The Red Lion Inn in Braintree

We always love going to The Lion, our favorite local place. Always such a lovely atmosphere, friendly staff, amazing pizzas and a brilliant quiz on a Sunday.

We had a pizza here, and it was surprisingly amazing for a pub! I would recommend it to everyone. You’ll definitely notice an authentic Italian touch.

Popped in for a takeaway pizza, the place is wonderful and quirky, will definitely be returning at some stage for a couple of drinks. We got the mighty meaty and it was hot! But delicious.

Best pizza ever! Gorgeous place, friendly people, stunning murals all hand painted by the owners.

Love this pub! Great Guniess! Great pizza! Fantastic people a proper pub.

Absolutely fantastic pizza! Very generous on the toppings, great crispy crust, superb! All very conveniently picked up for takeaway as well! A real gem!

Absolutely fantastic pizza! Very generous on the toppings, great crispy crust, superb! All very conveniently picked up for takeaway as well! A real gem!

We visited the Lion as we were camping at the nearby lavendar field. We were made to feel very welcome by Jacqui, who reassured us we could stay as long as we needed to, to stay dry in the awful weather that day! The pizzas were absolutely beautiful, and we had a lovely time playing genius square which is now on my Christmas list :-) when we first walked in it was busy and we were going to leave, but spotted steps to the right that led to a second floor that was much quieter, so if you do visit, don't miss that space!

Great pizzas and nice homely atmosphere. Lovely beer garden that kids played in for the evening.

absolutely amazing pizza, staff is lovely and friendly and the environment is so comforting will be back in future as it was so amazing

A trip a stay with friends who live locally, they took me here on a Wednesday evening, a lovely little local pub, made to feel extremely welcome. The pizzas are something else, I went for the “Meaty Heaty”, one of the best I have ever had, I look forward to returning here the next time I visit!

Fantastic staff. Fantastic beer. Fantastic pizza.

The Lion is our go to place for a Pizza, always amazing.

Very friendly staff, nice atmosphere and delicious pizzas (with spot on names!). The vegan pizza “The saving the planet” came with vegan cheese which I really appreciated!

Amazing place!! Super warm and friendly, delicious pizza and a very pleasant beer garden. Met so many lovely people here it’s a must visit if you’re in finchingfield ☺️

Went here for a drink and when I arrived it was very clear it wasn’t a professional pub as the owner was sat at the bar drunk and being very rude. Disrespectful to people who aren’t locals and wouldn’t point me in the direction of the toilet she also kept giving me dirty looks while I was sat having my drink making me feel very uncomfortable. Wouldn’t recommend drinking here at all!

We were lucky enough to have the weather to sit in the lovely enclosed garden - great because we had two dogs with us. Our group of 7 had delicious pizzas, all the plates were clean at the end! I really liked my goats cheese and sun blush tomato pizza and the men in the group enjoyed sharing the various smoked meat pizzas. Really hard to describe the pizzas, other than the best we've ever experienced. The landlady was busy in and out serving the food, but was really nice and friendly - she loved talking about the food, the pub and the Finchingfield community. The inside is very eclectic with lots of taxidermy and beautiful paintings and the bar staff were good natured and didn't rush you. Well worth a visit.

Great pizza here and a lovely welcoming family environment. Staff can’t be more helpful. There’s an extensive selection of beers wines and non alcoholic drinks too

Cute pub in a small cute town! Food was great and the lady behind the bar was so friendly and welcoming :)

