The Red Lion, Kidlington

Komakino . left this review about The Red Lion

Now taken on by the small, family-run pubco Oak Taverns, this has had their customary 'lick of paint' makeover and is brighter albeit in a more muted sense, with a mushroom and dark blue scheme. The carpet has gone, as has the pool table out back and a range of comfortable seating options lie in wait, with a focus (as all Oak Taverns pubs do) on the ale: three of the four pumps clipped on my weeknight visit offering XT 4, Oxford Trinity, and what turned out to be a superb Loose Cannon A Hard Dray's Night – a malty, chocolatey dark ale, fresh on, but light and moreish (NBSS 4; £4.80/pint). Oak Taverns pubs pride themselves on the quality of their beers and this was no exception. Three boxed ciders also available, plus a generous beer garden out back which I hadn't spotted back in 2016.

1st June 2016
Hidden away in back streets off the A44, The Red Lion is a Greene King house which has recently (May 2016) changed hands. The main entrance faces the road and takes you into an open plan room with the bar facing the entrance. The floor is mostly carpeted and there are two bay windows either side of the entrance door offering ample seating. The room snakes around to the right of the bar where what looks like an extension houses a pool table. A white dado rail separates a dark red and white colour scheme and runs throughout what was the 'original' building. The ale options were limited to Doom Bar and Wychwood's Hobgoblin (GK IPA was thankfully off); half of the Hobgoblin tasted rather insipid. Might be worth a revisit in 3-6 months they've had a chance to bed themselves in. Rating upped from a '3' to a '7' accordingly.

On 24^th April 2024 - rating: 7
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