McCoole's at the Historic Red Lion Inn

First time visit and on a Friday lunch. What a magnificent restaurant! The interior is as charming as the exterior is inviting. It was not busy and Derrick, our server did his job well. Friendly, attentive yet not intrusive. The food was really delicious and presented as one wants with an upscale restaurant. Glad I visited this staple of Quakertown fine dining and will go again.

We stopped in here on a Saturday afternoon for lunch. I found it on Google maps while traveling from Bethlehem to Philly. We sat at the bar. It was later in the afternoon so there weren’t too many people in there. The bar was nice. The bartender greeted us immediately and took our drink and food orders. We had a chicken wrap and a burger. Both were good. The drinks were good as well. I had their cider and it was crisp and dry - not loaded with sweeteners thankfully. The bartender was friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was easygoing and relaxed. The building is historic and there was info in the menu about it. Pretty interesting. We enjoyed it and would come here again if ever in the area.

Beautiful warm and charming ambiance, excellent service, tasty food, and generous portions. Clam Chowder was huge and could’ve been a meal on its own. I wish the broth was a bit thicker, but the flavour is good. Crab cakes main plate was very tasty. The cakes were100% crab meat with ZERO filler. The mashed potatoes were very good, and the sauce was a nice touch to the crab cakes. Tried the Winter Old Fashioned and it was a generous pour, and packed a nice punch. I just wished it was slightly sweeter. Everyone at the table enjoyed their food and would recommend McCoole’s to anyone in the area.

Hey mister, ma'am, looking for a good time, good fun, in a historic atmosphere? Look no further than McCoole's. You may have driven by it, but not stopped in and that was, and is a mistake. McCooles serves up well conceived, contemporary fare and inspired cocktails, and does it well. The interior is an ode to history with its deep woods, and low lighting, harkening back to when Main and Broad Street, were the crossroads of Quakertown. The bar is all charm, as well as the indoor seating, which is quaint and intimate. Outdoor seating is available, weather permitting, where one can watch the coming and going of Borough traffic. It's nice, especially if the weather is good, but on occasion can be loud. Service was friendly, and efficient, with a light touch, to ensure you're attended to but not disturbed, allowing you to partake in the ambience and the company you might be keeping. There are a couple of menu's to choose from, and both offer value, I felt it was money well spent, and not needlessly overpriced. Wish I would have considered dining here more often, but after todays visit, I am sure I will. You should too.

I spent five months working in Quakertown, PA, and on my days off, I’d go hunting for interesting places to eat. Having traveled solo for years, I’ve learned to savor the differences and discoveries that come with it. One standout spot was a Colonial-era building dating back to the 1740s, with stone fireplaces, hand-hewn beams, and a sense of history radiating from every corner. It even played a role in the Fries Rebellion, where organizers launched a tax revolt from within its walls. Today, it’s a Colonial gastropub offering hearty pub fare alongside some upscale dinner options. Every meal I had there was excellent—portions in Pennsylvania are no joke! Eventually, I took a few days to stay locally and brought my wife. Our dinner was just as good, but what she really enjoyed was watching me take in the place’s history through the eyes of a West Coast native.

McCoole's at the Historic Red Lion Inn stands out as an old-timey tavern steeped in history, offering a colonial gastropub experience with upscale dining. Housed in a former inn tied to the 1799 tax revolt, it retains its historic charm while delivering a modern take on hospitality. I was invited by friends who frequent the tavern and assured me it shines even more during warmer weather, with live music, outdoor seating, and various forms of entertainment. Their recommendation was well-founded. Walking in, I was greeted by a friendly and professional front-of-house staff. The interior struck a perfect balance—stone walls and dark wood created a warm, intimate setting that felt timeless rather than aged. The atmosphere, paired with the welcoming staff, was nothing short of inviting. We arrived for a 6 PM reservation and were seated promptly at a round table in the main dining room, conveniently positioned near a flickering fireplace that added to the cozy ambiance. The menu offered a wide selection of dishes, making the choice anything but easy. After some deliberation, I went with a crock of French onion soup and the evening’s special: beef stroganoff. My wife chose chicken wings as an appetizer and crab cakes for her entrée. Each dish exceeded expectations. The French onion soup was rich and satisfying, while the beef stroganoff proved to be the kind of hearty comfort food that fits perfectly on a chilly evening. My wife’s crab cakes were a standout, cooked to perfection and full of flavor. McCoole's effortlessly blends its historical roots with exceptional food and service. The warm interior and inviting atmosphere make it an ideal spot for both casual dinners and more intimate occasions. Based on this experience, I look forward to returning, perhaps in better weather, to enjoy their outdoor seating and live entertainment.

