The White Lion, Hankelow in Cheshire East

Amazing country pub, with fantastic range of drinks and ambiance

Here for lunch earlier today. Such a lovely building, has so much potential to be a really great pub but the food was really awful. Feel sorry for the owner who has clearly invested a fortune in the building but has been duped by a chef who can’t cook. All dishes for our group - starters and main courses - were bad. Service was also poor - several items missing, no one came to the table to take our drinks order, or ask for bill etc.

Nice pub to walk to from Audlem

Had a super meal on Friday evening 20th Dec 2024. Staff were outstanding. No complaints whatsoever.

Had a Christmas meal with friend here recently. It's a lovely pub but the food is pretty poor. Better than last year but last year couldn't have been any worse. The pork fillet with celeriac puree and potatoes fondant wasn't as described. Over done Pork, no celeriac puree and the fondant potato was just a deep fried potato and why were there Strawberries on the plate?

I don’t eat a lot of roast dinners but when I do, it has to be worth It and the White Lion at Hankelow doesn’t disappoint! One of, if not the best Sunday roast in Cheshire! Simply delicious! Warm friendly surroundings and excellent service keep drawing us back time and time again!

An excellent Sunday lunch. Amazing 🤩 Turkey and all the trimmings - a huge portion.

I recently celebrated my 60th birthday at the White Lion, Hankelow. The whole team were welcoming, attentive yet discreet. The buffet was delicious and anyone who had a Scotch egg commented how good they were. I have also been for Sunday lunch which was equally delicious. This is a friendly pub with a great atmosphere and great food.

The yummiest sharing roast platter!! The meat was so tender and tasty and everything was so fresh and well presented. Staff were so friendly and helpful. Brilliant experience!

Excellent food, amazing decor, lovely beer. We came for Sunday dinner and the food was excellent! The roast beef was to die for Staff were friendly and attentive and the atmosphere was great. Love the place

Enjoyable meal in a lovely friendly pub. Staff were very attentive and helpful.

Came up for Sunday lunch as not been before. The staff were lovely and the customer service was impeccable. The food I rated 5 star, really good. The sharer Sunday lunch was presented really well and I thoughorougly enjoyed it

Great experience very friendly and warm environment.

Great food and great private room for a family celebration. Service was also fantastic

The sharing roast platter was excellent. The burgers were double and all the meat was cooked to perfection. Absolutely no room for pudding!

Fantastic roast dinner and dessert. Highly recommend the Sunday roast sharing board

Arrived at the venue at 5.45 for our table reservation, very empty restaurant with only 1 other table in there. Another table arrived after us who got served way before. Waited 20 minutes for anyone to come and take an order. Starters were lovely. Onion bhaji scotch egg & chicken fried bacon strips- both lovely. No one cleared the plates for another 15 minutes. Finished drinks no additional drinks order. Mains came- disaster. Ordered a katsu curry which had very little sauce. We asked for more to be told 5 minutes later they have no more sauce because they have 2 more katsus on order. Sea bass was very dry; potatoes very bland. Didn’t order dessert as the service was absolutely appalling. Not a single check back to see how everything was. Had to go to the bar to order additional drinks. The curry was taken off the bill due to this, which we are grateful for, however, it left one of our party hungry. As we were walking out the table that ordered the other 2 curries had a ridiculous amount of curry sauce which we were denied. WILL NOT BE RETURNING, this is clearly a local’s pub.

We had the beef roast and omg it was amazing . The beef was tender with the cauliflower cheese almost melting in your mouth. Will definitely come here again.

Great food, good atmosphere and spot on service. Love the log burner!

Fabulous meal and fabulous staff. Alisa was especially lovely and very informative

We really enjoyed visiting the White Lion, it's a cost pub with amazing Sunday roasts. Perfect!

Lovely Sunday roast, highly recommend

Really good food and a great location. Perfect Sunday

Excellent Sunday roast dinners and very helpful staff

We had a very nice light lunch at the White Lion. Food was delicious and the staff are very friendly and efficient. The pub is very community minded and supports local charities.

