Latest reviews from Salisbury

“About 12 years ago I went out with a girl from Salisbury and we went to a pub near the station a few times. Had an hour between trains so ventured out and realised it must have been this place. Previously went in on a weekend and it was rammed. Wonder if it had the same name then? Early on a Tuesday evening there were three other pairs of customers. Based on overheard conversations: two old former military guys; two alcoholics; and a couple on a date who went out back for some sort of serial act (the learned nosy gentleman suggests it was a blowie). Trad pub set up. Narrower than I remembered it. The barman confirmed that the owner is so one of the owners of Rude Giant. Two of their beers on keg, and two on tap. Two other casks which escape me, and then 2 or 3 macro kegs. Scruffy pud near a station in a provisional city... the usual?“

BeardedAvenger 52 days ago

“Visited 9/3/2023. Food stop and last stop after a long day. Expansive ‘spoons with an okay selection of beers. Food was fine. Service fine. Got what we expected. And then we were off.“

Grumbo 376 days ago

“Visited 9/3/2023. Super traditional boozer, love this type of pub, complete with its super traditional landlord. Good selection of Hop Back beers as you’d expect plus a few guest pumps and bottles. We didn’t have a lot of time in Salisbury but I’m glad we chose this place to visit first.“

Grumbo 376 days ago

“Visited 9/3/2023. I’ve been enjoying Dark Revolution beers since they first opened and it was nice to now get to the tap house, situated on an industrial type park a few miles outside Salisbury. Friendly service and locals. Nice range of their beers on tap and can plus some guests. Good visit.“

Grumbo 376 days ago

“We went in here to get a quick meal and obviously a beer to go with it. They had three average cask ales that none of us had had before, so I guess it did the trick.“

Rasmus40 389 days ago

“Very cozy old fashioned pub with dark brown interior and lots of small rooms. At my visit they had three new to me Hop Back cask ales on. None of them exciting or anything like that, but they were in good condition. They also had a decent selection of local bottles from both Downton and Hop Back.“

Rasmus40 389 days ago

“This brewery taproom is a bit out of the way just north of Salisbury. We visited late on a Thursday afternoon, and it was fairly busy anyway. They had around 15 of their own beers on tap and a few guests as well. They also had a couple of fridges with additional cans of their own beers along with some other stuff. Their beers are solid as always. A must visit if you’re in the area.“

Rasmus40 389 days ago

“A gem of a old inn with a historic interior, 2 kegs & 2 casks all locally made on my visit. My 1st choice of a revisit next time I visit Salisbury.“

Jerseyislandbeer 935 days ago

“A range of 4 well kept Hop Back beers on Cask on my visit, a pub of small quiet rooms to enjoy them in.“

Jerseyislandbeer 935 days ago

“A reasonable range of local good condition Cask ales on tap & a beer garden in the rear to enjoy them in.“

Jerseyislandbeer 935 days ago

“Been a Wetherspoons, it's a reasonable enough place to get some food & get a beer on a Sunday evening. Pretty average range of cask ales on my visit, but still able to find a new tick so happy enough.“

Jerseyislandbeer 935 days ago

“A quick visit here found real ales from Hop Back, GFB and Summer Lightning, plus Exmoor Fox which we chose and was fine. Very busy pub which seemed popular with locals giving a friendly vibe. Would have loved the time to explore the rooms in this old inventory pub but so many places to go to in a short time.“

gillhalfpint 1811 days ago

“Running out of our allotted time in Salisbury when we came to this bar so didn't get much of a look round. There were 3 Badger beers on when I got in, but Fursty Ferret ran out leaving Tanglefoot and The Dorset Horn. Chose the Dorset Horn which was ok but not a lot of flavour.“

gillhalfpint 1811 days ago

“Busy Fullers pub with a good range of their beers. Chose Fullers Botanist Batch which was very good, and enjoyed it sad outside in the market square. Staff very helpful explaining the beer when serving it.“

gillhalfpint 1811 days ago

“Called in while doing a trip round Salisbury area pubs and found a couple of Downton beers plus Sixpenny Cranbourne Chaser which we tried along with Cross Bay California Dreamin, both of which were good. Loved the beer garden at the rear.“

gillhalfpint 1811 days ago

“This pub is said to be where Hop Back brewery started, and we found there was a full range of their beers available, Crop Circle .. GHB .. Citra .. Summer Lightning and Taiphoon. We chose and enjoyed the Taiphoon.“

gillhalfpint 1811 days ago

“Located in city center. good stop if You walking around the town. good quality of ciders“

