The Red Lion — Restaurant in East Suffolk

If you're ever in Woodbridge and fancy a proper pint and some honest, hearty grub, do yourself a favour and pop into The Red Lion on Thoroughfare. I stopped by recently and I’ve got to say, it’s exactly what a good English pub should be: full of charm, character, and warm hospitality.

The place itself is a bit of history, a beautiful old building that still carries that traditional feel with the exposed beams and cozy atmosphere, but without feeling tired or outdated. It’s clean, welcoming, and has clearly been looked after.

The menu is spot on, no pretentious nonsense, just good food done well. I went for the mixed grill, and it hit the spot, full of flavour, cooked just right. I saw a couple near me tucking into the plant burger and they looked well impressed, so there’s plenty for everyone, even the veggies.

Drinks-wise, they’ve got a solid selection. I stuck with a nice pint of local ale, crisp, cold, and well-pulled. There’s clearly pride taken in the cellar here, which you don’t always get these days.

The staff were friendly, attentive without being over the top, just decent people making you feel welcome. It’s also a dog-friendly place, which I love, always good to see four-legged friends being treated to a bowl of water and a few biscuits.

And if the weather’s nice, their beer garden is a proper treat. Plenty of space, nicely kept, and a great little suntrap to sit back and enjoy a bite with friends or family.

All in all, The Red Lion in Woodbridge is everything I look for in a pub, character, quality food, decent drinks, and a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. It’s the sort of place you leave already thinking about when you...

I would give zero stars if I could. I never write reviews, but in this case, I feel it’s necessary. My partner and I booked a table for 2:30 and arrived early. While we were waiting, a man was loudly and aggressively berating a young waitress, which left a bad impression before we even sat down. For about 10 minutes, he muttered under his breath, saying things like, “She won’t get far with that attitude,” and “Why am I working here,” among other things.

When our starter finally arrived 30 minutes later, it was served with two small pieces of bread that were rock hard and an overwhelming slab of pâté. The bread-to-pâté ratio was all off. My partner went to the bar to ask for more bread, given the large amount of pâté, but was met with rudeness and verbal abuse from the man, who swore at him with a very loud tone in front of the other paying customers and walked away. We felt so belittled and embarrassed that he caused this much of a scene over something we kindly requested. A woman, who I assume was the manager, quickly apologised for his behavior as she witnessed this incident but it was clear the man felt superior to the women around him and his behavior was left unchecked.

We paid for our half-drunk Cokes out of common courtesy due and left. It’s hard to believe a business can thrive with such toxic behavior from an employee. As paying customers who previously enjoyed the atmosphere, I’m absolutely appalled by this experience. There needs to be some accountability and justice...

This place used to be incredible - decent paced service and delicious food with plenty on the plate. Having visited yesterday, it’s hard to say if we will be back again. Staff were very friendly and attentive, but it took between 1 hour and 1 hour 30 minutes for lunch to arrive. In that time, I saw a table of 6 get half of their meals 10 minutes before the other half. We ordered chicken schnitzel and chips, which was actually very good, but there was no garlic butter or lettuce wedge as described on the menu. This came out when asked. We also ordered a burger which should have come with two patties and sauce but came with one pattie and no sauce. On both meals, the portion of chips was very small, which is disappointing for £14/15 and the burger was tiny. The chicken schnitzel was plentiful though! Several people came in during our stay but walked back out as they were told that a food delivery had not been received, meaning they could only make burgers. It’s a shame that they could not get the burger order right for us, seeing as this was the only item on the menu. We didn’t complain but did mention the wrong food orders and the waiter was very polite, rectifying it with a free drink which we did not ask for or expect. I really wish the new owners the best of luck with this place and hope to see it restored to its...