The Lion Hotel

Ph: (08) 8367 0222; 161 Melbourne St cnr Jerningham St, NORTH ADELAIDE 5006 www.thelionhotel.com

Modern Australian, $$, * for Food & Ambience
Open Lunch Sun-Fri noon-3pm; Dinner Mon-Sat 6pm-10pm, Closed Christmas Day; Licensed, BYO, Corkage $15 bottle; AE DC MC V EFT, Seats inside 100, Outside seats 40, Private room 15-150
Chef (--) Owner (--)

Mietta's Review
The architects have got at The Lion, one of Adelaide's gracefully verandahed pubs, 'modernising' the bars, squeezing in pokies and making the space on the side into a restaurant. Quite a good restaurant though decorated with the discordant cacophony of angled panels so loved by post-modernist designers. Still it feels 'correct' with its table cloths, discreet lighting, muted noise level and black clad all female waiting staff gliding smoothly by. A great contrast to the brightly lit open kitchen filled with gleaming stainless steel and a bevy of blokes at the benches. The quality of the kitchen's food excuses this thrusting of itself into the dining experience. The flavours are clean, the combinations taste far better than they read and the prices (in 06, entrees around $16, mains $30) are very fair for what you get. The wine list, as expected in Adelaide, is good and the service excellent in spite of the effort to sell bread, olives, sides and drinks. In the rest of the hotel there are many different spaces for many different occasions; lounge, bar, beer garden and cafe (The Larder). There have been many recommendations for lunch. The Larder serves light meals and snacks all day.

Other published opinions

Gourmet Traveller 2007 Australian Restaurant Guide "The restaurant is the more formal dining spot in the Lion Hotel, while a happening little bar serves more casual fare. The restaurant's decor pays homage to the building's history by incorporating the original towering stone walls and quirky historic architectural fittings into a modern, light-filled space."

Adelaide Advertiser 2006 "Modern Australian Hoteliers Tim Gregg and Andrew Svencis have been at the forefront of the pub/hotel dining experience where quality food is served to rival the top-end restaurants. The Lion's restaurant is classy, with light spilling through the open-plan dining room and kitchen."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide "Hoteliers Tim Gregg and Andrew Svencis lovingly renovated this historic hotel (and former brewery) in 1998. The Lion complex includes a cafe, bar, numerous function rooms, and this elegant restaurant which combines space and light with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a lovely old hackberry tree."

Gourmet Traveller 2005 Australian Restaurant Guide "Attached to an Adelaide corner pub on a busy main drag through the swish end oftown, this is an impressive, dining destination. It has a great east-facing, full-length window, allowing all available light to brighten the open-plan dining room and kitchen."

Adelaide Advertiser Rob Malinauskas 12/10/05 "This pub is home to the famous combination burger with a James Boag's beer. Although that spectacular duo is available only in summer, it doesn't mean you can't taste the burger all year round."

The Adelaide Advertiser 30/6/04 Tony Love score 14+/20, A lively North Adelaide pub's smart, stand-alone restaurant with excellent service levels, and, while considerable care's taken in the kitchen in some dishes, others need more attention. Worth visiting.

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, 1 Black Star,'The food is imaginative though not quite daring...The installation of a fancy French rotisserie has transformed the meat department...The dining area is pleasant...Clever design keeps pub noise to a minimum.'

Virgin Airlines, Adelaide Guide, April/May 2002,'ensure a great night out'

Liquid-Bar Culture & Beyond, Winter 2003,'for those who like their beer from the keg, a recently-installed state-of-the-art delivery system keeps the beer at a constant temperature'