Red Lion, High Lane — Restaurant in Stockport

They say first impressions are important and I agree. You arrive at the Red Lion to find that the car park is managed by one of those horrible private parking companies and if you don't ensure that you enter your correct vehicle registration number on the keypad inside you will get a parking charge notice. There are plenty of parking signs in the car park and by the pub entrance to reminding customers to register their vehicle details, but why risk the chance of upsetting a customer who either forgets or makes an error when entering thr number on the key pad.

My wife and I were seated right by the entrance door. The pub was not that busy and we asked to move to somewhere further into the pub to be warmer and cosier, not struck out on a limb with people going past us when entering/leaving the premises.

Our order was taken and drinks and food served quickly. I had a pie, mash, vegetable, and gravy. The pie was nowhere near my benchmark of good steak and ale pie, the portion of each type of vegetable was small (1 broccoli floret, a couple of slices of carrot and some red cabbage), except the mash, which was OK size. In complete contrast, the previous day we had a meal in the Ring O Bells, another Robinsons pub, in Marple, which gave a much bigger portion of vegetables in a separate dish. My wife thought her meatless burger and chips was OK.

The real ale I had was served in good condition.

After my meal I visited the toilet and was shocked to see a member of staff come out of a cubicle, and he went straight back to work without washing his hands. I mentioned this to a guy behind the bar when paying our bill and he said he would have a word with this member of the team. He did so and reported back that the reason he didn't wash his hands was because he didn't use the toilet, he just went in there to check his blood sugar levels, because he felt they were high. Even so, he still should have washed his hands because touching the cubicle door handles is a source of cross contamination from previous users who had used the toilet.

We didn't bother to stay for desert.

We ate in 3 Robinson's pubs during our holiday and this was the weakest link. I would not use this pub again as the food was nothing special, concerns over hygiene and not wanting to risk getting a parking charge notice.

Note: My family had a two year fight with a private parking company and we beat them in court, but nevertheless it was a horrible stressful experience that I don't want ever again. This was the only Robinsons pub we used during our holiday that used one of these notoriously bad parking companies. Smart Parking Limited on Trustpilot have a score of 1.1 out of 5. That says it all! I just hope we...

Great pub would absolutley recomend, the food is brilliant, the menu could be more diverse but for the area and customer profile suits perfectly. The beer selection is of that of a robbies, so personally lacking and annoying, unicorn is great and all but some local beers and some craft IPA would go down a treat. The staff are brilliant the pub is ahead of every where else in the area in terms of decor and styling, the layout inside is nice entering at the top of the pub where the seating for the bar is, as you walk through you will find the bar, and then the restraunt seating nearer the bottom with the toilets at the end, which are verry nice providing you with deodorant and other skin care products If that a thing that you do in a pub? Anyway on the bar there is a screen for your reg plate, the parking is free but if you forget to enter your reg you will be fined.

The food is excellent the menue has pub classics such as fish n chips, and burgers as well as other verry nice meals, the food is faultless, other than me always wanting more chips as they are verry good.

The service is great, the waiters are friendly, and make conversation when right, they dont intrude.

Location is great, it's the centre of highlane and is right on the A6, it's not hard to get out onto the road there either. I've been going there for years it's my familys go to for a drink or meal, and great for a meet up with friends the seating is verry social and spaced out enough from other groups but not to far away that it feels off. I love the pub I'll be going back for years, but...

We went here for lunch after a busy day took 1 hour 10 min for food to come out!? I wouldn’t mind but it wasn’t even busy? I counted and there was only 4 tables in total including us?

for stake sandwich’s? not any apology’s for the long wait for sandwiches! People that came in after us got there’s before us? And when it did finally come out the bread was burnt! And they put the lighter side on the outside the burnt part on the inside and the bottom?

I said to the waitress”excuse me but this is burnt”? She said oh right I’ll get you a new one.? Didn’t apologise? Came back within a minute with a new one. Again no apologies, the “chef” spent most of his time outside the kitchen laughing and joking around with some other staff and his mates.

Both times we have been here, the atmosphere was tense, waitresses rude, passive aggressive? For no reason? And for the sandwich’s it cost us over £50 for our 3 drinks and 3 sandwiches? Total rip off and I couldn’t even bring my self to speaking to them as I knew I would have got more attitude as they are very unapologetic! And I would have lost it! Would not recommend this place on all levels!! It looks like it would be a nice pub but it is far from that! Never again! Avoid!!

I’d rather go to a greggs, a petrol station anywhere els for food as it would be cheaper faster and better service and atmosphere...