The Old Red Lion in Central Bedfordshire

Don't go for the Monarch Burger or the Food Challenge!! A group of us ,all in our 20s, came to this pub because of the advertisement of the Monarch Burger and the Hall of Fame Facebook post on the menu. But its essentially a scam, one of us finished the burger and all the sides and was then told no one gets posted on Facebook and its just a marketing strategy! That was bad enough on its own, but then the burgers came and loads of ingredients were missing from all of the burgers!! There was no bacon or gamon, but for the food that did come it was delicious. In the end we got a 20% discount on the order off the price due to the missing items but feel like we were a bit conned tbh, don't go just for the Monarch burger or the challenge!

Food was absolutely lovely! Staff here are very attentive and professional and we were served by Kelsey who was lovely. Will definitely be returning.

My wife and I have been 3 times now on each occasion we had the carvery but today the wife had the pie all 3 times the meal has been hot service by the staff outstanding I ask for peas today and got ...before they redecorated the food was poor so stop going now comfortable chairs friendly staff joy to eat there again 10/10 keep to the hight standard you have ...

I don’t normally give bad reviews, but in this instance I feel compelled to comment. I took my family (10 of us) to your restaurant last Sunday (12.01.25) for lunch, and having visited prior to this with no problem was expecting a good meal. Our table was booked for 1 o’clock and we arrived on time. Six of us ordered a carvery, but unfortunately we had to wait until almost 2.30 before being allowed to get our meal, by which time all the meat looked dry and unappetising and the vegetables, few and far between, were badly cooked and inedible. Some of us had dessert and the lemon pie I, and my son had, was tasteless and bland. To say I was disappointed is an understatement having paid almost £300 for the ‘pleasure’ of eating in your restaurant.We won’t be back.

Awful attempt at a roast dinner. I really wish I could give this no stars but not possible. First, waiter poured a glass of wine over my Nan who’s birthday it was. Then went for the carvery. The server said to my family that u can have one small Yorkshire pudding and one cocktail sausage even though it says as much as you want of that. Meat was overcooked, Veg was rock hard and potatoes tasted raw. Would not recommend to anyone. £17 needs rethinking they should be paying the customers to come in.

Had a lovely Beef & Ale pie with Veg on the Tuesday carvery. No space for dessert today. Will definitely come back. Nicely decorated . #warm #cosy #pie #dogfriendlypub #freeparking #burgees #steaks #carvery #vegan ##kidfriendly

We had a supertime. My parents had the belly pork main so tender. We had the carvery taken round by our waitress and pointed out where things were so helpful. The food was very nice. My son could have done with the veg being cooked more. Given enough time between courses the puddings were great. Couldn't have asked for better service. We will be returning thank you Sharon

We were excited when our local pub finally reopened. Yet it has been a disappointment since day 1. Carvery - only ever has gammon, turkey and beef - apparently lamb and pork is too expensive; served on school dinner plates to avoid wastage. Too often we have had to send food back - a medium sirloin served rare, rack of ribs dry and tough - the meat should be falling off the bones! And why open the carvery every day now when the place is so quiet. You arrive and it is covered in tin foil - not exactly appealing. Despite a change of ownership the food quality and offering could be much better. The one saving grace is that the staff are generally lovely.

Great meal, food was delicious! And the server, Edward, was really nice and helpful.

I cannot fault the service and friendliness of the staff at the Red Lion on Saturday 14th December. Our food was delicious and the staff were super accommodating and helpful. Super efficient and the food came out very promptly. No issues whatsoever! Can’t wait to return :)

We came here for our Christmas work do. The service was absolutely amazing - thank you to Tasha and the team. Amazing gluten free options and even gave us gluten free pigs I'm blankets! The carvery was delicious, only complaint is that the potatoes were a bit hard. I'm sure we will be back again!

Great service, superb food really delicious and great variety with some really home made traditional food with passion . Thanks very much Eduard, keep up the good work excellent service

I visited the Old Red Lion 5 times over 2 weeks during a recent work trip. Twice for drinks and 3 times for food and drinks.I was always greeted with a warm welcome by the manager, Andrea. The staff we all very polite, helpful and friendly, especially the new recruit on her 1st day The food was always very tasty and hot. On 2 occasions I took colleagues with me and they said the same. I would highly recommend paying them a visit. I will definitely go back next time I'm in the area

Jeremy was super helpful and went above and beyond to check ingredients for me as I have a rare allergy to an ingredient which isn’t listed as an allergen.

