Red Lion Smokehouse in Thunder Bay

Great food, I ordered two deep fried items that were not greasy, simply light and delicious! Staff was so kind and helpful! Dietary restrictions: GF options

Went for the Novemburger and was massively disappointed. United way needs to start vetting who they allow to sell the Novemburger after my experience with the campaign this year I m less willing to participate next year. I would have paid $4 or the equivalent of my donation to not have to eat the burger I was served at Red Lion. Service was terrible. Wasn t acknowledged after being seated for 20 mins, didnt have a drink on the table for another ten. Was served the food while the drinks were empty and never asked if we wanted another one. I can excuse slow service if it s busy and I have a beer in my hand, or the food is good. Red Lion failed on all accounts. Sad to see the downfall of this place.

I had the battered fish and chips. If you batter and no fish, order this dish. I would guess, since I didnt have a scale that there was less than 2 ounces of fish in the total order. Nothing was wrong with the fries. My wife had the remainders Caesar salad that was made with endive and the smoked ham that they put on it was burnt.

Just paid 40$ for a below average burger and beer. Avoid this place if you can. Total ripoff.

I ordered a mushroom burger and fries came to $27. I pointed out that the burger on the website was $17 and they told me they havent updated the prices in a long time. Its now $24. I was not happy about that. The mushroom burger was bland and a little cold and the bun was just normal. I should have returned it and got my money back but they closed for the night. The french fries were okay but a small portion. Vegetarian options: They had a mushroom burger but its not worth the $24.

I love it amazing food over there

Drink menu was so overpriced it s not even funny. Our food was terrible, I had to send my plate back because my order was wrong the first time and when it came back the meat was cold. Ordered a pulled pork sandwich and got the tiniest portion of pulled pork ever and little to no bbq sauce. Sides are not included with meals which is a bit ridiculous. Would not recommend at all.

Very good food. Lots of gluten free options.

Food was decent, service was excellent had a large group and everyone got fed in a decent timeframe. Would eat there again

Good service, nice location. The brisket tacos were ok, not as tender as I thought it would be. But the overall experience was quite satisfactory!

Had a hard time deciding what to order with all the great menu options. Within the first few bites, we were discussing coming back every night were in town. Our host Brittany was super helpful and friendly. I cant suggest here highly enough!

Rough experience. Slow. Walked in to make sure our waitress was coming out to the patio to take our order once we had already been seated. Took over 15min for her to show up, and another 15min for 2 beer to arrive. Once the drinks did arrive they were flat, and warm. Didnt bother ordering food, but tables around us were complaining about waiting over an hour for food. The patio was half full, and inside was empty. Pretty disappointing experience.

Server sucked!!! Forgot to hit send for you order . Waited over an hr for appetizer, only 2nd table. Then after I finally asked where our food was, got our appetizer and food together. Then only table in restaurant. Never checked on us. Never came back to go be us our bill.

Great selection of craft beers, but the food is expensive for the quality and size of the meals. Service is good, a bit of improvement in the food would go a long way to making this a staple in the Thunder Bay food scene.

Service was ok, deep fried olives were really good so were the deep fried banana peppers. The potato skins were a little greasy, but still delicious. Had the brisket and blue cheese sandwich, it was fair. Food

Taste barbecue items and good selection of beer.

I really don t understand what this place is trying to to do. It s a British pub that serves BBQ which seems odd but it quickly becomes apparent that BBQ food is NOT what is happening here. off the hop it went badly as we asked for the BBQ platter and were told they were out of ribs. Looking at other reviews after the fact perhaps it s just as well. The kids Mac and cheese was a pathetic tiny portion of pasta with unmelted cheese and green leafy stuff on top of it because ya know kids love green stuff and unmelted cheese on a tiny portion of pasta. The burger was pretty pathetic and didn t even come with fries as apparently that s extra. The beef brisket is just dried out roast beef. No one could consider this brisket. They couldn t event bother to dump sauce all over it like most places would I will say that the taco my wife had was pretty good and the poor quality and quantity of food is certainly not the fault of the server who was working her third shift and doing her best. I m not sure what the owner is thinking and the fact that it was mostly deserted on a Saturday at 630pm perhaps says more about the obvious reputation this place has I m not one to give poor reviews. Read my reviews you will see I typically only review a place if it s great and I hate saying anything negative but the owner really needs to figure out what they re doing here as it s a pretty miserable excuse and fails at being both a English pub and a BBQ restaurant. We came on a Saturday night and it

Great food! The maple bacon jam was fantastic! Seemed a bit understaffed but worth the wait.

This place has lots of potential, the food was actually good, just super overpriced for what you get, service was a little lacking, and the place was relatively empty compared to other restaurants on the block

Was an ok place, we had good service but the food was nothing to rave about.

Warm beer. Spinach dip was plain and tortilla tasted stale. Mac and cheese barely had cheese and dry. Ceasar salad was dry had no bacon and they use arugula

Sat for an hour waiting for fish and chips. My wife s salad showed up at the 40-minute mark. That was the only tome the waitress refilled our water glasses. We finally left after paying for the salad and walked down the street and had pizza. No, it was NOT BUSY!

The food was good but very pricey. Friendly staff.

Over cooked burger and potatoes (skins) plus warm beer. Couldn t finish my meal. Craft beer that was available, served around room temperature at best, so ordered a second beer out of their cooler, again, warm.

