The Red Lion Chalton in East Hampshire - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

I write this review regretfully, because I've visited this pub a lot over the last 15 years. Sadly it seems to have lost its way lately. Prices in all pubs are high these days, but the red lion seems to be exceptionally so. I can live with paying a high price if it's excellent, but the service is often lacking and the staff are unenthusiastic. For example, on our most recent visit, we ordered two Jamieson whiskys with ginger ale, a simple order. One would expect to be given a glass with the whisky, and a small can/bottle of ginger ale. Instead we were served whisky, in large glasses, which had then been filled the rest of the way with ginger beer (not ale, a very different thing!). For two disgusting drinks which we couldn't finish, £16. High prices are fine, but, that also sets an expectation for the level of service!

My second time visiting here. Lunch this time catching up with a friend. Lovely food, great service. Will definitely come again

We had a nice family birthday outing. Sat outside in the garden. The meal was tasty and well presented.

This was my first time visiting with my friends and grandson and honestly I couldn't fault the visit from ample parking stunning veiws plenty off tables polite staff great food the whole experience was defo one to encourage me to return . also to top it all of the Beer festival with hog roast and live music just finished the whole experience as a customer. A huge congratulations to Jake and his team keep up the amazing work .....

Delicious lunch in a fabulous pub. Food was excellent. Service friendly and prompt. Good value for money.

Really friendly and polite staff, lovely food, beautiful location. Would highly recommend.

Incredible service from Jake and the team. Food was brilliant and the hospitality second to none. Will be back again soon!

Lovely pub with friendly and efficient service. We had a Sunday roast, which was delicious. The pub itself has an oldy worldly feel inside and is situated within quiet and beautiful countryside.

This used to be a much nicer place to go. Food was great the staff were very welcoming, you felt that you were important to them. Now it's like you are just a punter. Food is no where near as good as it was and frankly is not worth the money. The "Shandy battered Haddock" was bland the Tartar sauce did not taste like Tartar sauce. The prawn cocktail was nice however. Sad times. 😔

The food was good for a pub, but if you need Gluten Free stay away, they say Gluten free but it's not.

Nice pub in a lovely location, however,,,,, drinks very expensive, and food mediocre and certainly not worth the prices. All food served on cold plates!!! I had steak and ale pie, I would serve a 10 year old a bigger portion. It had 3 pieces of meat in, and although tasty, did not arrive with the extra gravy I ordered. Mash was OK, but greens undercooked and probably 50% stalks. Partner had grilled sole which tasted heavily of pepper and looked anaemic, Hasselback potatoes were deep fried and like bullets, broccoli was cold. Dish returned to the kitchen as unacceptable (no charge). Waitresses trying hard and pleasant, but not at all attentive!!!!! Overall, really disappointing experience, and will not be going back!!

As it was a nice sunny late afternoon we had a last minute decision to make. Shall we have a Sunday afternoon beer with my better half. Yes! Been going to this pub for many years. Sat outside in the beer garden enjoying the nice sun and the pub wasn’t too busy so overall we had a nice experience. Just 2 gripes and I may be picky. But the Ale choices was poor. The only ale on offer was a London Pride. Outside tables were cluttered with empty glasses and plates etc. is it not too much to ask that when food servers deliver food that on the way back they take some glasses and or plates with them? Is that due to a lack of awareness by the servers or a lack of guidance by the management. So 4/5 mainly due to the nice weather and nice location

Had a roast ,i had pork, and my wife had beef .The beef was dreadful chewy and couldn't be cut unless you had a really sharp knife .won't be going back !

Sunday lunch for a party of approximately twenty people booked in advance was a confused affair. Staff didn’t understand how food orders were to be taken, either individually or as a group. Menu prices were different from those advertised resulting in further time wasting. One person was charged twice and no refund was presented. Telephone communication was impossible after the error was noticed. The South Coast Pork was reasonable but a giant overlooked Yorkshire pudding topped the tower of food. Why? There was no apple sauce, no stuffing and no crackling. The gravy was insipid, pale and tasteless. Much of the meal was left on the plate. Very unsatisfactory and despite the beautiful location on a Summers day will not recommend it. Overall chaotic and disappointing food.

Beautiful little place, the food as very very nice, tasty and good portions. The view from the deck is to die for!

