Red Lion & Sun

If you’re looking for a place you can take your dog with you and also enjoy a nice meal this is a place for you! A dog friendly gastro pub right next to the Highgate high street, you can choose to sit outside or inside with or without your dog which is amazing. The food here is more than just pub food, we had a mix of starters including potted shrimps with toasted bread, Dorset crab with herbs and duck Spring rolls. The mains were all good value too, I had the seafood stew which contained everything from salmon, tiger prawns, hake, squid etc in tomato based broth. The jerk chicken and steak my friends had were really good portions and tasty. Ofcourse not to miss the desserts! They have all the English pub style desserts but I would recommend the sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream and toffee sauce. The staff are friendly and you’re welcome to stay however long you want!

This dog friendly pub serves hearty portions of food for incredibly reasonable prices (for the area).
The menu seems to change regularly keeping things interesting. The food wasn’t mind blowingly delicious but there were some stand out dishes like the crab on toast and salted caramel and chocolate tart.
Would definitely come back for the price, because it’s a really cool place to chill and they allow dogs inside! Tick, tick, and tick.

Went here for a Sunday Roast with a friend who lives in Highgate. I opted for the rib-​eye and the meat was tender, the gravy was thick, and the Yorkshire pudding was doughy; what more could you ask for? Great cozy feel to it and I imagine the outdoor patio is great when the weather is warmer.
A little disappointed in the local beer selection, but otherwise a great Sunday Roast spot

Service was mediocre but what really irritates me was after my group ordered their meal, the waitress returned some moments later to advise us they had no lamb left. POOR! I opted for Beef instead which was ok, I’ve had better and cheaper!

Superb, classy pub! Gourmet, high quality cuisine… just love the mussel starter in a rich cream sauce… enjoy the Sunday Roast here… it’s so popular that you need reservations! We savoured the briased Welsh lamb shank served with yummy roast potatoes, carrots and cabbage medley, Yorkshire pudding that was delicious and loved the red wine jus. The lamb was so tender it melted in your mouth!
Fab wine list for a traditional pub. Wonderful and cozy atmosphere, lovely outdoor patio and attentive, professional staff…

Made the trip up north for my first English Sunday roast. Was not disappointed. The pig belly was excellent!

I like that pub and especially the sunday roasts they are sooo good. I prefer going and eating in the casual atmosphere rather than taking the dish for home. They serve very good fish as well. And all prices are affordable.

The Red Lion and Sun is my kind of pub: it’s cozy, I can bring my dog and the food is really good! In fact, how come I have lived in the Highgate area for over three years and only recently have I discovered this gem of a pub?
What I like about the Red Lion & Sun is that I feel so much at home every time I go there: there’s something to be said about low ceilings, wooden interior and a fireplace. Plus, the constantly changing menu has so far always pleased my taste buds. But, be aware that this is a very popular place, so if you’re more than two people, I would recommend making a reservation. Also, last time I was here, they’d run out of every special on the menu — they told me that everything is made fresh and so that when things are gone, they’re gone. Kind of like that… makes it somehow real!
Anyway, I really like it here and me and my dog will keep coming back again and again…

If you’re looking for a pub, then this is not it, it’s more of a restaurant. We’ve popped in here a couple of times on a Saturday and Sunday but the place is packed. So we went in yesterday afternoon (Friday) and as you would guess, it wasn’t busy (was about 2.30pm). We ordered fish & chips and a steak and a few drinks. First off, the portions in here are big and all tasted fresh. My haddock was delicious and the warm mushy peas were tasty. And the chips, mmmmmm, thin hand cut. The other one had a steak and chips. Now we expected this to be one of those really thin flat (one minute) steaks you get at those chains (ie Cote). But it wasn’t. It was a proper piece of meat and was highly enjoyed! The staff here are really nice as well. Again, it is a restaurant, not a pub. When we were in there, all the tables were having their reserved for signs being put on the tables for the night throughout the pub. Would be nicer if reserved tables were just for the back half of the place so if you’re just popping in for a drink, you could do so in the front part. The have a lot of outdoor space in the front of the pub so would be nice on those rare summer warm days. We’ll definitely return, on a weekday. Oh, and another great thing that they do right so many other restaurants /​pubs do wrong. They don’t pour the wine into those silver measuring things when you order wine. Something that really bugs me about other pubs, especially when you can taste the wine of the previous pour in yours. So definitely a hats off to you.

really great food and wine and the odd celeb but a tad bit devoid of atmosphere and bland insiped décor that has inspiration or cohesion. still great on a cold winters night though as they have a real fire

The Red Lion & Sun was recommended to me by a number of people so I had high expectations when I arrived and the it didn’t disappoint.
Six of us came for Sunday lunch and despite the pub being packed the service was friendly and they seated us quickly.
The pub had a really cozy atmosphere with open fires and scrubbed wooden tables, very conducive to a lovely lazy Sunday afternoon.
The roasts took a while to arrive, which was no great surprise considering how busy they were, and luckily it was worth the wait. I had the roast beef which was delicious, nicely pink in the middle, and served with plenty of potatoes a large Yorkshire pudding and a good selection of veg. I think roast beef can often be a bit hit and miss with pubs but this one definitely came up to the mark and the prices were very reasonable for what it was.
For pudding we had the sticky toffee pudding which was very good, if a little small.
I would definitely come back here again although early booking is recommended (they were fully booked by Friday afternoon the last time I tried) and I don’t think it’s worth coming for Sunday lunch if you haven’t booked.
The pub has a large beer garden so I think it would make a good summer pub too.