We had a voucher for a free bottle of wine with a meal so decided to take advantage of the offer. We opted for the carvery but was very disappointed. The option was Turkey, Gammon & Beef. I only wanted gammon but the chef gave me exactly 2 thin slices which to me was flavourless and could do with some extra glaze & left to cook a little longer to make it tender..it was tough. The stuffing did not taste home made and felt like it had ben ‘over heated’ in the microwave. The parsnips and carrots were totally under cooked and hard and the Yorkshire pudding was rubbery and everything was difficult to cut. The cutlery was so blunt so that did not help either. The best thing about the dinner was the free bottle of wine. I have not been out for a long while and been so disappointed with a meal. It’s a lovely cosy pub, staff are friendly even though there only seemed be two people and one of them was a trainee (I believe). It’s a place you can chill and has a homely atmosphere. We dined at 1830 so just at the end of family dining so it was only adults left where you could sit back and relax with your drinks. We saw an advert for Afternoon tea but after a disappointing meal we will not be going to the Old Red Lion for that. Very sad

Popped in for the first time for a quick drink, ended up staying for food. Was greeted with a really warm welcome and accommodating. Host was fantastic, embarrassed to say we forgot his name, but he couldn't have done more for us. Loved it so much have booked for festive meal in December. Well done to all the team, makes a pleasant change, see you again soon.

Returned here for the first time after many years! Staff were very friendly, especially our waitress Maria. Carvery was lovely, very generous portions (meat) and great selection of vegetables/trimmings. Deserts were also very nice, too many to choose from 😋 Looking forward to returning soon as there is also plenty of choice on the main menu! All in all, a very welcoming pub/restaurant with a cosy /modern and clean atmosphere!

Eduard served us this evening & he was brilliant! Food, service & setting were all lovely!

The meat on carvery was nice, but ALL vegetables and potatos were freezing as was the gravy.

Lovely pub that has recently changed hands. Beautifully refurbished and refreshed. Menu is fab and food was delicious. Waiter was attentive. Lushhhh event marquee too!

Down south for the weekend, so popped in here for a bite to eat. Dog friendly. Staff were great, especially Tasha. She was so polite and attentive. Nothing was to much for her. Well done Tasha. Food was really tasty and throughly enjoyed the Royal burger. Definitely recommend.

The food was extremely bland, tasteles, and overpriced. It took 45 minutes to bring out our starters. The service was not friendly and staff appeared stressed. We gave up on main courses and left to eat somewhere else. Very disappointing.

What a lovely lunch, carvery excellent and so we're the ribs. Great service and very welcoming!

Lovely Roast Dinner... Sat in the snug, Lovely atmosphere.

We never been there before. Charming place. Staff is amazing . We have Eduard and he make us feel welcoming 🙌food is fantastic Sabrina and Ian

Very nice staff, the food was good and served nice and hot, we all enjoyed ourselves. Parking is easy too.

Went to The Old Red Lion for first time and from arrival we were treated really well . Tasha our waitress was great from beginning to end of . Food was Delicious and place looked fantastic. We will definitely recommend it and return too. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Good food, great service and warm frei fly atmosphere. Jeremy has served us on multiple occasions and remembers us each time we come. He's a great addition to the team.

I went here with the family recently for a birthday celebration. We used to come here when we were growing up and I have to say is the new owners have done an outstanding job in modernising the place while still keeping the nice aesthetic of the old pubs original building. We were served by Eduard, a lovely, friendly young man who was very attentive to us. The food was delicious, I had the ribs and it was quite frankly the biggest rack of ribs I've ever seen, and oh so tender. We overall had a great dining experience and would highly recommend.

My first time coming here and won’t be the last. Brought my nan out for some lunch and we enjoyed every mouthful of food. I had the pork belly and eaton mess and my Nan had the salmon and crumble. The service was also amazing (thank you to Kelsey) and all staff are very friendly! would definitely recommend to family and friends!

Recommend to try this place, well worth a visit, from arrival, stepping in it’s nice cosy atmosphere, service by all staff was superb - especially Edward, enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the food and menu. Prices for food and drink were reasonable and about what we expected. Good quality food and produce, good selection of drink.

Eduard thanks for the service tonight spot on !!!

We were served by Edward he was fantastic, attentive and very welcoming nothing was too much trouble. He is a real credit to the team.

Edward was a great host and really friendly. For 3 weeks in he did an amazing job

The waiter Cristian was very polite and helpful and a pleasure to do business with. The food was delicious and plentiful

Didn't know it had reopened. Far better than it was. Will visit again.