Delicious Sunday lunch with a warm welcome from all. Our server Alicia made sure we were looked after throughout the meal

Gorgeous food, lovely atmosphere and friendly staff. We love coming for their Sunday roasts, the sharing roast is incredible (especially the Yorkshire puddings!)

Excellent service and food! We had the roast sharing platter for two, which was more than enough! Great value for money and we will certainly be returning 👍

First time visit and a lovely Sunday Lunch for myself and my daughter! Will definitely be coming back

Excellent place for a roast. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Will come again

Pleasant staff, lovely food and cosy pub!

First time of visiting and will not be our last. Faultless in every particular. Food great, service great and atmosphere was great from the minute we walked through the door. No hesitation in giving the White Lion 5 stars

The best British pub I’ve ever been to! We’re seriously considering moving here so it can be our local!! Food and staff are amazing… so cozy and atmospheric. Quintessentially British! 🇬🇧 Also pet friendly, they have doggie treats for your fur babies 🐶

Excellent service and superb food will definitely be back.

Fabulous sweet sharer worth a try

Thank you so much for a lovely meal.

Lovely place, absolutely stunning decor, food that we ordered was all well cooked and presented, good choice of drinks for what we wanted at lunchtime

Pleasantly surprised at how good our visit was this time. Good food and excellent service .

Great food as always. Superb service from Lily who went above and beyond multiple times to ensure our drinks and meal were perfect and well supported by Caitlin.

One of the best gourmet pubs in the area. Fabulous food, lovely greeting, and our dogs were welcomed, what more could you want? Highly recommend

We had a fantastic lunch at The White Lion, the food was delicious and great choice on the menus, friendly staff, excellent service, would highly recommend!

Our great local pub. New menu and we were spoilt for choice . Three cheese fondue to share was amazing and the steak pudding was so tasty , my husband couldn’t finish it, which is a first for him . Great selection of wines and beers . Staff are so lovely especially the two guys on the bar. Very lucky to have this on our doorstep .

The food here is fabulous! I ordered goat's cheese, pear and walnut sandwich - the attention to detail makes all the difference to what can just be a vegetarian option that is rolled out. The pear still had some bite, the walnuts were toasted, the cheese was fresh, really tasty. My husband chose meatballs in arrabiata sauce - very hearty and tasty. The surroundings are high quality and the staff attentive. Bravo, one of the best hostelries in the area, it truly earns the title of gastropub.

Went to wedding reception at the lion. Food and service brilliant. If in the area again 100% call in .

We stayed for three nights in one of the rooms, with our two dogs. The room was well appointed, spotlessly clean and very comfortable. All the staff were friendly and helpful; we were made to feel very welcome. We had lovely meals in the pub on two of the evenings. We will definitely be returning.

Met with a group of friends here for a meal. Limited menu, which wasn't a problem as everyone found something to eat. I had the sticky beef salad. The beef was tasty but there was way too much lettuce and very little of the accompaniments that were on the menu. My husband had the cod which was good but the samphire was inedible in places. The staff dealt well with allergies and options. Good pudding menu. Good service and atmosphere.

Lovely food and friendly staff. A great out door area and inside was very attractive.

Big, clean pub with a choice of cask beers.

We love that this pub is community owned amd we wanted to try it out. We went for breakfast which was lovely. The refurbished pub is a welcoming place to have a meal. We will be back...

Lovely pub, pleasant atmosphere. Really friendly and attentive staff. The food was delicious as well 😋

Sadly they do not listen to what people want

Lovely place but a little expensive.

Went here for dinner last Wednesday, to celebrate my daughter and mother in laws birthdays. I had heard such good things about it. The venue was lovely The service was very good, hence the tip. The food on the other hand was really very disappointing. To start with the chips were chewy, and very pale, as if they hadn’t been cooked properly! I mentioned this to the waiter who said he would let the chef know, but no feedback. The burger I had was really disappointing and the bacon was so hard it made a noise when hit on the side of the plate, I gave this and half the burger to my dog. My daughter had the meat sharing plater which consisted of 6 wings a burger and some steak, I believe the steak was ok but the rest wasn’t brilliant. My wife’s butter chicken was tasteless and had to wait another 10 minutes for the parmentier potatoes, again chewy . I paid the bill and left ,as I had been asked by my mother in law not to kick up a fuss All in all a very disappointing experience. I would recommend the venue but would say don’t eat here.

