The Golden Lion — Restaurant in London

I am a new season ticket holder at Fulham & decided to go for a few drinks after the match. Everything was great early in the evening, but someone got sick in the toilet, such a small toilet to cater for quite a big venue & nothing seemed to be done about it for ages. Trying out a new wallet where I do not have to take card out posed a problem when I was buying my round & there was an issue with me tapping the card but the transaction not going through. However this was resolved quickly & amicably by the bar person Anna from Brazil who like all the bar staff were excellent at dealing with a large crowd. Decided to stay to watch the rugby & having spent almost £100 between us £60 personally & been in there for hours what appeared to be a manager seemed to come on shift. The issue with the card happened again & has I was just holding the pints taking them to our table when this man who seemed to have authority of some sort & was much older than the other staff boomed "You are not having those"! I was angry that he spoke so loudly in front of everyone like this, he was very agitated & I re tapped my card & the transaction went through without any problems. I don't expect to be spoken to like that in in a public forum where I am paying my hard earned money to be disrespected like this for an honest mistake. Being 59 I have forgotten how it is to be treated in this way. For the remainder of our time here I felt this man had slightly ruined the evening, he seemed very intent on tidying up clattering around...........sure wish he had been around & that vigilant earlier in the evening when the toilet was full of vomit. I get that there was initially a large football crowd & it can be stressful but the young bar staff handled everything with politeness & efficiency. Above all they made me feel like my custom was appreciated & had people skills that sadly the manager? seemed to lack. Next home match I shall be going elsewhere & spending my money where my custom is valued & not disrespected Post Script Just seen the response from the owner.....his response beggars belief & is quite apparent that he seems quite arrogant. He says he would right things but then offers no way to do so & then questions his rudeness towards me as if it was all a figment of my imagination! The best satisfaction for me will be having a few pints after games in a pub with adequate toilet facilities, developing a residency with my match going pals for 20 + games or so. If we spend up to £100 a match, maybe even getting food......the bumptious owner will have lost a whole lot of custom, he seems entirely reliant on the football for his trade anyway. In 2023 people always have a choice & ability to voice if they are not satisfied. I am pretty sure my review of the new football pub we go to will appreciate our custom, not shout at me & be more interested in tidying than seeing that the customer is satisfied. The response of the owner of this pub shows that the assumptions I made about him on the day were...

🚇Putney Bridge 🍺 £6.70 Madri

The Golden Lion is located on Fulham High Street in Southwest London. The nearest Tube is Putney Bridge.

This is the oldest pub in Fulham, dating back to 1455. The original Tudor building was demolished in 1836 and rebuilt in the same year. Further rebuilding followed in 1893. In the 1970s, the pub became known as a rock music venue and a meeting place for Led Zeppelin. Today, it’s famously a go-to pub for Fulham fans before and after matches.

This is a good-sized one-bar pub that is set out in a “J” shape. The servery is clad in orangey tiles with a modern glass gantry above. To the right of the servery is an exposed brick fireplace, with some ornamental cogs to the side. Heading further back, there’s a comfortable seating area with cosy booths. The decor is on the contemporary side, mixing traditional furniture with petrol blue walls, and it was nice to see some stained glass leaded windows. There are plenty of TVs dotted about showing live sport, and a couple of fruities if you fancy a flutter. A big bonus here is the large beer garden at the rear, which has a few huts, loads of benches, and more TVs.

The beer line-up was a selection of familiar keg favourites. I opted for a Madri — my pint hit the spot, though the price point was a little punchy. The food options include a range of burgers and pub classics; fish and chips is reasonably priced at £10.75.

I arrived just before 2pm on a mild Saturday afternoon in March. The atmosphere was upbeat with a group of local lads sat at the front, a few in the garden and a couple of solo imbibers. Most had an eye on the Millwall v Stoke game which was goalless at the time. The service was top notch, the team on duty were welcoming and friendly.

This was a very good visit indeed — my kinda pub. The atmosphere and friendly locals made for a great environment to quaff a pint in. The service was down to earth, and my pint was great, if a little pricey. I can imagine it’s rammed on Fulham match days, so choose your time to visit — but make sure you do. Solid boozer.

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📅 15th March 2025

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It has just had an extensive makeover (March 2019). I was worried it would take away the character of the place, but it doesn’t seem to have done that at all. It’s provided a lot more seating outside a lot of it under cover. Some booths at the end of the garden, lots of TV monitors around by the booth like (don’t know the term) tables.

I was also worried prices may have increased, I’m not sure if they have or haven’t, but that in itself tells me that if they have, it’s certainly not significant enough for me to have noticed. I do think they are very reasonable compared to other places.

My only gripe is the number or people and that it’s hard to get served on match day. Probably not much that can be done about that... they do stop letting people in when it gets too full. It’s easier to get served at the barbecue grill outside, that was quick, but it would be handy if they did a couple of soft drink options there and not just beer, maybe even just tins or bottles of coke.

Reasonably priced, good place to drink before football, although it can get very crowded making it hard to get served. Often have a burger grill going outside. I’ve been told (yesterday) that the burger was £4 and was very good with lots of bacon in it.

Good pub for home football fans, although the pub is small, there is big...