The Old Black Lion Reviews

We were visiting Hay on Wye during the Christmas break and went to The Old Black Lion for New Year s Eve, OMG, best evening EVER. Not only were the landlady and her staff super lovely and welcoming, the food was out of this world and award worthy, a complete taste sensation, the wine selection was great too. There was great live entertainment, music and dancing and we saw the New Year in with style and warmth. I can t recommend The Old Black Lion highly enough. We will be back!

A gem in a book town. Great food, lovely Inn, comfortable rooms and the staff is so friendly and helpful. We could not have stayed in a better place. Great location from which to explore the town and bookstores.

Pub / Inn. Dinner was good, great atmosphere, friendly staff, we had the luck to witness some live music; a very endearing jazz trio to be specific that performed much to everyone's entertainment . The room was clean and alright. Not a bargain, but for Welsh and Hay-on-Wye circumstances worth the price.

Quiet and well presented pub. Food was cooked to a high standard

Loved our stay in Hay and exploring the book sellers. The Old Black Lion Inn and Restaurant made the stay a memorable experience.

Fantastic pub with some cracking local beer. Worth dropping in next time you are in town.

Great location. Warm, friendly, amazing decor. Food, service and room all impeccable.

The Old Black Lion offers a really great, varied gastro pub menu, with a good selection of vegetarian options (plus a vegan one too).
We had the mushroom and asparagus open lasagna and goats cheese souffle for our main courses. Both of which were genuinely excellent. Our starters were good too, although the avocado was underripe, which was a fairly big letdown given the cost of the dish.
The staff were very friendly and attentive and the food arrived really quickly.
I think the atmosphere here would be great but we were seated in the "den" which was very quiet and a bit soulless.
I think the prices were a little higher than they should have been and I suspect that they were making the most of the Hay Festival weekend tourism.

This bank holiday they were extremely busy in my opinion. They were fully booked, yet I was told that they had a table available. When we arrived the main restaurant section was full and we were placed in a side room which appeared to have had a private function at some point during the day. It was about 20 minutes after a booking time, that we were finally asked what we would like to eat. We both chose butternut squash soup and roast beef. The butternut squash soup was very nice indeed, unfortunately there was no butter with the bread. We asked for some horseradish sauce to accompany our main, unfortunately thry had run out. When our main arrived, the beef was not only cold, but it was extremely rare and also quite fatty. This was very disappointing, so I raised this with the waitress, who agreed that it was "quite rare" We didnt finish our meals.
When the bill arrived there was no discount on what we had ordered. This should have not been up for negotiation. There was no offer of drinks or even anyone from management coming out to speak to us and apologise, so I don't know what happened after I told the waitress this food was not acceptable. Sadly I can't recommend this restaurant, as clearly when they're busy their standards go down.

After an initial mishap with our booking we were made very welcome. Despite all of the extra work that the staff have to do because of covid, the service was cheerful and attentive. Even more impressive was the food. All six of us commented on the quality of each of our three courses. I could not fault it.

Very friendly and great food at this pub. It could do with a bit of a make-over but overall it is a great place to meet friends, have good food and enjoy the town from.

A great place to have a cosy beer. Try the welsh beer its delicious

Have gone twice to the Old Black Lion because they welcomed my dog, gave me a private lounge room to eat in peace, fed her some little treats from the kitchen.
Food was superb, like a thick beet soup with salad, fried egg on custom hash, their own brand of beer. Plenty of parking in a town where parking is tough. Many happy customers in the main dining room.

Great place to chill and relax in the evening. they have live bands that play and great food. They even have a small courtyard in the back so you can sit outside.

We went to The Old Black Lion for New Year and had a brilliant time. All of the staff were great, the food was excellent, entertainment was super and the whole evening was awesome. Thank you to everyone at The Old Black Lion who made it happen.

My boyfriend had a meal here with his friend in the middle of June and my word he very impressed. They had just taken on a new chef and I can only say he was spot on with his presentation and taste was sublime.
Having eaten all over the world this place is not to be missed if you want something special at what I think is a very reasonable price. Must add a big thank you to the lovely landlady for always bring out treats for our dogs. We will be most defently seeing you in the near future .

Excellent staff and food. Lovely historic atmosphere and good room. Ideal location.

Superb welcoming staff, great atmosphere, delicious food and for me a great local Welsh cider. Dog friendly and the hub of the town

Delicious three courses, Monday night a bit quiet but food still perfect

A great place to spend a few days the bedroom is well appointed .warm and clean it was good to have free wifi.
There is a lovely wood burner in the bar which is very welcoming on a cold day.
The old Black lion must be the place to eat as it was busy with locals ,always a good sign .
Give it a try

Wonderful food with live jazz of the mellow kind on a Friday evening

Food is very good. nice back room for private function for about 20 people.

Fantastic place. The live jazz as we are dinner was perfect. The room was lovely and I had a great nights sleep. Thank you :)

Fantastic food and so welcoming. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff. Owner was extremely helpful and courteous. Will definitely return if we're ever in the area.

Lovely meal, well prepared and with friendly courteous staff. In the snug our dog was wrlcome too.

Cosy place, warm welcome by staff. Fantastic breakfast!

No complaints. Attentive staff, a decent ale and lovely rump steak. Mid-week so a bit quiet but, as I said, no complaints.

Very good restaurant salmon was divine congratulations to the chef

Absolutely lovely place. The food was really good quality, the staff were friendly and welcoming and the setting was relaxed and comfortable. Couldn't fault it, would definitely visit again.

Only had a pint in this pub. Food looked good on the menu and if possible intending to come back. Probably 3.8 to be fair.

