Red Lyon Tavern — Restaurant in Lawrence

This place could be great. The location is cool, the decor is trendy, and the drinks are decent. But none of that matters when the person running the place is openly hostile to paying customers.

My friends and I came in to celebrate a birthday — nothing wild, just six of us grabbing drinks and catching up. We were being respectful and spending plenty of money. About halfway through the night, one of us politely asked if the music could be turned down just a notch. Not off, not even low — just slightly less shout-over-each-other volume.

That’s when the owner came over and lectured us. I’m not exaggerating — he stood at our table and launched into a weird rant about how this was “his bar, his vibe, and if we didn’t like it, there were plenty of other places that play Taylor Swift on repeat.” He literally mocked us in front of other customers. We were stunned.

No one was being rude to him. We were just trying to have a conversation without yelling. The whole mood of the night shifted after that — we finished our drinks and left. On the way out, he muttered something profane under his breath.

I don’t care how “cool” your bar looks or what you charge for drinks. If you’re going to treat people like they’re inconveniencing you by being there, you shouldn’t be in hospitality. We’ll gladly give our business to someone who respects...

We have been going to Red Lyon for years and have always had a wonderful time here. However tonight your doormen disappointed us beyond belief by publicly embarrassing my 26 year old fiancé in front of the entire bar. After being a frequent patron to the bar for several years, the doormen denied him entry tonight because he has lost 200 lbs since his Is photo was taken and they claimed they couldn’t allow him in because he didn’t look like his photo. However they refused to ask for a second form of ID or take his “fake” ID from him. Instead they proceeded to let the rest of our large party into the bar but deny him entry. The situation was so ridiculous we thought they were joking at first. The doormen then proceeded to tell him that they believed he was lying and that his ID was surely fake. Even offering multiple photos, other IDs matching names, and multiple eye witness accounts, they continued to call him a liar and embarrass him in front of the entire bar. I love the Red Lyon and I am saddened that this happened but I can’t recommend anyone go to this bar if they want to be treated...

I just can't say enough good things about the Red Lyon.

This is my go-to spot for Sporting matches, KU Away games (and some home games), and the occasional World Cup or Euro match.

The Lyon isn't just a sports bar. Recently they've started having guest breweries do a tap takeover, giving Lawrence a chance to sample great brews from all across the country. While Lawrence does have some great local beers, the bar scene in Lawrence is lacking in diversity. Red Lyon seeks to remedy that with their guest tap takeovers. The recent introduction of flights even lets you sample several without committing to a full glass, or breaking the bank.

I've been coming to the Red Lyon for several years now, and it feels like coming home to my family. The staff here are wonderful no-nonsense people. If you take care of them, they'll take care of you for a long time.

This is not the bar for college drink specials, or specials on shots. They aren't in a rush (hence the Unhurried mantra), and that's why I...