The Finchingfield lion, I had seen a couple of YouTube reviews about the pizza. So the cheater and I and my daughter this time decided to try it for ourselves. I believe we were served by the land lady ?, at first, we did feel like we were interrupting conversations going on with locals. We ordered drinks and a pizza each, and the pizzas were absolutely gorgeous. The YouTube channel we watched was 1000% right. All three of us agreed that these were without a doubt the best pizza we have had EVER would we go back again HELL YES . The pub was clean and tidy man and ladies toilets were very clean (I got my daughter to check the ladies' toilets before anyone says How do I know about the ladies' toilets? lol). I did speak to who I believed is the land lady about the gorgeous pizzas. I am a local at Finchingfield as a biker, and the Finchingfield lion is an overlooked pub by bikers / cyclists, and everyone should pop in for a beer wine or soft drink ask for a menu and try the amazing pizza on offer you will not regret it. We paid £50 for three drinks and three pizza's all three of us agreed it was a reasonable price .please please don't ride drive or cycle pass the Finchingfield lion. Only one issue don't take your cheating ex wife

Late booking but Jackie and staff made us so welcome ...great pizza and great customers...thank you

We had a lovely lunch in the garden, great pizza, the staff is very nice - will certainly come back!

Fabulous, friendly pub with fantastic pizzas mate in house!

Lovely place with great pizzas. We just got to this pub by chance, although we weren't looking for pizzas l, that was a pleasant surprise.

Nice atmosphere, Professional friendly staff, quality food, all pizzas available with gluten free base.

We visited The Lion for the first time today for the Sunday afternoon quiz and a couple of pints after a walk around the lovely village of Finchingfield. We were immediately struck by what a nice venue it was with a cosy traditional English feel, an open fire, oak beams etc and some random animal heads (goats, zebra, warthog!) which were a conversation point. Very friendly staff and the landlady was really welcoming and good fun which kept us all entertained. They only seem to serve pizzas which were delicious but possibly a little pricey at £14.90 each but overall, in our experience, it was much ‘better than The Fox’ and we all had an entertaining afternoon.

Proper old fashioned village pub. Very welcoming.

Brilliant fantastic friendly pub.

Popped in here for a quick drink early evening. Lovely log fire going, a nice choice of wines and delicious freshly cooked pizza.

Such a lovely pub. Nice cozy fire, great range of beers, lovely food and most importantly nice staff and locals. Well worth a visit. Looking forward to their beer festival in June.

Lovely friendly pub with a lovely atmosphere.

I love visiting this pub when I'm at my Dad's. Great atmosphere and great pizza!

We didn’t stay in a room, we went for lunch today, what a lovely place, friendly helpful staff, great service and the best pizza we have ever eaten, we will definitely be back, Thankyou

Beautiful, friendly and traditional local pub. We got a warm welcome. We didn't eat but saw some delicious pizzas being served.

Stayed couple of nights (28/29 Oct) & what an absolute pleasure it was. My wife, Barbara & I have experienced many top hotels but the unique charm, character & atmosphere of The Finchingfield Lion is something special. What is most apparent is the welcoming & natural friendliness of all members of staff right from the moment of walking through the door. The charming antiquity of the room (no 4) was appealing with a most comfortable bed & cleanliness throughout. What more do you need for a good night sleep? Although breakfast was not served, a 2 minute stroll to the beautiful village green provided a lovely setting to satisfy that need. Jacqui has created a fantastic environment where, as total strangers we were made to feel like local regulars. Couple with that the absolutely fantastic pizza's, & you would wonder why you would want to stay anywhere else in the area. A genuine 'thumbs up' & wholehearted recommendation from us. Many thanks Jacqui for a most memorable stay. Geoff & Barbara

Great local pub with selection of local real ales that change regularly. Has a good beer garden that gets evening sun in summer.

Great stay again, room 1 quirky but so so comfortable, ben and linen so fresh and comfortable, now the pizzas, wow wow wow, well done to all the staff

We were here for a rare getaway break and stayed in a quaint bedroom overlooking the Guildhall with en-suite bathroom (literally with a bath, a rare luxury these days). The village is beautiful with an air of stepping back in history (lots of thatch and pargetting and chatty inhabitants). All the staff were lovely, friendly and welcoming. The atmosphere in the bar area is cosy and full of locals just enjoying themsleves including children and dogs. The food is pizzas. The Adult one became a personal favourite which without anchovies became a Save the Planet which seems apt, with vegan cheese. Normal cheese is available too! Used as a base for exploring the area it is ideal including a handy carpark.