As we were staying in the area and the pub was within walking distance and accommodated dogs we booked at 7:00 PM. Previous reviews were mixed but we decided to give it a go. We were told we could take any table as it was mid-week and not very busy when we arrived. We commented on the decor and atmosphere and were looking forward to our food chosen from a promising menu.Eventually they took our drinks and food order. Starters arrived after someone had noticed we hadn’t had them but when they arrived the calamari was cold, rubbery,soggy and inedible so I returned it and said just to take it off the bill. By 8:10 there were no signs of any main dishes so gave up and paid for our 3 drinks and 1 edible starter and left. One of the worst experiences of eating out we have had.

Welcomed on arrival well. From that point it went down hill. As a family of 9, we ordered an assortment of starters, ending up ordering 4 portions of skin on fries and 2 portions of chunky fries, we received 5 portions of chunky fries, we then asked about the skin on fries and then were told there isn't any. So we wasn't told and there were 1 short. When the chips arrived, they were all rock hard, given we had paid £24 for chips/fries alone. Not good enough for a pub to be serving something not cooked. Ciabatta was nice but that's it. Won't be returning or recommending to anyone.

After a wonderful day out in Audlem at the "Festival of Transport" we stopped at the White Horse without a booking and were lucky enough to get a table for Sunday lunch. We ordered the Sharing Roast and couldn't fault the platter we received. The roast beef was melt in the mouth, pink and cooked perfectly. The chicken and pork were likewise both excellent. The roast potatoes and veg were all seasoned perfectly and and quantities were plentiful. A good selection of beers on offer and the beer garden in the summer sunshine was at it's best. Service was prompt and friendly. Definitely somewhere that we will return to.

Its a shame that it is about an hours drive for us to get here as the staff are always friendly and helpful and the food always great This time we visited on a Sunday especially for the sharing roast and we were not disappointed fantastic value for money and it was amazing food

Having visited here on two previous occasions with family and eaten a great sunday lunch, I was really looking forward to a return visit. Sadly I was really disappointed - the Sunday lunch was just awful- bland with slimy meat and soggy roast potatoes. The vegetarian option of cauliflower dipped/fried in plain batter and served with standard roast accompaniments was also awful (and a really weird combination). We complained at the time and received some recompense with complimentary desserts, but these also were pretty poor so didnt make up for our general disappointment. Sadly I wont be going back!

We booked a last minute table for Sunday lunch and what a treat it was! From the moment we walked in we were well looked after, the food was delicious and plentiful and to top it off there was live music from 5pm - this really made it special. We all had roast beef (the portions are generous and delicious) and myself and my husband shared the sharing dessert board which was just divine!

Beautiful pub with a standard offering. Service a little slow and impersonal.

We went for Sunday lunch. The service was good, the pub decor is really good and they have a good selection of cask ale. The food was great but a little disappointed that the veggie Sunday roast was just a mushroom…

A beautifully decorated pub run by the community. It has lots of different seating areas including a cosy snug type area. Was very impressed with the style, a modern take on the traditional country pub. The main reason for our visit was the Sunday lunch sharer boards we had seen on Instagram. Normally these can look better than the reality but it was superb. The gravy was rich and thick, there was half a chicken on the board, thick slices of rare beef and lamb as well for £18 per person along with delicious Yorkshire, cauliflower cheese, leeks and tender stem broccoli. The only notable thing missing was carrots which we had seen on other boards. The concept is great and unique and offers great value for money as the food. Service was friendly and the booking system using OpenTable is good. The bar offers three cask ales, two of which are Salopian and the taps have one Salopian beer called Lemon Dream which is lovely. Will return again with family to do the board again. Will also try the food on a weekday as well.

