The White Lion Coaching House — Restaurant in Stockport

I'm sure this is a great pub to go to if you're just after a drink with friends, but I would avoid for food especially if anyone if your party has food allergies. My son has a severe peanut and sesame allergy but we eat out regularly with him and on most occasions we don't come into any issues. Our experience at the white lion was very different. We always ask for an allergen menu but were told from the offset that it hasn't been updated for a while. This should have been a warning sign really but we always use other precautions with my son's allergies so we weren't too concerned at this point. Myself and my husband also avoid my son's allergens based on advice we have from the hospital and we feel this is the safest option. We ordered burgers which we wouldn't normally do but the allergen menu had stated no sesame and the normal menu said brioche bun rather than seeded bun. But as an extra precaution when my husband ordered the food he asked again if there were sesame seeds on the bun and the person taking the order confirmed there wasn't. When ordering, my son was having chicken nuggets and the manager checked the label which we appreciated. However, when the food came out the burgers did have sesame seeds on. We questionned this as we were told they didn't and I think it was the response from the staff that annoyed us more than anything. The manager came over and said we had only asked about the chicken nuggets which was incorrect, it was just a different member of staff and it felt like they were insinuating we hadn't ordered properly. We did ask for an alternative option which they said they couldn't do as the kitchen was too busy so we received a refund instead. To add I think half of the problem was the volume of music. There was a live singer on (who was fab) but it was so loud that you could barely hear the person next to you so it was really hard to try and explain the issues with the orders to the staff. It was a busy day and I appreciate the staff were probably struggling but it's so important that restaurants and pubs take allergies seriously, have an up to date allergen menu and that their staff are trained to understand the menu and the advice they are giving. If you have allergies in your group I would avoid at all costs and I hope the white lion take this feedback on board and review their allergy management procedures and retrain their staff.

Also not as serious, but still annoying - the...

What an absolute gem! I've lived in Stockport for 21 years and today I finally got to step over the threshold of The White Lion! Previous considered a dump but today I got to see it in all its glory. When I first walked in I was struck by the beauty of the The White Lions historic interior, the original mosaic flooring and grand architraves were a pleasure to behold! We were greeted by a very pleasant young lady named Kaitlyn who was very knowledgeable about the beverages on offer and was very happy to allow me to try a few samples so that I could make a selection of what I wanted to drink. My husband had a look around to see how the 15th century pub had changed from when it was last open a decade ago and the staff were happy to chat about the architecture and changes, the manager Mark was very pleasant and down to earth and wasn't afraid to talk about a few hiccups they have had since opening 3 weeks ago. I must say though they obviously got these hiccups ironed out as the food was delicious, portion size was fantastic and the prices are very reasonable. I loved how friendly these guys and girls are, I'd have no problems with recommending The White Lion for food and drink, it was so nice to go to a place that is chilled out, friendly and has great customer service. Oh and I must mention the toilets as they are impeccably clean. Thanks guys for such a lovely visit, we will see...

We were really looking forward to seeing the changes and initially happy, so much so that we were considering booking a 40th Birthday party. We arrived early doors so it wasn't busy at all. There was a problem with the alarm (annoying beeping) not fixed during our visit, manager wasn't interested. The staff (ladies) were very attentive and friendly. Tip: when passing menus to customers it would be good to highlight the soup and pie of the day, or have it written on a board. The food (fish and chips) was a big let down - batter greasy and soggy, fish wasn't fresh, chips hard and undercooked. Our food soon went cold as the plates were cold. Our plates were hardly touched yet this wasn't addressed by the man (dressed in black, I think the chef) who collected them. The Manager has a bad attitude throughout. Our 2nd glass of wine had lipstick on it. It's such a shame as we have very fond memories of this place and run well, it could be as popular again. That said, we will check reviews at a later date in the hope some of the issues raised have been...