We have stayed at the Lion before and as always this visit was perfect. The rooms and the pub are quirky, the pizzas are the best! Paul smokes all the meats for the toppings himself and it is sooooo good! Thanks Jacky for the hospitality and we hope to come back soon!

Lovely staff and excellent pizza's. Rooms are very clean and tidy.

We popped in last Friday after picking up my daughter from nursery. We had pizza by the fire on the comfy sofa corner seats. Four other families were also there, one enjoying a board game from the selection of games on offer to borrow so it was a really lovely atmosphere. The pizza was delicious! We couldn't decide which to go for so we tried half and half and tasted a few different ones. Would highly recommend. The beer garden is also a great place to sit on a sunny day.

The most wonderful pub/restaurant in finchingfield. Fabulous pizza’s, great wine and an amazing team. The landlady is just wonderful and nothing is too much of an ask. A must visit… tell your your friends, this is the pub to beat

Experience spoilt by what seems to be an influx of male migrants, possibly from the nearby weathersfield camp. Sadly it seemed that they were encouraged to the pub and made locals and visitors uncomfortable

Went to the lion on a Wednesday evening for a second date with a wonderful lady. It was pizza night and if carlsberg did pizza then this was it. We were made to feel really welcome and the service was impeccable. A very quirky country pub and great live music. A good selection of beers and very reasonable prices. Would highly recommend. Thank you The lion.

Lovely pub with cosy atmosphere. Brilliant staff and made us feel very welcome last weekend with our baby

Lovely traditional village pub serving local ales and tasty pizzas

Popped in here on a Bank Holiday, nice atmosphere, great bar staff 😊 ordered something I didn't like it and they happily changed it for me..live band lovely, pizza looks lush so will be ordering.. Thanks guys for a lovely afternoon

We read some good reviews on Google and decided to try this place for lunch. The pizzas here were phenomenal! They have a variety of toppings and the crust is done exactly right (if you like thin crusts). We were 4 adults and a toddler. We ate 4 pizzas among us. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Overall it was a great lunch!

What a great pub. Saturday afternoon in the garden with live music and fantastic pizza. Friendly service and lovely local community. What’s not to like.

Unreal service Unreal pizza. And I’ve never been to Italy. Staff are lovely. Especially the land lady. Great smoking/garden area. Thanks finchingfield lion pub for being there for me when I needed a great smoking area and off the wall pizza. I wil mis u

By far the nicest pub in Finchingfield. Great beers, lovely surroundings and friendly staff.

Had the pizza best I've had in years pepperoni with peppers perfect balance of bitterness to sweet and the dough was perfect if I lived in Finchingfield it would be a weekly occurrence

The Finchingfield Lion is a great local village pub with fantastic service and exceptionally friendly staff. Pizza is to die for

Stayed here for a night and it was brilliant. Full of old world character. Staff are lovely and the rooms are very nice. The pizzas are also fantastic, they smoke their own meats on site and are definitely worth a go. Brilliant atmosphere in the evenings, feels like the whole village ended up there. Can’t recommend it enough. Great to find pubs/ Inns like this. Thank you!

When in Finchingfield walk up the hill to the Finchingfield Lion. They make a supurb pizza . We were made so welcome by the landlord & young lady behind the bar who served us with a smile. She informed us of upcoming events & we will most definitely return. It's a must to visit this lovely country pub.

I've been here a few times and every visit has been perfect! Amazing atmosphere in here and just wonderful pizza's!! They really have got it right! Will continue to visit and recommend to friends/family! If you haven't gone already, what are you doing!! Get yourself down there asap!! Well done guys

Rude and loud gathering at the bar spoilt the evening. We have heard of others, some with young children, have had the same experience. Staff appears to tolerate it.

