White Lion in Watford

Beautiful pub with delicious food and yummier stout. Friendly and conversational bartenders, and the location provides a very short drunken stumble to the station. Cleanest pub toilets I've ever seen. (BTW.. does anyone know the story behind the wooden stocks in the garden?) I love the garden during the spring/summer. Never been here any other time, but I imagine that during the winter I'd enjoy watching the snooker inside while listening to the fantastic rock music they play on the speaker. PLEASE have the fish and chips (the chips are the potatoeist chips I've ever had) and the pizza (ticks ALL the boxes). I might stop getting takeaway pizza and just come here instead. Even the pub-goers all seem friendly but I'm too shy to talk to anyone. :P

Homely, generous and delicious Sunday roast in one of my favourite Watford pubs. Would highly recommend if you’re looking for a simple but classic British roast dinner. My beef and my wife’s lamb were equally good. As you can see in the pictures, a generous portion of potato’s and Yorkshire pudding - with everything cooked to perfection. Depending on the time of your booking, it can be a little bit quiet (14:00 in Sunday for us), but all the surrounding tables were reserved for a little later in the day. Friendly attentive staff, and great value at £16.50 for a roast beef. We’ll be back!!

Anazing food, amazing staff, British pub at it’s finest 💙

If you are looking for typical English pub - you are in right place. Good price, wonderful customer service. The best option after your visit in Harry Potter studio, if you don’t want pay almost 8£ for a beer in London.

Perfect stop after visiting the Harry Potter studios. We were very hungry and had the ribs and sausage with mashed potatoes and fried onion rings. Everything was really good and the staff were very friendly.

A wonderful place! We were here by chance for a football game, but had the best time: great hosts, delicious beer and food, and darts. The best thing: I was even given 2 glasses of Otter beer. A really great experience here, thank you very much

A very cozy pub with very friendly and fast service. The food is mediocre, but it's not a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Great local pub with good beer and food

Newly redesigned bar. Great food on a Sunday lunch. With an simple menu Wed to Saturday. Wide range of beers to suit everyone and a good selection of spirits to suit even the pickest gin drinker.

If u are out and looking for a great, friendly and amazing food, look no further. This one is for you. Hands down the BEST local pub in Watford near the junction. Amazing service 👏 as always...

Great place to meet family and friends. Good price for food and drinks

Friendly pub. Busy before watford football matches. Good beer and food but most of all the music the pub plays is great. Dart board there too. A lovely place to kill a few hours.

Great pub - good selection of beers - great service and the food is good too.

Ausra and Sean are both wonderful hosts and a very welcoming pub.

Went for Sunday lunch . Again, first class for everything,three good beers on .

The absolute best Sunday roast in Watford! Best service and really cozy atmosphere. Great assortment of beers!

Me and my partner had the most perfect Sunday roast in this friendly pub and it was absolutely perfect. Definitely worth to visit and have some food. Thank u for the delicious lunch.

Great Pub! Lovely staff, nice assortment of drinks and ales and the food just hit the spot. Had a shared platter which they offered as a mix and match combo and a couple of beers and cider. All in all it was spot on 👍

I had a small glass of Apple cider and it was really nice at only 2.6£

Nice old fashioned pub with rear bear garden.

Cozy spot for a cold one. Staff friendly. Bathrooms clean.

Came to the White Lion, Watford with Coventry City London Supporters Club, who pre-booked, before our game with Watford. Landlord made us very welcome and had reserved the snug and part of the bar for us. Whole place was exceptionally clean yet cosy . Reasonably priced freshly cooked food and the excellent Purity Gold was on when we were there. Our supporters club awarded this pub our annual award for best away pub for 23/24 season,- well deserved.

We absolutely love this pub! The owner (Sean) is amazing and lovely and friendly, his wife cooks delicious food (thank you for the chilli and the ribs) and dog friendly, our dog was welcome and given treats and water! Thank you so much!

