Old Black Lion, Hereford

Decent place with very friendly service. Most tables were set up for dining. 3 ales on. Old Black Lion bitter (Wye Valley rebadged) being the regular. Alongside this I was pleased to see a couple from Evan Evans brewery - Cwrw and Sea Scape. I tried all 3 and the Sea Scape was the pick of a good bunch. Well worth a visit.

I suspect that things have improved since October 2009! We stopped at the Old Black Lion for one night in April. The pub is still just as described below but the service has improved dramatically. The landlord / manager could not have been more helpful and the waiting staff were very polite and helpful. The bar is very small (2 blokes leaning on it would be a crowd). this pub is really a restraunt with rooms above that happens to sell beer. I had a pint of the Old Black Lion Bitter, which was excellent. I can't believe that they make it on site and it must be a re-badged offering from a brewery like Wye Valley as thier towels were on the bar. The food was superb, the quality, speed of service and taste was far better than I expected. The wine list is also excellent with some unusual offerings from around the world. The double room that we stayed in was small but had everything we needed. The only down side was the creakey floor, but what do you expect in such an old property. Breakfast was served in the dining room and was comprehensive, with great service from the manager again. Not really a drinkers pub but fine for a quiet night with your significant other.

Official site of the Old Black Lion, contains menus - www.oldblacklion.co.uk

Official site of the Old Black Lion, contains menus - www.oldblacklion.co.uk

The Vine has a new manager. FOOD is awful - cold and poorly timed - my meal arrived 7 minutes before my partners and her vegetables arrived 5 minutes later. CHEF was rude and the manager useless. We left without eating or even paying for the 4 drinks we consumed during our wait!!

a nice terraced pub, with white rendered exterior and black paintwork. The interior has a small bar area, but is laid out almost entirely fo food. The decor is cream and red, with some red wood panel and traditional beam look. Decoration was some nice old photos and caricature pictures. The service was non-existant, hence, very disappointedly, i gave up waiting after 5 mins. The clientele consisted of a guy and his half downed pint, but at least he got one. The beer; tap stuff, and had i got to try it, there would have been Rev James and the Old Black Lion Ale on handpull. I was very sorry that i couldnt get served, i really wanted to visit this place, even though it seems to be aimed at the food market. Next time i am in Hay i will make it a mission to be served.