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Picture of The Old Red Lion
Image posted by James Joines
Submitted on Wednesday, 14th May 2008
With picture contributions to 1645 other pubs
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Requested be closed with reason - Other: Up for tenancy

The Old Red Lion, Leeds

Pub added by James Joines
2 Meadow Lane
Leeds
LS11 5BJ
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Reviews of The Old Red Lion (Average Rating: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Alex Conway left this review about The Old Red Lion

As an avid supporter of Sam Smiths pubs I was very excited to visit here as I usually have good experience in them. The pub is at the corner of a junction and is a large square standalone pub that looks very nice from the outside. Inside there is the classic Sam Smiths old fashioned style that looks like things have not changed from the 60’s and I really like this. From the entrance I came in there was a small room to the right with a few seats and a dart board with another similar sized room on the left with a pol table. The main bar was straight ahead but there was only a small serving counter as the rest of the main bar was partitioned off to make it its own room. All this separate rooms are what pubs used to be like and I Love how Sam Smiths have not opened their pubs out as it loses character. The pub was carpeted in the man bar area and painted a dark cream with lots of traditional wood panelling and old fashioned bar layout with overhead storage for glasses. The beer was the usual full range of Sam Smiths beers but I was very sad to see that they have ripped out their hand pulls. Now I know in some of their smaller out of the way pubs this is the norm but this place is in a very prominent position next to the river and a stones throw away from the main city and trendy bar and of all the Sam’s pubs to do their cask version of old brewery bitter it would be this one. I had a pint of the keg version at the same price the cask would have been at £1.90 and this was quite nice and a lot better than any of the horrible cream flow rubbish but not a patch of the cask version. Overall this was a very pleasing pub to have a swift pint in and is full of character and has a good following from its regulars but sadly the lack of cask drops it a point as up until only a few years ago it sold cask. It does however sell the slightly less seen light mild so it’s still worth dropping by for a cheap beer.

On 14th March 2017 - rating: 6
[User has posted 455 recommendations about 455 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Old Red Lion

Multi-roomed pub retaining a few interesting features but some of the more recent work (e.g. a few replacement windows in the rear lounge) are somewhat lacking in character and the whole place has something of a clinical feel. The old photographs are interesting, though. As a Sam Smith's house, there was just OBB available from the various handpumps, but at only £1.80 it is very difficult to complain.

On 8th March 2015 - rating: 6
[User has posted 8066 recommendations about 8066 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about The Old Red Lion

Stood in the shadow of the more opulent and well known Adelphi, this Sam Smith pub could perhaps be easily overlooked, but to do so would mean missing out on an interesting multiple room boozer. The main bar is at the front of the pub and has carpet flooring with half panelled walls and a long curved banquette under the front windows. It was pretty quiet when I visited, but a small handful of locals had gathered in this room, sat along the bar counter. To the left, there is a large lounge with a curved button backed banquette along the back wall, a few tub chairs under the front windows which bear the Sam Smith's logo, and low stools elsewhere. The walls have been decorated with some genuinely interesting old pictures of life on the nearby river and other decorative touches include a smart frieze running around the room, a patterned ceiling and an attractive tiled fireplace. A corridor running behind the servery leads to the toilets and eventually brings you out to a small lobby with enough room for a couple of tables and chairs and access to the bar. To either side of this area there are two more rooms, one with a few seats and a dartboard, the other filled by a pool table. I hoped to settle down to read my paper and relax over my pint, but I ended up playing a long, futile game of fetch with the charming and remarkably persistent pub dog.
Old Brewery Bitter was available on handpull, but I fancied something different and opted for the Light Mild which I thought was pretty reasonable all things considered. The landlady seemed a bit gruff and the locals didn't strike me as the most approachable lot, so in many ways, having the dog for company was a bit of a blessing.
I agree with the previous reviewer, that this isn't the sort of spectacular, ornate Sam Smith's pub that visitors from the capital might expect, but I still thought the place was nicely presented and offers something a bit different to other city centre pubs. Not one to seek out for the beer, but certainly worth a look if you find yourself in the vicinity.

On 16th January 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


View more reviews of The Old Red Lion (7)
External web links for The Old Red Lion

No known official website for this pub.

Pub location see interactive map of local area
Map location corrected by Will Larter
Leeds, 0.45 miles, 8 min walk (show)
Burley Park, 2.53 miles, 48 min walk (show)
Cottingley, 2.96 miles, 57 min walk (show)
Latest updates View all updates for The Old Red Lion, Leeds
9th Jun 2022, 15:08
Picture submitted by Will Larter approved
 
9th Jun 2022, 15:08
Picture submitted by Will Larter approved

Pub Details

Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.

  • Bar Billiards : No last updated 16 December 2013 by Steve C
  • Darts : Yes last updated 16 December 2013 by Steve C
  • Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 16 January 2014 by Pub SignMan
  • Live TV Sports : No last updated 16 December 2013 by Steve C
  • Pinball : No last updated 16 December 2013 by Steve C
  • Pool Table : Yes last updated 16 December 2013 by Steve C
  • Real Ale : No last updated 08 February 2018 by Will Larter
  • Real Cider : No last updated 16 December 2013 by Steve C
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