ResinousChalice29 1869 days ago

“Cosy community pub just of the A36. Quite a few locals chatting at the bar on a Sunday lunchtime. Choice of 6 or 7 Hopback beers on cask, in good condition“

Cheeseboard 1930 days ago

“If I ever go to Salisbury again, I shall return to this pub. I remember it in the days when the microbrewery was still in the cellar.“

NeverBinge 2027 days ago

“Visited July 2017. Friendly pub offering the consistently good Hop Back beers at good prices. My favourite pub in Salisbury, even if it is a bit of a walk from the city centre.“

downender 2267 days ago

“Visited on a Friday evening, not very busy, one pump was not used, and when ordering 6x was told that was not on. Had food available good portions and at a reasonable price.“

joe19612 2476 days ago

“Like so many other Wetherspoons the Kings Head occupies a fine building in the centre of town. This one is 10 minutes walk from Salisbury station and a short distance to the Cathedral. It serves as a hotel as well so it’s not as spacious as it looks from the outside but there is still plenty of seating over the 2 floors. Unfortunately, and maybe due to the timing of my visit (the last weekend before Xmas), many of the ales were off so the selection was not great. Obviously they still had all the beers that you usually see in JDW pubs, and there was enough to choose from. Considering it was quite busy the staff were efficient and friendly and served the beers well. There are definitely better and more interesting pubs in Salisbury but as far as Wetherspoons go this one is still not bad.“

nocheinbier 2683 days ago

“As with all Wetherspoon’s, there are strong pros and cons. The ambience varies from beautiful building next to the river during the day to extremely rowdy on a Thursday / Friday night. Service is usually poor, I’ve been given the wrong drink before and the waits can be really long at the weekend. Value for money is obviously the main benefit, and a large range of beers (4-5 real ales on tap and at least as many lagers, along with a good bottled selection) mean that it definitely has its place.“

explosivedog 2812 days ago

“Decent selection of Fuller’s, with two from cask and another two from keg. Several other taps as well, both cask and keg. It’s a very middle class establishment, and perhaps they think they can get away with higher prices because of that. I do not agree.“

explosivedog 2820 days ago

“Visited on a Sunday afternoon in September 2015. A short stroll from the station get you here. It’s got a decent range of beer on from across the UK, all was well kept and decently priced. Staff were friendly and served the beer quickly. Ambiance a little let down with TVs blaring golf that no-one appeared interested in. It’s a little rough and ready but worth a look if you’re in town.“

WingmanWillis 3146 days ago

“We visited this Wetherspoons on Monday 7th September on our way back from the excellent End of the Road Festival. It is a large place, I believe it’s a Hotel also (had an hotel entrance) so presumably a Wetherlodge or whatever it is that they call them. It’s situated quite close to the centre, however I am not so familiar with Salisbury (first visit in 15 years or so) so layout wise I cannot explain exactly where it is situated suffice to say it is right next to the river and en route to the cathedral. As mentioned it’s pretty big but appears to be one large room layout albeit with alcoves here and there. There may have been some additional seating upstairs I’m not sure as I just nipped up to use the toilets. We only came here for breakfast so I didn’t take a great deal of notice of the beer choice but did note a local flavour with Stonehenge on tap. The chap/manager who served us was really friendly, happy and smiling and very helpful, ensuring that we knew where things were. Breakfast (we always go for the vegetarian option) as ever was absolutely fine and arrived swiftly, this place was realty popular with others doing exactly the same. Ok so it’s a JDW, however it was fine and looking at the other places on Ratebeer it would score highly for me if I was here for the day as the top two places don’t open until late afternoon grrrr....“

