The Red Lion — Restaurant in Cherwell District

Went for lunch with my boyfriend and a friend, the overall experience wasn’t great. We were told someone would come to the table, ended up having to go in to order food. Waited a long time and when our mains came out, my friends burger was raw, my chips were supposed to be with truffle and Parmesan, I could not taste the Parmesan (more like a hard cheese substitute I’d say) nor the truffle and my jus tasted like I was having a glass of red wine, which I don’t like. We wanted to order dessert but were put off as after they cleared the table they brought the bill straight away. Was not impressed by the service or food, specially for the prices on the menu. As a chef myself, I highly recommend checking all the food before it gets sent out to avoid these type of situations. I don’t normally like to complain, but I don’t think that meal was acceptable. Would not recommend. The raw burger was taken out of the meal which I can appreciate, but no one ever came to check if everything was okay during the meal, or offered an...

Despite the positive reviews, I regret to share our disappointment with the food at the Red Lion. Our children had requested pizzas, but the ones served were similar to those found in frozen stores, with minimal serving size and accompanying fries. This left our children feeling unable to eat. Initially, I was perplexed as they appeared quite hungry after our walk. After tasting the pizzas, I realised they had a slight spicy flavour, which may have contributed to their discomfort.

We subsequently spoke to the chef, who assured us that he only used tomato sauce and cheese. However, despite our efforts to ensure that the pizzas were prepared to our liking, my wife and I both detected a peppery sauce. Additionally, my wife had confit duck, which was not well-prepared and overly salty. My chicken pie was not particularly exceptional.

Regrettably, the food at the Red Lion did not meet our...

Unfriendly welcome (see response below), average beer quality, food looked good.

Regarding the comment from the owner, we moved our bicycles out of the way so the wouldn't interfere with other guests. The first thing the owner said before we evn sat down was to ask us to move them. No welcome, no hello, no obvious alternative place either.

Yes, I could have mentioned the nice plants. I could also have mentioned the very high prices - one pint of beer, one bottle of Crabbies and a small packet of crisps - £10.80. Looking at the equally high prices of the gasses of wine on the board inside, it was no surprise the place was so quiet on a perfect Summer...