Sign of the Horse Restaurant and Brewery — Restaurant in Red Lion

I'm trying hard to like this place. I've been there numerous time, and that's only because they are about a 3 minutes drive from my home.

First impression is that you feel like you're in a cool, upscale neighborhood (not Red Lion) once inside or enjoying the courtyard.

The beer selection seems pretty solid; however, I tried a flight of different varieties and only found one that seemed promising. The other huge flaw with the beer selection is how lopsided the quantity of styles can be. As an IPA fan, I was there once when there were nearly 5 or 6 IPA styles to choose from. On a different visit, there was only 1 IPA and a pale ale (as a close alternative).

I've also sent a nice text to their FaceBook page (the Hanover location) to tell them how much I enjoyed their Flux IPA and that I wish they would continue it at the Red Lion establishment. That was 2 weeks ago. No response (other than a lame automated reply).

Their food: YIKES! It's nothing short of inconsistent. I've been there two times now with folks who ordered the steak. One person ordered it rare and it came out totally gray on the inside. One person ordered it medium and it came out almost red and raw toward the middle and entire other end. With the prices they are charging, this is totally unacceptable. You can go to Texas Roadhouse and get a perfect steak to your liking for much less. Again, I want this place to do well, but they aren't scoring any points.

The other thing I HATE are those stupid little metal trays they serve their sandwiches and fries (or onion rings) on. They are TOO SMALL. And, clearly, the small size enables them to add a very small quantity of side (fries) as more won't fit. Again, for the prices they want to charge... ...[Side note: I got their crab cake sandwich twice, and it was great both times.]

On my last visit, three of us ate here: two getting sandwiches, one getting the steak, and 3 beers total. With the tip, we spent $100.00! This isn't the First Post, folks (for those in the York County area and familiar with that establishment and their food).

The other big gripe is how long it takes to get a drink. In this case, beer. It took over 5 minutes for drinks to arrive at the table. Our waitress, very nice, apologized that the bar is behind. IT'S ALWAYS BEHIND!

I've been there when there were barely any people at the bar and stood there waiting to get acknowledged for nearly 4 minutes. Really? This is how you DON'T succeed in this industry. Get a clue! If you want to make mixed drinks (which you do), then you need a person dedicated to the bar only and not working on table drinks, which seem to take forever to make. How long does it take to tap a freaking beer? Go to Collusion if you need some bar manner tips (tips on treating customers that is). I'm sick of tipping people who act like they're angry and...

We tried Sign of the Horse for the first time tonight. When we walked into the restaurant there were several large parties and it was VERY loud inside. We were offered outdoor seating and I'm mostly glad we accepted that opportunity. The two top we were seated at was rickety but I fixed it with a folded napkin. Unfortunately, it was also by a water spigot (like what you'd hook a hose to) and I thought for sure my problem would be banging my elbow off of it. Nope......I bumped it and the spigot turned on drenching my right leg, feet and shoes. There really should be no table there. It was very close to the other two top and even moving it a little made the spigot a hazard. We ordered the pan nachos with pulled pork. They were VERY good. The pork was a little dry, but the chips and pico on top were so amazing. Even a server passed by and said whoa...they jacked up your nachos. She said they don't normally look like that but they look very good. Apparently we ordered on a night when they were changing up the recipe. Huge, fresh chunks of tomatoes, onions, peppers, slices of fresh jalapenos, beer cheese and multi-colored chips. YUM! We determined we could have stopped there and still really enjoyed dinner. I ordered the house burger and it was good. Fries were yummy too. My husband ordered the beast burger and I took a bite as well. We both really like it. It's a different take on a burger with various game meats. My husband ordered the pear cider and it was definitely not pear but still pretty good. My only food complaint is the nachos came out and nearly 2 minutes later the burgers came out. It is important for restaurants to get timing down. I wanted to enjoy the nachos, not be overwhelmed by food. Our server was attentive, patient and friendly. All of the food coming from the kitchen looked delicious...

I honestly have never understood fine dining or spending one entire paycheck on food. I usually never take the time to write reviews because food has always been food to me lol.

The Sign of the Horse Restaurant and Brewery may be a little pricier than your average restaurant in town. But it’s worth every penny!

We went on a Wednesday and the food was absolutely extraordinary. The wings were the juiciest wings I have ever had. Their sea bass was full of flavor and crab cake was just as yummy. It’s a cute, classy addition to Redlion. They’re also very considerate of food sensitivities/ lifestyles and mark their menu easily.

Some reviews state their say the portions are “smaller” however I think to keep in mind are the portions are meant to be eaten in present time/ eaten fresh. I believe they’re trying to give portions that are able to be eaten within the dining experience so 1. Not as much is wasted or haven to be packed up for later 2. freshness/ flavor may not be the same the next day. Overall I was stuffed and could barley move afterwards lol - my leftovers were still yummy .

I’m not much of a drinker either and usually skip out on drinks. I had two yummy delicious drinks, and love their drinks so far. I will say happy hour wasn’t really happy hour since it was only a dollar off- but drinks were pretty inexpensive considering.

Overall, this place is a really awesome location, not having to go all the way to york or Lancaster “fine dining”. Give this place a try! There’s indoor and outdoor seating- soon to be live music. I’m excited to see where this...