Eat And Drink Your Way Through Salisbury
When visiting Salisbury you’ll find there’s plenty to amuse your palate and keep thirst at bay. Here’s our guide to what’s good to eat and drink in this great little city. Our top tip? Arrive hungry… Here are our recommendations and guide on how you can eat and drink your way through the historic city of Salisbury, UK.
The Old Ale and Coffee House
Right in the heart of Salisbury, The Old Ale and Coffee house sits by the entrance to the iconic Cathedral Close. A modern interpretation of a traditional ale house, it’s a fresh-looking pub with a fresh modern offer for the thirst-driven pilgrim. You’ll find plenty of seating, with a cosy fireside sofa and even a couple of barbers chairs. The walls are covered with original interpretations of classic Salisbury art and photography. The garden is an oasis for the lively folk of Salisbury, with three garden sheds that are bookable for up to a dozen people, an outside bar, deckchairs, garden games and the occasional vinyl session to while away the hours.
Their food is all cooked from fresh, and the menu has a brunch feel for those who enjoy dressed crab, eggs Benedict or hearty sandwiches. For those looking for something more filling, the Hampshire Pig chop, duck egg and black pudding is a taste sensation. You’ll also find pub favourites such as battered haddock and chips and quality burgers. The kitchen is open for lunch and dinner in the week and all-day Saturdays for brunch, and from midday until 6pm on Sundays for a fantastic Sunday roast.
To wash this all down there is a fine selection of standard and craft beers including Lagunitas, Wild Beer Bibble, Sagres, Trumans Pale Ale and Heineken, all ably supported by 20 bottled craft beers, 22 Gins and a well-chosen wine list of 25 bins.
If you are a fan of great pubs, you’ll want to pencil in a pint or two at the Haunch of Venison. One of the city’s most historic pubs and listed on CAMRA’s National Inventory as one of the most historically important interiors in the UK, The Haunch is a gem. Packed with character, the pub is reputedly haunted by the ghost of a cheating card player, whose mummified hand is displayed in the upper ‘House of Lords’ Bar. Not something you see every day… meanwhile, the snug ‘Horsebox’ was allegedly the meeting place of Churchill and Eisenhower whilst planning the D-Day landings!
With a spacious first floor restaurant, and a recent ownership change, The Merchant’s House dining room on the first floor (entrance through pub) features a contemporary British menu specializing in local ingredients which include their famous venison casserole, superb selection of local meats and fish. Complemented with a specialist whiskey list, fine wine list and local hand – pulled real ales, as well as very friendly service, The Haunch is a definite ‘must see’ on your visit to Salisbury.
Real Indian cuisine with style and panache, Anokaa is a gem. With locally sourced produce and innovative flavours, they have transformed the face of Indian cooking by drawing inspiration from age-old recipes and ideas, evolving them to create dishes ‘beyond authenticity’.
Anokaa restaurant redefined modern Indian cookery when it opened in 2004. Solman Farsi’s contemporary Indian menu fuses Indian flavours and western techniques, paving the way for a whole new modern Indian dining scene in Wiltshire.
Baroushka
A relaxed environment for guests to enjoy a truly authentic Arabic dining experience in the heart of Salisbury, with the addition of great cocktails
The Middle Eastern menu features the very best of traditional Lebanese and Moroccan cuisines as well as a selection of European fusion. Paired with an eclectic selection of cocktail by expert mixologists, Baroushka is something of an unexpected fixture on the Salisbury food scene.
Perfect for relaxed day-time dining, Baroushka offers a slightly different experience in the evening. As the night falls, the restaurant comes alive with beautiful belly-dancers and traditional Middle Eastern musicians, evoking the energetic buzz of Marrakech for an unforgettable experience every time.
The Refectory Restaurant & Bell Tower Tea Rooms
The Refectory Restaurant is open daily for hot and cold drinks, snacks, lunches, and afternoon tea and offers spectacular views of Salisbury Cathedral’s famous spire through its glass roof. All food is prepared on-site daily, and the menu includes freshly baked cakes and pastries, delicious soups and salads and a wide choice range of hot meals and savouries.
Meanwhile, The Bell Tower Tea Rooms, open during the summer months, offer traditional teas with freshly made sandwiches, pretty pastries and heavenly cakes in quintessentially English surroundings with the best views of the Cathedral in the Close. The Bell Tower Tea Rooms are open from March to October, 10:00 till 4:00 pm.
Tinga
Independently owned, Tinga is a Mexican bar and restaurant in Salisbury city centre. From the vibrant wall art to the luscious foliage framing the bar and the beautiful palm tree pillars, all hand crafted, Tinga
The bar offers a vast range of fresh cocktails and mocktails, as well as wines, authentic beers, and soft drinks, with a small eats’ menu for more casual dining. A perfect accompaniment to the drinks offering, this is a great spot to hang out with pals. Journey up the hand painted stairway to find the dining room and you’ll find a huge blossom tree, foliage walls with beautiful ornate mirrors and Mexican folk art straight from the artisan market of Mexico City.
Head out of town and you’ll also find some great spots in the surrounding area. Here’s a couple that we’ve enjoyed.
Pythouse Kitchen Garden
Pythouse Kitchen Garden is a restaurant and events venue in Tisbury. It’s all centred around a traditional Victorian walled kitchen graden, with all the fruit and vegetables grown in the garden going straight on to the menu in true ‘plot to plate’ style. Menus at PKG are as seasonal as you can get, being designed according to what is available to pick that morning.
All activity at PKG revolves around the garden. A south facing paradise with a myriad of plants, fruit and vegetables to gaze at, smell, pick, and eat. Guests can explore the stunning grounds, pick their own flowers to take home by the bucket load, and enjoy a drink on the terrace or by an open fire-pit during colder months.
Each new season brings a unique atmosphere in the garden and a different menu to the table. They specialise in outdoor cooking over fire. This method of cooking is a pure, simple, and healthy way to enjoy the homegrown fruit and vegetables and wonderful produce from neighbouring farms. Organic beef comes from Cools Farm just half a mile away, the grass-fed lamb roams pastures in East Knoyle, and the milk is from the dairy in Semley. Finding and working with excellent local producers is a passion for the team behind PKG, and they do it with style.
All year round there are special weekly foodie events going on at PKG, including Pytfire Supper, Classical Music & Dinner by Candlelight, Plant-Based Dinner, The ‘Get Down’ Disco Night and an Open Mic Night. Do investigate ahead of your Salisbury stay, as these events can sell out far in advance.
Whether you are savoring homegrown produce in the restaurant, celebrating warm summer nights in the glamping village or letting your imagination run wild in the garden, there’s no corner of England quite like this one.
Beatons Tea Rooms
Beatons Tearooms & Bookshop is a small and friendly tearoom based in the beautiful village of Tisbury, just 19 minutes by train from Salisbury. Beatons is inspired by the style and elegance of Cecil Beaton, pioneering fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as an Oscar–winning stage and costume designer for films and the theatre. Beaton himself lived at nearby Broad Chalke. A relaxing place to meet, chat and enjoy a perfect cup of tea, have breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea, or browse the specially selected range of books for sale.
Taking pride of place at Beatons is a range of over 25 loose leaf teas, brewed to perfection and elegantly served. A carefully selected range of freshly ground regional coffees is also available. Beatons is becoming renowned for its range of homemade and specially sourced cakes, and we feel sure you will indulge.
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