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Detail Pages
The White Lion, Norwich
Norwich
NR3 3AQ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8½ of 10) see review guidelines
Old Boots left this review about The White Lion
A white painted detached pub, a slightly odd shape inside, three bars but don’t use the door in the entrance porch to one of them, turn left into an old fashioned tap room. Here it’s quarry tiles and wooden benches, un-upholstered but with thin cushions, brown painted and kitchen tables. Clear windows down one side and the counter down most of the other, the end wall has a big blackboard listing a dozen ciders and perrys as befits a CAMRA Cider & Perry pub of the year 2023 finalist. It also illustrates cider making and brewing. Another smaller blackboard lists the cask beers. Eight pulls and a T-bar of nationals stand on the counter, a good selection of strengths and styles mostly local but a Roosters and a Vocation had made the trip south before me. The only decor other than the blackboards are a couple of photos and a collection of CAMRA awards.
The other bar is reached by a corridor behind the shared servery and there’s a snug on the way, the other bar has a bar billiards table and there’s an outside area as well. Well worth the stagger out from the centre.
On 21st April 2024
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3269 recommendations about 2978 pubs]
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The White Lion
Unaccountably, my first visit to this Camra award-winning pub, and it didn't disappoint. Pleasingly traditional interior featuring the main bar, a side room with the bar billiards table and a plainer rear room. We found five of the eight handpumps in use, with a pair of Norfolk beers - Tindall's Black Gold (£2.30, half) and Elmtree's Golden - an three from further afield. Also has a reputation for its extensive range of draught ciders and perries.
On 13th May 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Steve of N21 left this review about The White Lion
This was the next stop on our Norwich crawl after the Fat Cat and therefore had the unenviable position of being after the Lord Mayors show. But it stands up very well and I thought it was a very good pub and wasn’t totally surprised to learn later on our crawl, from a local CAMRA branch member we bumped into, that the White Lion has been voted the Norwich Branch Pub of the Year and City Pub of the Year for 2023.
A wonderful warm welcome as described below and a fantastic traditional multi room interior, and any pub that has a room containing both a bar billiards table and a tropical fish tank score’s highly from me.
Good range of ales as also described below, but this pub also does a cracking range of 12 real perrys and ciders from the cellar room, that are advertised on a large chalk board mural at the end of the smaller main bar room.
On 28th April 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Steve C left this review about The White Lion
The entrance of the White Lion leads to a front bar area with an L-shaped bar on the rear wall and bench seating under the windows across the front wall and up the left under the ‘Cider Board’ that is a large chalk board that takes up the entire left hand wall. Listed on here are 6 traditional ciders, 4 fruity ciders and 2 perries. The red tiled floor runs throughout the pub and to the left of the bar counter is a ‘Cask Board’ on a old exposed brick chimney that covers a burner below. Tindall Brewery’s Black Gold Stout, Glamorgan Brewing’s Hancock HB, Mobberly’s Bunji, Rooster’s Brewing’s YPA and Elmtree Beer’s Golden Ale were the listed cask beers. There was at least one hand pump unused so even with this list the pub wasn’t operating at full capacity. To the left of this chimney breast is a doorway to the back bar, and a few more tables and chairs that are faced by a small L-shaped section of the bar counter. Through to the right rear access is gained to a large open plan area with bar billiards at the rear and a sparse mix of standard furniture and armchairs at the front. This area is mostly standing room. Next to a fish tank on the left wall is a hatch through to the bar for service. Down the right side of the pub is a thin outside seating / smoking area.
The service in here was extremely friendly from the young lady behind the bar, and who doesn’t like a bit of low volume drum and bass early on a Friday afternoon! I would certainly visit here again, although I’d be a bit disappointed if it was busy and I couldn’t stand in the bar because I much preferred this area to the rest of the pub.
On 25th April 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5247 recommendations about 5215 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The White Lion
An interior with exposed beams and rough white plastered ceiling.
