I asked this on the other site, but figured I’d toss the question in here too. Lulu and I will have two nights in Salisbury next month. We won’t have a car and will be in a B&B in the centre of town. Looking for something with good/great food that is also comfortable. Happy to eat in pubs.
One of our nights will be a Sunday, which is always a little hard for us as Americans - we don’t normally do a big lunch during the day. Are there places that will be open for dinner on a Sunday evening?
Thanks in advance and sorry for repeating my question.
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
2
The only place I know in Salisbury is Anokaa - it’s south asian.
It generally seems to get good mention so I went for lunch. It was dismal. Maybe it’s just the lunch buffet and the evening menu is fine. But don’t say I havnt warned you.
I’ve literally just returned from three weeks in the States so am not up to speed over the Chowhound “goings on” since I went away. If they’ve restored the search function, then it should find my review from a year or so back. Of course, if they havnt restored the search then CH will continue to be as useless a tool as it was three weeks back.
Thanks Harters. When I want to search something on CH, I usually go to google. Get much better results right now.
South Asian is one of the things we’re rich in here in Chapel Hill, so going to a place you didn’t care for seems especially silly.
I have a feeling we’ll be doing pubs both nights … or I guess the Saturday night and the Sunday lunch? Is that the way it works - no Sunday meals in pubs/restaurants in the evening?
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
4
Pubs are usually seven day affairs, so shouldnt be a problem, as such, on Sunday evening. That said, the pub Sunday lunch is popular and it can lead to places running out of dishes for the evening service.
As for restaurants, it will depend on the individual circumstances. A small chef owned place may well close Sunday altogether - or, more likely, open for lunch then close till Tuesday lunch/dinner. Larger set-ups may well open for dinner.
Thanks so much for this info. I’m always a little unsure about pub practices (for instance in Glasgow we could barely find any that would allow Lulu in - but we did find a few, so whatever rule there is isn’t a tight one). I’ll ask at the B&B. Surely they’ll have a suggestion or two.
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
6
Tricky issue about letting the youngsters on to the premises. The law in the constituent parts of the UK may well have differences as it’s a matter for the regional assemblies (although we don’t have one, as such, in England). Best summary of the England position is that it’s up to the individual pub landlord/manager. Not usually an issue in dining pubs, but very likely to be one in drinking pubs. Always best to phone to check, if I was you.
Thanks very much, and noted. I’ve noticed that the South tends to be more lenient than the North on things like this, but that could just be luck of the draw on our various trips.
Lulu and I have a bit of a deal. After a few hours of sightseeing, etc., we stop into a pub. I get a beer, she gets crisps. We agree this is fair. We only need a pub to agree with us.
As you mentioned enjoying beer, I had a look in this year’s CAMRA Good Beer Guide. If you’re not familiar with this, it’s a yearly publication from a long-standing “real ale” campaign group. Pubs are chosen for entry mainly on the basis of the quality of the ale, but other notable aspects are also mentioned.
Aside from a Wetherspoons, there are two Salisbury entries that do food, and both are marked as explicitly child-friendly:
Rai d’Or, 69 Brown Street, SP1 2AS
01722 327137 http://raidor.co.uk/
Thai food and two local beers in a 13th-century building.
NB not open on Sundays, so this would be one for Saturday night.
Railway Inn/Dust Hole, 59 Tollgate Road, SP1 2JG
01722 324537 http://thedusthole.vpweb.co.uk/
Very standard pub food, but you might find it worth a visit for the beer. It isn’t clear whether they do the regular menu on Sundays, or a special Sunday menu (which as you surmise usually stops fairly early, 5pm, 6pm, or even earlier).
Hope this is helpful. I have no personal experience of either place.
Growing up I had the same pub/crisp deal with my parents. Only I had to wait in the car and would be brought out a packet of crisps and a drink. It’s a rite of passage for many people of my generation.
Oh boy, I’d be hearing about it for months (years?) if I left Lulu outside while I went in to have a beer. I am laughing even thinking about how she’d react.
She especially likes this since salt and vinegar chips are more prevalent there, and those are her favorites. I feel slightly guilty about her diet while on vacation, and then I remember that my sanity is worth a lot.
Eating crisps in the pub is part of our culture and for me salt and vinegar is the only flavour worth having with beer. I assume Lulu won’t be partaking of beer but just tell yourself that the crisps are part of immersing yourself properly In British culture.
I remember longing for my parents to go to the Old Drum & Monkey pub, which was a bit of a drive from where we lived, because it meant my siblings and I would be let loose in the pub garden. The garden had a very rudimentary climbing frame, but it was completely enclosed and in the middle of nowhere and none of the adults ever seemed to come into the garden. The crisps and glass of pop were totally beside the point.
I love that map - it really is in the middle of nowhere!
I will say, we took Lulu to a pub once when she was about 3 (can’t remember if it was the Cotswolds trip or the Kent trip) and sat out in the garden. It was Lulu, me, and her dad and the pub dog. She had a blast running around and playing with the dog, promptly dubbed Ben. After a couple of pints we asked “So, what is Ben’s last name?” and she responded without a moment’s hesitation: Feinweins. This was a bit head-scratching until we looked at the sign at the front of the pub, which announced that they served Fine Wines.
Not certain many have 7 day foods operations that include Sunday evenings. I think its wise to assume that many pubs don’t serve much food on a Sunday as there big meal is lunch. As John says Sunday can be a lottery as lots of places are closed - chains or the local Indian tend to be the most reliable bets.
As to kids in pubs generally its OK but any restrictions are contained in the individual licence conditions for each pub or at the discretion of the publican. The licence conditions are usually related to drinking rather than eating pubs (but it does mean that kids can’t legally enter some pubs or they lose their licence), and if landlords do have rules they tend to restrict kids to dining areas or restrict them in the evening.
I find the whole thing a little tedious, to be honest. It is even worse in Scotland and Canada (especially British Columbia). One is sort of playing the lottery: what is going to happen when I walk in with my child? I’ve been in pubs that are basically eating pubs but still won’t let me come in and sit with a beer and my very well behaved daughter. And I’ve been in pubs that seem to be only drinking pubs that have no problem with her being there. Confusing. Never had this happen in a non-English speaking country (but then again, they don’t really have pubs).
