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Reviews - The Lion - Farningham

Reviews

8.9
of 10

Fabulous
102 reviews
Ambience
8.1
Food
9.2
Service
9.1
Real experiences from real diners
Ratings and reviews can only be left by guests who have booked with TheFork.
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  • Jayne B.2 reviews

    16 March 2025

    9.5/10

    great

  • John E.2 reviews

    8 February 2025

    10/10

    Good choice of food. I had the pie of the day (ham and cheese) and the flavours of that plus the accompanying vegetables were delicious. My companions had dishes which were also very tasty and delicious. Service was excellent and our waiter was cheerful, very pleasant and polite. Nothing was too much trouble. Would certainly visit again when in the area.

  • CHRISTINE S.2 reviews

    18 November 2024

    9/10

    Good food but service was slower than usual and we found the room was a bit chilly for our liking but understand they were short staffed

  • Deborah C.20 reviews

    3 November 2024

    10/10

    lovely service amazing Sunday roast will definitely go again

  • Harry P.1 review

    1 August 2024

    10/10

    The service offered by Fork is useless. Booked an appointment with this company and The Lion had no record of booking

  • MJ H.3 reviews

    21 July 2024

    10/10

    Fabulous find. Great food great service and great location. Only complaint from my family was ‘why haven’t you brought us here before?!’ Thanks so much Lion team. We will be back

  • Luke T.2 reviews

    29 June 2024

    7/10

    Food was delicious, however had to ask for clean tea cups, they were Rotten and stained. Customer service could of been better, had to order drinks twice because the bartender forgot, tap water would you believe.. considering they had 6+ staff in the bar I expected better. The ambience was terrible, in the bar area, which should be for adults. Snobby parents with screaming kids with no consideration for other diners. Not the best on my first visit.

  • Stephen P.1 review

    23 June 2024

    10/10

    This was our third time of visiting this year. The food and service is always very good. There is always a welcoming feel when you walk in the doors.

  • Barry D.1 review

    5 March 2024

    9.5/10

    Waitress was very polite and helpful, menu had good variety and the food was delicious. Lots of parking spaces and the deco of the restaurant was nice

  • Hannah K.1 review

    27 January 2024

    10/10

    I absolutely love the lion! Food was incredible and service brilliant. We brought our dog with us and sat in the restaurant with him. Staff were really accommodating and friendly and atmosphere was nice and cosy! Would recommend to anyone that wants a nice country pub meal in a nice setting!

  • Elizabeth M.1 review

    24 November 2023

    10/10

    Friendly and very professional staff. Very enjoyable evening

  • Carole W.2 reviews

    10 November 2023

    3/10

    We were most disappointed with the new menu found it hard to choose anything Plus it’s written on sort if grey paper with the dim lighting could hardly see it. Wanted s quiet space to eat so chose the Thirties Room It had 3 tables I had requested the one by the window but was told to sit on the other one Half way through our dinner a waiter came behind us and pushed the other two tables together and a party of about 7 with young children rocked up Goodbye to our quiet dinner !!!! My partner has to ask for the music to be turned down as we arrived as the speaker was right above our heads We left after our meagre meal I could hardly believe the size of it and the price it was ridiculous We visit Farnjngham vintage inn quite a lot The staff weren’t friendly Thank god for the lovely Claire who we only saw at the end Who’s smiling face is always the same She saved the day for us We won’t be coming back Very disappointed indeed.

  • Ross P.

    Ross P.5 reviews

    14 September 2023

    7.5/10

    This is a very nice venue, especially so if you can eat outside in good weather. We have been a few times before. There is no obvious check in when you get there, staff busy preparing drinks. This can be improved and most people like me will find this unprofessional and frustrating. It’s not the fault of the staff. They were super super busy. They were very polite but clearly under a lot of pressure. Because it was so busy, service was slow. The quality of the food was above average with really good portions.