So this is a bit of a vanishing, rare breed; a proper village pub, frequented by locals and people from elsewhere. Run by Jacquie and Paul, they couldn't be more welcoming, and the pub has a great vibe and is pleasantly eclectically decorated. At the risk of stating the darned obvious, they only do pizzas, so if you don't like Pizza, this might not be the place for you. But the pizzas are homemade and utterly delicious, so well worth a visit.

The pizza was delicious (NB: vegan cheese option available). Great member of staff working on the bar, very accommodating and a credit to the pub. We sat outside in the garden but the inside is everything you could want from a traditional village inn.

I visited the finchingfield lion this month with my partner. Best service!! Very friendly! The man with the glasses(think his name was Ralph) and the lady with the curly blonde hair(think her name was Wendy) especially! They were very attentive and always served with a smile, no matter how busy! The pizzas are amazing! Will definitely be coming back! Found this place by chance! Drove past and decided to pop in! Really recommend!!

Excellent, warm welcome in a traditional pub! The food and drinks were exactly as I expected. The welcome I received made me feel like family. I will definitely return! Oh yes, as a pizza snob, The Lion serves a superb pizza. Ralph, Wendy, Paul and of course Jacqui are the committed to the experience! Thank you for making me feel so welcome. Cheers!

Was carrying out some work for a neighbour of the pub, the landlord Jacqui offered us pizza for lunch whilst we were working there which was absolutely amazing! Have been back since with the wife for more pizza! The smoked meats taste amazing, all the staff are incredibly friendly! Definitely recommend!

Stopped in for the first time in a year or two and delighted the pub is still a lovely place to get a pint. Clean, tidy, friendly and with a massive choice of beers we were made to feel welcome. A truly nice pub.

Excellent food and made to feel very welcome. The kind of village pub you hope to visit, friendly locals and great atmosphere. Not only is it in one of the prettiest villages in England but the staff and locals are really friendly. Would you believe it, one of the locals even visited with a pet wallaby, amazing. It was a rescued wallaby being trained so it could visit people at the local hospice, so cute.

I rarely give five stars but they deserve it. The staff are so friendly and down to earth. From the moment we arrived we were made to feel welcome and the staff couldn’t do enough for us. They are currently only serving pizza which I didn’t realise, and as I’m Gluten Free I initially felt disappointed, as I’ve never had a really nice pizza that’s gluten free. But when it came it blew me away. The crust was thin and crisp but light to. I chose the blue cheese and pear (yes I know right), it was delicious. My partner chose an artichoke based one. Again delicious and also GF. 20 years I’ve been GF and never enjoyed a pizza until this one The music was ska and Reggae. Everyone laid back and chilled. Love this place, and now we’ve found it well be coming back for sure. Well done to the owners

Lovely pub with friendly staff. Awesome pizza's. We were staying in the area & glad we called in. Will definitely return if we stay that way again!

A Lovely country pub with a great atmosphere and amazing smoked meat pizzas. A pizza for everyone and a great veggie selection, You can also order your own concoction. I would definitely recommend.

Really good, but only room I have ever stayed in, in the world that doesn't have a TV in the room. If your a early to bed person, loud till last orders. But really clean.

We live fairly local and have seen Pizza sign outside the Finchingfield Lion, tonight we called in for a takeaway. There was a fantastic choice, we had a drink whilst waiting and took piping hot pizzas home. Delicious, loaded with smoked brisket and pepperoni, best...

Where friends are made! We make it a point to visit this lovely pub every time we’re in the United Kingdom. I have to admit, it is some of the best pizza I have had. Ever! Paul and Jacqui make you feel warm and welcome...

Have been visiting the Finchingfield Lion regularly this spring and summer. First of all with my husband and we were so impressed we have come back with friends and recommended to many others. It's an excellent pub inside and out in a fab location and...

We stayed for a weekend. No breakfast offered and only pizza in the evening which we did not experience. Old building which meant wonky floors and furniture and doors that didn’t really fit. The room was very clean but mugs weren’t changed and had hard...