A table of 4 visiting from Spain. Lovely carvery on a very wet evening!! Eduard served us very friendly and attentive

Our server was absolutely 💯 amazing!! They loved to have a chat and all around funny. The food was divine and the dessert was amazing. Defo lately a play to go if you like amazing service, good food and all around a good play to spend time with family definitely would go back again!

Eduard was a great server and all the food was incredible major props to the chefs

Friendly atmosphere, great service, and delicious food. Neither my wife nor I are big eaters and ordered a sharing platter, which was fine for us. Looking at the size of our neighbours dishes, that was a good decision -- they were huge!

This was a excellent visit the food was delicious lovely and hot well presented and the staff made us all feel very welcome,will definitely be going back there

I came here last Thursday with my partner and little girl. Served by Eduard (it was his birthday on the day) he told us he hadn’t been there long but his service just blew us away. He was super professional and attentive and made so much effort with our daughter which made it a really enjoyable experience. I would love to have someone as great as him in my business and I am based in customer service! The food was yummy. And we met the manager who was so lovely-we even got a complimentary bottle of wine. It looks so much nicer inside too! Well done to you all-fab service! Thank you

Jeremy, served us today he was attentive and funny the banter at the table with my mother in law made the visit really enjoyable. The carvery was really great as well. Thank you 😄

Eduard served us during our visit here and he was very attentive. Nothing was too much trouble. Great service and well definitely be back.

It's quite pricey, and the first steak was overcooked, but the manager wasted no time in taking it back and getting the kitchen to cook a new one. The 2nd steak was perfect, and the manager gave us a free dessert and a drink each as compensation! 👏 We really liked the vibe and are looking forward to going back. Update: Unfortunately, this place has gone down hill massively. We used to be made to feel really special, but not this time. My steak was over cooked, but I didn't think it was worth sending it back. Eduard, the young lad that served us was very pleasant, but I think the new manageress let him down and hasn't trained him in the niceties of waiting tables (not sure she knows herself, as we hardly saw her). The previous managers always made a real fuss of us and made it really special. A real shame, as we have eaten here before on numerous occasions, but I don't think we will be back.

Nice pub, good atmosphere - great for drinks and a catch up. Food looked good too, so we might try that next time!

Recently moved to the area and decided to visit the local pub, bartender was really friendly on arrival. Had the turf platter and tempura prawn starter between 2. Perfect size for a filling lunch. The mushrooms and chorizo were the highlight of the dish for us. Reasonably priced.

Wow! What a glow-up! This recently refurbished countryside pub has been transformed into a classy gastro pub with a delicious menu and an impressive carvery to offer. Service was top-notch, honestly better than some other restaurants I have visited. Would recommend.

Carvery was amazing! Atmosphere and service was great. Jeremy was very friendly and attentive. Highly recommend!

My extended family and I ate here twice in the past week as the first visit was so good we had to come back. I live out of town and this is now my go to place when I visit my family who live nearby. The menu is broad, the quality high and the portion size large. This is good quality pub grub in a clean and pleasant environment. The staff are very attentive and I want to mention Jeremy in particular who was very friendly. We have two young children and they provide colouring pencils and paper sheets with activities on to keep them entertained. I recommend that you visit.

Friendly staff.. but sadly the food quality has gone down since opening.. the waiting times r ridiculous.. came in for breakfast awhile back and had to wait about half hour for our coffees we asked twice.. then 45mins later the breakfast arrived and was nothing like what iv had previously there.. then the other day i went in for carvery but £17 was ridiculous for what was there.. then i was going to order a dessert and drink.. but was told i cudnt because they were closing the kitchen although it was only 8pm.. and the carvery was still out.. the girl i spoke too was very polite and shes served me there b4 and was lovely.. but the food standards seem to hav drastically gone down theres no love put into the food nomore and the long waits r really puttin people off and its never that busy so i dnt understand the waiting time and im certainly not the first to hav a lil moan bout that.. lovely pub decor wise since being completely renovated.. some nice staff but jus very over priced for the quality of food u get.. which is a shame tbh bcos i know thats what puts many local people off going there and they then choose the local italian restaurant instead.. or chequers (were the foods jus as bad lol) but prices r cheap for familys.. this pub is jus in the wrong location for the menu prices.. the old red lion was a complete dump 🤣 inside b4 the new makeover but was always still busy!!! Cos the prices were reasonable.. where as wen u got there now it’s literally jus the bar staff and kitchen staff in there! I dnt understand why they dnt try to reduce the food prices.. also no ale on tap.. yet it says there is..