A half of Mobberley Brewhouse Bunji went down very well, served by an almost flirtatious, utterly authentic Norfolk barmaid – probably the one encountered by Quinno – ‘Of course you can, my lurverly.’, but it did come in at £2.40, which is higher than the pricing of typical London alehouses, though was worth the premium just for the priceless barmaid alone.
Deserves a visit in its own right and a no-brainer on a crawl.
On 22nd April 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The White Lion
A small cosy front room with the main servery and a low ceiling and exposed beams,but drift around the back of the bar to another room with an unusable front door and you will find a bar billiards table and a tropical fish tank.This took me back to the days of my drinking youth in the 70's.There is a beer garden and the three room interior is traditional and the welcome friendly.The ale selection was Tindall Black Gold,Staffordshire Hancock HB,Mobberly Bungi,Elmtree Bean Golden Ale and Rooster YPA (NBSS 3.5) with various crawlers halves being served in smart handled glass tankards,nice touch.It seems that the USP here is to offer a few ale from further afield,as most of the other GBG listed pubs in the area tend to focus on Norfolk ale.
It's easy to get chatting with other customers in such a convivial setting,I really liked it and would happily return .
On 16th April 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The White Lion
End of a long day’s crawling with only a handful of genuine quality pubs and pints under our belt, we finished-up here. This is a genuine multi-roomer, we sat in the front bar with its basic quarry tile flooring, wonky beams and pillar box red walls. To the rear is a brighter room with a sadly unusable (but soon to be reinstated) bar billiards table. Eight pumps with five ales on from a mix of micros. The S&P Darkest Hour stout was lovely (NBSS 3.5) although the Mr Winters Dodgy Tackle was a bit more so-so (2.5). There were, I think, also some ciders. In a city full of decent bar staff, the barmaid here (‘hello my loves!’) who also knew her beers (she recommended another S&P stout - subsequently spotted and tried the next day- “you’ll enjoy that one my loves, I know I do”) is worth a transfer fee and we spent most of our 30 minutes joshing with her. Off-beat, fun and worth a visit.
Visited early August.
On 12th September 2021
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5081 recommendations about 5064 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The White Lion
I've been meaning to get to this Norwich pub for some time. But I finally got around to visiting it for the first time yesterday. It's almost always the local CAMRA branch cider pub of the year. So, I was certainly looking forward to it.
It did not disappoint, with a decent range of ales in addition to a fantastic cider range. I'm fairly sure that The White Lion is no longer a Milton pub. It was under new ownership and there was no sign of any of their beers. Instead, the range was Ilkley Mary Jane, Shortts The Cure & 2 Tone, Mr Winter's Atom SMASH, Tiny Rebel Five Dollar Shake & Bull of the Woods Woodstock. Ciders were Ascension Wrath, Seacider Sticky Toffee Pudding, Pulp Mango & Lime, Broadoak Purple Haze, Gwynt y Ddraig Farmhouse Pyder & Black Dragon, Abrahall's Cracklin' Rosie, Village Green Dry, Sweet & Oak Staged, Biddenden Dry & Thistly Cross Whisky Cask.
I would say that this certainly rivals the Fat Cat and possibly the Duke of Wellington as best pub in the city. I'll certainly be back.
On 18th September 2020
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The White Lion
This well run pub is defo worth a visit. Friendly and chatty staff and serves fab ales and ciders. There were eight ales on offer on our visit. Five from the Milton Brewery Cambs and three from local micros. I went for Milton Sparta, Dionysus and Nike, also went for the White Horse Brewery Village Idiot. All the beers were superb, you can get very comfortable in this pub.
On 11th November 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The White Lion
I enjoyed my visit to this pub with friendly staff and good beers. They have a range of Milton beers plus guests, and a good reputatation for their ciders. It is just within the inner ring road but can be reached by bus no 28. It has made it into the 2013 Good Beer Guide.
On 14th September 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]