Beautiful idyllic country pub in a wonderful location affording stunning views across the South Downs. Food, although expensive (it's a Fullers Pub) was good. Service was excellent and the atmosphere really good. Highly recommended for a visit any time.

Set in the South Downs near the famous windmill, this is a typical English country pub done well. We enjoyed a Sunday Lunch here ( note - tables have to be reserved in advance) with a selection of roast dinners available, with seating both inside and outdoors in the garden. I went with a South Downs roast pork, followed by a Toffee Pannacota, food was very good, busy place of a Sunday. The menu is very limited, so outside of a roast there isn't much choice otherwise, traditional burger, fish and chips or a pie. That aside this venue is well worth a visit.

One of the oldest pubs on the south side of English. Fascinating story behind this pub placed in the English countryside. Open for over 500 years as a stopover for those travelling between Portsmouth and London. It has a large car park which is great. Restaurant is seperate from the pub which is super. No mocktails on the menu but the bar staff mixed up a concuction on request. Food was OK. You go there more to sit in history. Food was just normal pub food. Some of the oil bits was very oily.

Went on BH Monday for lunch. For main course the Wife's main had no apple sauce as described, chips were undercooked for all three dishes. Desert, ordered then told "No Eton Mess available, would I like to order something else provided I didn't want vanilla ice cream with it as they'd run out. By 2200 that evening all three of us has stomach cramps and I won't describe what happened next. Will not be returning any time soon,

A whole walking group of 26 of us had an arranged lunch here yesterday. The list of choices for all had been given in a week previously. The food was over one hour late in coming out as it turned out that a management change meant we didn't exist. No staff came to inform us as just showed us to our seats. No water on the table despite glasses being there and cold room. When food came out it was tepid (plates were warmer), pastry rock hard, not much meat in the so called steak pie and jelly like gravy, Pie portions were small when priced at £18 each. Offered free hot drinks as compo for an abysmal showing by the pub. Overpriced menu anyway but they still got £700 in takings from us. DO NOT GO HERE!!!!!! Only gets one star as really wanted to award NO stars but not allowed to do that

I went to the red lion for a roast in a sunny Sunday we where sat in the restaurant by a lovely waitress who facilitated to all our needs are roasts came out in a timely and orderly manner the food was absolutely pucker steaming hot and tasty all in all I would highly advise you give them a visit outstanding experience !

We have been coming here for many years as its only two miles or so from home. Came today for lunch with my son, daughter and her chappie. Three of us had the lamb dish from the Specials board. It was absolutely lovely. Might even be the best lamb I have ever had. My daughter is a strict vegan and was also extremely happy with her choice. The service was nice and the village location is beautiful. I think its under new management with a new head chef too. Really enjoyable.....thankyou!

There Sunday gone Order roast belly pork which came with very dry pork I've eaten there before usually very good

Staff were very friendly and welcoming, the Sunday roast was absolutely amazing. Will definitely coming back very soon and will be recommending to family and friends

The staff was super welcoming and Ella was super entertaining also food was top tier will be coming again

Lovely little pub for Sunday lunch and more.

The food is not good. In our party of 10 most didn't like the food, especially for the price. I ordered the steak which was overdone and burned, plus the side salad had burned croutons. Not worth the money. The place is in a lovely location, however, with good outdoor seating. Ideal for mid-walk drinks.

Very good service and excellent quality.

Always such a beautiful place to visit, views are incredible and as we sat and watched the sun go down it makes you appreciate where we live even more. A regular visitor here, food always very good and friendly staff. Disappointed in the specials today as not a huge amount of choice but food from the menu was nonetheless fresh, hot and tasty.

I think that £17 for a few chips, small pie and a few cabbage leaves is a bit much. Lovely pub in a fab setting. Good service. Won't be back through because of high food prices

We love this pub resteraunt. It never lets us down. Fantastic food, good beer, great choice of Gins. Just marvelous.

The food and drink is v good. Service is excellent we walk from clanfield to the pub and are always made welcome. Summer plough mans to die for. views are sublime and walks in area are great. Still amazing 2024

First time visiting and we were not disappointed. Food was delicious, service good with friendly staff

Lovely pub, really great atmosphere, could do with just that little extra pop in the kitchen vegetables can be hard to get right a lot of vegetarian options, which is great for those veggies out there!! Wide range of gins and bubbly staff great afternoon with the family.