Fantastic food and fair price for the quality and portion. Staff was really attentive Would highly recommend a visit

Great pub with beautiful garden!

Went on spur of the moment and so glad we did...shown straight to table and took drink order which came promptly...food order taken quickly and first course served in good time....and i must say that although i felt the prices were a bit high the food didnt disappoint...decent portions which made them worth the cost...our server was happy and friendly and informative and nothing was too much trouble for her...will be returning soon with other family members to sample other dishes off the menu.

Very tasty food. Big parking space, friendly staff and cozy atmosphere.

Really nice lunch. Great service by Jeremy.

We've been twice recently and both times we've had a really nice Carvery and been served by a lovely waitress called Megan.

Just had an amazing carvery today. Lovely food. Great portion size. Friendly staff and very tasty food. Highly recommend

A lovely pub/restaurant and food, good, friendly service. Simple, nicely cooked salmon, a great combo of ribs and chicken (huge!)

Lovely and clean...inside and the gardens .lots of parking.. received a nice welcome...given menus..ask if we required a drink while looking at the menu...not rushed at all...food arrived and was very well presented and cooked as it should be and tasted very good... service by the young lady was very good..polite.. friendly...2nd time we have eaten there recently and will continue to do so..thank you...

Great food great staff great service and atmosphere also very clean.

Top notch service and food was great 👍

My daughter and I ate here the other day. We throughly enjoyed. Great food and great service!

Great place great vibe. Service good. Great food every time I’ve been.

Amazed by the look of an old pub we decided to go for lunch on Saturday. Despite the signs outside and inside the building, they don’t offer Ales on the tap because apparently they are not “popular” there. Nothing better than having a look at the menu while tasting a nice crafted Ale (of course, my personal preference). Ordered the drinks and 5’ after, the food. We had to wait 40 minutes for the food, and the pub was nearly empty, only 4 more tables at the time. To mains and a kids meal, one main came first, 2 minutes after arrived the kids meal and 5 minutes after that, the other main. Absolutely ridiculous, considering that we had to wait 40 minutes for this and they couldn’t even serve everything at the same time! Food is tasteless, to be honest, like frozen. Definitely NOT home made like they claim on the signs outside (where they also offer local ales). The prices they charge are definitely expensive considering the poor quality of the food and service. Won’t come back and definitely won’t recommend to anyone.

The range of food is good. At times. Unfortunately today the potatoes were overdone, as were the chewy crusty Yorkshire puddings. The green beans were burned a cd the onions over cooked. They sell quorn sausages but only at breakfast. Shame. Was here a week ago and had much better service and food. [thank you for the person replying 8 years later - hopefully it has improved]

First & last time there if the toilets have this standard ! Don't want to imagine how it's looking in the kitchen & storage food rooms , will not coming back poor hygiene standards.

Sadly this has gone down hill alot since last went. Been few times before once reopened. Once seated out back in wedding area (after prebooking table after it opened at 12pm) it took forever to order drinks, then ages to be told to go up to carvery area a good 45 minuts (very little staff came out back) - even others near us was moaning too saying very slow service The meal itself was not good for price we was charged (couldn't just have carvery on own was told only 2 or 3 courses as fathers day menu) 2 course was £25 on own! meat was cold/carrots was pretty much raw/potatoes was not roasted not even crispy and was cold. Sorry to say won't be going back now proper put off.

Great food and a fab evening painting

Lovely service by Mel ,great food ..Will definitely come back as last yearxxx

The waitress gave us the menus then never came back to take our order, I had to go to the bar to order our food, the bar waiter was not friendly either, when the waitress brought our food she didn't know what food she had brought. The waitress or any other staff never cane and asked us hiw the meal was. When we left the bartender was sitting talking to customers, never even said good evening.When Christian was in the pub it was friendly and the atmosphere was lovely now it will be a long time before we go back.

Cost £75 and the food was disgusting 🤢 waited an hour for the cavery nothing really left all old and bottom barrel food

Very friendly service, was seated straight away, food was lovely and hot, big portions too! My waitress Milliemai was very friendly and checked back to see if everything was okay with my food which I appreciated a lot

Very cozy and lovely environment. Delicious food. Good service.

Absolutely lovely food and really nice people

Third visit in 6 weeks. This time for afternoon tea. Christian and his team knocked it out the park yet again. Exceptional service and absolutely fantastic food, we left fit for bursting. These afternoon teas are taylor made by you from the selection of sandwich fillings on offer and are a great idea for something a little different in way of celebrations . We opted for the posseco option, but there is a tea version also on offer.