Antique cozy atmosphere. Our waiter was really nice. Unfortunately they were out of prime rib for French dip sandwich so I ordered the burger which seemed pretty mediocre -typical bar burger. Definitely prefab - not hand formed patty. Wasn’t bad and I wasn’t disappointed but I expected better.

Beautiful historic place. Love the atmosphere. Has a Great Gatsby feel. The food was ok. We had brunch: crab&shrimp melt and the French dip. It was good quality seafood, however, there was no seasoning. Very bland. It was better after I added tarter sauce to spruce it up. The French dip beef was tender but grisly. The pomegranate margarita was pretty tasty. Very tart.

Our second time here for lunch with friends, and we all loved it. Server was attentive, fast, friendly. Atmosphere is cozy Colonial (a historic tavern) with lots of woodwork. Menu is creative and extensive. Food is delicious, portions are generous. We highly recommend this place!

Love the ambiance and learning about the history of the inn! Cheesecake....big slices and to die for! Price was also to die for....$14 a slice! Being vegetarian, we ordered a full size McCooles salad with no meat. Sadly, some of the toppings were lacking and the salad left us a bit hungry (hence the splurge with the cheesecake).

I was working in Quakertown PA for 5 months and on my Days off. I would look for cool places to eat. I have traveled alone for years and enjoy the difference and discovery that it offers. Built in the 1740's with stone fireplaces, hand-hewn beams, character and time exudes from every corner. Like history, the organizers of the Fries Rebellion launched the tax revolt from here. It is a Colonial Gastropub with some Upscale dinner options. I was quite pleased with with every meal and with everything in PA. the portions are massive. I finally took a few days and stayed locally, dinned there with my wife. Our meal was very good, but my wife enjoys how I take in the historical experience from a west coast native perspective.

Very good food. Servers are friendly and efficient. Beautiful premises. The one problem that I had on this occasion was that the main dining room smelled like cigar smoke, I'm told because there are rooms or apartments rented out upstairs and one of the residents is apparently a smoker. Five stars if not for the stink.

What a beautiful interior historical inn! My wife and I went to the inn for lunch and purchased and gift certificate. We were early arriving but we were let in and I am glad we had time to look around. I had their special sausage sandwich and delicious French fries. My wife had a delicious salmon salad. Plenty of areas to sit. Lovely looking bar area. Friendly server. Parking in several areas. Plenty of menu offerings. $$$. We enjoyed our lunch. Recommend.

Food was delicious and sitting in front of fireplace. What could get better than tha

Crab Cakes were just okay tastewise, prob because they don't taste as good when not served hot,. Waitress took long time to check on us. And when she did, she stood at a distance to ask how our meals were, instead of coming to our table as all servers do. This expressed lack of care on server's part about how our meals were. Brother and friend quickly responded their meals were good, so waitress took off before I could tell her my Crab Cakes were served cold. I ended up eating cold $32 crab cakes. Cilantro lime rice and cole slaw that came with Crab Cakes were average at best. But I wasn't going to let it go when they gave us separate checks with 20% tip added on. I told waitress I wasn't paying the charge they added on. Her and I weren't getting anywhere, so I asked to speak with the manager. The owner came over and took 20% charge off our bills, but that wasn't enough for friend, who thought it was inappropriate how owner spoke to us. Owner explained they add 20% tip if they have to separate everyone's check, even if only two people, because they have to pay percentage for each of the separate checks rather than paying percentage for only one check to credit card company. And this is even in fine print on first page of menu. However, they pay the same whether it's 20% percent of everything on one check or 20% percent of the same items split into three separate checks. We eat out a lot and split checks at every restaurant we go to. We didn't come across even one other restaurant that does that. I gave two stars because friend & brother enjoyed their meals, and I was the one who brought them there. And they both tipped 20% anyway and I tipped about 15%. But my brother doesn't want to go back because of the hassle over separate checks. And friend was going to bring her husband, but prob won't because of how the owner spoke to us. Friend had her own business and operated on "customer is always right". It's not worth losing customers and business.

