The Red Lion Ellesmere — Restaurant in England

My parents had stayed at this hotel for nearly 30 years ( under different management) and always enjoyed it enough to return, for 4 days each year! My dad passed away last year, so this year my sister & I took my mum so she could enjoy the town ( she was raised in) The accommodation was ok , bed was a bit hard, shower/wet room was a perfect description of it( we almost flooded each time we showered, but it was nice enough and good value for money.

First night a few of my mums family met us and we all had a meal, which was really enjoyable, food was lovely, a really lovely evening! next morning after a tough nights sleep, we had a very enjoyable breakfast. . (we dined out the second night) The second days breakfast was not as nice but it was ok! Now we get to the evening meal,! … after we were lucky enough to give our order ( the Waitress was more interested in hugging a person at the bar then taking our order) Order was 3 ribeye steak ( 1 rare 2 medium)1 ham salad The meal arrives, ham salad is what you’d expect, my steak is lovely! my poor mum is having to take each mouthful of steak back out of her mouth, my sister almost chokes on each bite. As is normal these days young waitress comes over to ask if everything is ok, and my my sister told her No, not really! She just stood there!? I asked her if she knew what she should do? After about a minute of standing there she asked another Waitress what she did should do she was then advised to speak to the manager. The manager came and said she would take the steaks back for the chef to try! To try, I asked? yes to try ! Confused. Com!) I said that’s fine but I will not be paying for the meals as they are inedible for my mother or my sister! she seem very confused the statement she takes the meals, returning them, telling us that three people had tried the steak and it was not tough! It’s fine to eat! So she is returning the meals that three people have tried!!! Yes, returning them to my sister and my mother for them to eat, after 3 people have sampled the steak! in all my years, I don’t think I’ve ever had a meal returned that three other people have ‘sampled’ at this point my mother is so distressed and upset she leaves the pub crying , I tell the manager how upset my mother is, to which I’m told ‘its not us that have upset her!!” I was asked to pay for the “cost” of the two meals and obviously the full cost of the other 2 meals, which were not eaten due to disruption! ( I’m happy to pay for those)

It is so sad, and disappointing to end 30 years of enjoyable stays at the Red Lion Coaching House Ellesmere! We didn’t wait for breakfast the next morning, we stripped our beds left our room clean, We will never return to this pub and the memories my mum has of the shared of years with my dad are know tarnished Perhaps the world has changed but I’m not sure I want to eat out if members of staff try your meal if you have complained about it!! World gone mad...

The food in the Red Lion was lovely as was the waitress Riesha. (Sorry if that is the wrong spelling. Unfortunately the accommodation let it down as did the attitude of the manageress. When I arrived after a long 4 hour drive I wanted a shower but they had omitted to leave any towels in the room. I re-dressed and went to reception and asked for towels. Rather than give me some they said someone would bring them. After 30 minutes they still hadn’t arrived so I gave up. Dressed and went for dinner at my allotted time. I complained to the manageress who, instead of apologising told me I should be more understanding due to Covid. I run a B&B myself plus 2 serviced accommodation flats. I know these things happen. Sorry cost nothing, being told to stop complaining is unacceptable customer service. We had dinner which was delicious with a great waitress. When I returned to my room the towels were there. Unfortunately the TV remote was missing, there was no seat on the toilet and no clock. The other issue was the use of Zip Link beds to make a large bed. I use these as do a great many establishments. The trick is in the name. You link the bases together with a metal connector and then zip the mattresses together. If you don’t zip them together they part company during th night creating a chasm in the centre of the bed during the night. Twice I had to get up to move the mattresses back into position. It is also potentially a health and safety issue. If a guest sits down with a hot drink and they part it would be a court case. I would have said all this quitely as a courtesy to the Landlady but her rudeness over the towels made me reluctant to speak to her. If you are in the hospitality industry then customer service is paramount. A bed that misbehaves, no towels, a missing toilet seat, no clock and no tv remote is unacceptable. It is the manageress’s job to ensure that the guest is politely provided with the service they...

I stayed at The Red Lion the first weekend of August, 2025. Its an old building - so if 'modern' is your thing, then it maybe won't be for you - however, I found it to be a pleasant stay, and am happy to be staying there again in a few weeks time. The bedroom was clean, with plenty of drawer space. No wardrobe, but a perfectly good hanging rail. There was plenty of tea and coffee available, along with UHT milk pots, and complimentary biscuits were also supplied. My en suite looked as if it had been recently fitted, and was exceptionally clean, which was lovely. I had a room which overlooked the rear of the Inn, which included the outside seating area, and also a church. The seating area meant music and people, but the music ceased at 10pm, and the area cleared by 10.15pm, so no apparent noise after that time - apart from the church bells, but I quite enjoyed them, to be honest. Although the Inn has a road in front of it, there was no discernible traffic noise. Breakfast was included in the price - and much appreciated. I had the full English twice, and the American pancakes on the third morning. There was also orange juice and cereals available. The food was plentiful - and the bacon, in particular, the best I've ever eaten! The staff were happy, smiley people, and I'm looking forward to my visit at the end of the month. I've stayed at a quite a few places in this area in the last few months, and would like to say that I consider The Red Lion to be excellent value for money, and also that the bed was one of the most comfortable I've slept in. Thank you all for a very pleasant stay - keep up...