For well over two centuries The Golden Lion has welcomed guests, with delicious fare, fine wines and refreshing ales.  Friendly, knowledgeable service is another of our keynotes, in both the cosy Library Bar and the adjoining City Brasserie. You’ll find our sommelier has compiled an exceptional selection of fine wines from the New World and the Old, with something to please every taste. Our chefs make something special of dishes traditional and modern alike.

In bar and brasserie you drink and dine in a historic, inspirational setting – Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet, stayed here in 1787, and late one evening (or in the wee small hours of the morning)  he etched the controversial poem Stirling Lines on a window pane in one of the public rooms. Was that room what is now our Library Bar? Quite possibly, and we do know that Burns returned some weeks later and shattered the offending pane with his riding crop (well, he was the pop idol of his day, mobbed in nearby Broad Street and at the Tollbooth.) The window glass is gone: the story remains forever.

As you sit and sip your dram, ponder who has been here before you … genteel lords and ladies, raucous coachmen and chapmen, an inspired young poet conjuring up his infamous lines … imagine how these rooms rang with laughter, songs and rhyme. Enjoy a break with tradition at the Golden Lion.

Click here to view our Menu & Wine list.

Click here to view the Traditional Afternoon Tea & High Tea Menu.

Click here to view our 2 Meals for £11.99 Menu.