For those of you who remember the Metropolitan Hotel on Shaikh Zayed Road, the Red Lion pub may very well have been one of the highlights of the establishment.
The demolishment of the dingy/authentic pub, to make way for the immense Al Habtoor City development, left Shaikh Zayed Road pub-goers, if not bereft, then a little down.
The good news, then, is that the powers that be have seen fit to give us another British drinking hole in the same location.
The Rose & Crown is now open at The Atrium, a new dining destination at Al Habtoor City. Other outlets opening this summer are Blind Dragon, an Asian cocktail lounge with private karaoke suites; and Mexican-Latin American lounge ZOCO.
Located right between the St Regis and W Hotels on the northbound side of SZR, it’s also now super accessible thanks to a new off-ramp (no more u-turns in front of Dubai Bowling Centre, yay!).
The pub’s creators have noted that there’s no bigger downer than walking through a hotel lobby to get to a bar, so it’s got a street-level entry.
Here’s what to expect: Pub food on the menu, board games, darts, pool and a big screen for sports, starting with the Rio Olympics. The two-storey pub will also have a quiz night, and will be open from 11am-2am.
The menu includes the likes of a full English breakfast for Dh70, plates of fish and chips and chicken tikka masala for Dh85, pies, ploughman’s lunches and sticky toffee pudding (Dh45).
Regulars of the Red Lion will recall a faux red phone box at the entrance: It’s back, only this time it’s real, we’re told.
