red lion grog house

no thanks.. chicken tikki masala is no more "english fare" than a burger (arguably less, as i'm fairly sure burgers lie closer to english in origin than anything masala).

and if the namesake of your establishment includes an overt reference to alcohol, i can't help but see the irony in not having a liquor license. i can't fault the owners for opening regardless of the availability of a liquor license, i just think it's ironic...that's all. irony, folks. settle down.

"maybe next time you should opt to speak with the owner of a new business about the "ambiance", and deco, before coming to your own conclusion."
--oh, i'm sorry, i thought the point of having arestaurantreview was to have your own conclusion.

what is wrong with you people? my criticism was not ill spirited, it was just that: my opinion. the fact people feel the need to point out a specific review (ie. mine) as being "too harsh" or "inaccurate" defeats the entire purpose of this website.

this website provides a service to people--if everyone just sang the same hum-drum chorus about how fantastic everyrestaurantis, what's the point?

i didn't write a bad review for the sake of writing a bad review; i wrote a bad review because i didn't like the restaurant. this is not your grandmother's house, and if you "can't say something nice," you can still say something.


-----17 apr, 2010-----

not impressed. past reviews have been way too generous. i'm all for supporting local business, but the rlgh was particularly underwhelming and will not receive my business again.
1.) decor was severely lacking. for a place that presents itself as an english-style pub, you'd expect more, well, actual english flair. the only thing "english" about the place is the pub sign. no decoration, no aesthetics that make you feel like you're in a "pub"...just 6 big flat screen tvs, all completely distracting, along the bar...otherwise completely bare walls. i'm not sure if they were just in a hurry to open the place or if the current ambiance is the goal…either way it's less than pleasant.
2.) seating arrangement was less than ideal. all tables are arranged along one wall with a large bench, with add'l seats at the bar, and a few tables in front by the window.
3.) food was adequate: my burger--like described in other reviews--was good...though the "english style baked beans" that i ordered in lieu of fries were, quite simply, bush's baked beans. weak.
additionally, my wife ordered the soup 'n salad, the soup being good (tomato basil) but the salad consisting of a few shreds of mixed greens, veggies, and a whopping slab of bad-tasting thick-sliced ham reminiscent of left-over easter dinner ham. very weak.
4.) beer selection is minimal.

if you want a pub with more authentic flair, you're better served going to chatham or mcnivens or the brbp.

a new favorite!. my husband and i stepped in red lion once before, before they had their liquor license, and promised that we would return. well, we did and we couldn't have been happier with our experience.

the beer special included a upland dragonfly for $3 a pop - a great price and very tasty. i love me some bangers and mash, but quite frankly, i have been disappointed with some of the other versions around town. i asked a few questions first, and then gave it a shot. it was the best bangers and mash i ever ordered from a restaurant. it's a simple dish really, so what can i say other than that the sausage, potatoes and gravy were really good. the husband got another traditional dish, fish and chips, and there were no complaints in that department. i can assure that the fries were great because i took a number of them off his plate.

we both thought our server was awesome, and my only complaint is that she and i could not, for the life of us, figure out where we knew each other from. oh well, i guess she is just a friendly face on the streets of indianapolis. service was fantastic, our food came out quick, and our drinks were never empty. the price for two meals and four beers came out to $35, so it was a great deal too...

there was also some trivia going on that night. we only made it in time for the "guess that tune" round, but wound up in 3rd place after a personal defeat in the second place tie breaker. it was still a lot of fun.

we can't wait to go back, and i would recommend thisrestaurantto anyone.

food was really good and service was good. atmosphere was eh, is this place clean? music was kind of obnoxious. building bathrooms were outrageously nasty. we had to go down to purerestaurantto use their restrooms.

completely underwhelmed. my husband and i ate at the red lion grog house recently, and were actually disappointed by how underwhelming the whole experience was. we had seen the reviews on here and other websites, so we were reasonably excited to check it out. long story short, it just wasn't worth it.

our server was nice, but seemed completely rushed off her feet, despite the lack of people inside. my guess is that they had a full patio area, because i kept seeing her, and the other two servers, running outside somewhat frantically. my guess is that instead of assigning sections to therestaurantfloor, like a normal restaurant, they have a table-rotation thing going on, so each server has tables in the far corners of therestaurantand has to somehow manage that. to therestaurantmanagement, i have to say that this is not a system that is conducive to good service or a relaxed atmosphere.

we started by ordering drinks, and for some unholy reason, the beer menu that they're supposed to be famous for doesn't have prices on it. which means that when my husband ordered a can of sun king's osiris, they charged him $7.50 for it. dafuq?

the food was ordinary. and i mean, like really ordinary. the fish and chips, their "specialty", was two small pieces of frozen, tasteless, breaded whitefish, over a mound of old, burnt-oil fries, and the tiniest serving of coleslaw that you can still call a "side". why they charge $13 for that i have no idea, and frankly, their pricing on this dish is offensive.

my portobello mushroom sandwich was fine. but that's all it was... just "fine". i would have happily payed $5 for it, as it was really nothing special, but i certainly wouldn't buy it again at almost $10. again, their pricing is simply bizarre.

long story short, we won't be back. we were disappointed in the food, and felt quite bad for the staff.