Fin 3152 days ago

“Wandered into this pub by accident. Looks very nice from outside. Traditional, cozy pub with wooden beams all over the place, some of them are pretty low so mind your head. Beer selection is limited to 3 Badger casks and several mainstream beers like Carlsberg and Fosters. Not a bad place to have a quick pint, but certainly not essential.“

Iznogud 3161 days ago

“Visited at 430 pm on Wednesday, 19th March 2015 during the spring beer fest. The King’s Head is pleasing on the on eye from the outside, not your typical Spoons shop conversion but a large stone building situated on the banks of the river right on the edge of the city centre and a 6/7 minute walk from the station. Quite a rabbits Warren on the inside, one large room hosting the L-shaped bar and I noted at least 2 separate rooms beyond the left of the bar and in addition to that a sizeable upstairs room affording views of the bar. Decoration is typical Spoons although I detected an art deco feel with some of the curved styling and also some of the furniture pieces. At the business end 6 festival beers were on offer, 4 of which were collabs, plus the usual house beers. The place wasn’t too busy but was ticking over with a largely older crowd ordering meals. Service was fine, festival tray for 3 beers was offered and numbered, first time in 3 visits to spoons during the current fest! Overall a decent spoons, great old building, interesting interior and as good a selection as you’d expect.“

Theydon_Bois 3326 days ago

“Place absolutely heaving on a Saturday lunchtime whilst the Salisbury Christmas market was on, so possibly not seeing it at its best. All due credit to the staff though who were working pretty much at a permanent run and managing to keep the queues down whilst still managing to keep a smile and a bit of friendly banter going despite being obviously exhausted, poor things. Ten handpumps serving the usual ’Spoons list plus one local Flack Manor beer. Nice location with some outside seating overlooking the river; inside the ground floor is a large rambling affair; the balcony floor above is pleasantly sunny with nice views up the river if you get the right table. Unfortunately today despite the hardworking staff the pub was definitely looking a bit the worse for wear but this was clearly down to sheer volume of customers; on a quieter day this definitely looks like it could be one of the nicer ’Spoons.“

wheresthepath 3429 days ago

“Former house of the Hop Back Brewery, now only pub. Wide range of Hop Back brews on cask, with some few others mainstream kegs. Some little but interesting bottle selection, with some locals (Downton Brewery. We tried a nice 9% Imp. Stout from them). Friendly regulars. Peculiar but nice and fun atmosphere. Nice place.“

Lowenbrau 3476 days ago

“Old Pub, with some interesting stories behind, that nowadays is a thai restaurant, but also a british pub. 2 casks, 4 kegs, 1 cider tap, along with some local bottles (Stonehenge). Nice warm atmosphere, friendly beer loving regulars. A pitty we couldn´t stay there as much as we wanted to.“

Lowenbrau 3476 days ago

“Also a hotel as well as a Lloyd’s Bar in the Wetherspoon chain, this might not be the best place to stay for a quiet early night’s sleep at the weekend in Salisbury. It is however a pub built in a fine post-Tudor brick style on a lovely setting by the river, which if the weather is agreeable makes for a great place for a drink. The place itself is a twin floored open plan room with a mainly traditional look and design although parts of it resembled a chapel in areas, but a convivial enough venue. I was here early on a sunny Sunday afternoon and it was a busy enough place already at this time. It has two rows of ale pumps that were full of festival ales at the time.“

ManVsBeer 3547 days ago

“I have to admit I am overdue a visit but felt I had to add it as I was gob-smacked this pub was not on RB! A great eccentric landlord who thankfully insists on always having a black beer on (mild/stout/porter). Beers change frequently and are usually from microbreweries, some local some from further afield. By far the best pub in town whenever I’ve visited Salisbury. A lot of railway memorabilia including a proper loud train horn with an air compressor which often goes off at last orders! A brilliant eccentric yet friendly pub.“

b727trijet 3611 days ago

“Table booked by two mates who live in Salisbury and use this place on a very regular basis. Food lovely, two Real Ales on offer and well though of by the local CAMRA bunch. Swimming Rama being my meal choice, Salisbury English Ale the beer I had with it. Small, cramped but fun, is it a pub, or is it a restaurant? It’s both and gets very busy very often according to my local friends. You are welcome for just a drink, but be expected to move from a table if someone wants to eat!“