On arrival even though it wasn't busy still waited 10 mins to be seated. Half the menu not available. Starters: most of the starters were lovely, camebert was supposed to come with rustic bread. It was sliced white loaf and barely toasted. Stuffed Pork Belly was supposed to come with seasonal greens and and apple and onion jus. We'd ordered x2. Size difference on each plate was noticeable. Jus was a beef gravy that needed a knife to get out of the jug it was so thick and the seasonal greens were non existent that we had to ask for them. How to you mess up microwave mash is beyond me. Filet steak medium was well done. Didn't end up paying for the pork belly. Best partner the meal was the seasonal veg. £110 seemed expensive for a really awful experience.

The staff here are absolutely wonderful! They go above and beyond to assist you with whatever you may need. Recently, they helped make my father's birthday truly special by accommodating us with a birthday cake and decorations. Their thoughtfulness truly made his day, and we couldn't be more grateful. Thank you to the amazing staff for their exceptional service!

First time here. Had the home made pie .. it was delicious. Definitely go back again.

Lovely atmosphere & staff, food was fantastic.

Had a lovely waiter, seated very quickly and everyone seemed so happy and lovely. The vibe was good and the food was lovely, even with the requests i made. Will happily go again.

We were there for a private party and the staff were great. Particularly Sophia who couldn't have been more helpful.

Just ordered and had delivered an upgraded carvery via Deliveroo and have to say I was suitably impressed, Food arrived on time and more than enough for 2 of us and the dog, although we did have to reheat it for a few minutes the food was delicious, melt in the mouth Roast Turkey, perfectly cooked veggies, lovely fluffy Roasties and a lovely beef gravy. Would definitely recommend if you dont want the hassle of preparation etc.

Food was really tasty and waitress Sophia was really pleasant and made the experience special. Well done

What a gem of a place this is ! Fantastic food and service nothing is too much trouble. We take our small dog and sit in the Snug area it’s spotless and so well furnished it’s all very homely. Sophia is an exceptional host on our visits and we are very grateful for a warm welcome and the excellent hospitality we receive. Great job guys 😁

First outing to this local and it didn't disappoint. We were in the naughty corner, very apt... Service, food and good looking bar staff added to the occasion

Staff here are great, always welcoming and nothing is too much trouble, very accommodating, happy and polite!

Extensive menu, suits all tastes and budgets. I had a burger from the a la carte menu. Well presented, tasted great and good portion size. The staff were friendly and efficient. (The only tiny negative was the additional price of £1.95 for sweet potato fries instead of regular fries.) We have booked to return in a couple of weeks.

Waited over an hour to be served, then told a long wait for food. Clearly under staffed. Fell sorry for the poor waitress. She wasn't told there was a wake out the back, with no staff.

Lovely music and food for Spanish Night. Staff were absolutely amazing

Lovely redocorated pub- restaurant. Next to my house. Great atmosphere will be back

The food was not bad .we all arrived at 5.00pm and we got our food at 7.00pm very slow .not going back.

Came with family for lunch on a Monday, it seemed pretty quiet with only a couple of tables in use. Service was pretty poor with terrible timings for food from the kitchen, a lot of waiting for food while others were finishing their meals. And the pricing of some of the food and drink was ridiculously overpriced for what you got. Many other places I think I will head to before choosing here.

1st time we have been there since it re opened. The staff were very friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. The food was excellent, very much an improvement on the old red lion, where everything was dirty, and the staff then I thought had given up. I would certainly recommend.

Awful! Was sat in the cold. No heating. The carvy food was bad quality. Clearly over welmed with the amount of people. Food was terrible. Staff tried to be helpful.

We had a lovely Mother’s day meal, we were shown to the marquee area but it wasn’t suitable for my elderly mother, but they moved us immediately without any issue. The service and food were excellent, especially the Eton mess!

Just had lunch and it was fantastic. Staff charming, dining room light and airy and food hot and wholesome. Will definitely visit again. Well done.

Came here for Sunday carvery,it was lovely, plenty to choose from, waitress was attentive and the atmosphere was good, definitely go back

We ate here while visiting family. I'm not usually a fan of carvery but the food here was very good with generous portions and good options for children. The service here was also very good with friendly helpful staff. Especially the carvery server who was very happy and good fun to interact with.

We have recently moved to the area and come across the old red lion. We were served by Jack, we had a lovely meal with our daughter, she is really fussy but enjoyed all of her food. We had a burger and the pie of the day, was lovely! We will most definitely be trying out the tapas night next.