Red Lion, 58 High Street, SITTINGBOURNE, ME10 4PB [Map]
01795 472706 
11-15, 18-23 MO-TH; 11-23 FR-SA; 12-15, 19-22:30 SU
Car Park, Evening Meals, Real Fire, Beer Garden, Lunchtime Meals, Rail Station Near Pub

Me outside the Red Lion, September 2001

Situated on the main High Street in the town centre this pub can best be described as thriving local attracting a mixed clientele though with a bias towards the discerning drinker. Apart from the local Wetherspoons pub a little further down the High Street and the Old Oak in East Street, the town centre has a distinct lack of pubs that serve good quality real ale along with a friendly welcoming atmosphere. Fortunately the Red Lion fills that void very well.

The building itself dates back several centuries and the pub was originally a coaching inn with stables to the rear accessed via the cobbled alley to the pub's side. These days there's a very pleasant courtyard to the rear. Because it's set back from the hustle and bustle of the busy shopping street, it's an ideal place to enjoy a quiet drink and you certainly won't be disappointed by their selection of real ales. They offer up to 6 with most coming from small independent breweries along with Fullers London Pride, on tap most of the time. I most recently visited on a busy evening during the Christmas period and had an excllent pint of Youngs Winter Warmer (abv 5%), a particularly dark, sweet moorish fruity beer that certainly warmed us through. I was also particularly impressed by the pub's landlord because he wandered around the pub chatting to folk even on this busy evening and he'd employed enough staff to cope with the demand unlike many large chain bars. He asked us whether we were enjoying our Winter Warmer and commented that an even more potent brew would be coming on line a couple of days later but unfortunately we weren't around to sample it.

Within the pub you'll find a very comfortable bar with bare brick walls and a proper fire and lots of sturdy chairs around wooden tables. The pub also offers good food both at lunchtimes and during the evening, but make sure that you beat the main evening rush of drinkers as you'll be lucky to find a spare table. The pub's also won various awards over the past few years, and the high standards that this pub keeps will hopefully remain for a good number of years to come.