The Red Lion, Leighton Buzzard

This is a two bar pub and I went in the left door leading to a lounge bar which contained a TV showing music videos, a fish tank and various framed pictures of dogs. It's been well described below and seemed a friendly enough place. There are only three hand pumps and one was unused leaving just Abbot and Black Sheep Bitter, not a great choice for a GBG listed pub. I went for the Abbot (£3.50) which a local said was fresh on. It wasn't clear so either wasn't ready or needed pulling through. It tasted OK but overall I found this one disappointing.

A traditional pub in the centre of Leighton Buzzard just round the corner from the Market Place, it consist of two rooms with a central bar counter and a friendly bunch of locals sat on the stools at the bar. The lounge is to the left and this has a somewhat dated appearance with red carpet, red velvet stools, floral wallpaper and pretty much every square inch of the walls filled with photographs, many of them of dogs, but also a few cartoon type drawings. The smaller area to the front has a table and chairs squashed in to one corner, and there is a brick fire-place with a coal effect gas fire and flanked by a couple of old milk churns. Up a couple of steps at the rear it opened out slightly, and there was a large fish tank here as well as a plasma screen, although this was not in use. The music was perhaps a tad too loud I thought, this may perhaps have been from a jukebox filtering through from the bar to the right. I did not investigate this but could see a pool table and darts board in there. Beers on tap were Abbot Ale, Black Sheep and a very pleasant Smokestack Lightning which was the guest on this occasion. Ciders were Thatcher’s Gold and Weston’s Traditional, the latter served up from a box on the end of the bar. All in all, I thought this was a decent enough pub and worth popping in if you’re in the area.

The Red Lion is well described below and we only had a beer in the lounge on our visit. It feels like someone's front room with myriad knick knacks and ornaments making the place feel cosy and cluttered, a fish tank, various sofas, a friendly dog and Emmerdale on the large screen television. Nothing modern here. The atmosphere is friendly with various regulars around the bar and sofas all willing to chat. Beer was Abbot, Banks and TT Landlord. Not an inspirational selection but the Landlord was the best pint I had in town all evening if the best pint of Landlord ever. A safe bet for a beer in Buzzard.