This is going to be a weird post for this pub since we actually attended a private function here. Heath the landlord will kill my friends for this but we actually went to a wedding reception here (but they don’t do wedding receptions, okay???)
It was in full crimbo decoration and that made it all the much better. Staff here worked their arses off for this party and made sure everyone was happy.
I’m not sure what’s on their regular menu but we had a series of canapé plates that came out and let me tell you that my favorite were the Scotch Eggs. but I have no idea what bird laid that egg because they were so very tiny and delightful. Super happy with that.
My wife had the full on Turkey dinner with all the trimmings and I opted for the Fillet of Beef. Our meals were spectacular and let me tell you the number of plates that they had to prepare, well, I have no idea how they did it.
We both had the Chocolate Mousse for desert and it was one of the best I’ve had in a long time and it rivaled my Mother’s (and she went to a cooking school for awhile to learn that)
Just a great night and a memorable evening for my friends as they start their newly married life together. Top top evening and I can’t wait to visit my friends again as they live in the village close by which means we can go back under ‘normal’ circumstances.

Nice ambience, and location but food not quite what the prices would suggest. I had the warmed artichoke to start which was tepid and the vinagrette sauce served with it was barely seasoned; more like weak olive oil minus the flavour. The halloumi salad was enjoyable but nothing special. Portions were good but as already stated, the prices are too high for the quality of food and service. The bar staff were pleasant but the wait time for food was certainly too long.
Overall not a total disappointment, but room for improvement in several areas.

what a let down, beautiful looking pub, rubbish food and drink.
I ordered one of the two ale on tap and got the wrong one no big deal really, i’d just make sure i got the other one next round i got the right one next time pretty bland and poorly kept.
The food was terrible for the price, i would have expected to pay half the price for the quality of food i received. I ordered the braised lamb shoulder and seasonal veg. I got a pretty rock hard piece of shoulder with a couple of sorry looking chunks of carrot a few grey broad beans some of which were still in there pod and a tasteless stock and i paid £14 for the privilege. It wasn’t very busy and i could see why. there are a lot better places in the area for less money. i would recommend following the crowds.

One of my faves in highgate. Good food, decent wine list, friendly service, cozy indoor space, pleasant terraces and a dyson blade drier in the ladies!

Another pub I would prefer if they weren’t trying to be too gastro. I could only find a couple of things on the menu that I had ever had before. Yet their website says that the food is traditional?!
But I wasn’t there to eat I was there for a pint, but that was a bit of a let down too. My pint of ale didn’t taste quite right. I think it may have been on the turn.
This is all a bit of a shame as inside you have a nice candlelit pub and outside you have nice large wooden tables all ready to take advantage of nicer weather.

Purple Pineapple and Pluto, Orange Antelope and Venus (Pub names make me giggle)
This off the beaten track pub, we stumbled upon while waiting for a tardy bus turned, out to be a chance to feel separated from the buzzing motorways and noise pollution of London.
While Lions may not be Red, the Sun was surely shining on me, plunked happily in the rear garden. The goat’s cheese and tomato salad on toast was lovely and just the right size. The stab in the dark Pig’s cheek was really tender and flavourful and the tomato salad, however simple it sounds, was amazing. I would guess that the tomatoes must have been vine-​ripened and grown locally because they were just perfect.
The big bonus to this venue is the quiet atmosphere. We sat with our newspapers and books, taking in the sun and breeze while sipping white wine.
Seek out the Red, Lion and Sun for an afternoon beverage and a chance to breath deep.

The Red Lion and Sun is an impressive gastropub situated in the beautiful Highgate Village. The inside of The Red Lion has that slightly darkened, old-​fashioned feel that suits traditional pubs well. What attracted me to the place wasn’t its traditional décor; it was its impressive front garden with a multitude of tables to dine at. Reading the menu A-​board outside left me in no doubt that the food was going to be above average. A further surprise awaited my partner and I as she spotted a secluded beer garden in the back. This would be our destination.
The wine list is long enough to keep you interested, without over-​loading you with choice. They offer a good variety of grape from different continents, with a price range to keep the penny watchers and cash splashers happy.
As for the food, it was good. We order three starters, Pigs Cheek with Chorizo in a red wine jus, Goats Cheese with tomatoes with distinct flavoured Cress, Roast Beef Sandwich with Horseradish and a side order of Tomato and Onion Salad. All the dishes were very good. The Tomato and Onion Salad was exceptional. It was a very simple concept but oh so good. The Pigs Cheek was a first time thing for both Sarah S and I. It was as tender and tasty as any slow cooked lamb I have had. I was impressed.
The Red Lion and Sun isn’t the cheapest pub I’ve been to, but their intention clearly isn’t to be cheap. Their extravagant menu alludes to them being a great eatery and bar, and in my eyes they succeed in being a cut above the average boozer.

Found this place while stalking some morris dancers (they know all the best real ale pubs) and had a very well kept pint of Rev. James. Didn’t have time for a pint of Morland Original though.
Pleasant pub but seemed like a nice traditional community inn that they want to keep for trendy locals rather than oiks like me.
Nice beer, spacious inside, beer gardens front and back, and good service.
Menu looks tempting too but I didn’t have the opportunity to try anything. Dishes include a salt beef bagel (£5.50!), gammon and goose egg, Irish rock oysters, and avocado & Saudi prawn salad, as well as more commonly found fodder like hamburgers and fish & chips.