Red Lion in Chobham awarded TripAdvisor’s 2020 Diner’s choice award
The Red Lion, a community village pub, restaurant and garden in the heart of Chobham, has successfully reopened with fantastic support from its local community. As a result of the hard work the team has put in, the pub has been awarded the prestigious TripAdvisor’s 2020 Diner’s choice award, recognising the best places to eat around the world. Winners are calculated based on the quality and quantity of the millions of reviews, opinions and ratings collected on TripAdvisor, further testament of the fantastic offer the Red Lion provides.
Licensees, Garry Tallent and partner Sandy Masson, took over the Red Lion in July 2019 following an extensive £250,000 refurbishment which saw the popular venue adapted into an independent pub and restaurant, with a beautiful outside dining area.
The pub reopened following lockdown on 16th July 2020, with eager residents taking advantage of the lost time during lockdown, to visit their favourite local. Gary and Sandy also took advantage of the time in lockdown to extend the renovations even further, including creating their own vegetable plot in the garden to ensure the freshest of produce to use in meals they cook for their customers.
Commenting on the reopening, licensee Gary Tallent said: “It has been fantastic to see familiar faces again, and to provide our customers with delicious meals featuring our unique flavours. Our aim has been to create a relaxing environment with a high standard of dining, using the freshest produce possible including our home grown ingredients from our new vegetable plot. All our food is locally sourced – it has always been important to us to support local businesses, especially during these difficult times.”
The Red Lion, very well known for its fantastic food offering, sources its meat from a local butchers who use a dry aging meat chamber to ensure the meat is extra flavoursome and tender. Other items on the menu include fresh fish, a choice of five steaks and an impressive selection of desserts.
The pub boasts a beautiful outside dining area, seating up to 50 guests prior to COVID-19 but still with a large capacity for outside dining during the summer months. The pub has also worked hard to protect their customers and follow the COVID-19 guidelines, putting in place a one way system and encouraging advanced bookings.
Since reopening they have received excellent feedback from customers, complementing everything, from the food to the service and the overall experience. The garden additions have certainly been very popular with local residents. All their hard work has paid off after being awarded the TripAdvisor 2020 Diner’s choice award, a coveted award programme celebrating the best unique businesses this year.
Mick Sheridan, Business Development Manager at Admiral Taverns commented: “Gary and Sandy have done a brilliant job at the Red Lion. The whole experience, from the moment you walk through the door to leaving is phenomenal. The food is delicious and I would highly recommend a visit as it is well worth the journey. They both have a wealth of experience, with over 60 years combined in the industry, and they’ve successfully created their vision at the Red Lion.
