Red Lion, Bitterne

As of July 2020 open for food and drink - no booking required

The new Red Lion

The newest reviews are at the bottom. 

The former exterior

A former successful independent pub and local landmark. Now a Wetherspoon after a reported £1.6 million refurbishment. Not a very good one. We've tried three times, and not been satisfied on any visit. Shame, as I like Wetherspoons, and was looking forward to this opening.

The former interior

Though Wetherspoons have made the most of the space, and have opened up the upstairs. the place is usually crowded. Smokers are allowed in the seating area outside the front of the pub, and smoke does drift inside, especially on the balcony upstairs.  Beer selection is not as wide as in the other 'Spoons in town, yet on our last visit both of our selections were sour and had to be replaced.  As, on the same visit, we had to chase up our food order, and it was then delivered so cold that we returned it and had our money refunded, I suspect that the manager was away that day, and the person in charge was not familiar with how to run a pub.  I'll try the place again in a few months time to see how it's developing, but at the moment I like it less than the previous independent pub.

Date: July 2017   Score: 2


I've tried again, as I like Wetherspoons - decent value food, and a decent range of keenly priced beers in a family friendly environment. This is just what is needed in Bitterne. But each time I go (sometimes on my own, or with my family)  there's a problem - either with the beer or the food, and sometimes both. On the last visit there was also problems with pricing up the bill.

It appears to a lottery if you are going to get your food served at your table or if you have to go and chase it up. And it's a lottery if the food will be as ordered. It is unlikely to be served hot.

Complaints are accepted silently - there is little attempt to make up for mistakes, or to offer compensation. On a previous visit we simply asked for our money back because the food was served late and cold. They offered to cook it again, but we'd already waited long enough. On the most recent visit the bill was priced incorrectly, and it took two members of staff five minutes at the till to make the adjustment down, and even then it was still 10p too much. The food had to be chased up, and was wrong. A man at the next table sent his meal back three times, getting increasingly frustrated.

I keep hoping that whatever organisation or management issues they have here will be sorted. I have never known a Wetherpoon to have such a prolonged period of problems, and it has to be resolved at some point!

Beers drunk here include Everards Ascalon,

Date: Feb 2018   Score: 2


OK. I've been here several more times since my last review and things have settled down. Improvements include moving smokers away from the entrance into a lower front area. Meals have been delivered quickly and accurately - though I do avoid the upstairs as that is where problems occur. Beer choice is not large - generally two or three non-regular beers. But they are always served in good condition.  Place is still popular, but seating can usually be found.  Yeah. It's OK.

Date: June 2019   Score: 6

The Lads Who Lunch descend on the Red Lion during lockdown

The Lads Who Lunch, that is me, Myles and Stephen, walked over to the Red Lion for lunch on the hottest day of the year. We had to have outside seats as we are from three different households. Limited but acceptable selection of cask beers.

We chose the Flack Manor Romsey Gold, but it was in tired and slightly too warm condition so wasn't a pleasure to drink. I had a new veg curry which was very tasty, though had selected on the app the simple version which should have come without stodgy bread and crisps, but they were delivered anyway. Indeed, we all felt that the portions were rather over generous on the stodge, but there was no option on the app for requesting no chip or no onion rings, or a healthier option. It's no wonder we are the most obese nation in Europe, and as a result have more deaths from coronavirus. Anyway, yes, very good value meal, but please Mr Wetherspoon, we need healthier options. Seriously.

While the open eating area does have a smoking and non-smoking section, smoke does drift over from the smokers. Please Mr Wetherspoon, and all pub owners, simply ban people from smoking anywhere on your premises. If you weren't aware, 1.2 million people die every year from breathing in other people's cigarette smoke. If people want to kill themselves that's their affair, but their ignorance and selfishness shouldn't be killing over a million people every year. Funny enough, that's more than Covid-19, and look what we've done to stop Covid-19, yet we allow smokers to kill over a million people a year. These are preventable deaths, but we do nothing.  Rant over, we now return to the new normal.

Yes, this is a mostly OK pub. It appears to have got over its early teething problems.


Date: July 2020   Score: 5


448 Bitterne Road
Bitterne
SO18 5EF

Open 8am to Midnight
Food served.
Children welcomed.