Lovely pub that does a good Sunday roast. The staff are awesome..

I stumbled across this place whilst working in the area, and OMG, what a little gold mine this is. I was welcomed from the moment I walked in, I was stuck for choice from the menu, but the bar staff recommended the chicken goujons, and I wasn't disappointed ☺️ though the pizza did look nice might have to pop back tomorrow to try one 😀 The apple Crumble was incredible, and may I add it has not been destroyed with cinnamon like most places I was over the moon with this 🤣 The service was brilliant throughout my visit, and the place is so clean 👌 Would highly recommend popping in if you're in the area 🥰

Great pub superb atmosphere and very attentive staff. The Sunday Roast was delicious

Great English pub, their Sunday roast is worth the detour, it’s simple but very good. I recommend !!

Friendly and welcoming. Fab Guinness....

loved it, thanks for having us....

A friendly relaxing place for a drink. They serve food and also have an outside area too.

Great pub. Not been in there for many years. I was pleasantly surprised how nice it is now. Quite a go to venue now. Im told the food is good so I'll be trying that soon

Went to Harry Potter and found this cute pub, - very friendly staff, nice garden and delicious food, if you ever in Watford, I recommend, 2 minutes from the station 😊🥰

I was visiting Watford and during my stay I decided to walk about and explore a bit of the city. It was a rainy day and as I walked past the White Lion my spirit says "stop here and have a tipple" 🤣😂😅 To be honest, I had a nail appointment close by, but I was about 30 minutes early, so I thought "why not" 🤷🏾‍♀️ The barmaid was welcoming and polite. She didnt have exactly what I wanted so she offered an alternative and I was pleased. The menu suggests that the food is very affordable. I didn't have much time to grab a bite, but if the smell of the foods being delivered to other patrons is anything to go by...then it's delicious. Restrooms are available and they were very clean with a nice scent. The pub has a rather quaint and warm feeling and I was happy!

Nice to see different choice of ales & dogs getting fussed & watered. Did'nt have any food as short stop.

Nice pub,lovely garden, friendly staff and the tolilet was very clean.

Pub under new management for some months now. Cosy and friendly. Big screens for sport. Range of beers available

Great pub, friendly environment and amazing staff. Best place to have a beer and chill.

The food was delicious. Even kids ate everything and said they loved it. Atmosphere is very cosy and warm. Service was attentive and smooth. I was surprised by a free Mimosa on Mother's day Sunday. All our family had great experience. Highly recommend.

Very nice and cozy place, excellent service and very delicious Sunday roasts. Must come when in Watford.

A good pub near Watford junction station has a decent selection of lagers etc. serves hot food.

Not a bad little venue had a nice makeover from the last time I was here, went on a Sunday and the food wasn't amazing but it was above average, drinks were reasonably prices and the service was very good, small car park at the back, atmosphere slightly lacking and a bit of music in the background would have been nice

Well run pub good service and reasonably priced

Super great host, top service and delicious food. You immediately feel at home :) next time I'm in London, I'll definitely come back. Thanks :)

Made a stop for some pints and small plates before our train to Chelsea. Great stuff. Service was AMAZING. Highly recommended

Had a wonderful Sunday lunch. Gluten Free friendly!!! 😀 Gluten Free Yorkshire puddings and gravy. Also a choice of dessert (sticky toffee and custard was gorgeous!) Great little pub, top service. Thank you x

Me and my son travel the railways up and down the UK. Today we found ourselves in Watford Junction, a very boring and rundown place, but thankfully found the little gem that lights up Watford Junction, the White lion pub, we decided to go in for a drink and some food. It was very welcoming, good service. The food was very reasonably priced. And so were the drinks. The food was very generous and tasty. I had the linguine and my son had the chicken goujons I can't fault the place. We will return if in the area again. Search us on YouTube Anglo Saxon Travelling Duo

Had food for the first time here and was pleasantly surprised with the whole pub. Nicely decorated, clean well worth a second visit!

