I’ve been to Silverlake’s Red Lion several times, but never to actually eat anything.

Time for Taco Belly and I to rectify that!

Opened in 1959 as an English pub (switched to a German bar in 1963) the Red Lion has been going strong with its loyal followers enjoying sausages and imported beers in boot-shaped glasses ever since.

Downstairs is a somewhat cramped and claustrophobic seating area with live piano and upstairs is the kitchy beer garden, where you’ll not have to wait long to breath in the abundant cigarette smoke. Welcome to Germany!

We ordered the Jaggerschnitzel (basically Weinerschnitzel, breaded and fried chicken breast, topped with mushroom gravy) and the Sausage Sampler.

I found the schnitzel to be on the tough side but the flavors were nice. The steamed purple cabbage was on the sweet side but I really loved the mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy sauce.

The Sausage Sampler was enormous (in fact, the couple next to us split ONLY that) so plan on taking leftovers home. They’re all ready for snacking as they’re cut into bite size pieces and delightfully gored with toothpicks and served with a big bowl of mustard.

We also ordered (but did NOT need) Flammkuchen (German pizza) which was not that great. The crust was a bit hard and doughy even the cheese and ham toppings were nice. Feel free to skip this.

The German beer selection is outstanding and we both really loved the Franziskaner Hefeweizen.

Red Lion is definitely worth checking out for a fun night out, with the emphasis on the drinking and less on the eating. This place is a piece of LA history and the past often looks better than it tastes.

2366 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 662-5337
redliontavern.net