Good pasta, nice beer selection

I m sorry but I m shocked this restaurant has stayed in business as long as it has. People must be ordering more drinks to mask the taste of the food, cause it is bad! Ribs were dry and gross, cost extra to have a side. My friends pasta dish came out cold. I ve never heard anyone say anything positive about this place. But my friend s an optimist and wanted to give the place a chance. I tried to warn her. There s so many better places in the area.

Terrible place to eat, ordered chicken wrap. Wasnt enough chicken to fit on a table spoon, just a whole lot of lettuce and no dressing.

Really. Sad. Food.

Typical bar with a good choice of beers.

Ribs were burned to a crisp, yet served anyway.

Online order system is broken. Tried to walk in for takeout, 15 minutes later no one had acknowledged me. Worst customer service ive ever seen anywhere. Now off to find another option despite everything being closed on Sundays

Dog friendly on the patio, good service, good food! Parking: We parked a bit away where we could find street parking. Food : 4/5 |

The burger was alright wasnt fresh and they didnt lettuce in burgers. The Caesar salad wasnt Caesar salad.

I was disappointed with my visit. The burgers were not hot, the Caesar salad did not resemble a typical Caesar salad, and the coleslaw was not fresh. Unfortunately, the quality did not meet my expectations.

Very disappointed about the food, especially the red meats considering it is a smokehouse. The ribs were chewy and the brisket, pulled pork, as well as salads were lacking flavour. There was more garnish than food on the BBQ plater. The staff also lacked communication regarding what to bring to which table. On the good side, the potatoes and chicken were delicious and our waitress was very attentive and polite.

Friendly greetings upon arrival. Seated then changed tables due to wonky table. Prompt with water and ordering. Got drinks and app in timely manner. However server never approached us for almost an hour waiting on main course. Brought another drink. Still waited. Once ribs came out they were dry, burnt and tasteless. Slaw was bland. Waited another 45 minutes to be acknowledged again then another wait for the bill. Given truffles as an apology. Sorry we wont be back.

Slowest Kitchen in Thunder Bay.

This place has gone downhill so much lately. Waitress was terrible and made us uncomfortable, food order wasn t right, ended up being WAY overpriced for what it was. After looking we realized we could ve gone an actual nice restaurant for less money and way better service and environment. Fries are somehow cold, greasy, and soggy and charged $7-8? Absurd. Definitely won t be back anytime soon. It s sad to see that on any given night the bars are busy, this place is dead.

There were maybe 20 people in the whole restaurant and it took 1 1/2-2hrs for 4 of us to dine because it took for ever to get service.

Great food.

I used to go here a lot, came back to enjoy the pulled pork sandwich but it came out with no sauce it was horrible, French fries tasted burnt like they haven t changed the oil, I would recommend avoiding this place

Great beers and the blue cheese avocado burger was out of this world, best burger Ive had in Canada. Board games to keep us entertained, service was superb.

Wide open spaces. Lots of seating, even on a busy day. Friendly and beautifully kind staff that I want to be bffs with. We played games, shared a pitcher of draft ipa and had a blast until close. I had the Maple Bacon burger and it was the best burger I ve ever tasted. Palate cleansing coleslaw as a side was mild and easy eating. Also ordered the arugula side salad with parm that was delicious. I will be back!!! Kid-friendliness: Big board game shelf suitable for kids and grown ups. Played guess who and scattergories. There was a toddler with his parents playing jenga when we were there and it was a beautiful sight. Lots of space for lots of people.

I wanted to try something new, heard years ago it was a great place to eat! I was then shocked to see it empty on a weeknight as well as my food (chicken caesar wrap) smelt weird a very funky scent and taste. I had one bite and could not continue eating it the fries were so salty i chugged a couple glasses of water in the 15 minutes of me eating them. The server was very awkward barely spoke to us and was not enjoyable at all. I ended up being sick the next day assuming from the food because i have never smelt a funky smell like that out of a chicken wrap . Never again

Love this place! Great local and beyond beer selection, awesome food and atmosphere. The wife and I go just to have a drink and play some games.

Really awesome beer selection. Lots of taps! Not to mention a good assortment of cans/bottles too. The food is really good. I recommend the ribs. The burgea are so/so . Lots of great things to try. This is one of my favorite places in Thunder Bay. It has a relaxed atmosphere. Ive been here while there has been trivia going on. There has been live music as well. There is a patio for summer time. Seating is pub style with both regular tables and chairs and church pew seating as well. Plus its one of a handful of restaurants open Monday nights in Thunder Bay.

Beer is good, food is pricy for what it is, couldnt get the ribs since they were out of stock.

The food was horrible their Ceaser salad is not a Ceaser salad, and it did not have a ceaser dressing either as well as having pickeled onions was a turn-off. The pulled pork burger was tasteless & extremely dry & cold. The Chili fries had no Chilli, but it did have 6 kidney beans, & it had an odd taste. The chicken burger was basically ok except they do not have mayo & their buns are way too big for the amount of filling. The Mac & Cheese you would think cant go wrong how can you mess that up, but the noodles were mush and it was tasteless as well. The fish & chips were supposed to be fries but instead they were huge pieces of potatoes they looked cooked on the outside but definitely not what was asked for as well as we asked for no peas but they were on the plate. Lastly, what they call Cole slaw looked like Cole slaw, but most definitely did not taste like it. As for the service, we had a party of 11 people & our server could not keep orders straight or the drinks. We asked for a glass for the water & 20 minutes later, it still didnt come. All in all, it was an awful experience, and we will not be going back. The prices would have been good had our meals been eaten. Also, for groups of 8 or more, they add an 18% mandatory tip on, which with so many errors I feel it was quite excessive the service definitely was not up to par.