Young man front of house was lovely made us very welcome but the food was not so lovely. We had 2 burghers, 1 chicken burgher and 1 haddock along with starters. The burghers were very dry and tasteless , the fish was ok. Not a place I would re visit or recommend

We’ve driven past this pub a few times & thought we’d give it a go for Father’s Day. Decent selection of beers, nice beer garden & nice interior. Ordered the shared roast which looked great on the menu. Food not great, most of it wasn’t warm, Yorkshire puddings were stone cold, roast beef very sinewy & chicken was dry as a bone (had to take a drink with every mouthful). Service wasn’t great & was inattentive. Food arrived (not warm) & no plates or cutlery. Waiter went downstairs for cutlery but didn’t think to bring plates so another delay & trip downstairs. Plates stone cold & by this point our food (on a wooden board) was getting even colder. No serving spoons for vegetable dishes so another delay whilst waiter disappeared again - came back with teaspoons which was strange. Would have preferred to be on the ground floor where service might have been better, felt a bit forgotten about upstairs. With the poor quality of the mains & poor service we didn’t fancy ordering desserts so we paid the bill & went to the CoOp to buy desserts & took them home. When paying the bill we noticed that they hadn’t charged for drinks (presumably as a gesture of goodwill) but this wasn’t pointed out to us & no apology offered which felt a bit awkward. Overall a disappointing experience & doubt we will return. Shame, because it was a Father’s Day treat & it only comes round once a year.

Location and pub really nice however, the food was poor. Starters, gammas pil pil served with no bread, mentioned it to our server who apologised. Scotch egg was average, nothing special. Hoping our mains would be an improvement but was left disappointed, the beef burger was dry, the bun was rock hard. The crispy beef salad was awful, was mostly inedible it had that much ginger in it, packet salad leaves with grated carrot and some old beef. Food completely over priced for what is was. Won’t be back in a hurry!

We dined here on a Friday evening. Staff were really lovely and showed us to our table. Drinks and food ordered. Food was fabulous, we all had starters and mains. Managed to squeeze in desserts too! Very nice surroundings and atmosphere, only comment would be we had to chase to order more drinks but not a major issue. Highly recommend!

We were accommodated last minute for a table of 8. Excellent service - great food with a lovely atmosphere

My wife and I and our Friends visited here we All had the roast lunches which were all ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS the service was magnificent we will DEFINITELY be returning

Lovely bar reasonably priced. Would recommend.

Amazing food and great service ☺️

Had a Sunday lunch here and can honestly say it’s the best I’ve ever had! Beef was so tender and flavourful. Great service by the staff, lovely atmosphere and tentative. Will happily return again soon!

Another lovely meal at The White Lion; as usual the food, service and atmosphere was lovely. A great afternoon with family.

It's a lovely pub, owned, and run by the community. After extensive refurbishment with a good eye for detail, absolutely brilliant. We eat there quite often. Staff are very friendly and helpful, and this is carried forward with the standard of the food, our compliments to the chef.

Third time coming here and always throughly enjoy it here. Dog friendly which is always handy. Friendly staff, brilliant atmosphere, great service and reasonably priced. Lovely selection of beers and ales. Food is very nice as well and quite a reasonable selection. Can’t beat a pint of Staropramen, bit hard to find places that have it on tap! Will definitely be coming back ready for the summer, looking forward to the summer menu!

Excellent local pub, great food and service.

A lovely village and nice food I had a half a chicken roast. Was lovely.

Lovely Sunday Lunch. Waited too long between starter & main, felt we had been forgotten as 4 covers arriving after us, got theirs b4 us. That aside, the roast beef was lovely & tender, veggies perfect, so all was forgotten. Been many times, so will return, as always.

Took my Aunt who is 94 for lunch, impeccable food, beautiful decor and exemplary service, all the staff were charming , 10 out of 10.

Meal choice varied husband had fish and chips and it was fine. I went for the pork found the fondant potatoes very dry so should not choose again - husbands portion large mine small - sweets were good- would we go back yes but but not until the change of menu

Lovely atmosphere, friendly and attentive staff. The food was delicious, particularly the chicken wings and southern-fried chicken burger! Great selection of beer and wine, will definitely be back!

Had a wonderful Sunday dinner with my husband. The wine was great. The staff are really friendly and helpful. Definitely come again.

