Red Lion — Restaurant in Avebury

Avebury is a place unlike any other—a village steeped in history, spirituality, and wonder, nestled within the world’s only inhabited stone circle. To visit Avebury is to step into a realm of ancient significance, where every stone has a story to tell, and every corner carries whispers of the past. In such a unique and magical setting, one would hope for establishments that reflect the spirit and character of the place. Unfortunately, The Red Lion, Avebury’s sole pub, falls dismally short of this expectation.

The Red Lion itself is a historic building, a structure that should embody the charm and warmth of the area. Instead, it has been reduced to yet another victim of corporate homogenization. Owned by Chef & Brewer, one of the many chains that dominate the UK pub industry, it has lost all individuality and soul. This is a tragedy not just for Avebury, but for Britain’s pub culture as a whole.

The menu is uninspired, serving the same lifeless, pre-prepared meals you might find in hundreds of chain pubs across the country. The food lacks flavour, freshness, and any sense of care. It’s a disheartening experience for diners—one that leaves both stomachs and spirits unfulfilled. The pub itself feels like a caricature of what a traditional English pub should be: all aesthetic, no substance. In a place as extraordinary as Avebury, this feels not just disappointing but almost insulting.

The corporatization of British pubs has been an unfortunate trend over the past few decades. Once vibrant, community-driven hubs, many pubs have been bought out by large companies that prioritize profit over quality or character. This industrialization strips pubs of their individuality, replacing local traditions with generic branding and pre-packaged experiences. The result? A watered-down, soulless version of what a pub once was.

The Red Lion’s fate is emblematic of this larger issue. Its location in the heart of Avebury—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—only amplifies the mismatch between its setting and its offering. This pub should be a celebration of Avebury’s unique history and community, a place where locals and visitors alike can gather to soak in the magic of the village. Instead, it feels out of place, a corporate chain masquerading as a local institution.

In Avebury, where the past feels so alive, it’s especially jarring to see the present manifest in such a disappointing way. A place as extraordinary as this deserves better—a pub that honours its surroundings, serves food with care and flavour, and embraces the unique spirit of the village. The Red Lion, in its current form, does none of these things. It’s a stark reminder of what we lose when heritage and individuality are sacrificed to corporate convenience.

Avebury deserves a pub that reflects its soul. Sadly, The Red...

This was the kind of restaurant experience that inspires you to stay home and cook for yourself. Or, if you're going out for the day, take a sandwich. In my 40 years I had never seen a carrot quite so limp and dimpled until this meal - and this is taking into consideration a decade's worth of school dinners. I can only assume that the veg, including the soggy roasted new potatoes, had been micro-zapped to within an inch of their life. The vegan mushroom and ale pie was more pie than anything else and really wasn't worth the chewing effort. My 11-year old son braved through his veggie sausages saying they were 'a bit hard'. It was not until, seeing him struggle, I offered to cut one for him that I realised 'a bit hard' was code for 'needs a hacksaw to cut through'. And how anyone has the ability to dry baked beans out to the degree the ones served to my son were is entirely beyond me. This meal was meant to be a special treat for my son, but when I offered him dessert and he said no thank you, I knew the angels were watching over me.

Shortly after receiving our food the waitress had asked how it was and I said 'fine' because I didn't want my son to feel embarrassed by my sending the food back. I had thought that when it came to paying, the waiter taking the payment would ask how the meal was, but looking around at other plates which had been abandoned part way through, clearly he knew better than to ask. As there were other people waiting to be served and I know how much pressure waiting staff can be under during the busy lunch service, I didn't say anything, but on reflection I realise that I should have refused to pay for the food. I certainly was tempted - for the first time ever in my life - to walk out part way through the meal without paying. The best part of this meal for myself and my son was leaving the restaurant - we couldn't get out of there fast enough.

If you're thinking about going out and eating at this restaurant, don't. Stay home and make yourself a...

Gutted to say that it all went quite wrong for us at lunch today. We had booked a table for 1pm and arrived early - the greeting by the member of staff and being seated was all great. One of the party is gluten, dairy and fish free (all on the booking) so we had the gluten free menu and the tablet to filter out allergens - again all great. When we went to order the individual was completely overwhelmed. We overheard a customer being advised there was a 45 minute wait for food - great to be informed. The meal had to be requested multiple times (4 x steaks) and this wasn't read back to us to check - the individual could see the queue building behind us. The steaks arrived and only 1 was correct We asked for: 1 rare rump NO Garlic butter with chips, plus peppercorn sauce and halloumi fries - this was overcooked, had garlic butter and no peppercorn sauce 1 rare rump no garlic butter with chips - this was med-rare. Overcooked 1 rare rump with peppercorn sauce with chips - this was fine 1 medium rare rump with a salad no Garlic butter - this was undercooked and the salad was bitter rocket with a few slices of radish, a sauce drizzled (unsure what it was so avoided it due to allergies) and a few thin slices of cucumber - a separate side salad was delivered and i suspect we had been charged extra for this even though it was part of the dish on the gluten free menu. The steak had to be sent back The waiter was also overwhelmed and didn't know how to deal with incorrect orders and his only explanation was that he was inexperienced. We had planned to have puddings but after the disaster of the main meals we decided to leave - no one came to check if we were happy with our meals and the more senior member of staff on the bar behind us disappeared so we couldn't raise issues with anyone. We appreciate that saturday lunch times are busy and feel really disappointed with our experience today. The staff we saw worked really hard but were overwhelmed and needed senior support to help...