Could be better. If you dine in with more than 7 people they automatically charge you an 18% tipping fee with no option out. Food quality is worse than a fast food place for real, It is sad. I appreciate how kind and sweet the waitress were but they need more staff. Our waitress forgot to bring over a few things and got some orders wrong. Just order drinks before food or go somewhere else for food. There are lots of good spots for grub around the area. This is a skip on my list of go to spots

I stopped in last night for a quick takeout order. The staff were friendly, the restaurant was clean and spacious. I ordered 2 burgers and 2 fries. The amount of time waiting was perfectly acceptable. The order total was $50.00. The burgers were excellent! The 3 star review is due to the $7.00 fries. I disagree, the fries are good, not great, not exceptional, not $7.00 per order. I understand that its 2022, doesnt make it ok.

Each dish looked like a work of art. The special chefs table tasting menu was outstanding.

The chefs did a good job, our waiter was training another server she & was amazing. But the other lady training her had an attitude the food is good tho !

Was here for work. Went for any early dinner. Service was good, nothing special. Food came quick. Had brisket and blue sandwich. Brisket was dry , needed a sauce or something . Coleslaw meh. Would rather have fries. With a pop $30 . Very pricy for mediocre food. Probably better at Montanas. Parking a huge pain

The Shepard pie for St. Pats was very good.

Worst Dining experience of my life! First off multiple items on the menu were unavailable including the ribs. We tried to order the BQQ platter but were told the ribs weren t available, still expected to order a $65 platter without the main and no discount was offered. I ordered the popcorn chicken wrap, nothing on the menu said it was spicy, there was a spicy heartbeat wrap available. My wrap was so spicy I coughed after the first bite and was unable to eat any more of it. My boyfriend ordered a pulled pork sandwich with a side of brisket, both were old and dried out, tasted and had the same quality of canned dog food. When we complained the manager would not come speak to us at the table, they did discount our bill but messed up and charged us for two brisket rather than refunding one. To top it all off there was an owner eating at the restaurant that continued to serve himself drinks behind the bar and there was a waitress serving people while wearing slippers with no socks on. It is obvious they aren t sure what direction they want to take their business, trying to do too much in one space and the quality of food and service is suffering because of it.

Undercooked food. Ordered this from skip burger completely raw inside

I had the pulled mushroom burger, and I know what youre thinking, dont order vegan at a smoke house and this holds true! The red lion is great at what they do, smoked meat, so if you are wanting to order a vegan meal, just go somewhere else! The burger consisted of a bun, and liquid smoke sautéed mushrooms. The best part about the plate was the arugula salad.

We were visiting from out of town and needed a late night burger spot. Wow. The burgers here are fantastic. Highly recommend the maple bacon and smoked cheddar burger. Buttermilk fried chicken burger was delicious too. This place also has a good gluten free menu. Great to see downtown PA coming back to life again with many good and fun restaurants.

We went for my birthday dinner and enjoyed the gluten free menu (they did everything gf for January!) Two of my teens are celiac and we were so excited to try this place out. I had the fish and chips and it was delicious! I loved the deep fried olives! My kids ordered the chicken burger, chicken bites, potato skins and three cheese pasta. They loved everything but the potato skins. They ate them but said they were not crispy. The pasta was an extremely small portion but it was delicious. The chairs are so uncomfortable that I was in pain. My kids agreed that the chairs sucked but they put the pain off as my old age haha. Dietary restrictions: Gluten friendly!

Went for gluten free month and was so so happy we ended up going a second time (no pictures from the second time BC I inhaled everything ) YUM

Went with our kids, the food was delicious, the prices are fair and the waitress was great!

Brisket was slivers of sharp dried beef, lathered in blue cheese to mask it. Mac and cheese was tough noodles with what seemed to be an absurd amount of oregano, and crispy kale bits (burnt). There was multiple items not available, everything was deep fried. Such a culinary diverse experience....Waited over 2 hours for food. Yes we did have a large group, but they charge an extra 18% to accommodate that. Probably wont go again. One of the kids even got sick the night of at home. Felt bad for the servers. At over 100$ per person you think going out for dinner would be a decent meal. Used the brisket as a toothpick after for context.

The fries were burning hot on our plates so much that we burned our mouths, but the main was cold, lukewarm at best. The potato skins are said to be crispy, but ours were very soft. The restaurant was basically empty and we went at dinner time on a Friday night. Its easy to see why theres no customers anymore. Service was great, but the food was not.

14 beers on tap at this place definitely makes it a fun space to try various beers. They say they have a rotating tap which means seasonal brews available. The prices for the beers are extremely attractive. The quality of the food is a different story. We got the poutine. The poutine was not a poutine by Montreal definition. There was no gravy which really defeated the purpose of poutine. Cheese curds should be squeaky. The fries were mushy and not crispy. We also ordered the philly cheese sandwich. There were mushrooms in there (I love mushrooms) but there were more mushrooms than meat. There was barely any cheese which again, defeats the purpose of a Philly cheese sandwich because the sandwich traditionally has a thick layer of melted cheese on the meat. The bread was also an incorrect vessel for Philly cheesesteaks. Flavour was also no bueno. We shared the deep fried cheese curds. Those were tasty and nicely fried, and very melty inside.

