Although there’s nothing wrong with The Lion, it does feel like just one of hundreds of identikit, homogenised chain pubs in London, with little in the way of originality.

The Venue
The Lion is actually a pretty nice venue. It has a bold black frontage complete with low-hanging canopies over a sizeable outdoor area that has been gated off from the main street, creating a distinct Mediterranean feel to the space. Inside, however, it’s a little too well thought out, mixing funky light fittings with leather sofas, pretty wallpaper and exposed brick. It just doesn’t have much in the way of genuine charm, instead having seemed to have taken a page out of the ‘how to make a nice bar’ book. Boring, in other words.

The Atmosphere
The atmosphere at The Lion gets pretty upbeat at the weekend, particularly on a Friday night when it fills with young professionals looking for a drink. In the week, however, their real ale selection keeps the locals coming as they search for the perfect pint. They also host events such as a DJ night at the weekend and a regular barbecue in the summer, which is a nice touch.

The Food
The food is a little unoriginal but it’s very well priced with all of the dishes coming in at well under a tenner. You can expect your usual mix of burgers, sandwiches, pies, and fish and chips, although they have tried to ‘posh it up’ with fancy descriptions on the menu like ‘hand-battered fish and chips’ or ‘traditional beef lasagne’. Hmm.

The Drink
Real ales is where The Lion shines, although being a Greene King pub you can expect the choice to be limited to their own brews. Still, they are Cask Marque accredited and their ale choice includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen and a regularly changing guest. They’ve also raised the stakes with the draught lagers, including the fairly unusual Blue Moon creft beer, Fosters, Hoegaarden, Leffe, Peroni, Stella, Staropramen, Guinness and Aspalls cider.

The Last Word
Although The Lion is a nice enough pub with nothing actually wrong with it, there’s just not a lot to stand it apart from all the rest.

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