Great food, lovely ambiance and very helpful and attentive staff - thank you, we will be back. 2nd visit was very disappointing. Tasteless and undercooked food. Will not be back.

A warm welcome guaranteed for all 🤗 🍻 🔥

Sunday 24.03.24. One of 8 members for a Sunday lunch. Whole meal was a disaster inexperience waitresses and food poorly prepared . Only redeeming feature the staff were all friendly. However tippexed off from future visits

Wow, what a quaint, warm, cosy, historic little find! Driving through and looking for a traditional pub lunch, luckily we were drawn to this wonderful find after, after stopping in awe of its beautiful thatched roofing. From the gorgeous views of the Southdowns out the back in the spacious outside seating area, to the huge open fire, the pub in itself is a sight to see with so much history dating back to the church located opposite in the 12th century. Getting past the aesthetics, you are immediately welcomed with warmth, and if you are lucky greeted by the bar lady Tracy, who I believe has been with the pub for well over 10 years? She was so enthusiastic about educating and informing patrons of the history of the pub, its was almost a guided tour so to say, amazing! Standard selection of tap lagers etc as to be expected from a Fullers, but a nice selection none the less The food, again wow divine! Just what I was after proper pub food to a standard and quality, with no faff the menu is simple and vibrant. Opting for the monkfish that tasted so fresh and perfectly salty incredible. Maybe I was lucky and happened to just miss the rush but, no real complaints from me. Definitely coming back on one of those lovely sunny English pub garden kinda days!

Just back home after a wonderful meal for my dad's birthday. The food was delicious and home cooked but the icing on the cake was the historical tour of the building from our wonderful waitress, Tracey, for my history loving Dad. Quick friendly service and not rushed out of the door. We will be back!

Food was good, just service could have been better.

Just reopened under new management first day and food and staff all very good

Fairly unimaginative pub menu, fish and chips, burger, steak pie et cetera. Table for 1pm, it was 1:30pm by the time anyone took our order and 2 pm by the time we got the food. Pretty much ignored by the staff throughout our visit.

Went here with our dogs today and what a great pub, very dog friendly and food superb. Great service.

Love coming to this pub , such beautiful surroundings and great atmosphere . Please please do not get rid of your fish finger sandwiches!! They’re the best and a lot of customers including ourselves come just for it 👌 Tracey our server was a star ⭐️!

We arrived early but that wasn't a problem. The polite staff showed us through to the bar where we enjoyed a drink whilst our table was prepared. As it was Sunday, we had already decided to have a roast dinner, so it was just a case of deciding what meat to go for (there were vegetarian/vegan options). The meal was absolutely wonderful, as was the homemade desert. Will definitely be coming back and highly recommend to others.

Really great steak pie - and I'm fussy. The London Pride was very nice

We booked the Red Lion for our annual family gathering as it’s ideally located for us all to get to and is on the doorstep of Queen Elisabeth Country Park. Following a stretch of our legs, we turned up to a warm welcome and our party of 18 (plus two woofers) were given a private room where we could truly relax. We had a wonderful 3 hours to enjoy each others company in a cosy environment with excellent food and service. Thank you to everyone for making the start to our New Year so wonderful despite being short staffed. We’ll be back!

A good pub not far from the main road. The service was good as was the food and beer. It would of been a little more cozy if the fire had been on and one of the chairs was a little exposed to the through traffic from staff. If going again I would request a different table.

Food was lovely. Was quiet to start with, then a big family party arrived, and things got loud. Waiting staff were attentive and polite. Steak and chips were hot and tasty.

Went for a sunday roast, but they eventually told us they had sold out, were shown to our table we had to ask for menu to be told she had forgotten us, not that it was busy, weren't even offered a drink, when we were asked for our order we were told no roasts, the very limited me u left us no choice other than to get up and leave

Stayed in our motorhome, a quiet overnight, really friendly with great menu.

It was a chilly weekend when we popped along here. You'd be hoping to be greeted by some sort of warmth within the pub, after all there's a beautiful fireplace in the bar as you enter, although this area did not seem to be staffed well and I presume it's a little redundant as a first port of call. I know people also enter through the back way to get to the restaurant part, which seems confusing. So, unfortunately no warm greetings, in fact we waited ages for a member of staff who just happened to be walking through to the kitchen! Felt very cool throughout our meal seated on a table by a draughty door at the front of the pub. Really disappointed as had taken visitors there hoping for something nicer. Staff were good & food was acceptable.