Service was great! The decor was pretty sad. Made me think of a tired beer hall. The only thing missing was the smell of stale beer and dirty ashtrays. The food was very unimpressive. My wife had a burger. It had a funky unpleasant taste. I had the pulled pork sandwich. It was soggy and flavourless. The coleslaw was chunks of cabbage in mayo. The potato skins were steamed(?) slices of potatoes. Def won t be back

Service not good, waiter forgot the drink order, forgot my youngest order so only my oldest child s food came out which made my younger one upset. Had to remind about my other kids order and apparently never heard a second order when I said both of my kids will have the chicken and chips my pull pork salad(can t remember the name) had a terrible after taste each bite. And my gfs burger had the same not good aftertaste like it had the same sauce on it. Just in general not a good first experience at all and normally the gf and I will not care about some things but the general experience here was awful.

Paid over $130 for 2 poutine and 1 burger platter and 3x dessert. Steep prices. Most fries were burnt, poutine had almost no cheese. Burger patty was dry and they forgot the bacon, had to ask for it, and got it separately in a small dish, bacon was not strips, it was tiny shredded pieces that had an almost raw consistency and were basted in maple syrup. Asked for a gluten free bun and instead of a gluten-free hamburger bun I got something more akin to an everything bagel. Service was great, but food was definitely subpar!

not great

Fantastic place to visit in TBay. Great variety of draft beers, and a solid food menu. Server was excellent.

I had the fish taco and the mushroom taco both were amazing and our waiter was awesome. Great time and great food , will be back ! <3

2021 Christmas Quizmas champ here... deep fried cheese curds whether it be cheddar or feta (your choice).... yes. Everything on the menu.. yes! Ribs, chicken, yes. Come here if you like good vibes and fantastic service paired with great food and a variety of craft beers. #doquizmaseveryyear

Nice atmosphere, but I guess i expected better flavored, fresh food especially for the price and small portion sizes. The food was definitely disappointing.

Wonderful spot to eat and hang out! Incredibly delicious food and spot on service. Board games available to play at your table, live music - but not overwhelming loud. Local Canadian wine options, and the deconstructed smores dessert is such a fun treat! The only reason I give four stars and not five is location - which the restaurant cannot help. In the evening outside the restaurant the walk was (generously described) - sketchy. Safety concerns walking there, even from just a block or two away. But get inside and you will be fed fabulous food and have a joyful experience! Kid-friendliness: Super family friendly! Board games available for playing, appropriate live music (Celtic string group when we visited).

Nice place .... excellent service ( Janna ) .

Great food different than regular pub fare

Nice place to have a drink and play games. They have event nights often.

5 star service by Jade on our visit today. Totally random pick of a restaurant turned into the best meal we had while visiting Thunder Bay. The tacos were excellent! Coleslaw was to die for and the Brisket & Blue sandwich was delish. Thank you Red Lion Smokehouse

Went on a Tuesday evening. Food was tasty and our server was polite and attentive. Prices were reasonable. Music wasnt too loud. Vegetarian options: Menu had a vegetarian section.

Friendly staff good food and atmosphere

Only complaint is that they automatically add 18% gratuity on your bill if youre in a group. Ill avoid and go elsewhere next time.

Enjoyed our meal. Fish and chips were excellent. Burger was good, but charging $7 for fries with it is expensive, unexpected and a bit chintzy. We incorrectly assumed a side would be included. Service was friendly and efficient. Would return next time we are in Thunder Bay.

So upsetting the service, had to leave, Mother s Day was ruined, health inspect must have been paid off. Standards very poor, dishes chipped not able to eat or drink. Venue was horrible for any Mother on a special day like Mother s Day. P.S. love the dead daisies centre stage for only possible highlight. Left in tear, apologize I didn t video the situation. Parking: Terrible parking, long walk. In a nut shell, horrible experience in my 60 yrs.

The tacos were very yummy, I enjoyed that you could purchase the tacos individually to mix and match and get exactly how many you wanted. The taco sizes were small for 5$ piece but where delicious.

great food, emphasis on new versions of old classics and super juicy smoked meats...special rec. for pork salad w/mustard dressing and philly sammy.

Food was decent, service was a bit slow. Id go back but not high on my list

Service here was unmatched. As a big craft beer person, I can sometimes be narrow minded when it comes to trying something like a regular old IPA. Katie our server knew the menu like the back of her hand. It s so refreshing to have someone be able to give their honest review, as if they ve truly tried everything. I had an issue with my order and she was so prompt to fix it. Give this woman a raise! She was absolutely lovely and it was an honour to have her serving us. Food was tasty and fresh and a really nice vibe. I d recommend for the beer selection alone, but the food is a bonus!

The caesar salad was amazing.

The food was delicious, and the service also ! Good choice of beers Food

Good night. loved the Irish music will come again.

The restaurant was very busy for a Sunday night, only one or two servers and alot of full tables. Our server Emma was excellent. She took our orders, offered beer and food choices and was very pleasant and efficient. Thank you Emma for being an amazing employee!! Cheers Food

We sat outside on the patio for some local beer & appetizers (fried olives)... Unfortunately, the waiters didnt have enough help & were really working hard to keep everyone happy. They did a great job! Would definitely go there again!

We stopped here on a road trip from Niagara to Winnipeg. What a great choice! The menu selection was great, they had an amazing craft beer selection and our server was dynamite! If youre traveling through TBay, i highly recommend a stop here.

