The Red Lion, Rugeley

Official site of The Red Lion - www.brunningandprice.co.uk

Official site of The Red Lion - www.brunningandprice.co.uk

Nice pint of Landlord, friendly staff and locals. Fairly quiet at 2:30 on the Thusday between Christmas and New Year.

My fiancee and I chose the restaurant for an anniversary celebration meal following a previously successful encounter. We had previously had a fantastic meal and experience, sadly this was not the case this time! The menu seemed limited and after ordering our main course we were told that they had none so we chose a substitute fish for the same meal. It came and was horribly disappointing. The tuna was overcooked to the point that it was burnt on the edges and was crunchy and it was literally like chewing an old boot. The prawns that accompanied the fish had a similar consistency, failing to provide the usual texture that you get from prawns. The veg was also overcooked. We chose to leave before dessert (which has never happened before) to go elsewhere to salvage the night. After recieving the bill I spoke to the barmaid/waitress (who couldn't have been more helpful and apologetic) firstly because we had been charged for the original, menu stated fish which costs a lot more than the substitute fish that we got. I also decided to complain about the quality of our food (which I have never had to do anywhere before and felt very uneasy and guilty for). She was lovely about it but the 'manager' came over to us and was frankly rude. He would only accept to reduce our bill from over £40 to £30 (which meant we paid £30 for two drinks and a pate starter-which was actually nice. He then scarperred around to the other side of the bar leaving the barmaid to deal with the bill and didn't offer us the slightest hint of an apology or try to explain why it was so bad this time. Such a bad attitude, even places like pizza hut don't make you feel terrible for pointing out your bad experience. No wonder the place was empty. Being a Monday isn't an excuse, if you serve good food you are busy all week.

A detached Georgian 'mini-manor house' looking brick build, with beer gardens and childrens play area. The place is a pub/restaurant. The interior is open plan around a central bar area. Mostly, it is given over to food, but there is a sofa and comfy seat area, by the TV, which wasn't on. The decor is mainly green and white, with some red, with ceiling and supporting beams. There were a nimber of pictures and cartoons on the walls and there are a couple of nice fireplaces. The service was good, the food we had both nice and reasonably priced. There was quiet general background music. The clientele were mature (ie my age and older), all there eating and the place wasn't deserted! Beer; tap stuff with Timothy Taylor Landlord and a decent Holdens Golden Glow on handpull. An all round nice experience; the food was fine and there was a nice choice of real ale. More than worth a visit.

A good unspoilt pub with a wide-ranging menu. Busy at lunchtime but drinkers are not neglected. Choice of well-kept real ales. Tel 01543 492906