Don't waste your time or money. Terrible service and bland/boring old people food. Stopped in on a Sunday, next to no one was there. We decided to sit outside and have a couple drinks. The bartender was terribly rude to us because we were told to just place a drink order at the bar and apparently that was not correct. I guess we should have known it was wrong. Went to sit outside to finally get a drink and were entertained by a local bush house resident who was having an invisible, expletive filled argument with himself. Fun stuff. Then proceeded to hiss (like a cat at us). The server never came back. We had to go in for the bill because no one was around. The business claims it's upscale. But it's not. It's trash. Don't go here.

First and foremost, this is a lovely old historical tavern/inn with great charm. We had reservations and upon arrival the restaurant wasn't full. Indeed, there were a couple tables that remained unoccupied all evening. Despite this, we were seated at the one high top table nearer the kitchen with hard wooden chairs. All other tables are standard size with pleasant padded chairs. Now, this would not have been as much an issue if not for the very poor service. The chairs became increasingly uncomfortable in the three hours it took to have dinner. Terrible judgement by the hostess. This table should be seated last and or used for walk-in customers. The food was good ~ once we got it ~ but the kitchen and service was excruciatingly slow. It wasn't apparent if this was due to lack of staff, but the wait for our meals was truly unacceptable (about 1.5 hours). Our waiter passed by our table on 4 or 5 occasions telling us our meals would be out in a few minutes, but this was clearly not the case. Our party of 4 was enjoying conversation, so we were in no rush. Still, our waiter never asked during the long wait or meal if anyone wanted a second drink. Needless to say, we didn't bother to extend our stay by ordering dessert. We also waited 20-30 minutes for the check. I've been to McCooles for lunch and brunch on occasion and have always enjoyed it. The food is typically very good. This dinner experience was very different, and it was entirely due to abysmal service. It'll take me a little while before giving dinner another chance here.

Food is always good. We love the live music in the lounge. In the warmer months the atmosphere turns up the party to outdoor dining and the music wagon.

Come early enough for happy hour! The drink and food specials are amazing. They had live music outside who were wonderful and interacted with us. It was a excellent time with great food and drink.

What a quaint and lovely place. I met a friend for lunch today (we both had the crab and shrimp melt - served with crisp fries). Highly recommend! The menu is somewhat limited; however there are foods to suit all tastes. Also, a holiday drink menu was featured. Social distancing was evident: customers were not at tables next to one another. The hostess was especially helpful as I got our reservation time wrong and was 1/2 hour late. Yikes! Fortunately, we were accommodated immediately. I definitely will revisit this restaurant in 2022. Our server was very kind and attentive.

So I got the burger and it was perfectly cooked. I don't live to far from this place so we eat here often. They have an amazing cozy restaurant and sitting outside with the torches is awesome. The waiters are always fast and they make sure you have everything you need . Only problem is when you sit out side and people stop at the light they stare at you eating. But it's only for a couple seconds.

The staff is so welcoming and there was a musical guest playing Beatles songs live while we dined. The appetizer of brisket nachos was gigantic and flavorful and a delight to share with guests. I ordered the salmon entrée. The decor in the restaurant is lots of fun lots of old photographs and knickknacks and I enjoyed seeing them the enthusiasm over the history of the restaurant with the local community. It's nice to see that lassie enjoyed the restaurant (back in the day!) We also split some cheesecake and it was delicious. So the entertainment was great, appetizer was nice and dessert was fabulous. Ambience was delightful.

Decided to give this place another try after a long hiatus. Was looking forward to it. We walked in and sat in the bar area. We were completely ignored without even a greeting until we had enough and left. The bartender and all the other employees were all standing around and joking with the bar patrons. The final straw was when 2 separate people who walked in after us, both regulars, were taken care of.

Amazing Music!!!!! Sometimes the staff is stressed but I worked the food industry as a chef so I get it. But the live venues are what keeps me coming back.