Top quality gastropub. Excellent food - chef trained under Roux brothers. Friendly service and pleasant atmosphere.

Fantastic Sunday roast - good quality and really tasty. Nice service too!

Excellent meal, very friendly service and dog friendly

Lovely old English pub...with great accommodation, first class food, staff and atmosphere.
I stay here every year (4yrs) for a week on business..and the quality is always the same.
Give it a try...I'm sure you will not be disappointed.
8 Feb 2018

Exceptional meal. Excellent red meat. Bill Clinton is also in this restaurant. Dessert to die for. Extra!

Great food, excellent service, lovely staff, gorgeous interior, but a bit pricey.

Definitely not one of your ghastly gastro pubs. Food actually prepared and cooked properly, as opposed to microwaved and reheated. Staff friendly and polite. Typical old world pub, serving good, very tasty food.

Basic pub with selection of pub food and beers. If you're there its worth a visit... though I cant say I'd travel far to visit the pub. Beer garden at the back and indoor seating within.

Tables empty, unwelcoming staff, told us they can't (or won't) handle many orders at once.

Stayed here for a cousins wedding. The room was really spacious and the breakfast was fantastic. We are going to extend our weekend next time as atmosphere was really relaxed and comfortable. Our stay was so enjoyable.

Really nice beef roast.....good service and off road parking as Hay-on-Wye is sometimes difficult for parking...

Such a gorgeous hotel. We stayed in a deluxe room and it was beautiful. Huge bed and the room was full of character. The food in the restaurant was amazing - some of the best food I have ever eaten. The hotel is located on a quiet back street but is very near the town centre so not far to work for all the shops. I can thoroughly recommend this hotel an we will definitely be returning.

Excellent food and service in a very warm and friendly environment

Wonderfull coffee and friendly staff. Nice rooms and cosy dining.

Revisited Aug 24 after walking section of offas dyke. Still a fantastic place.
Had a great homemade burger again, real quality. Still no option of a guerkin with burger. Great to see the gorgeous Jo again 5 star service as usual. Always great Ale choice.
I will go back here as often as poss.

We had lunch and loved the food. Really good quality and presentation and the staff was very kind and welcoming. Highly recommend!

Lovely atmosphere, kind and friendly staff, great food.

Dining during the Literary Festival one is used to having to pay inflated prices that would be more at home in the West End of London..... However, whilst the quality of food was that of a good pub ( as it should be, and the most charming More

There on good Friday, based on the reviews something must have majorly gone wrong as our bad experience seems abnormal. 45 mins to take an order. Fridge cold mash potatoes, mussels were mixed hot and cold served in what appeared to be unseasoned cream. Couldn't get out of there fast enough..

A warm welcome and friendly service. Sunday lunch was incredible, would definitely visit again.

Really friendly staff, really nice cosy place to have food

What a great little place. First time eating there for Valentine's day and it totally exceeded my expectations. Amazing food and great friendly people, will definitely be going again

Loved staying here. Still have one night left. Room nice and comfortable with a tidy little en suite, a touch of headroom issues for me, but didn't matter. Had the Sunday Roast yesterday and it was perfect, cracking value too! Would definitely stay again if we are in the area.

Overall a lovely country pub, but the rooms are, as should be expected a little small & in my opinion too expensive.
The food however is fantastic, nice bar area, cozy and warm with friendly people.

Exzellent! After two weeks travelling across Wales the first time we got a meal that is more than standard pub-food! Highly recommended !

Friendly and dog friendly. Lovely ambiance, live music and good food. What's not to like ?

Fantastic place. Peaceful and quiet, excellent cider.

Been visiting for for about nine years, amazing little gastro pub, never had a bad meal here, always so well cooked and presented, chef bakes his own bread which is fantastic.

Fantastic pub restaurant. Excellent food, high class venue.

Excellent service. Great, tasty menu that's better than the usual pub grub. Good choice of ales in olde coaching Inn setting. Low ceilings and wooden beams. Worth a short walk away from Hay centre to eat at this pub. You won't be disappointed!

We called in late on a Sunday after a long day and was happy to accommodate. Food was outstanding and service was superb. Very friendly staff and recommend trying a CWRW welsh for beer

Absolutely lovely lunch. We visited mid-week for lunch after a walk on the hills and it was a great relaxing lunch experience.

Both the inside and outside of the pub look like any smart and tidy pub in the UK but the food was elevated to restaurant quality. We both had venison which was fantastic, plus the lemon and oregano chips are amazing so worth getting as a side whatever you do!

Service was great and everyone was very friendly. One of the best pub meals we have had! Definitely worth a visit!

Very good service and food. We went 3 nights running

Nice food but fairly basic accomodation do a bit over priced for what is on offer

We stayed here for a last minute weekend away and what a lovely place it is too. The staff are friendly and welcoming, we were shown to our room which was the superior room (room 6) it has a massive bed on with a floor just above it which has two chairs overlook the back of the beer garden and fields. The room was nice a quite and perfect for us. The only downside is that the bathroom is a little bit on the small side but it's a massive room so that makes up for it.



Would totally stay again and can recommend this place to anyone.

Stayed in room 3. Beautiful room lovely and clean and comfortable. Friendly and helpful staff. Great breakfast.

went for dinner at Black Lion, saw reviews and went due to the great feedback. Huge disappointment. Expensive overall. My husband had a rib eye steak,,,, asked for it to be served pink. Medium rare It was raw inside, tough. I had cod, it was luke warm and covered in a greasy tasteless butter. We had driven all day and were starving.... and tired. Very disappointing.