very poor dining experience. hubby and i stopped here for a weekday lunch. we had to track down a server to take our order. also had to request water as none was offered. hubby ordered the french onion soup and we both ordered a walnut strawberry salad. his soup tasted like it was made with bouillon cubes, cheap margarine and imitation cheese. our salads consisted primarily of limp, old tasting salad greens garnished with a couple of strawberries, three pieces of walnut on each and a meager amount of cheese crumbles. after our food was served we had to track down the waitress again for silverware. we then had to track her down yet again to request our check. all of that was bad enough but i made the mistake of visiting their ladies restroom. it is located outside therestaurantdown a back hallway and is shared by other businesses. it was dirty and smelled terrible. i took one look and decided i could wait until we got home. i can't imagine ever eating here again. it was not a pleasant experience.

hard to find but worth it.. my co-workers and myself went in there for lunch this past friday after a recommendation from a friend and found therestaurantto be more than expected. it was hard to find the place with no sign (it's in the old gc murphy building next to the pnc bank for anyone trying to find it) but once we found it we walked in to a nearly full crowd. we found our seats and decided to start off with the fried pickles and chips and curry as appetizers. the curry sauce was absolutely amazing and the pickle chips were perfect. i wish i wasn't on lunch or i would have had a beer to wash them down, they have 3 different sun king beers on tap to choose from as well as 5 other taps. we decided to share our lunch family style so that we could sample everything. we chose the fish and chips, stuffed portobella mushrooms, a reuben sandwich, and chicken pot pie. i might be a little biased seeing that i've lived in england for 6 years but the fish was the best i've had since i've left. the mushrooms had a slight balsamic flavor to them that was accompanied by a roasted red pepper and blue cheese cream sauce that made me only want to eat that but i did have to share. my boss claimed the reuben for herself once she saw it. it was art, mounds of corned beef, swiss cheese, sour kraut topped with 1000 island dressing on marbled rye. the pot pie was also delicious, it was too hot out to truly enjoy something it but i can definitely see myself coming back in the fall to enjoy this comfort food.
we will be back to try the elephant ear for dessert next time.

great authentic english-style fish & chips. we finally went to red lion grog house after the excruciating wait for their liquor license. they are located in the murphy building in downtown fountain square. therestaurantis dark and inviting. the dining room is narrow and deep with seating along one wall. there are a few flat screen tv's on the walls but they aren't in your face like at a sports bar. and, this place is extremely clean which we noticed immediately upon our arrival. we were there at 4pm on a friday afternoon so the place was almost empty. our server greeted us as soon as we walked in. she was very friendly and attentive and made suggestions when asked. clearly she loves her job which we always find encouraging at a restaurant. we were pleased that they have good beer on tap - a few local beers like sun king and upland and also some english import drafts and a decent beer botttle selection. they also carry wine but i don't think they had any hard alcohol (?) but i could be mistaken. my husband and i ordered the scotch egg appetizer and the fish & chips entree to share. the food came out surprisingly fast but like i mentioned earlier, we were the only ones ordering food at that time. the scotch eggs were very good. the breading on the outside was slightly different than other scotch eggs that we've had. the only thing we would say needs improvement was that the sausage was bland. in fact, it tasted like ground pork instead of sausage. but the housemade spicy aioli sauce that was served with the eggs made up for the lack of spice in the meat. now, onto the fish and chips. this is truly an award winning meal. two large chunks of white meat fish cooked to perfection, flakey & moist, encrusted in a wonderful english style batter that wasn't too thick and was nice & crispy. the chips were homemade fresh french fries that were cooked to a nice dark brown color. they are not a crispy fast-food style french fry! the housemade tartar sauce that accompanied the fish had a lot of dill in it which we found very tasteful. we also ordered a side of the housemade spicy curry for our chips and it had a great curry flavor and was definitely very spicy. our server recommended the spicy shrimp appetizer which we definitely plan on ordering on our next visit which will probably be very soon. check out their website!

picky eater.. i drive by the red lion nearly every day and finaly decided to check it out. i'm so glad that i did, therestaurantwas clean and inviting as i walked in the door. i ordered the fried pickle chips as an appetizer the chicken piccatta sandwich as a meal and neither disapointed. i love the uniforms that the girls wear, something different than your polo shirts and khakis. i was there during my lunch break so i didn't get to enjoy a beer however i will be back to try one of their 3 sun king choices. good job to whomever opened this joint, it was great!

great food, nice environment. i have eaten at red lion grog house several times and have tried multiple appetizers including their spicy fried shrimp and scotch eggs. i have tried soup, chicken, burgers to bangers and all of it was great! i would recommend thisrestaurantto all of my friends.

upon entering, you notice how clean and new everything is. rich red-brown walls, beautiful hardwood floors, a dark tin ceiling, and at least 5 flat screens. therestauranthas a long narrow shape, is well arranged, and has a nice, albeit, alcohol-free bar

great food along with great people!. i went to the red lion grog house on one of it's opening nights and it far exceeded my expectations! upon being greeted, the owners (wally and sara) make you feel right at home at this comfy english pub.

the food was amazing! we got wings as an appetizer... which, in my opinion, are better than any bw3's or hooters wings you can find. my boyfriend got the chicken pot pie, which to this day he still talks about. and i got the chicken 'n chips which was also incredible. seeing as how much of a picky eater i am, that takes alot for me to say that something is incredible.

the waiter we had was so friendly, prompt, and informed us of what the area has to offer.

i would definitely recommend thisrestaurantto anyone wanting something besides the everyday boring food that everyrestauranthas. this was my first english experience, and it definitely won't be my last! it is located in a nice area in fountain square.