* Wetherspoons
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* Bitterne Local History
* Pubs Galore

***

Pubs in Bitterne

The Roll Call, Butlocks Heath (Netley) (Closed)

Closed March 2022. Lease expired, and the owners decided to retire rather than renew.

Small and homely food focused pub serving three cask beers. On my Friday lunchtime visit almost all tables had been booked - there were only two free inside, though I had the option of sitting in the family friendly beer garden.

The beer selection

Lunch meals are around £6 - £7, while main meals are around £10. All home made and freshly cooked. It is the sort of food your gran would make - homely, simple, a bit overcooked and tasteless, but sometimes that is just what you want. It is comforting, undemanding and unsurprising.

The staff on my visit were all female, and all friendly and helpful. This is a place to take your gran or other elderly relatives. It's not a place for a special occasion, but is ideal for a low key casual old fashioned school dinner. Take it for what it is and not for what it is not, and you should find it a pleasantly homely and old fashioned experience.

The ambiance

I had the Flowerpots bitter, and it was served in perfect condition and temperature. I like the place. It's not as warming, traditional, and charming as The Cottage nearby, a Wadworths pub, but it is its own place, and has its own charm, and it does food, which The Cottage no longer does. [As of 2021 The Cottage is under new ownership, and is again doing food.] 


Date: July 2017   Score: 6

Woolston Road
Butlocks Heath
SO31 5FJ


Monday - Wed: 3pm to 11pm 
Thurs - Sun: Noon to 11pm 

Meals Thurs to Sat: Noon to 2.30pm and 5pm to 7.45pm; Sun: Noon to 4pm

***

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The Frog & Frigate, Ocean Village

This is a somewhat legendary pub on Canute Road alongside Ocean Village which reopened in March 2015. It's only open on weekend evenings as it's a party pub where people dance on the tables. Two to three cask beers available.

The ambiance. Girls just love my hat. 

I love this place - but you have to go on the right night. I've been on a Friday with my son, and the band was playing golden oldies, and everyone was having a right ol' time. Good mix of ages. Good mix of men and women. Brilliant atmosphere. This is how all pubs should be.

I been here with Ian on a Saturday on the November Beer Crawl, and it was again a good atmosphere, though it was more crowded than on the Friday, and the average age of the customers was probably nearing 50. A woman asked me to give her a lift up onto a table, and I was somewhat concerned because of her size as I have a back injury, but we somehow managed it. Phew.

I have been here on a Thursday with my wife. And it was pretty dead and dull. All students. All listening earnestly to someone playing original folk music. Eyes all looked at us as we came in. Nobody smiled. And there was some sense of perplexity and irritation at our interruption.

I recommend going on a Friday or Saturday.

There are now comedy nights on the first Monday of the month. See the updated events list here.

Date: July 2017   Score: 10


Popped in with the boys after seeing The Costellos at The Joiners, around 10.30, and the place was surprising quiet. There was the usual acoustic busker belting out great singalong oldies in his alcove, but the place was half empty, and nobody was dancing.  We ordered some beers (can't remember what, even though it was just last night!) and bunch of people came in, which upped the mood a bit. I did a bit of line dancing, but only four people joined in, so it more of a hyphen than a line. Yeah, the music was good, and I still love the place, but the actual ambiance will vary depending on what crowd are in.

Date: Aug 2019   Score: 8.5


33 Canute Road
Ocean Village
SO14 3FJ
Open 7.30pm Thurs, Fri and Sat. - These times may not be reliable. It appears that these days the Frog only operates regularly on Friday and Saturdays with rather late opening hours - after 11pm on Friday, and after 9pm on Saturday. The comedy nights are now few and far between. The last I am aware of was in May 2019, and it cost £3 to enter.

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November 2016 Pub Crawl

Common Rooms (previously Chalk Valley), Bedford Place (Closed)

A "grass fed" burger bar and minimal modern restaurant on London Road which expanded into the space next door in 2016, and created a cafe and bar serving four casks and eight kegs.  I visited with Ian on the November 2016 beer crawl, and we both liked the place. We had the Red Cat Strata, and a few others. I intended to come back with the family because as well as meat they also do egg dishes, so veggies are not turned away.  Came here July 2017, and the place is closed with a notice on the window saying they are undergoing refurbishment, and will open again in September. The place looked fine in November, so I wonder on what scale is the refurbishment to take place!