Very good roast dinner. Party of 5.

The pie was superb as was the Goan madras

Fab location, service & delicious food 👍❣️ Went again & had to take stars off unfortunately. Although there is a beautiful fireplace as you enter the pub, no heat 🔥was evident today!. We sat in the front dining area & I was freezing! 🥶🥶 No fires working anywhere 😕. We were seated by a door which tbh I had to keep closing to keep draft off. Disappointed as had taken relatives out to Chalton expecting a better experience. Service staff were excellent & food nice and hot.

We have been coming here a lot over the years. Knowing full well that Fullers are changing owners of this pub in January thought we would give it a try again unfortunately the standards have dropped massively to the dirty dirty toilets, to the mess all over the floor too food portions every thing has massively dropped today I had a burger run of the mill pub food and asked for bacon to be added to the burger. After waiting a little while for it to come out they forgot to put the bacon on the burger not a big deal but the way they went about replacing it was not right it was replaced with a new burger smaller and less chips. Which I find is wrong! To me it feels like fullers are running it down to the ground which is completely wrong! I hope things will change for the better soon!

Average pub food, kitchen closes pretty early on the weekdays

Cosy pub/restaurant with lovely views, friendly staff and great food. Superb place for a cosy, leisurely meal surrounded by ancient buildings and intruiging antiques and books.

Nice food,pleasant service have been a few times now.

Gorgeous food and fab service..will be back

A classic pub thats not easy to find. Has been classic for a very long time and continues to deliver great food, outstanding service and excellent beer

Very welcoming and great service. We visited with our dog who was welcomed. We had food and drinks, great choice and was really good. Plenty of parking round the back and loads of room inside

Great food and great service, easy to park.

Had the best Sunday lunch there highly recommended can't wait till the next time

Popped in for a late Sunday Lunch. It was a nice day so weren't expecting any availability. However, we got a wonderful seat in a covered seating area in the garden with outstanding views over the South Downs. The pub was nearing the end of the lunch rush but still packed. Regardless, we received our Roast Beef lunches within 10mins of ordering and it was truly excellent. Good sized portion and every element executed to perfection. Beef was tender and full of flavour. Perfect crispy/fluffy roast potatoes, great selection or veg and even a bonus gravy jug without asking. Worth going out of your way for if you want to eat a delicious Sunday lunch in a beautiful location at competitive prices.

Love this pub good food and such great staff and lovely building.

One of the best Sunday Roasts I've ever had. Delicious. Plenty of chicken and veggie. The cauliflower cheese was amazing too.

Favourite place to come on the weekends after a country walk. Great food , lovely place and garden and more importantly put up with my 2 Jack Russell terrors lol Thankyou !

Really excellent pub in a glorious location. Had fantastic weather too so sat on the deck. The menu was varied without being over done. Too many dishes means too much is prepared in advance so beware. Not the case here. Specials boards and choice for veggies and vegans? Service was good, beer (and cider) was good. Service at the tiny bar was friendly and efficient. Had a nice time.

Their prawn and crayfish sandwich is very good. The service from their staff was prompt, friendly and attentive. The pub building is beautiful and sits in a stunning location within the Southdowns National Park. The pub has a decent size carpark and a pleasant outdoor seating area.

Tracy gave us a wonderful tour of the old part of the pub. Dinner was delicious. It was a wonderful evening! Thank you!

Wow, wow, wow. Still brilliant in all respects. Great views and an excellent British food menu (British food festival). Thank you for an awesome time.

My husband and I came here for the 1st time tonight and it did not disappoint! We enjoyed the food so much, and the service from the young girl was great! Lovely pub and we will be coming again very soon

We discovered it 3 weeks ago at a birthday event and liked it so much that we went again a fortnight later with friends.

A hugely atmospheric and historic pub. Have eaten here a number of times, and the food and service is always tip-top. Beautiful views of the South Downs from the pub garden too. Highly recommended for a proper "country pub" experience!

Lasagna was so small like half of portions. Table was dirty outside but so hot staying inside of building. Atmosphere it's nice sitting and watching sun sets so beautiful views.

