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Red Lion Pub - CLOSED
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
5 reviews for Red Lion Pub
5 reviews in English
-
Review from Todd V.
Toronto, ON
10/3/2008
This place has been a mainstay in Toronto for as long as I've been here and has seen some slight changes over the years. That said, it has endured the name change from "The Red Lion" to "Bryden's Red Lion" and then back to "The Red Lion", showing that this is a fixture in the neighbourhood that will be around for a while, despite the name alterations.
Set up as many places are in the Jarvis-south-of-Wellesley area, the Red Lion is built into an old mansion not unlike the Keg Mansion or the most anachronistic Mac's Milk that you'll ever find. This fact makes this place feel roomy, cozy, and not least of which, homey.
The menu is pub-fare as you'd expect and a fenced-in front patio is usually choked with people. Don't worry if you see a "Reserved" sign on the tables. The "reservations" are for parties of four or more. So if you qualify, ask the server to seat you in the shade, order a pitcher, and relax. -
Review from Mike S.
Toronto, ON
8/29/2008 1 photo
I like a place that knows what it is and doesn't pretend to be anything else. This is definitely the case when it comes to the Red Lion pub. It is most definitely a pub, the food is ok not great, the fish and chips are hit or miss and their hamburgers are consistently good. They'll always have the game on and the wait staff is friendly enough to be helpful without being intrusive. There is a large patio which is packed in the summer and provides a good view of the colourful foot traffic on Jarvis. I would recommend the Red Lion to people who are looking for a nice place to have a pitcher, some pub grub and good conversation.
Like the review? Check out the link to my blog on my profile. -
Review from Alejandro A.
Toronto, ON
12/22/2008
Red Lion isn't anything special. It far from sucks, but I was never all that impressed with this place. It's a pub with an ok sized patio and a mediocre list of bar food. Inside it's old in a way that some might call 'character' and others might call 'old.'
It's often noisy inside, and if you're there on a night where they have some sort of live music, well... you'd better be there for the music.
My experiences here with the wait staff are hit and miss. I've had evenings where they are on the ball, and other evening where you're lucky if you can flag down any sort of attention. One thing that's true is that it'll stay consistent through out the night. If they're quick off the bat, they'll be quick all night, and vice versa. -
Review from Amanda S.
2/21/2010
Sorry to report, but the Red Lion is gone and The Blake House will be opening this Spring to take it's place. Although, I'd only been there once, the food was good, nice pool table and bartender was really friendly and shared some pretty hilarious stories.
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Review from Sean R.
Toronto, ON
1/8/2009
My 20 minutes at the Red Lion Pub rank at the worst pub/bar experience of my life. Labour Day 2007 my girlfriend and I decided to grab a beer and some food and foolishly decided to try the Red Lion. After sitting down on the empty patio with our beers we both pulled up an extra couple of 5$ plastic lawn chairs to rest our feet on. Within minutes of doing this an older gentleman who I presume was either the Manager or Owner barked at me rudely to remove my feet. So I did. My girlfriend whose feet he didn't notice on the other chair kept her's in place. I respect the fact that he was offended by the fact my feet were on the plastic chairs, what I don't respect is how he addressed the initial situation. Moments later he notice my girlfriends feet on the other chair and all hell broke loose. He grabbed our beers and told us to leave in a very aggressive manner. I told him he had no right to talk to my girlfriend this way and began to become very very loud. He in essence pushed us down the patio path to the sidewalk yelling at us. I am amazed that this man hasn't been locked up for his irrational and rude behavior. I wouldn't even grace the Red Lion to dispel my excrement. With so many pubs in the City of Toronto I can't imagine why anyone would ever walk into a bar to be treated so rudely.
