The Knapton Lion — Restaurant in England

A good friend organised a get together for 4 of us, two couples, about a week before we visited. The site reviews suggested a new management and gastro-pub food. So this was what we expected.

There are good points and bad points. Half of us had food that was OK, the other half had to send food back because it was cold and uncooked.

The bad points. Only two people had starters - one starter (from the Christmas Menu) was the soup, which arrived cold. This was sent back to the kitchen and was returned some 5 minutes later but only warm, not piping hot. Two main courses were from the Christmas menu; vegetable Moussaka. These were both luke-warm, with the aubergine and courgette uncooked. Both were sent back to the kitchen. These were never returned and no-one came to offer anything else as a replacement, (even a sandwich would have done). The reason given for the cold food was 'there has been a power cut in the kitchen'. No further explanation was offered. Three people had desserts, which were OK and acceptable (but not a wow!). Decaffeinated tea or coffee were not available, so we skipped those. The bill when presented, we were told "has a sight discount", which proved to be the case - very slight, £6 in fact. The Christmas Menu prices are £22 for two courses and £28 for three. We were charged 4x £22. Two meals were OK at £22 but the remaining two were not even realistic. £22 for a starter (cold soup; then warmed) and a dessert, seems excessive; the Main Course having been sent back uncooked and never returned, or replaced. One person was charged £22 for a dessert only, it being the edible part of the meal; the main course having been sent back as uncooked and never returned or replaced. Three times we had to ask for a jug of water. When asked for any sauces for the main course, Tabasco was requested and never arrived, no reason was given. The drinks prices are excessive; £7.50 for a glass of wine and £9 per pint for beer. The hand dryers in the toilets do not work. Communication between the front of house and kitchen was not evident. Cold food and missed courses were 'not realised' by the front of house, who then took a defensive manner, over a bill that asked to be paid for something not had.

The good points. The refurbishment is smart and cheery; with a good ambiance. The car park is newly tarmac covered and is safe and dry to walk across. The staff were initially attentive but became flustered when a large party arrived late. Apologies for cold food were offered, often. A discounted price was offered as "We do not want a bad review. We have a reputation to keep." Front of house did say they wanted us to return and that it "had been a bad day."

This is a fair and representative report on our first visit to the Red Lion. We all understand having a bad day, we have all been there. We may have a second go, we may not. We will watch the reviews and wait until things settle down.

There are far better locations around York to eat, drink...

All lovely, we will definitely visit again if we're in the area. One minor grumble is no baby change facilties, and I didn't see any disabled toilets either. The only quibble on the food we had was that the brownie wasn't in the style we prefer, being more like a cake and perhaps a touch overdone. Everything else was lovely, and the portion sizes were appropriate to the price point. The dishes we tried were - Veggie strudel; fish pie special; chicken and ham pie; children's sausage, mash and yorkie pud; white choc ginger brulee; kids' brownie with ice cream; coffee with truffles; coffee with mini brulee. All except the brownie we would definitely have again, though we would probably all go for the hot drink with a mini pud as that size was perfect for us. Having been fitted in at short notice on a Saturday evening, it would be rude to complain about the table being cramped for 4 adults and 2 children and I noticed when we left it was relaid for only 4 adults, so I don't think that is a fair criticism to level, though I did find the space a little tight whilst we were there. Staff helpful, friendly...

Thank you to Tom and all the team at the Knapton Lion. The food is of excellent quality and consistently delicious. We've travelled there by taxi knowing it would deliver and it most definitely did! The team are friendly and welcoming just as they are at The Lord Nelson, their Sister tapas bar/restaurant. They both serve excellent quality food for excellent value in my opinion. They have a very good vegetarian menu at The Knapton Lion, perfect for my Mum in Law, which she said is excellent. I must also say they have carefully selected their wines, so if its a bottle or a glass of house wine, you won't be disappointed. Amazing choice of other drinks and craft ale/beers too. We have taken many of our friends and family and they all love it. Well done Tom, keep it going. We just need a shuttle bus from...