mouthwatering and a perfect way to finish a dinner. I would highly recommend to anyone.

Proper cozy pub with great food, burger was excellent.

Had a lovely family meal here, the dogs were made very welcome ☺️ Lovely food and atmosphere and the staff were lovely, friendly and attentive. Would recommend 👍

Food amazing Staff attentive , super friendly and hard working Best Roast in Norwich Winter menu is stunning And to top it all off ... the new addition Lions Den , stunning outside den with firepits , cosy blankets , toasties , mulled wine , toasting marshmallows, what more could you ask for !! Take the dog for a walk by the river on Sunday and stop off here at our favourite place in Norwich What more could you ask for !!! Truly fabulous... X

Nice classic pub with a good range of great beers

I was going to say this was the best pub meal we've had in a long time, but on reflection it was the best meal we've had anywhere for a long time. Fantastic food, beer and service.

Nice Sunday lunch. Nice pleasant atmosphere.

I've only been here once but it's excellent.

Enjoyable quiz night; good food; strange attitude from staff member who served first round of drinks - possibly having an off day as looked miserable - threw wine into glass & poured much of it over the bar. Everyone else was cheerful & friendly.

Great pub in a lovely location. Enjoyed having a drink here with friends. Thoroughly recommended

Great location next to the river and awesome food for good prices. The brunch menu is very popular and it gets busy for this so its good idea to book a table if you can. parking nearby for the restraunt too.

Great service, friendly staff, great menu at reasonable prices. Beautiful setting. I've been coming here for a span of approximately 40 years. It's now the best it's been since I was a kid eating crisps and drinking coke at the bottom of the jetty!

Great place, atmosphere and food.

Busy pub ,indoor & outdoor tables.

Great position by the oldest bridge in Norwich (13th century) friendly helpful staff, dog friendly.

Love Wetherspoons, But this particular spoons have 0 signal so I couldn’t even order food. Wi-Fi was so poor, a lot of people and myself decided to walk out. Went into another seating area incase it was a bad area but again couldn’t find signal on either of our phones. This isn’t the first time.

For a Saturday night, good chill pub with good service

Would of been 5 stars but they don’t sell pork scratchings

We only had drinks here. A nice find along the river bank. Good outdoor seating areas beside it or walk through the pub to the back over looking the river.

The food was poor, everything came out of a freezer bag. The Caesar salad, the chicken burger and the children’s menu chicken and chips all used the same dry overcooked coated chicken pieces. Almost inedible! Children’s menu fish fingers were fish pieces in batter, dry and as anyone with a young family realises you have to deliver what was ordered. Loaded fries were soggy covered in ready made sauces. I can’t believe the reviews they get are so complimentary I will never eat here again and I suggest you don’t either. The only reason I paid was had young children with us and didn’t want the upset. Staff were nice drinks were good

Decided to go to this pub after looking on Google. Walked in, not very busy. 1st off, the young guy behind the bar asked 2 ladies but seemed to not acknowledge I was there who was 1st. So had to wait while he served someone else . When I got served a little while later, I had no apology from him after he became aware I had in fact, been 1st in line, Ordered drinks and asked if we could have the menu , to which he replied while ducking down to get a glass so i couldn't hear him . Told him I didn't hear what he'd said . He replied, " we don't do walk-ins ,it's too busy for the chef. " Again, no apology ,we promptly left . Not impressed and it looked like a lovely place . If you don't do 'walk-in', then please say so in your advertising. I came out of my way to come here . Ended up going to another nice pub on the river ,much busier and got to eat food ,still being a 'walk-in' !

Amazing view and location. Short walk along river from station.

I have been to this pub before as we live close by and usually I would say the service was good. Unfortunately, that was not what myself and a friend experienced today. We walked in and went to the bar to order drinks as we saw a few tables free outside as we passed. We noted there were a few reservations potentially for the runners, however, there were still plenty of tables available and seeing as we arrived just after 12, didn't think there would be an issue. As we were looking at the menu, one of the bar staff approached us to inform us they wouldn't be serving food until 2pm, “sorry to burst your bubble guys”, with no other explanation. We then had to sit and finish our drinks while we watched tables right next to us being asked their food orders. We came to the conclusion that the staff were prioritising the runners, which is fine, however, this should've been explained when we walked in and ordered drinks. The attitude of the bar staff member was rude and condescending. Very unprofessionally handled.