We attempted to go to this restaurant, but it seems they did not want us there. They were doing a trivia event, which is fine, we had planned to sit outside where they were not doing the event, other people were eating out there. The sign on the door said to go inside to be seated. We went inside and waited at the hostess stand for quite a while. At least three servers walked right by us and did not say a word to us. Finally, we just left and went somewhere else. So, if you actually want to get food, I would suggest going elsewhere. If they are closed because of an event they should put a note on the door saying that they are closed.

14 craft taps and lots of variety in cans, plus knowledgeable staff means its a great place to go for the beers. I had higher hopes for the food though, it was just ok. Brisket was dry, mac and cheese was gritty. Games and darts to keep you occupied.

Sat outside on a beautiful day. Should have used the umbrella - my hubby was pooped on by an overhead bird. Tried the deep fried olives with Solie small portion but tasty. Mushroom burger was excellent. Super service.

Food was amazing!! Service was very slow/intermittent, but they seemed understaffed the day we ate there. The servers were very apologetic, and compensated for the significant delays in food arriving which was very kind of them.

Always great food and beer. A comical time waiting for cream for coffee. Which never actually arrived.

Great place, food, service ambiance. Everything was amazing . Great local beers. Food : 5/5

Good food but it was very expensive I paid 16 bucks for a veggie burger with a dipping sauce size coleslaw

Yummyyyyy. I was impressed by the healthy, tastey foods offered. Hands down the best french fries I have tasted EVER!! Their creative menu combinations fulfilled this gals sensory viking palate ~ skal !! I will return Vegetarian options: Fabulous choices, nutritious, delish! Kid-friendliness: Family includes dogs, and Red Lion allows on patio ~Yayyy.

Had dinner on Canada Day - reduced menu. There wasnt a good ratio of pulled pork meat to bun and not enough sauce. I had a side caesar salad it was covered in salt - I couldnt eat it. When I mentioned it to server, she apologized but gave no compensation. The printed bill has a credit card service charge without even being asked how I was going to pay. Would never go back.

Its good not incredible. For what you pay, youre getting middle of the road food. Our server Brittany (I think) was excellent, and the drink selection was nice.

Taco Tuesdays. Pretty decent tacos at a remarkable price. Tasty tacos in a soft shell. Server was quick, friendly and on the ball.

Waitress was wonderful and attentive, unfortunately the food didnt live up to the service. The ribs were dry and stuck to the bones, my chicken pasta was nothing to write home about and the cornbread was stale. All in all the Coleslaw that came as a side with the ribs was the best part of the actual meal. Atmosphere was pleasant and again, wait staff was fantastic, too bad the food didnt measure up.

I recently decided to give Red Lion another chance. I feel this place has gone to the lowest it can since I last wrote my review. I really did like Red Lion for a long time but was sad that they have scaled back so much on portion and flavor. I ordered the Chicken Ceasar Salad wrap today. It should have been called the 90% arugula with 3 bite sized pieces of chicken wrap. Absolutely no flavor and all arugula. Such a sad bitter taste for $19. We also got Deep Fried feta, it also was topped in more arugula! Im not sure why this is their thing but if you cant stand arugula skip this place.

A sample of pork ribbs. A table spoon of coleslaw. Im not a big eater but 1st time had to order a pizza after spending $35 ,no drink here..

One of the best burgers I ve had, quality ingredients and amazing service. We ll definitely be back. Little chilly but rather be cold than sweaty Vegetarian options: Deep fried cheese curds are amazing and local

The service was excellent - our server was attentive, she was helpful, she offered great suggestions and she made us feel welcomed; the atmosphere was awesome - we felt at ease and it was airy, not imposing at all. Felt great to be there! The food was... Inconsistent. My meal was mostly excellent, my appetizer was great but my wifes meal was somewhat bland. It was like there were notes missing from each part of her meal. The food was not unpleasant but it also wasnt a smash out of the park. Maybe it was an off night and we will try again another day because the service was truly excellent.

Beautiful building, amazing staff, but the food wasnt desirable; heavily encourage a menu update.

Visiting with a friend; party of three first time at this place. My fiance had wanted to try the ribs and I opted for Philly cheese sandwich with Caesar salad. My friend also decided to try the ribs. Both were less than impressed with the ribs. My Philly cheese was too salty and my Caesar salad had arugula greens instead of romaine. Though our server was courteous and friendly, its not her fault the food was substandard.

Once seated we waited about 30 minutes for a server to come take our order. When he finally arrived he told us that he forgot about us Then he takes our order. Goes away for about 10 minutes and returns to tell us that they dont have the ribs that I ordered. Terrible customer service and pretty ridiculous for a smoke house to not have ribs for dinner service. We left and went to a different restaurant so I am not able to comment on the food quality.

Had lunch here while visiting Thunder Bay for the first time. Awesome craft beer selection on tap and in cans. We all enjoyed our food, and the server was great, offering some advice on good spots to visit while in town.

Food was terrific! Instead of iceberg lettuce a vitamin rich salad green was the substitute.

Disappointing. The ambiance was stale and lacked any warmth. The food arrived cold. It seems main menu items only come with coleslaw. If you want fries with your burger or ribs, youll have to order separately. Cost of items was crazy high for what you get. Flavour was ok, but not the greatest. I had high hopes for this place.