One of the best places in Hampshire for a decent pub and very good food. Well worth travelling to.

Lovely old pub with a pretty outside terrace at the back. Good beers and nice menu

We didn't have food, but wished we had time too as it looked fabulous. We stopped on the off chance as we were in the area. We received a warm welcome and was really well looked after. Would highly recommend a visit.

Nice beer with pub grub food. Large beer garden. Surprised that it was not busier at Sunday lunch time.

Great pub located in the countryside. Not a huge selection of different beers but the beers available are decent. Quality of food was very good and portions were decent but food was a little pricey. The beer garden is big with plenty of seating which is broken into 3 areas, dogs are welcome and bowls and treats are available.

Excellent! Our party of 6 were made welcome and quickly shown to a table. After a short time it was decided that the table was quite restricted and we asked to move to another. This was done without question and we soon placed our orders. Three ordered Fish pie which was declared delicious. One had Lasagne which he said was very good. One had Goat's cheese pie and chips in which she was rather disappointed. My Chicken, ham and leek pie with mash and veg was delicious. Service was excellent and the drinks were good. All in all a very enjoyable lunch.

Great pub food, beautifully decorated, very welcoming

Great food. Good selection of beers.

Good food nice atmosphere live music was a surprise

Lovely pub in a pretty village. Is the usual 'Fullers' Fare but done very nicely. Great service, lovely garden for sundowners

Great pub, serving good quality food with a smile

We came today on the spare of the moment . Roasts were lovely . Ice cream was the best I’ve tasted. Certainly be back .

6 of us had lunch at the Red Lion today, 5 different dishes. Everyone thought their food was great. I chose the chalk stream trout from the specials board. It was on really smooth and tasty mashed potato with tomatoes, peppers, capers, spinach and the truly delicious sauce was outstanding. If I could recreate it at home, I would! Service was efficient, discreet and friendly. We arrived at 12, so it was quiet to begin with, but it soon filled up with people of all ages. A super lunch and very reasonable price for what we received.

Excellent food and service, nice surroundings and atmosphere.

Nice thatched pub,nice outside tables, interesting menu, good service

We really enjoyed our meal here. The staff were helpful, friendly and welcoming. Their waitress that Sunday was particularly helpful and had the right amount of personality and professionalism that is welcome in a pub- it made us feel very comfortable and at ease. It is located in a beautiful location and they have made an effort to have an aesthetic which reflects that inside; it has a lot of character. We really enjoyed our meals. And would definitely like to return. My only minor disappointment was that the ice cream is £2.50 per scoop and it was a very small scoop. That said it was delicious Laverstock farm bulls milk ice cream. We had the salted caramel and chocolate and would definitely recommend the salted caramel. The toilets were impeccably clean. Parking was easy and plentiful. It was easy to phone and book a table, again staff were efficient and had a good telephone manner.

Visited the Pub Today. The Service was so slow, it took over 2 hours just to have a starter and a main. Other people had the same problem, and one couple paid up after just having a starter as they did not want to wait all afternoon for their main. Nice Food, but too many waiting staff hanging around doing nothing.

We only had drinks this time, but the food is excellent.

Beautiful pub with a lovely view. Fitted our large group in last minute. Service was really great. Highly recommend

Love.. love this pub, food is excellent and staff are really friendly! Our go to place!

We ate here last night, spur of the moment decision. It was easy to book online and when we arrived we were given a friendly welcome.. I've had a beer in the garden before (stunning views) but the inside was just as nice, cosy with lots of individual touches so although it's a fullers pub it has a very local pub feel to it. We had a range of food from the standard and specials menu and it was all delicious but special mention for the baked garlic mushroom which a taste sensation, as you can see from the photo I was half way through eating before I thought to take a pic! Great service, with really friendly staff. Loved it.

Had my 40th wedding anniversary there . If there is a group for dinner / lunch book in advance

On the recommendation of a friend, we came here for Sunday lunch as a party of four. The setting is very pleasant and the staff are lovely - helpful and friendly. The quantity of food in the Sunday roast, which we all had, was excellent, but I'm sad to say none of us really enjoyed it as all the meats (beef, pork and chicken) were a bit chewy and quite dry. The desserts, on the other hand, were fab and the lemon posset was divine. We would go back, but not for the roast. Sorry.

Beautiful surroundings, friendly staff, a must visit