  • Suzie C.1 review

    9 September 2023

    10/10

    The Lion was a fantastic place to find in this small village. A beautiful, historic building with so many original features. The food and the service was exceptional. We ate sundried tomato arancini, King prawn cocktail, rib eye steak cooked to perfection, sea bream , creme brulee and the most exceptional little chocolate honey pot I think I've ever eaten! 3 rounds of drinks all for £100. A very busy place, definitely worth booking ahead. Great tables, inside and out .

  • Tracey T.2 reviews

    23 August 2023

    9/10

    The beautiful riverside setting and Yiannis the waiter made the experience 5 star. We were looked after so well even though it was a really busy. Food was good, nothing special though.

  • julie d.1 review

    25 August 2023

    10/10

    We went for a meal on Friday night and had a great time. Our waitress Claire was extremely friendly and efficient and made our night. Would definitely go to the Lion again.

  • Wayne S.

    Wayne S.2 reviews

    29 April 2023

    10/10

    Brought some family and friends here after a hike from Horton Kirby. The location is picture perfect. While I've had a pint here a time or two, this was the first time eating here. It was a beautifully sunny day and we were famished. The pub itself is beautiful. I hadn't appreciated just how big it was and such an ornately decorated pub. The staff were very friendly and food and drink service was very prompt considering this was a busy Saturday afternoon. We had a lovely time here and will return.

  • Sarahann C.29 reviews

    16 April 2023

    8/10

    Nice food nice service all very enjoyable

  • Evelina S.1 review

    14 February 2023

    6/10

    Well… I booked and specified that I wanted a corner table because I hoped for a romantic valentines night and yet we were seated in the very middle, very near to other people, it felt like we were all sitting together and having dinner, terrible. When I came I mentioned I wanted corner table but the hostess said none left even when there was few tables empty. Food took forever to come. Waited more than 30min for starters which were lovely, and more than 40min for mains. Somehow chefs still managed after 40 minutes to send mash potatoes cold for my main whilst my partner’s mash was hot. I ate it because I was starving after waiting so long. Can’t complain about the taste main was good apart from the cold mash. Desert came broken in half but at this time I just couldn’t care less just wanted to eat and go home.

  • Janice M.1 review

    18 September 2022

    10/10

    Throughly enjoyable afternoon Sunday lunch was lovely service brilliant will definitely be going back.

  • Maggi W.1 review

    26 June 2022

    10/10

    Second visit with 97 year old person with mobility issues. This was noted and a table with lots of space was provided down stairs. The Sunday roast was really good. There was plenty of food with gravy served on the side just as we like it all of good quality. Service was friendly and attentive. Will visit again.

  • Sarah M.2 reviews

    5 June 2022

    10/10

    Hi There, We dont usually do this... but felt it necessary to give credit where credit is due. Yanis (the Greek), was such a gentleman and excellent waiter. He made it a special meal.. His friendly character, making the kids laugh. Genuine, nice guy and great at his job with added bonus of a great personality. Well done, Yanis.. Keep up the great work. Your new friends, Steve and Steve Coy.

  • Joe C.1 review

    11 May 2022

    9/10

    Our waitress Emma was very attentive ,very pleasant Would highly recommend

  • Marion T.2 reviews

    29 January 2022

    8.5/10

    I always like going to the mixed reviews places to see whether the reviews are fair. Lovely building. Made booking easy, and were accommodating when we called ahead to sat we were late. Kind welcoming reception. We were asked for drinks early on. There is a delay for food but it was not unreasonable, it was a busy time and it was nearly full. Lovely choices on the menu, good variety. Good choices for kids, although it didn’t stipulate that the kids mash had spring onions and my daughter (as I expect many kids would) wanted plain mash. Or at least stipulate on the menu and we could choose to avoid. Food was nice enough, but processed. It arrived a good temperature and tasted nice enough. The service was the best part of our experience and is why we gave the rating we did. Very friendly attentive young lady, who was very polite and regularly asking if we needed things. Spot on.