Date: July 2017

Ambiance

Casks

  

And kegs

Ian relaxing

Closed for refurbishment sign

Re-opened as Common Rooms - but now closed again....

The beer selection in Common Rooms

Update: Chalk Valley reopened in March 2018 as Common Rooms with 16 kegs and four cask handpumps (mostly inactive), serving burgers and chips. But closed in October 2018.


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***

Pubs in Bedford Place

November 2016 Pub Crawl

Pubs in Bedford Place and Southampton Central

Bedford Place is an area just to the north of the city centre which has attracted a lot of night life - there are restaurants, bars, pubs and nightclubs in abundance here, and the students love it. It is attracting trendy pub chains like BrewDog and City Pub.  The area contains some attractive grand buildings - the remains of a development of the site by the Dukes of Bedford. Carlton Crescent is the most unspoilt street, and gives some idea of how the whole area once must have looked. The area suffered bomb damage during the war, and parts of it are quite ugly away from the main streets.

Southampton Central area 

(just south of Bedford Place area)

Yates

Slug & Lettuce

Spitfire

Mettrick's Guildhall

Scholars Arms

Belgium & Blues

Encore 

Vestry

Bedford Place area

Lion

Bedford Arms

Good Libations (previously Cloud Wine)

Brewdog

4Q (previously Tap Room )

The Cricketers Arms

London Road Brew House

Sadler's 

The Alexandra

Chalk Valley (Closed)

Giddy Bridge (Wetherspoons)

 


Bars in the area:

Buddha Lounge

Orange Rooms

Shenanigans

Tokyo Bar

Social

Fever & Vibe

XOXO

Revolution Vodka Bar

Gin & Olive

Blue's Smokehouse

104

* LoveBedfordPlace

***

Pubstops of Southampton

Good Libations (formerly Cloud Wine), Bedford Place

 

Parking this here. While in the Bedford Square area yesterday I spotted that this shop had an interesting selection of bottled beers in the window.  We already have two good beer shops, but this one is nicely situated in the centre, and would be ideal to take visitors to when doing a pub crawl around the highlights of Southampton central.

I'm keen to go back and check them out. Their website doesn't appear to have been updated in some years, and you can't order anything from it.


Date: July 2017  Score: N/A


OK, popped in quickly and grabbed a handful of local beers, and some deals on out of date stock. There's a good choice, and prices are decent. Well worth popping in if in the area.  

Date: Summer 2020    Score: 5 

Cloud Wine staff with Hathaway (right)

 
The shop is closing due to the cost of living crisis following the Covid lockdowns.  It has been taken over by Jimmy Hathaway, owner of Unity Brewing, and will be renamed. It will offer Unity beers plus other "craft" beers, and do tasting sessions. 

Date:  November 2022    Score: N/A 

 

The revamped shop

Unity Brewing has gone out of business, though owner Jimmy Hathaway will keep Cloud Wine open under the name Good Libations. It will sell "craft" beers (that tends to mean citric hoppy lagers sold in tins - a bit like the old lager and limes from the early Seventies, but usually stronger) and some Belgians beers (good!). And will offer tastings, and the chance to drink purchases on the premises for a fee. 

Date: Feb 2023   Score: N/A  


45 Bedford Place 

SO15 2DG

Open: 9am to 9.30pm

Pubs in Bedford Place

London Road Brew House, Bedford Place

Another new pub in Southampton, and it's a huge brewpub! This is part of the City Pub Company chain - which has a variety of pubs across London and the South, several of which are brewpubs. 

The beer range

The pub opened at the end of January 2017 on the site of Varsity, which had closed exactly a year earlier.  has a prominent location, and quite an impressive interior. Great selection of beers on cask and keg. And they serve pizzas. Great fun. 

Menu holder

The menu holders are melted vinyl records.  I took a look at a few, and they're all individual, and the records are the sort you get in charity shops which nobody wants to buy - like this one - Thora Hird's Favourite Hymns. 

The ambience

This is a cool and likeable place. More industrial, modern, and student focused than Dancing Man. I like both places, though prefer the ambience of Dancing Man. The beer here is very good. Much better than you normally get in a brewpub chain. I can see this being very successful.

Date: July 2017   Score:  7

With my son, Piers, and his wife, Alena

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Pubs in Bedford Place