If you hail from Old Blighty or one of her colonies, you’ll know nothing smells more like home than freshly toasted crumpets. Lucky for you, crumpets will soon be served up along with a happy selection of English comfort food at Copenhagen’s first English pub with grub, the Red Lion.
The homesick and hungry will find comfort in the pub’s renowned friendly service: think the entertainment of Fawlty Towers, minus the crappy service. Formerly Sankt Nikolai Restaurant, the spacious pub will be relaunched with its new classic English pub name on February 1.
Owner and chef Martin Popplewell says a little research revealed that there are 650 pubs in England called the Red Lion, “and that’s only the second most popular name” behind The Crown. But given how the Copenhagen pub is located in a historical red building dating back to the 1730s, the Red Lion was the obvious choice.
There are a handful of Irish bars around town, but a true English pub is defined by its food. At the Red Lion this means pukka pies, pasties and sausage rolls – the fish and chips have been ramped up a notch and are now homemade with beer batter. If you book in advance, Sunday roasts can be whipped up with Yorkshire pud to boot.
The Red Lion boasts a healthy selection of British ales including Fuller’s cask ale, Old Speckled Hen and Samuel Smith’s one-pint bottles. Kegs of Saint Austell’s Proper Job are currently being shipped across the North Sea, while beers from Belgium and a range of Danish microbreweries are also available, as is cider from Hereford.
The pub will open just in time to screen the Six Nations Rugby Championship in its upstairs sports lounge. Along with the big screen, upstairs you’ll find a pool table, darts and an X Box 360 Kinect.
For those for whom ‘pie, pint, paper’ is the name of the game, English newspapers will be lying around and there is even a library if you’re looking to swap an old book or loan a fresh one – for as long as you please. Popplewell says plans are underway for a revamped pub quiz too.
Family-friendly food is matched by the prices: children up to the age of seven eat for free while meals for kids aged eight to ten are half the adult price.
Due to the crowds of punters expected on opening night, there will be no night menu, but a serving of chicken tikka masala and a pint will be 89kr, with single pints just 35 kr. The Red Lion will be open from midday – make sure you arrive before 7pm if you would like to be fed.