The food is pricey, but it's good and always fresh. The charcuterie board is huge and there are so many different varieties of meats and cheeses on it. The beer is always cold and the mixed drinks are top notch. I love the ambience too. The bar gives that small town feel and the dining room is very relaxing. The decor is beautiful. I also used the arts and events center to host an 80th birthday party and Jan (the owner) was super easy to work with. I highly recommend giving them a try!

Atmosphere is historic, Food is delicious and service is friendly. My favorite place in Quakertown.

Tasty food and drinks. Friendly staff and great atmosphere. Definitely will make a return trip:)

Very good food, eclectic setting, and very comfortable. Great for lunch or dinner. Parking lot space can be a little dicey behind the building but there's street parking as well.

doesn't deserve even 1 star 1. appetizers came out at same time as 3 out of 4 entrees 2. two orders of coconut shrimp came out overcooked/over fried 3. waiter had no clue that my mother in-law didn't get her entree; didn't know her dish was dropped in the kitchen even though he came out to serve the dishes to us 4. waiter didn't remember spouse's mashed potatoes & then returned with scalloped potatoes & said the restaurant didn't serve mashed potatoes (even though it was listed on the menu) 5. when mother in-law's salmon entree came, the salmon was not fresh & tasted fishy, there were no sun dried tomatoes or spinach 6. waiter made no attempt to rectify the above even though he could see my family was upset over the service 7. when we first got to the restaurant, the hostess misread our reservation & brought us to a table where a guest was already sitting AVOID AT ALL COSTS. there are other places to dine in Quakertown

Amazing historical place. Must visit. Atmosphere is great. Food is amazing. Drinks are fantastic, they carry their local beers. Service was very good. We walked in to get a table, the waiting was about 25-30 minutes. The bar is so attractive we couldn't not wait any longer and decided to have our drinks and lunch there. The bartender was very patient with me, I asked her for a sample of local beers. They have dark, lager, ale and ipa local beers. Parking in the back. I will defined come back here again!

Oh wow! This place is amazing. The ambiance of the place is just amazing. I love it! I would love to keep coming back and coming back again and again but the would limit all the new restaurants I would like to experience. But, I definitely will come back here again a few time. I had the Bruschetta burger and my lady had the creamy herbed boursin cheese and bacon burger and both burgers were great! So delicious! Although my burger was a little better than my girlfriend's burger. We had fries and onion rings with our burgers which wasn't up to par with the burgers but they were ok. Reasonably priced and great service. I would say to you to give it a try, you won't regret it.

Horrible. Went when I was in town visiting. The people working wanted nothing to do with us. We were such an inconvenience for them. We were told to order at the bar since we were witting outside the bartender was not friendly and said that wasn't true and loved to roll her eyes when we placed a drink order for 6 beverages. Got our drinks and another person was sitting outside. There were many explicit words being side on his FaceTime with kids present. I had to go in to pay my tab. The workers barely stepped foot outside. Horrible. Don't go.

Food - terrible. Had to get something else afterwards. Ordered very basic things too. Steak and chicken parm. Very basic things to make. Service - lady at the front was super nice. Waitress said all of 6 words to us before the check. I'm not mr conversation. But really give an effort. Ambiance - was nice. Cool room great music choice.

OMG food was fantastic , atmosphere was awesome, service/waitresses were amazing and they accommodated my party of 19 . Totally recommend this place for a good night out.

Live Indoor ~outdoor Music Still Kickn' WAS Sooooooo Good

Good food and service. We were on a night that Lorenzo was performing. He was very good. I would recommend going when he is playing.

En route to the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival recently, I was passing by Quakertown and decided to stop for a bite to eat. Where should I dine? Well that was easy. McCoole's at the Historic Red Lion Inn. You see I really like this place. Dating from the 1750s, this is another historic restaurant in the Philadelphia area. It was originally a coaching stop on the Philadelphia to Bethlehem pike. In 1799, it was the site where organizers of the Fries Rebellion met. Fortunately the old inn has been lovingly maintained ... and the theatre next door has been converted into an arts center attached to the Red Lion Inn. Okay, I totally like the atmosphere inside and I also love the fact that everyone is always so friendly here. In fact my waiter Michael was not only friendly but efficient making sure I would be arriving at the Shakespeare Festival in a timely manner. The food was great. The vegetable beef soup to start with was one of the best soups I have had all year. Check my photo out of this delicious concoction. My main course of a crab and shrimp melt was also quite tasty and accompanied by a generous serving of French fries. Many people were also dining in the bar area and at one of the outdoor tables on the patio. I can def recommend McCoole's at the Red Lion Inn anytime you are in Upper Bucks County or heading to the Lehigh Valley from Philadelphia. I think you'll find it worthy of a stop as travelers for more than 250 years have.

