The Lion

3 things I love about The Lion:
— The outside area with the benches is THE BEST, and not just for summer. They have infrared heaters outside to keep your face glowing a lovely rosy pink too!
— I love their setup with a local pizzeria, where you can order a pizza and it will arrive to your table (the wait can be astronomical on a Saturday evening though)
— The music is always just right
Looking forward to frequenting this place a bit more in 2015, perhaps for one of their open mic or ukelele jam nights.

Stopped by here for a fairly swift pint on the way to a mates birthday and I’m glad I did. Great find.
Huge space with plenty of seating and a horseshoe shaped bar that takes prime focus. Looking around it seems there’s an upstairs area for private bookings and they throw some tunes down for late night shin-​digs. Also, there’s a huge roll down screen for sporting events, actually needed a new spot in this area to catch the game!
Bar wise, a very decent selection of tap beers and some local craft varieties sitting in the fridge. All the usual wines and spirits, and as a cider lover, good to see Aspall on tap. Big win for me this.
As mentioned, I was in here for all of 1 pint, but what I saw was excellent, a very welcoming pub that you could easily loose a few afternoons in!
I’ll be back! (Yes! — Always wanted to quote Arnie on Unilocal!)

Good little pub! Didn’t spend too long there this time but have walked by it on many occasions and has always looked like an interesting place. Will def go again! Maybe to watch the football as noticed the projector on one my journeys past.

The Lion does a great job at being a dim boozer, but without the stale beer smell or sticky seats.
Great upstairs area with separate spaces for small groups. The upstairs can be booked for parties too.
I think it might have been called The Red Lion at some point, so don’t get confused by the signage.

Love this place. It’s a perfect pub in Stoke Newington with a local clientele to match.
Quote from the website «a proper old school boozer with a unique horsehoe bar.» Yes, that’s why I like it.
Good atmosphere inside, dark walls, slightly quirky and not too crowded, cosy low lighting. Their mix of music is great and played at a low level so you can chat. Feels like an independent pub, not one of the brewery chains which makes it more individual.
The bar staff are friendly and the prices are reasonable. They also have an extensive cocktail list. One thing I like is that you can order stone baked pizzas off the menu from a place just round the corner which they deliver to the pub for you. The pizzas looked pretty good but didn’t get to try yet. Bonus is a decent beer garden at the back.

Since it re-​opened in June The Lion has turned into a great local boozer with events on most nights in the function room upstairs. Drinks are reasonably priced I guess, and though at the moment they don’t do their own food you can order some in from Il Bacio nearby.
Events range from live music, pub quiz and open mic to art exhibitions and plays, and are well worth checking out.