Spent a great couple of days in Finchingfield, the best pub by a country mile is the Lion. Paul and Jackie made friendly hosts inc all the staff. Good Ales and fantastic homemade pizzas with own smoked meats.

We visited the Finchingfield Lion on Monday evening,it was a treat to get out and enjoy the evening in the sunshine. The Pizzas were some of the best we have had , complemented by excellent drinks and very pleasant and happy staff. Look forward to...

So disappointed that this pub is now Pizza only! In the past, always had such great pub grub there and loved it as a restaurant venue, but when we visited at lunchtime a few days ago, we were informed that the menu now consisted only...

My long time partner (we don’t believe in the sanctity of marriage for tax and lifestyle reasons) are keen board game enthusiasts. We stumbled upon the Lion, on our way to our quarterly visit to the East Anglia, bee keeping convention, couples weekend. Our eyes...

4th visit in october, had food again.which was good. This pub is strrets ahead in terms of ambiance, and smiley, happy staff. Becos its reflected in the managment.who are nice honest people. Who respect their clientele. I will be bac in December for nice edible...

I am a lady from Eastbourne who was visiting, I came across this lovely pub with great food and staff in particular Maria. The food was delicious. The landlady, Jackie was superb. Better than a vintage wine.

We live quite close to this pub, and we come here often. Its a great pub, with a good selection of beer and good home made food. However.....back in June 2020, at the end of the (1st) covid lockdown, when the pubs opened again, we...

What a pleasant place with good honest food and friendly hosts and staff. A most enjoyable Saturday evening spent with family - will go again!

Yum! We got recommended The Finchingfield Lion and were not disappointed. Brisket delicious. Chilled 'real' old school pub. Friendly staff. Can't fault it! Go there!

After trying to avoid the crowds in Saffron, my wife and I made it back to Finchingfield and I needed some lunch. The pub was clean and had clear Covid guidelines. We got a table and to avoid food envy I copied my wife and had the Haddock and chips. It was amazing light crispy batter and massive white flaky haddock. Was forced to share a pudding - they unfortunately gave my wife a spoon which I had to take off her to avoid her eating my sticky toffee pudding. Great service, great food.

A really lovely little pub, the staff were brilliant and recommended some of the best food options for us. The food itself was delicious and the chips were epic! Good beer too. All in all, would definitely recommend.

We visited Finchingfield just for a trip out and lunch in the sunshine. The village itself is picturesque and is centred on the village green. All the eateries in the centre were busy so we decided to try the Finchingfield Lion which is a very short walk up the hill. What a great find. This is a proper traditional pub of a type I thought had almost disappeared. It has parking, a beautiful and well-kept garden, and bags of old-world charm. We had the warmest of welcomes from everyone we came into contact with. The Green Dog Brewery Golden Best bitter was perfectly kept and served. Looking around, most if not all the customers were eating. I took this to be a good sign and ordered the haddock, chips and peas. After a short wait, they arrived. The batter on the fish was light, crispy and golden. The fish inside white and flaky. Perfect. The chips were skin on and again perfectly cooked. The Petit Pois and homemade tartare sauce were also good. Not since Whitby have I had such good fish and chips. Wonderful.My veggie companion had a ciabatta with roasted mushrooms and halloumi. This too was described as delicious and filling. The bill for our 2 meals, a pint and a diet Coke was just under £30, which was good value for the quality and service.Chatting to the landlady afterwards I found out that they have their own hot food smoker. Brisket cooked 'low and slow' and smoked is a wonderful thing. I'm going back as soon as I can to try that, and to have some more of their delicious Ale. Now, who can I get to drive? Seriously though, brilliant quintessentially British pubs like these are an endangered species. If we want to keep them we have to use them. So go soon. Go now! I promise you won't regret it.