The food and service was great!! Love that there is outdoor seating too. The twinkle lights add a nice touch

Food and drinks were subpar, service was subpar, ambiance was as expected. Very disappointed in what was once a fairly upscale restaurant has turned into an overpriced diner. Also wasn't told over the phone that there was a special Mother's Day menu which would have been the right thing to do. Very disappointed and will not return.

Great place with charming ambiance and good food. Love going there. Friendly service and easy free parking

Have to wait and see before I can give an honest review. We went there to hear a duet play, but it was canceled due to rain. So we didn't eat there, but the ambience was awesome! We'll try another time.

Charming historical inn with friendly, attentive staff. Great food, excellent service. Good place to celebrate special occasions.

What a disappointment! The Food: We started with a Caesar Salad ($12), shared. Lackluster at best. For the main, my husband ordered the French DipSandwich ($21) It was ok; but the fries (cup size basket) arrived cold. I ordered the Short Rib Dinner ($34) The presentation was abysmal - covered in BBQ sauce I couldn't even make out what it was! However, after scraping some sauce off - I found it to be perfectly cooked and delicious. Now for the sides: The oval baking dish of Mac N Cheese was bland and uninspired, and the cole slaw was inedible - totally dried out. We weren't sticking around for dessert. The service: We were there an hour before the main was served. The dining room was not packed. The waitress was pleasant enough. Sorry to say we won't be returning.

Not worth the price around the Christmas holiday but the ambiance was nice. Service was great.

They get three stars because food was great. Drinks were great. However, in dealing with the owner, Jan, she confused me with an employee instead of someone that rented out a space. Dropping the f-bomb at anyone and everyone, telling me how she wasn't making money (because of me.) $300 room rental, over $500 on food and drinks, well, the bartender made over $240 in tips. Now, making money was her ONLY concern. She bitched about me to other people WITH me. So, here's my real assessment. Just because you own a bar, Jan, doesn't give you carte Blanche to be an alcoholic. You want to be a miserable drunk that yells and screams, please know that you're wasting the potential of your own business. Her employees suffer just by working for her. So, if you go, be sure to treat people that work there well, because it's usually pissy customers that ruin it for workers, but having to come face to face with a walking whiskey barrel must be difficult.

The crab cakes are billed on the menu as "no filler". In reality, they are mostly filler. When speaking to the owner about it, she was extremely arrogant and rude. We will not be back.

Holy cow! The owner yells and screams at her staff. The staff and owner drink while on the job..... Needless to say, this behavior affects service and the quality of what is already glorified bar food. We ended up grossly over tipping our waitress Alice because we felt sorry that she had to be humiliated by that Jan ( I think that's the owner)

beautiful old stone interior - very inviting. There was a guitar player who was great and that made the evening very enjoyable. No complaints on the service at all. Food was rather average, however I must mention the half garden salad my son had as an appetizer. It was one of the nicest I have seen. I do have one complaint with the clams over linguine which I had for a price of $27. There were very few clams and even less flavor in the dish. What would bring me back to this place would be the entertainment and the ambiance.

My favorite restaurant! Food is great! Ambiance is terrific! Their French onion soup is the best!

Love the food. Great, old time, historic atmosphere. The service is always wonderful

Classless Karen at McCoole's Red Lion Inn. Came in for a quick quiet meal at the bar with my husband. Great meal, awful atmosphere. Our bartender Eileen was awesome but unfortunately we sat at the wrong end of the bar which happened to be close enough to a 3 top where we could hear every word being spewed by an angry old woman... who we later came to find out was the owner! Every other word was an F bomb where she explicitly expressed her disdain for her workers. (Tip-lots of other upper end restaurants are hiring!) Unacceptable on so many levels! Will not be back. Classy place with a classless Karen owner!