BlackHaddock 3847 days ago

“Rating from a few years ago. It was a great place to have lunch after walking around the market area. As I recall the food was quite nice. Trust FatPhil on the beers!“

bhensonb 3943 days ago

“An unusual conversion of a pub into a Thai restaurant, while still retaining the feel of an English pub. Excellent service, as you’d expect. the food looked good, and was clearly popular, although I didn’t try it on this visit; and a couple of cask ales, and some less common kegs as well.“

berkshirejohn 4160 days ago

“A cosy pub and the former home of the Hop Back brewery. A good range of Hop Back beers are served in fine condition at very reasonable prices. Worth visiting.“

SaintMatty 4242 days ago

“Well away from the tourist area, this pub is worth walking out to find. It sells Hop Back beers (four different) and one guest (plus lager etc), on draught, along with Hop Back bottled beers and a fine selection of Non-UK should you require a change. The locals are friendly and like a beer or two. The music is heavy/rock (well it has been on my 3 visits), Black Sabbath yesterday (23 Aug 2006). The walls are full of beer posters, along with notices about up and coming events (like local beer fests etc). One wall is dedicated to CAMRA awards which the pub and Hop Back have won over the years. This pub was the original brewery, but it had to move because it could not cope with the demand of its beers. Track this place down if you are visiting Salisbury. “

BlackHaddock 4411 days ago

“A quintessential backstreet pub - and excelletn beers as well. A must visit even though it’s on the outskirts of the town. No guest beer when I was there but a well-kept range of Hop Back beers available, and a very welcome coal fire!“

berkshirejohn 4475 days ago

“Added mostly in response to ChrisO’s comment on how hard it is to fund good pubs which do food on another Salisbury pub review. This may not be the best beer pub in town, but with 6 quality real ales from respected brewies including one I’d not had before (a Ringwood), and the best pint of Exmoor Gold I’ve ever had, and a good pub-grub menu, this will probably keep the non-ticker very happy over a lunchtime. Lovely traditional pub just off the old market area. Friendly and co-operative staff. Beer very tasty, likewise food, and very centrally located. Heading to Salisbury town centre? This place is win.“

FatPhil 4872 days ago

“Got it from the Good Beer Guide and I was happy to have gone there. Very friendly staff. Not a large but interesting selection with some local cask ales. The food was excellent value for my money. I would certainly go back there if I was in Salisbury.“

jbrus 5740 days ago

“After a rainy walk through Salisbury, it was nice to enter this pub and have some Stonehenge beers. When the barman found out I was a little into beer, he got even friendlier than before. Unfortunately, we had been eating that evening, so we didn’t try the food, but the other guestes seemed pretty pleased.“

yngwie 6158 days ago

“As the original home of Hop Bcak brewery, one of the first of the new wave of British brewpubs, a visit here has almost pilgrimage status. Now, although Hop Back still owns the pub, brewing has long since moved to a bigger site and, apart from the Hop Back beers (five on tap plus a guest) what remains is a friendly, but basic, street corner boozer. As its still regarded as the brewery tap, quality is, as expected, very good. There’s a no smoking room that accepts children. No food to speak of. Convivial atmosphere. Architecturally it's nothing to shout about but it does have a homely feel. In fact, going up the carpeted stairs to the toilets does actually feel like going into someone's house. Definitely worth a visit. Pay attention to the variable opening hours. In fact, Salisbury is particularly well supplied with decent pubs that don’t open at lunchtime during the week. Which is very frustrating if that’s when you happen to be there.“

chriso 6540 days ago

“Stonehenge beers and excellent Thai food. Nice atmosphere. Cosy pub.“

SilkTork 7004 days ago