Typical English bar, nice service, good food. Certainly worth a visit.

Mulled cider - £4.90 per portion - order two and ask for an empty pint glass.

Best pub in Watford with no doubt ☺️

The best pub in Watford.There I find amazing food and really friendly people.

Went for a roast, it was top notch and the land lord is very approachable and kind, great pub ran by a great guy, we'll be back for sure 👍

Good friendly place....Will go again...

Been here many times now, consistently a great experience all round. Sunday roasts are amazing, definitely the best pub food in Watford. They also do a fantastic vegetarian roast. We also recently tried the desserts which were really good. Staff are super friendly and welcoming, and the pub is very family friendly, they have some games and colouring for the kids around the side of the bar.

I had the squid and the pitta with humous which were delicious. Great service from Barbara. Would definitely come back!

homely, pleasant, delicious. we are still coming from Slovenia.

Best Sunday roast in Watford. We came around 4 pm few times and the service and the owner is always very nice. Best book in advance for Sunday Roast as it sells out very quickly. This pub won Watford Observer Award 2023.

Hands down the best pub I've visited in a long time. Why? They have really good food, it is prepared with love! The best service - all caring about you. And very cozy atmosphere, everyone will find the best spot for them to have a pint. I've found mine! And I will be back ♡

Totally amazing food .very friendly publican and intimate ambience..I have attached a photo of the starter options my wife and i purchased...squid. marinated chicken wings and nachos followed by a diavola pizza!

Really enjoyable meal with great service. Great Sunday lunch and desserts - between the 7 of us we tried all the meat options (Lamb, Beef and Pork) and everyone liked their choice. I booked via email in advance no problem. Parking/entrance was slightly hard to find (take the turning at KwikFit) and not many spaces available, but it wasn't an issue in the end.

After the tour of the Harry Potter Studios, tired and hungry, we landed at the White Lion! The atmosphere of the pub, very traditional, immersed us further in English culture. They have a huge offering of beers and we opted for a Beavertown IPA, brewed by a local brewery in London. As usual in English pubs, beer is ordered at the bar without table service, the guys at the counter were very kind and patient. We will definitely return if we ever find ourselves in Watford!

Lovely Sunday roast, very reasonable and very dog friendly

Great atmosphere, great hosts and service and good food. The owner is a really nice person and is always smiling and ready to help you. We were in the UK for just 12 hours (doing the Harry Potter studio tour) and wanted to have few beers and dinner before our flight in the evening - this place was among the top 5 rated pubs in Watford and I could see why. Highly recommend the White Lion!!

Best Sunday roast ever and even had a vegan option! Very cozy pub and friendly staff! Would definitely be visiting again when in Watford!

What a nice pub it has become!! Some thought has been put into it, feels so much bigger and happier place. Toilets are clean and outside area much more appealing. Food was hot and tasty, staff were friendly and chatty. Definitely an independent pub we should support!!

The owner is very friendly guy! He take seriously the job. Well done!!!

One of my favourite pubs in watford since the refurb and new landlord. Staff are great and always friendly. Atmosphere is really relaxed. Great for the footy or just a few jars. Massively recommend!

Stepped off here with family and I cannot say enough good things about this pub. We had food and a couple of drinks. Food was super, especially the pizzas. The staff were amazing, it's amazing how good and nice every staff member is, great fun and was great with the kids. They have a great area for kids games and this really was well received by ours! Spoke to the owner, lovely lovely guy who made us feel so welcome. Be told us about a kids food offer for August which reduced the price... He didn't need to as we didn't know about it, but he did. This is the mark of a great owner who runs a great team and bar. If anyone is in the area, like us, to visit the Harry potter experience with family or for whatever reason, I highly highly recommend this pub, you will not be disappointed!

Great pub. Nice and chilled vibe. Good place to catch up with friends

such a lovely little pub the staff are welcoming and friendly and the atmosphere is nice and chilled no hassle from anyone and good music at the right volume level!