Most appallingly service we have ever experienced. Asked three times if we could order food at unreserved tables but eventually told we couldn’t order because we were a walk in. Came from Doncaster where we have never had such bad customer service

Great location, decent beer and food

Lovely setting on the river and instant table service.

Good food and pretty location overlooking river.

Nice place to stop off if kayaking along the river. Good mooring space. Arrived at 3:15pm and served drinks but told the kitchen was too busy to serve food due to football fans in the venue. I couldn’t see any, so we got two pints of lager and a packet of crisps and left still quite hungry. Would’ve spent £20+ on burgers and chips but not to worry.

We come past here most years and it can be difficult to get a seat, given the location. This year we got a seat in the conservatory and ordered the pasta special which was a choice between two pastas and a glass of merlot. It came to a tenner and the quality wasn't too bad at all. A full glass of wine, to boot! Alright, I suppose the local Italian restaurants would outshine their chef on this, perhaps (it's not guarenteed, I can tell you) but in terms of quality versus price, this lot win hands down. A very pleasant evening's dining, to be fair.

Fabulous location fabulous choice of beers fabulous food...

This pub never disappoints. Thanks again.

Really enjoyed the food and service in this excellent little pub. Lovely location right next to the river. Highly recommended

Friendly pub and beautiful location by the river. Didn't eat so can't comment on the food.

It is a lovely pub and a lovely location but despite having a table booked we were not allowed to order food as we had not pre-ordered, it just did not make sense as other people were going In and ordering food. It is a nice place by the river to have a drink though.

Wonderful views of the river that surrounds the beautiful city of Norwich, combined with simple and careful cuisine, music and the outdoor terrace are a plus point

Fantastic pub and dog friendly. Great staff excellent service. Fabulous location with great views. Excellent menu with some fantastic choices. Great selection of drinks.

Yeah it's good, need more staff on busy periods though, never have enough - every Friday in the summer

Had a great meal with friends here on a Saturday afternoon. The pub was busy and outside was pretty busy too. Luckily we had booked. The food was very good and service was fantastic. I had always seen this place and thought I would like to give it a try. If you haven’t, you should too.

Lovely pub, great setting. Very friendly helpful staff.

Went here with some mates during pride, ordered some drinks and the bar staff were great but the manager here is a nightmare she was so rude! and out of order for no reason what so ever as we were not even asking her a question, really bizarre as you think she would be happy that we were paying customers, she was very condescending we will not be going again

An early morning paddle on the river, parking and launching from the Red Lion followed by a well-earned delicious and great value brunch at the Red Lion - we sat in the sun, overlooking the water. An absolutely perfect start to the day and the free coffee that came with the brunch made it all the sweeter 👌 We'll be back!

I've been launching my paddleboard from here the past couple of weeks now, and stopped for food for the first time today. The chicken wings are very lovely and the service is quick and accommodating

Noah was brilliant, went above and beyond . First time there but won't be the last . He made the afternoon brilliant, couldn't help enough credit to the pud .

Nice place. Good food. Clean! Right by the river. Lot of people Moor there for a pint and a bite to eat! Nice. Tables bit small in conservatory as was 3of us. Could do with some bigger ones in there! Gets busy! Staff friendly. Toilets clean.

Fine building in lovely location. Five real ales (in very good condition). Excellent food. Friendly & efficient staff.

Lovely meal, very relaxing atmosphere. Would highly recommend

Absolutely fantastic as always. Still fantastic and brilliant staff

A really nice pub next to the River Wensum. Hadn't been for a long time - it's been done up really nicely.

The river is a bit dirty but the park is very beautiful and large for spending a day with the family

Oh dear ! Table of 20 in at lunch time today so wait was 50mins for food ! Really??? No words

First time visiting this particular pub in Norwich. Great choice of beers/lager, friendly staff and pleasant surroundings. I would definitely visit them again and would recommend others to visit as well.

Lovely location!! Will definitely try the rowing again! Only had a drink so can't comment on the food. Staff wasn't great though, maybe because we were a large group.

Lovely ambience. Friendly, attentive staff. I previously had two poor food visits -We agreed with the pub to go back and this time the food was fabulous. We obviously had a bad night the other times. Relieved it was on form third time around. Great atmosophere. had a great night. Range of ever-changing real ales.

Super location and a nice team of staff but extremely dissapointed in the food which is pricey and sadly not up to scratch as every dish was either overcooked or lukewarm. Second time we have eaten there and won't try again. Such a shame!