  • RAY E.1 review

    26 December 2021

    10/10

    Been coming here for 15 years, always a pleasure, very cosy, very intimate, service is outstanding, staff are polite and courteous, food is great, brilliant. Keep up the great work.

  • Nicky W.1 review

    23 November 2021

    10/10

    I was so happy I booked here!!! Booked after a chance find on line but will definitely be going back. The staff were friendly and efficient, the venue was just gorgeous classic traditional and stunning and the food was so amazing you would expect it in a posh restaurant!!! Starters and main course were so good and really good portion size too. Thankyou to everyone for a lovely lunch we will definitely be coming back

  • Juliet B.1 review

    22 November 2021

    10/10

    Love the atmosphere and Christmas decor. Lovely country pub and food delicious. Service brilliant ????

  • Emma C.

    Emma C.1 review

    11 November 2021

    10/10

    Always a good meal here and my dog loves it too really friendly staff and great tasting food the fire was lit so it had a lovely warm atmosphere dogs bowls in restaurant too and they all make a fuss of her

  • Karen G.1 review

    24 October 2021

    6/10

    Although the food was nice we waited 40 minutes for it to be served and not all that hot. The two of us were shown to a table where right nearby on the next table a group of people had two dogs with them. I don't think dogs should be allowed in the restaurant, so I asked if we could move further away which we did. I am not happy to look at a dog whilst eating and I feel very strongly that this should never happen in a restaurant. It is too unhygenic!!

  • Margaret K.3 reviews

    1 October 2021

    8.5/10

    We all enjoyed our food very much. There was quite a delay between courses though, but as we weren’t in a rush it didn’t particularly worry us. Our waitress was very nice and friendly but we had the feeling that she was new and wasn’t very knowledgeable about the menu or the beers that were on offer. However we felt that she was trying hard and doing her best, but perhaps needed a little training to help her and give her confidence, especially to say” I’m sorry I don’t know, but I will find out for you”. We did enjoy our time there & I’m sure that we will return sometime.

  • Georgina V.1 review

    19 September 2021

    10/10

    Love it here- really relaxed lunch after a nice walk along the river with the dog. Staff really understand customer service & make everyone feel welcome.

  • Allan K.4 reviews

    31 July 2021

    6/10

    Nice building and location. Pleasant ambience. Just a bit sad that coffee tasted bitter and triple cooked fries were soggy. Deserts were decadent.

  • Gregory H.2 reviews

    27 July 2021

    10/10

    This must be the third or fourth time I have visited The Lion. I have never been let down with A: The service, always been quick, knowledgeable and friendly. B: The drinks are great quality and a top up is on hand. C: The food is really top notch. Meat is tender, the fish is fresh and I have never had nor heard anyone complain. Very good value for your money.

  • Emma B.2 reviews

    24 July 2021

    10/10

    Cant rave about this place enough, I brought my parents here for their 40th wedding anniversary and all the staff made a fuss of them and made them feel special. Food was fabulous, staff amazing, we will be back xx thankyou

  • Colin G.1 review

    23 July 2021

    10/10

    First visit in many years.. Not dissapointed brilliant service and food. Menu choice was fine and when the food arrived it was well ciooked and full of flavour. I will be visiiting again..????

  • Emma B.2 reviews

    3 July 2021

    10/10

    We came here for a romantic meal, the place was so clean,staff were absolutely amazing . We was served by Bradley, his manner was perfect . The homemade food was utterly amazing and tasted so good. Will be back

  • Sandra E.1 review

    19 June 2021

    9.5/10

    Nice staff and good food. Very efficient arrangements. Will go again soon. Thank you as first time have been able to meet friends in such a long time.

  • Lynn S.1 review

    19 May 2021

    9/10

    Not my first visit here and certainly not the last. Staff pleasant and efficiently managed the covid restrictions. Food very tasty. I prefer the pared back menu particularly at lunchtime.

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