My husband and I chose to have our rehearsal dinner for our wedding here on August 5, 2021. The communication leading up to the event left something to be desired. Jan, who is in charge of events was super nice the first time we met here and she showed us the space. When I reached out to book the event and paid the deposit, she said we would discuss details closer to the event - totally fine! About a week before the event I still had not heard from her so I reached out to hear and she said she would call me that weekend. When she called, we decided it would be easier to email her our menu choices so it could be in writing. I emailed her immediately and did not get confirmation from her until the following Wednesday (the event was Friday!) When I did get confirmation, it was just an email saying "We are good.". Even at the event, no one checked in with me. We were a little late in arriving and the room did not seem ready. There were no staff in the room when my party arrived. We awkwardly made our way to our seats. No one ever did come out to great us. For an event of 40 people, there were a total of two servers who were TOTAL rockstars and worked very hard. Although they didn't seem to know exactly what they were serving (they kept calling Springrolls potstickers, but everyone knew that they meant so no big deal there). We had ordered 3 passed appetizers and three stations for the buffet - everything kind of came out whenever it was ready - there was no formal opening of the buffet and appetizers were coming out after the entrees - it was all a bit chaotic. We opted for a cash bar and when we first arrived there was a younger guy bartending and he let us know that apparently he was not even supposed to be working and that a whole lot of people had quit that week. I had several friends tell me that he made them a bit uncomfortable with his flirting. He had to leave and then Jan came and took over - her drink prices were much more expensive than the first bartender for the same drinks. I understand a place being short staffed, however, the entire experience was just a bit strange and the staff seemed to be pretending nothing was off. I'm not sure if this was a typical experience of having an event at McCoole's or if it was an off night. The reason I gave two stars was because most of the food was pretty good - the roast beef especially! You could tell the servers were a little overwhelmed but they did a great job under the circumstances. Overall, good food, but I wouldn't suggest hosting and event there.

Best place in town for dinner and drinks.. friendly staff and great atmosphere! Bartender Kristin is incredible! A must visit when in Quakertown..

Very, very disappointing! We loved coming here on date nights. Loved the burger selections.... Loved the options on the menu.... The menu has been reduced to "basic and ordinary". ( however, the menu was not a single sheet of paper but a very nicely done hard covered rendition, which was recently done) Sorry, but tonight was our last night for a while. Drink orders messed up. Old wine??? Running out of Salmon??? Wings and hummus??? Very long wait for food because they do not have the kitchen support. Sorry McCooles..... COVID can't be blamed for everything.

Used to be one of my favorite places to go. Came in over the weekend and this will be our last dining experience here. Food took a long time to come out and the restaurant wasn't full.. Looked around and noticed other tables not eating as well. Loud yelling coming from the kitchen area. Our server Jill was very pleasant, apologized for the wait, and made sure our drinks were full. Cocktails were delicious and server was great, which is why I gave 3 stars. The food here used to be amazing, but nothing is worse than a long wait and mediocre food. Our previous visit wasn't that great either, but we wanted to give it another shot. Recommend this place for a drink and the ambience. If you're looking for food, I would go elsewhere.

Unfortunately our last experience at Mccoole's will be our last time there. This used to be our favorite place to come. Great atmosphere and great food. The past few years it has gone steadily downhill. From the limited menu and kitchen mistakes, to the staff who could care less about it. Hope they can figure it out at some point.

I hate posting bad reviews and usually reserve them for when they're really deserved. Unfortunately that is the case with the Red Lion Inn. I have lived in Quakertown for many years and every so often, I decide to give this establishment another shot because I like supporting local places. But it's been absolutely the worst food I've ever had, almost EVERY time I've gone. The first time I went, I got food poisoning. The second time, the shrimp and crab salad sandwich tasted so awful, I left most of it. The drinks are always watered down to the point that you might as well be drinking water. I think I had one good burger here and left, surprised it actually tasted okay. Today, I went back because they sent me a gift certificate for my birthday. When we sat down, the server said they were out of French fries. How can a restaurant be out of French fries?? My crab cake sandwich was burnt to a crisp on one side. My daughter couldn't even bite through her chicken sandwich because it was so tough. Even with the gift certificate, we paid $60 for 3 most inedible meals. I've made the same mistake too many times. We will not be back again.