Oh I wish I could ve given this place 5 stars. Visiting Thunder Bay with our dog we are limited as to where we can go and this place was dog friendly (on the patio only) and was also close to our hotel. Win win - or so we thought. You re unable to book a table on the patio as it s first come first served so we ate out early to make sure we could get a seat. The server was great although no one offered a bowl of water for the dog, we had to take it from another table after they left. The food - well, we were enjoying our appetizer when the mains arrived. I ordered the fish tacos and yes, they are ordered individually so I ordered 3 (a normal restaurant serving), however the fish in the tacos was enough for one taco, divided into the 3 so much taco with not much else. The server did ask if everything was ok and I did mention that fish in the taco would be nice - not much she can do, it should be the kitchen that stopped it leaving. When I went to pay, they gave me some espresso truffles as an apology and said they were training a new chef - obviously not very well. In summary - staff were attentive to humans but not pets and kitchen staff need better training.

We stopped at this place while driving through thunder Bay, the food was delicious and great, however the portion sizes seemed off /small. Pulled pork sandwich had a very thin layer of meat on the sandwich and was a bit dry. When we went they were out of ribs and brisket. Couldve been nicer to have cheaper prices or more food at the same price

Great place but food was served Luke warm.

The servers are great, they were very welcoming and accommodating. The food however, was more than underwhelming. The hallmark pulled pork was exceptionally dry and lacking in flavour. The BBQ sauce was unexpectedly terrible for a smokehouse. The flavours in every dish were just lacking. But, again, the staff team? Lovely people.

The place is nice enough for what it is. I had the brisket and blue sandwich which is definitely a slight step above pub food at chain pubs, and I did like the beer they serve there even though they apparently rotate it out here and there. My main complaint is not really something they could fix, we sat on the patio, and in the hour and a half we where there I had 3 homeless people on the street ask me for money, not saying they shouldnt but I also dont think I should be haggled for my change while I eat. Parking: Parking on the street is available for 2 hours for free on weekends and for a price on weekdays

I nice bar with a very extensive craft beer selection. Really nice staff and very nice patio

Nice little spot, comfortable patio, fresh seasonal menu and friendly service. What more can you ask for! Fair prices. Lots of craft beers on Tap.

Gluten Free? Vegetarian? You will have no worries here! The brilliant sous chef came and spoke to us and went through what items I could have on the menu. This excellent staff member was also available to talk to us about carb counts for our diabetic friend. Absolutely amazing food help and accommodation. Thank you. I took on star from the service because although our waiter was fantastic, when we got there with our dog, there was a bit of to-ing and fro-ing about where outside we could sit. There were two free tables to make enough of a table for 7 people, but there were not allowed to move a table from the other patio, because they had to keep it free for their special club members. This was disappointing because although this place doesn t take outside reservations, we did call ahead and we were a bigger party, it was a special thank you dinner and some of us were eating on bear barrels. There were two tables that could have been put together and it wasn t allowed. Personally, I was a little embarrassed when the rest of our party arrived and we didn t have a proper table for everyone. I guess with a dog, gluten free, diabetic.. we were a bit of a special party. Thank you for the meal and once again our server was fantastic. She was super kind and immediately changed my wine, when we realised it must ve been stuck in the pipes for a bit! Great beer and cocktail selection. Vegetarian options: A wide range of vegetarian options! Dietary restrictions: Talk to the sous chef - he was so knowledgeable about gluten.

Really good food. Has a great selection of craft beer. Service was a little slow though.

Staff was friendly and food was tasty! Highly recommend the fried goat cheese salad

Awesome place. My go to place for great food in Thunder Bay. The brisket is Wow.

I really love this place. Theyve got a nice patio in the summer, a nice downtown location. The beer selection is one of the best in town, in my opinion. Though I do go there for large meals from time to time, it is my go to place to pull up a stump, try a local pint or two and have a small side as a snack. Their aeoli and potato wedges are incredible value for a light snack. They are sometimes out of major parts of the menu (like Brisket or something), but this is likely because they are making everything themselves from. Start to finish. So that is reasonable given the style of cuisine.

Unfortunately the Red Lion is really not firing on all cylinders compared to our last visit (in the old location). I had the brisket and blue sandwich which is tasty enough but probably the smallest sandwich I have ever been served. It comes with a very small dollop of coleslaw as an appetizer, we were told that the cheese curds would be enough for the 4 people...... they were barely enough for 1 person. My wife and I shared an order of fries and again the serving was tiny. The tacos seemed like a better choice. Cesars were good. Service was friendly but very slow. I hope they put in the effort to consider patrons comments and improve over time.

Worst pork belly Ive ever had. It was closer to a dry pork chop. And...why would someone garnish pork belly with bacon? Potato skins topped with smoked brisket wasnt much better. Not any smoke flavor and dry. I would not recommend eating here. Just as I was posting realized we were over charged for the skins......

Can t say I was very impressed with this place. I m typically pretty easy going, but when I ordered the chicken Caesar wrap I wasn t expecting it to be 95% arugula/spring mix and 5% chicken. I was extremely disappointed especially at an $18 (no side) cost. The waitress was nice as well but she was more preoccupied with a table of 8 or 10 enough for us having to get up twice to ask for the bill and water. I can deal with lacklustre service, but the wrap was so bad I literally woke up thinking about it the next morning lol

Decor looks nice, not sure about the food as the wait staff said well seat you in a minute and then ignored us for 10 minutes. There were empty tables and the wait staff passed by us several times so it wasnt for lack of capacity or staffing.

