The Red Lion, Stoke Newington, N16

Tris C left this review about The Red Lion

A Red Lion has stood here since at least the late 17th century. This is a rather beautiful incarnation with Dutch gables, built for Truman Hanbury Buxton & Co Ltd in the 1930s.
I came here once around 16 years ago and wasn’t impressed with it, what with the gloomy lighting, multiple sports TVs, boisterous studenty types and loud music. Recently acquired by Frontier Pubs, it still has its impressive brewery motifs to the front, painted black, picked out in gold (see photo), the lion previously…err…red (see another photo). Truman’s pubs of this era were often noted for their stylish interiors – just take a look at the neighbouring Rose & Crown – and if there was one such example here, it has sadly long gone. Geared towards the younger drinker, it now has a generic trendified interior, bare boarded, overpainted ‘30s’ fireplace, dark grey wainscoting then white walls to a yellow ceiling, conventional solid furniture to the rear, more modern tall stuff to the front, spun copper hanging lamps and wire caged sconces with filament bulbs. For the better, gone are the TVs – notably the dropdown screen – likewise the table football; there’s a U-shaped bar, with a scaffold bar back. I was the only customer in the pub at the time of my Tuesday visit at just gone 9.00pm, with what sounded like a loud party upstairs in the function room, attended by ‘young people’ at whom the pub is obviously aimed and come term time, attended by what must be students from their nearby accommodation block.
There’s still no cask, a half of keg Siren Lumina coming in at a relatively low £3.35 a half, tasting cold and crafty, served by a knowledgeable and friendly barman.
For a place of this nature, it’s not too bad though I’m really about 30 years too old for this schtick, but it’s a lot better than some of the places round here; a decent cask selection would get the score up at least a point.

On 9^th August 2024 - rating: 4
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