Sald Short

 

Ye Olde Salutation Inn, located on Maid Marion Way, used to be a dive bar with a great atmosphere and great food, but unfortunately it is the food that has taken the dive as of late.

As you walk in through the front door the overpowering stench of stale beer hits you harder than a blind person running full speed into a brick wall. It simply smacks you like a brick in the face, which is not the most appetising thing when you have come here to eat. You open the next door and walk down a few stairs into the bar and seating area where we took our seat at rather sticky table. Looking around, I doubt that this was the only sticky one. We perused the menus: the usual pub food, pies, burgers, sandwiches etc but decided on the Zebra burgers that were on the specials board. These were priced around £8, sides between £3-4 and beers and ciders between £3.50 and £5.50 depending on what you want.

My friend joined an ever-growing queue at the bar and paid for our meals along with a pint of cider and a large glass of Coke. It was close to 20 minutes before our food finally arrived but it really wasn’t worth the wait. The burger was dryer than an unused towel and relatively flavourless. The chips that also came with it tasted bland and store bought. It’s disappointing as I have been here before and had an excellent burger however standards haves slid drastically since then. The side of onion rings we ordered came 5 minutes after the burgers for some reason and were some of the worst I have ever had the displeasure of tasting. Arriving with a lacklustre BBQ dip, the batter on the onion rings was quite soft and chewy and the onion wasn’t much different, making one truly awful onion ring.

The pub itself is one for the rock fans. Ye Olde Salutation is frequently home to gigs for bands in the local scene and a place that NTU’s RocSoc call home. There is popular rock music playing over the speakers such as AC/DC and Metallica and the place itself has a real dingy, rock hangout kind of vibe. I personally love this about Sal (as it’s commonly known). It knows what it is and it is unashamed of it. It is a fantastic bar to drink at during the evening and even has a small beer garden (more of a beer yard) to the side that is great for the summer.

The staff there are relatively friendly and polite but not overly and would definitely do the bare minimum for you, but anything above that, you might be asking too much.  You should expect this walking into Sal however. Chances are if you are in there, you are not there for a smile at the bar but for a decent pint (of which there is a vast selection of beers and ales) and to listen to some quality music.

Overall Sal is an uncompromising place with food that is pretty terrible, but I doubt anyone there really cares and you shouldn’t either. This establishment is excellent for a good drink and has a fantastic atmosphere especially in the evenings. On food you may be Sald short, however if you enjoy rock music and are looking for a place to stop off for a good time, this could be your salvation, but seriously don’t eat the food…..unless consuming mediocrity is your jam, in which case you’re going to be in for a treat.