Went to Red Lion for lunch. Ordered deep fried cheese curds as an appetizer and it came in very small bowl and half the bowl was filled with lettuce on the bottom. They charged 11$, which was surprising for a bowl half filled with lettuce. Also, ordered a veggie burger and it was made of mash potatoes, with a bit of spice. I would not recommend this veggie burger unless you want mash potatoes coated in bread mix on a bun for 14$ . Fries are separate cost. Been here a few times, but probably wont be back. Not really good value. Also, food on the floors probably from day before as we got there right when it opened. Also sticky floors when you walk on them. Flies were flying around head and food when trying to eat lunch.

Food was good and nice selection of beer. Bartender could have been a little more friendly.

Awful place. Definitely don t recommend at all. Double charged us then called us liars. Had to contact the manger online to get refund.

Love the draft beer menu and how it changes. Its a decent variety and good. The menu is alright and could be better. Updated (2023) lacking very hard with the fish actually in the fish and chips and cost. Wouldnt know the difference if a McDonalds was here. The queen was crying over the bar as it came out of the kitchen :(

Great food and friendly staff

A personal favourite, the staff are always friendly, and even when it is busy the premises doesnt seem crowded. I love that the kitchen brings out specials often, to compliment their excellent regular menu.

On my first visit I was impressed with the quality of the food and the taste is tantalizing to the taste buds. I have made several return trips to sample the rest of the menu.

The Tardis isnt functional but the place is great.

Good selection of beers and a lot of handhelds. Cool place, worth the visit, Food : 4/5

Totally going back. Fun times and affordable prices.

Went and spent a pretty penny for 2 of us to eat. Ordered the bbq platter, was expecting something amazing from a place called Red Lion Smokehouse assuming the meat would be good. Worst ribs ever and they took the majority of the platter up. Tough as can be, sauce was decent and spicy, but the ribs were so tough. Service was good and its really nice inside but I cant get over the ribs lol

We ve been here before and food / service were good but, not this time. The room was very cold (end of November), the food was cold and service was slow. Very disappointed as we suggested it to our friends for a birthday dinner. Dessert was good.

Worst fish & chips we have ever had! Squeezed enough grease out of the fish to soak 4 napkins and the chips were chunks of deep fried soggy potatoes! Definitely will not return!!! The staff was excellent which helped make up for the bad food!

Celtics night on Thursday. Loved the music

Food tasted good and waitress was super friendly but our food came out concerningly quick. We ordered our food and drinks at the same time and the kitchen managed to cook our meals before the waitress could even open our beers. Honestly got the food quicker than a MacDonalds drive thru.

Thanks for the dog friendly patio

I am a man of class and style. Pasta is my passion, and this passion has driven me to consume as much of it as possible, as those of you who have seen my waistline can attest. This brings me to the Red Lion. Thunder Bay has many great eateries, and during my Lakehead reunion, I was tempted by the Traditional Carbonara on the menu. I dove in mouth first, ready to consume such wonderful flavours only to be visited by the flavourless dish they call Carbonara. This dish was so tasteless, so watery, it was reminiscent of spaghetti soup. They didnt even use spaghetti noodles, instead opting for a strange star shaped pasta. As a man on a mission, I remembered this Carbo-NAW-ra, and made it my mission to try every carbonara I could find on my recent trip to Italy. And Ill have you know that what the Red Lion serves is nothing like the carbonara Ive been enjoying for the last 7 days in Italy. It isnt even on the same terrestrial plane. Its like if you gave a toddler the run of the kitchen and expected them to make a traditional dish. Ill never have the pasta here again, but I guess its my fault for eating pasta at a smokehouse.

The coleslaw needs to be served in a separate container. The juices were all over the plate being soaked by the bun of my brisket sandwich thus making it difficult to eat without a fork and knife.

Food exceeded expectations, nice selection of craft beer.

pasta was reheated bleck...fish was undercooked with mushy batter...waitress was rude...stay away

My boyfriend and I stopped here while travelling across Ontario. We picked it solely because we had our dog with us and it is dog-friendly, but it came through with some of the best food I ve had in awhile! We got the deep fried cheese curds (drool), the brisket and blue cheese sandwich, and the popcorn chicken wrap. You can tell the food is made with fresh, quality ingredients - so good! Our server, Katie, was one of the best servers I ve had. She was very sweet and accommodating to both us and our dog. Thank you for a wonderful experience!!

Solid vegan options

Great food would go back again!

Great food. Awesome service

Had a great dinner on the patio. Good food and absolutely amazing service. Katie took great care of us and our puppy! We were grateful to get to all eat at the same time while traveling with our dog. We will definitely be back before we leave town!

Oh my, the poor waitress this day. If it wasnt for her, maybe a 2 star. Hostess was floating around in a daze, without her iPad she lamented about. Watched as a couple stormed off after waiting to be seated for ever. The food....The bun disappeared in the sauce a plenty, then the breading all fell off in the drenching. Then the fries.....what a bunch of soggy cold attempt at some fries. It must have been just a bad day because the reviews didnt spell that out. Waitess pulled a few stars outta the hat for them.

Lots of room on the patio for us and our dog. My husband had the spicy chicken burger and I had the potato skins. Both were excellent, yummy and good portions. The cocktails and beer selection was very good. Service was great. Good place to eat in Thunder Bay

Great service, great food. Cheers !

