The Lion — Restaurant in London

I’m not usually one to complain, but i feel quite strongly about my experience at The Lion.

It took 2.5 hours to have a one course meal and we had music from the speakers on one side of us and (different) live music on the other, which was pretty unpleasant.

Hoping for a Sunday roast, we were only given the Sunday/mother’s day menu once they came to take our order and we asked if there were any specials. When the food arrived, we had to wait several minutes to get cutlery. The food was not good. The lentil and bean stew did not taste of much and the chicken burger was tough and very salty. To be fair, the Jack fruit tacos were apparently very good.

After the meal our water glasses were cleared away with our plates. Not a big deal but a little annoying as the kids hadn’t finished and wanted more to drink.

We then said we didn’t want dessert and expected the bill to follow. After waiting 20 mins we requested the bill, which came about 10 mins after that. The pub was not busy at this point. Then the card machine didn’t work.

And for the pleasure of all this they added a 12.5% service charge to the bill, which I’m kicking myself for paying. I haven’t experienced service this bad for a very long time.

A real shame as this is a big, nice looking pub in a good location. It could be so much more if they made an effort and trained their...

The outdoor space used to be quite inviting and bright but is now quite tired looking and dark. The service was terrible. Every time we wanted drinks, no waiting staff were around, so we had to go to the bar, even though we had booked a set table. Waited at the bar for such a long time, even though the pub was empty. The second time was quicker but tbh, it just felt so lacklustre. I chanced a cocktail and got the sharp intake of breath as he knew it would take longer to serve me. And, for the price, it was mainly ice.

The kids food had sausages that were far too peppery and spicy so my daughter did not eat them, and even though it was sausage and mash, it came with no gravy. It being served in a lunchbox was weird. How can a kid easily eat with a knife and fork out of a big plastic lunch box? Just very very strange.

The squid starter was nice but tiny for the price and served with no lemon.

Burgers were ok. My burger was the house burger and the cheese was strangely very granular and salty. The ketchup bottle was empty.

We came for my husbands birthday and from beginning to end it was exceptionally mediocre, if that.

Definitely would not go back...

I've eaten here maybe 6 times in the last year or so. I've recommended it to friends who love it. It's been consistently good. Lovely, easy going, friendly and calm atmosphere allows you to dine at your pace. This shouldn't be confused with bad service. My suggestion is go and eat in the restaurant if you want a relaxed and chilled out experience. Eat in the bar if you're in a hurry and tell them you want "service rapide"! The prix fix lunch is a bargain, wine list is reasonably priced and good quality and the coffee is a lot better that I was able to find in France recently! Yes, the "old" Lion was a delight under Don and Mifanwe, but times move on and this is a great replacement. Eventually it's time will come too and it'll be sorely missed. Enjoy this local resource while you can. Back there on Wednesday for birthday lunch and looking forward to it. Don't let me down guys!! Ben Makins. (For some reason this gets posted under another name..I'll try and...