Stopped in for a quick one whilst waiting on meeting up with someone. Being a Wheelchair user I can get a bit anxious with old pubs. But staff were extremely helpful. Beer was well kept abd a lovely setting.

Great place with great food and great drinks. Service is great and there's plenty of free parking space. The location is also 5-star (as if from a movie setting). Highly recommended l.

Lovely pub by the river, always worth a visit! Good for casual pints or can make reserv if meeting up with friends. They do stop serving early on Sundays.

Lovely setting, waiting staff were nice and we will go back, for sure. However, marked down from perfect for the food. I am positive it can be nice and maybe due to it being so busy, that was why standards slipped but, no excuse. For the price, it should be better than Wetherspoons quality, which in itself is not great. However, in this instance, the food here wasn't worthy of the price tag. As I say, we will give it another go, giving them the benefit of the doubt.

Great to sit by the river with a pint and enjoy

Very slow service at the bar, but a lovely pub right on the river in central Norwich

Great pub with great atmosphere, and lovely outdoor section by the river. We had a few of the small plates and they were delicious, would recommend the tofu skewers!

This place is full of character and friendly staff

Now serving beer out of a plastic cup on a Saturday even when not going to the football. Don’t go there on Saturday.

Avoid. All alcohol served in a plastic cup on a Saturday.

Great food and good service. Lovely location next to the river.

We had a perfectly cooked Sunday lunch there today. Asked for the beef as rare as possible and that's what we got. The waitress was lovely too. Nice setting in the conservatory and can't wait to sit outside by the river soon

Incredible team of staff, incredible food, and amazing service. I'm going to make this place a regular visit, mainly so I can try everything on the menu. Great pre-match boozer too! Using plastic pint pots on match day is a good shout too, sped up service so much!

Great riverside pub with a good range of beers. Service was a little lacklustre hence the four stars.

The location is nice, right alongside the river. We sat outside and it was sunny but there was a pergola so it wasn't too bright - they had outdoor heaters as well so I imagine warmth wouldn't be too big an issue. Went for a Sunday roast and the food was nice enough - my friends potatoes were a bit hard (like they were microwaved) but we let a waitress know and she brought us out fresh potatoes. However, the service itself was shocking. We booked for Sunday lunch for my partner's birthday and when we arrived they were busy, but not heaving. They took us to our table (which was right by the doors leading into the pub) and informed us it would be table service as we had pre-booked - I confirmed with them if they would also be taking our drinks orders, to which they said yes. Then began our hour-long wait before a server even came to take our orders, at which point we had already gone up to the bar to order drinks, had to go get menus ourselves as they weren't anywhere outside, and the only reason they came over at all was because we asked them to come and take our orders for the second time. Needless to say, the service put a bit of a dampener on the whole situation but the manager (I assume) came out and refunded us our first round of drinks as an apology. All in all, could do with some customer service training really as all the wait staff looked like they'd rather be anywhere but there.

Pretty decent pub. Good selection of beers and a lovely location. But being made to queue in a line through the pub to the bar to order a pint is basically the end of civilisation.

This is a real summer pub. Great location on the river. Food is nice but nothing special

Lovely location and inside is lovely. Only 2 stars as the bar maid that served us was so bloody miserable!. It was a chore for her to do the drinks we ordered and huffed that she had to walk round the other side. Come on guys customer service is key

Another gem of a pub serving superb food, to be appreciated for its excellent quality!

Nicely updated, same great riverside location. Good selection of beers, food looked good, will eat next visit. Mens loos need attention.

Poor service. Looks like they have their favourites. I won't go back

Only had a pint outside. Nice location.

Stopped in for a coffee, decent little pub with a nice atmosphere and friendly staff. I bet it would be lovely in the summer, sitting on the patio overlooking the river.

Lovely friendly service Food good Enjoyed my meal

Love the scenery and food here Grilled chicken skewers are delicious The salmon is a bit salty but very delicious

Suggested from the Woolpack in town, walk along the river. What a great Norwich is.

Fantastic visit with friends on a Sunday. Superb roast dinner with all the trimmings. Friendly and efficient service. Good selection of beers. Was busy so recommended booking.

A nice roast dinner with family and friends with a lovely view of the river! Nice service and a lovely pub

Overcooked burgers were a shame, otherwise a lovely spot to sit by the river. The beef itself was flavoursome but these were "well-done" to the point of being dried out. Service was also quite abrupt.