Yummy food and drinks

We dined on the patio. The weather was nice and the tables were fairly busy. My goat cheese salad was delicious, and my husband enjoyed his chicken Philly cheesesteak. Our server was attentive. The standout was the fried banana peppers - so unique!

Went for a wine tasting night. It was quite interesting and the food was great

Darn good ribs and Mac and cheese!!! Friendly wait staff, good service, all I could ask for. The ribs were not over cooked and moist. The rub was gentle but evident and the bbq sauce was a sweet and sticky mixture that complimented the ribs wonderfully. I ordered a side of Mac and cheese to round out a perfect meal combination. I would recommend highly and come back next time in town.

Just good honest food with an amazing staff. 10/10

The food was delicious. We had the deep fried feta, a couple tacos, side salad and a few craft beers. The patio area was dog friendly which was nice for us to bring our dog.

Parking: Parking isnt the best in the area

Visiting Thunder Bay, came here based on the review. Ordered a half rack - they brought out a full. The ribs were cold, tough and didnt taste great. Might have been Saturdays leftovers. Asked to sub the coleslaw out for fries due to an allergy. Charged full price for the fries even though I wasnt getting any slaw. Beer was very tasty and served quickly but I wont be back.

Service was great and lots of beer on tap. We order all six tacos on the menu, we found there was very little differences between them. All served on a soft shell tortilla with a base of arugula. We found the only thing that differed between the tacos was the meat and sauce. The beef brisket was the best out of the lot but none of them really wow d us. Not the restaurants fault but not the best spot in downtown as we had a few people loitering making the patio outside a little uneasy. Overall the patio is nice and pet friendly which is a bonus.

Dietary restrictions: GF options marked GF but after ordering they werent sure if they were.

Had a nice dinner here. Service was incredibly fast, maybe even too fast. Appetizers were out within 5 minutes and mains barely a minute after we finished them. Expected an hour or so dinner and were out in half the time! The deep fried cheese curds from Thunder Oaks were DELICIOUS! Unfortunately the portion for $10 was very small, and half of the little bowl they were served in was kale (presumably to keep them from getting soggy at the bottom) The Mac and Cheese also left a little to be desired not being particularly cheesy, and with very large noodles as opposed to the elbow pasta I would have expected. The smoked chicken and tomato burger was delicious however!

Fantastic atmosphere and staff, and they know smokehouse!! Started with an amazing Arugula and Parmesan salad--this was amazing. Also tried the grilled cornbread--would order again anytime. Had the Brisket Philly Sandwich--brisket was generous, smoky, and not too fatty. Nicely done. Chips were a little too limp for my taste, but the aiolo was soooo good. Highlight for me was the Pulled Pork Taco. The smoky pork paired with the sauce, and pickled onions brought it to a whole new level. The beer list is also without equal. I recommend the new Lake of the Woods IPA. Bright, citrus kick with a happy finish. Will be back to explore this menu further as soon as possible.

Excellent food, service and atmosphere. Theres a very diverse selection of beers here too!

Food is awsome, their fires with garlic aioli is really good

Went for dinner with colleagues, the space was open which made it great for our larger group! I opted to go for the 3-course meal from the seasonal northern delights menu. The confit duck crepe was a nice switch up for a starter, and I really enjoyed the main which was smoked squash gnocci. Personally, my main dish was not as visually enticing as the crepe but was hot and comforting for an autumn dinner. I was hoping to have the white chocolate pumpkin mousse but it wasnt available so opted for a coffee crisp tarte which was unfortunately not really even okay, and a little too sweet. For the price point and location I would definitely go back.

Food and service were awesome. The venue could use a little sprucing up but overall, we ll worth it!

While the service was great, and a wide variety of beers were available on tap, the food was not good at all. Chicken wings shouldnt be soggy. And the ribs were tough and not very moist with just okay flavor. We also tried the cheese curds and they were interesting. We couldnt decide if we really liked them or not but they definitely werent bad. Probably wouldnt come back, honestly, unless it was just for beer. Maybe the tacos or burgers are better.

I really enjoyed my visit. The food was great and the server gave us lots of time to visit without disturbing us.

Seated and waited 20 minutes for a server before leaving.

I visited few months ago. Food was very delicious and great service. (Edited my review to post the photos of Northen Delights menu 2022)

Great beer selection and well done, well presented food. Laid back atmosphere with professional, friendly staff. Really enjoyed lunch here with my girlfriend.

Enjoyed the place, food was good and they had a few nice craft beer as well I enjoyed the ceasers. The waitress staff was very friendly and attentive.

Horrible....... First off......no domestic beer.....NONE. Ordered the full rack of ribs. Asked the server how they were cooked....pellet smoker, water cooker, offset???? Was told its a silver thing. Not that it mattered......I probably would have had an easier time chewing through the wood they used to smoke it. And the 1 bite I had before having visions of calling my dentist, was horrible. Not a pleasant taste. The brisket sandwich my buddy got had more condiments then it did brisket. This place is a complete let down. Maybe they should reevaluate the use of the word smokehouse and go with something more practical, like Lumbermill

The Novemburger was amazing!

Love Red Lion. Excellent beer selection and great food!! I love their ribs. They let the smoke do the talking and dont over power it with their bbq sauce

Really good food. 3 different alcohol free beers.

Always great service, great vibe and great food! They re always innovative and finding new ways to engage and entertain their customers while creating a community feel.