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Detail Pages
Ye Olde Red Lion, Newbury
Chieveley
Postal town: Newbury
RG20 8XB
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about Ye Olde Red Lion
This village pub is close to the M4/A34 junction but has a very rural feel. It's an Arkell's pub with a reasonable sized interior with several different areas around a large central bar. Walls hold quite a few items of interest, including lots of old maps and documents. Board games and books can be found on a windowsill, whilst a TV was showing live Premier League football. Dogs are allowed in and customers were a good mix of young and old. Further seating can be found to the front of the pub on picnic tables. The pub seems to host quite a few events. Some kind of market had been held the day before our visit.
At the bar, regular cask ales are 3B, Wiltshire Gold & Belt Driver. I chose the guest beer, which was the seasonal Sir Noel. Ciders were Thatcher's Gold & Haze & Aspall's. Mulled wine was also available. Boards listed normal wines and autumn/winter cocktails. We were in the market for food and were perusing the tempting boards on the wall opposite the bar, but we were out of luck on a Sunday evening. The only option appeared to be Scotch Eggs on the bar, priced at £4.50 each. However whilst considering where we might want to go to for dinner, the young barmaids appeared with a dish of roast potatoes and Yorkshire Puddings. Problem solved!
On 8th December 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3329 recommendations about 3327 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about Ye Olde Red Lion
A typical Home Counties village pub, modernised from the original building and leading on food, though they also do B&B. There is a small carpark at the front and a small but pleasant garden at the rear. It’s still run by Arkells. The single large bar is a knock-through, the servery in the centre. There are various tables and seating arrangements including bench seats and dining chairs. It didn’t have much of a local feel to it, and the staff weren’t that engaging, especially the foreign barmaid who was seemed to have forgotten how to smile. Ales on draft were 3B, Wiltshire Gold, Hoperation IPA and Kingsdown Special Ale, all in good condition. Food is pub standards, but expensive and average quality, not particularly good value. I’d be happy to stay here or drop in for a beer but probably wouldn’t eat here again given the choice.
On 18th March 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3680 recommendations about 3642 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Ye Olde Red Lion
Timber-framed Arkells house with quite a bit of character inside despite looking like it has been opened-out at some point. Very homely with a traditional pub feel; carpeted, some exposed brick wall and wood ceiling beams. The impressive fireplace was lit which added to the atmosphere. Friendly locals and staff in situ, who helped clarify the status of a few nearby outlets we’d struggled to locate in the dark. Three Arkells ales on and my Kingsdown was in extremely good form. Nice backlit ‘Ye Olde Red Lion’ sign in the bar back (Courage lineage?). One major downer was that the toilets reeked of piss which leeched into part of the bar (just where we were sat, too). A selection of papers available, always a good sign. Probably my favourite pub of the day’s crawling but the smell of urine in my nostrils lasted into the car park, which means I have to knock a point off.
On 2nd March 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5891 recommendations about 5871 pubs]