Sunday lunch. Three of us had a Sunday Lunch. Decided to go for a shared Sunday lunch platter. It was huge ! Thouroghly enjoyed the chicken, the pork , the roast potatoes and the veg. Found the beef a bit chewy but the others said they found it good. Bit noisy, with some young children in but very nice food.

Fine meal, great service - will definitely return!

I went here with my wife for my birthday. We were encouraged to book but on arrival we were met with a shrug and a “just sit anywhere”. We sat down and waited quite a while before someone came over and offered menus. We ordered starters of smoked salmon for me and venison chipolata for my wife. Excellent. My wife had the chicken burger for main and I ordered the steak with olive tapenade. It came with no sauce and non was offered until I asked which then took ten minutes to come. Also there was no tapenade. This took another few minutes (I had to go up to the bar to point this out). The actual steak was inconsistently cooked without the fat being rendered properly.The dessert was excellent for my wife but I ordered the cheese plate which was huge. Top marks, but a little bland and cold (needed to be at room temp and perhaps a different cheese selection). In fact it was pretty chilly in the restaurant all night and could have been more cosy. Honestly the food wasn’t THAT bad but for the price of the meal for two (my wife didn’t drink and I had a GnT and two glasses of red) of £104 I didn’t feel it warranted the cost. The staff of that night were enthusiastic and tried to please but needed a little more customer training for the cost. We’ve all got to start somewhere but on a Saturday night, I think the owners need to focus a little more in this area. If you’re going to charge this much for pub food it needs to be more special.

Beautifully presented pub, lovely drinks and great staff

Absolutely beautiful place, staff very attentive all the time, atmosphere lovely, food delicious, nothing to much trouble, have been many times, we look forward to our return

Had driven past this pub on many occasions but today we decided to call in. It did not disappoint, lovely country pub, friendly and welcoming staff. Decided on the set lunch menu and food lovely and freshly cooked will definitely return.

Quite a poor choice of proper beer and ales. You'd expect more from a country pub. Service inexperienced and not knowledgeable on basic things.

Warm, welcoming and a great atmosphere. Delicious meal and a really friendly team.

Good food, rather few customers for Sat night, hence lack of ambience

Still a great place to eat and would highly recommend. Portions are too big for me and some attention to basics would turn this into really good to great.

Been wanting to visit since the refurb a year or two ago. Really tastefully done and has a quality country pub restaurant feel. Cosy nooks and excellent food along with attentive staff. The covered outdoor area at the back looks great and can't wait to visit when it's a bit warmer. What more do you want?

I ordered fish & chips. The fish was lovely. Did not like the crushed peas. Just tasted like old dried up peas. I believe you should not mess with traditional pub grub. stick with the mushy peas. My friend ordered the steak burger. It was a real let down considering the price. He said it looked & tasted processed but he ate it and did not want me to eat alone. The whole dish was not nicely presented and eaten far better in chain pubs. A shame really as its a lovely pub. Also disappointed not to be asked if we enjoyed the meal.

Fabulous meal with a large group of friends pre Christmas. We were really well looked after and the food was beautiful and great value for the set menu. Certainly worth a visit.

Cosy place. Nice atmosphere, really nice service and staff. Chicken wings are super delicious!!! Fish and chips are very good, big portion The lamb burger was good. The lunch set menu is good value around £12 to £15 depending if you have a starter and the main or just the main.

Saturday afternoon meal, excellent choice across three menus, and we could mix and match to get our choices across three courses . Very warm and welcoming staff, lovely ambience and the food was superb , and excellent value . High standards of ingredients and presentation across a range of dishes. Meat, fish , vegetarian starters and mains were delicious, and the black cherry soufflé was one of the best desserts we've ever tasted . Thank you for making our pre Christmas lunch with our 90 year old mum such an enjoyable experience

Absolutely brilliant A1 in every way we were all welcomed by friendly staff and a warm comfortable atmosphere 😀

Very enjoyable experience, food ,service, atmosphere all good .Will be going again

Beautiful interior, great ambiance, very friendly and attentive staff, excellent craft beer and delicious food! It’s a very special pub, owned and loved by the community! If you’re in the area, you must visit!

Lovely atmosphere with warm friendly service, and great food!