Another fab lunch at The Lion. Hot Smoked Salmon Caesar Salad couldn't have been any better choice on a hot summer Sunday. Little bursts of flavour and texture made it interesting & downright delicious. Thank you

We went for an early evening meal on a Saturday as we were staying at a nearby campsite. The customer service was very friendly and welcoming and we sat in the lovely garden. Our children loved playing cornhole whilst waiting for our food. We had the beef brisket and chips and it was sublime! It was the most delicious meal that I've had in a pub/ restaurant for a very long time. The beef was melt in the mouth tender with the most beautiful taste, and the chips were home-made and crunchy! The people who run this establishment seemed to really care about customer service and about the food they provide. It is very highly recommended!

We can't reccommend highly enough the fabulous Sunday Roast from the lovely people at The Finchingfield Lion. Last week was roast beef with all the trimmings & delicious home made gravy, gloriously buttery mash, roast veggies plus perfectly cooked broccoli & puffy yorkies.It was perfectly packaged & travelled well.5 minutes in the oven whilst we had a drink before plating up. Our family were most impressed.Today we went back for more... This week was smoked turkey, again it was faultless. You have to try it!

Varied menu,always well attended,popular with locals,enjoyed the liver and cod,well cooked,will come again,good service,parking can be a bit tight.

Excellent Sunday roast with the family. Lots of other choices too. Good children’s menu and helpful service.

Lived locally for many years, hadn’t known what a lovely place to have lunch,homemade steak and kidney suet pudding mash peas and gravy delicious tip order one and share more than enough for two

We stayed in the village just after Christmas with family and enjoyed our meal here. The menu was different to the one shown online but no matter.The portions are large (although the coleslaw portion with the smoked meat and chips was tiny!!). The chips were superb and the smoked beef extremely tasty. I would have liked either more coleslaw with it or some other sauce. It didn't need the tabasco dip as that overpowered the flavour of the meat. The service was good and I liked the lion decorations.

We chose the Lion at Finchingfield for a family gathering to celebrate our daughter's birthday combined with a pre Christmas lunch. We were not disappointed! A warm welcome greeted us at the bar, where the huge log fire crackles away in the centre. The food was very good, particularly the smoked meats which are expertly prepared & an in house speciality. Service was friendly & unrushed. Many thanks to Jacqui & her team, we will certainly return very soon.

Visited several times and always receive a warm welcome. Cosy atmosphere with open fires and good selection of wines and food (Inc vegetarian options) all at reasonable prices. Definitely recommend a visit!

Thank you for accommodating our large family gathering, including children of all ages. Excellent food & good service. Will definitely return again & would recommend.

A real old country pub with good atmosphere and the smoked meats on the menu are a delicious change. Parking available and outside seats. Would definitely recommend.

wonderful to find a pub that serves food all day. There were 5 of us for a Tuesday late lunch. The meals were well cooked and had good portions. The pub itself was warm and cosy with a nice fire burning on a chilly afternoon. I highly recommend this pub.

Had a meal in the Finchingfield Lion recently. I had the chicken wings starter which very tasty and a good portion. My burger main was also very tasty and enjoyable. Service was a bit slow, but this was explained as they were short of a Chef and that was being rectified. Parking is a bit limited when it is busy. A very nice English Country Pub with good food and friendly staff. Definitely recommended

They have worked very hard to creat a friendly atmosphere , service and food excellent, offering daily specials and good menu. We would highly recommend a visit. V

I had the most amazing sticky toffee pudding I’ve ever eaten! Not only that but the staff are lovely and friendly, the pub has such a cozy atmosphere. Well worth a Sunday evening visit!

Had Sunday lunch with the family, typical village pub on the inside with pleasant staff. Ordered the Smoked Turkey roast and it was one of the best pub roasts I have had in a long time. A good sized portion and the meat is cut like a steak, all cooked to perfection (I am fussy with my roast potatoes :) ) Sticky toffee pudding for dessert which was also spot on. Granted it costs a bit more than the usual pub roast but is so worth it. Went home VERY happy.