Nice friendly local pub. Good food at reasonable prices. Friendly staff. Good outside space. Worth a visit if you don't want the hustle of the town centre.

We discovered the rustic pub today and it's just great 😃 You must have been

Have just had the pie and mash. Would definitely recommend this pub for the food and atmosphere. Will return for sure

They're the best. Kind, friendly and with a very good food and beer. If you stay in Watford, this is your option.

Fantastic place Family owned and locals are lovely, beer garden is a nice space! 👌

This is a really good restaurant that we found in Watford when we were looking for food. It is so cute with a great garden. The owner is super friendly and makes sure that everybody feels comfortable😊 The whole pub is great for families because they have games and colouring books. The food is excellent🤩 We can highly recommend it! You have to try!!!😄😄

Closest I've had to a proper 'hearty' home cooked Sunday Roast in a pub for absolutely ages. Portions were big, gravy felt like there was a party going on in my mouth, any side sauce you crave is provided (even if not a traditional accompaniment) The manager, Sean, even let me use his own personal stash of Salad Cream! Furthermore the staff were friendly, made the kids feel welcome, and the background music playlist a real "foot tapper!" Nice atmosphere, decent beer garden, close to train station(s) for visitors coming from outside of Watford. I can see myself coming a lot more regularly and so should you!

The owners changed and this pub is freshly renovated. There is a beer garden, which is now much bigger and tidy. Food is great. Highly recommend to come and chill. 👌

Really cozy place to have a pint, sunday roast and a chat with the owner.

We were on a little pub tour through Watford and found this pub the best, typical pub in terms of atmosphere and appearance. Good beer (by English standards). Great store!

Very tasty food, Sunday Roast (pork, beef and lamb)! Very friendly staff! Great deserts! I recommend dearly! 🤩

Really good Sunday roast beef cooked to perfection loved it

Great classic pub food and even better service.

Very cozy atmosphere, good food and friendly staff! Can't wait to come back when in Watford :)

Typical English pub, very hospitable with very good food! We recommend!

Great pub . Lovely food.Super clean lovely environment xx would recommend 👍

Been in Watford 6 years, so glad I popped in as it’s a lovely pub. But my goodness I picked a time where the service was slow. Was only 1 lady taking a while to order and me, and then got overlooked after 15 mins for another person. Shame as was looking forward to trying food. Will still pop back but not great experience

Comfortable pub ,good sport's screens..beer expensive

Wonderful cosy pub less than 5 minutes walk from Watford junction station great atmosphere good beer 👍

Great service, lovely and friendly!

Lovely pub, really good bar staff, nice decor, worth a visit .

Warm on a cold evening, clean and comfortable. No or little intrusion of noise even though on a busy main road. Good ale choice offered.

Edit. New owner/Landlord and staff. We have been twice now since it has been refreshed. A better choice of beer, a nicely lit and cosy space. We will be back. Rating increased to 5 star. Staff on a Thursday night at least was a very helpful pleasant and welcoming gent. Nice local pub feel friendly and welcoming staff. Could do with a few craft lagers or pale ales to lift it to a 5 star

Good welcome, the waiter managed to serve us even though the kitchen was about to close, nice, warm and very affordable place

Excellent Pub. Good atmosphere, top notch and friendly service from very kind staff. Excellent Sunday roast. Cleanliness everywhere.

Great roast, hospitable service and reasonable prices

Lovely pub that is warm and welcoming. Staff are friendly and go out of their way to make your experience positive. Highly recommend!

Absolutely lovely staff and environment. I don't usually write a review but have been here a few times and just had to say how great it is!

Very good meal beautifully cooked. Unfortunately the entire family have gone down with flu me in hospital for 4 days. X

Said they are fully booked to us but said they are not fully booked to the police officer who just came in after us. Then progressed to give them a waiting time. Maybe us being black was the reason.