Brass Rail Salt Beef Bar

Auf dem Dach von Selfridges ganz nett. kleine Karte mit stolzen Preisen.
Sehr freundliches Personal.

Undergoing refurbishment so it is reduced in size to standing room at a counter. They had no pastrami only salted beef. The salted beef on white was melt in the mouth and ranks among the simplest tastiest morsels I’ve had.
Looking forward to coming back later in 2015 when they resume full service

If you’ve been to Katz Deli in New York, the Brass Rail Salt Beef Bar would be Katz’s British cousin.
It has somewhat of a cafeteria feel to it, but instead of plastic trays you get wooden ones. Brass definitely has West end prices for their sandwiches.
I tried their pastrami with english mustard on wholemeal bread and a pickle on the side. It came out to be 9.60. But you can get half a sandwich for 6.50.
The pickle has flavour and it’s crunchy, to me it’s a crime to serve your customer a soggy pickle.
Now let’s get to the pastrami. it lacked flavour and wasn’t juicy. Maybe I came on an off day. It would be nice if Brass offered a french dip option for their sandwiches. The english mustard definitely gave it some pizaazzz!
I hardly eat meat, but for some reason I was missing the pastrami sandwich experience.
It gets crowded quickly because the area is quite small. However you can take a walk to Berkeley Square and enjoy your sandwich.

Superb Reuben!!! (Even by american standards) food was awesome and service was fast and friendly. Great experience. Thank you Brass Rail for giving an amazing taste of home to a homesick american. Yall Rock!

Hmmm where shall I start? Maybe when I first fell in love with salt beef sandwich in London. This is the second «restaurant» that I have my usual craving. Quite a queue in one of the most expensive, well-​known selfridges in London… ordered the sandwich without much hassle, sat down at a very American diner like chair and table, and took my first bite. Oh well not bad but can’t beat the usual salt beef sandwich near Victoria station. Good to try for people who crave for the sandwich but absolutely not the best. Will continue to hunt the next salt beef sandwich in London.

Best salt beef and pastrami I’ve had in London. It isn’t cheap but is definitely worth it. Will definitely return.

Forgettable.
Overpriced.
This spongy bread would make my grandmother cry (and not in a good way). Also, I take exception at having to pay for a pickle spear. Seriously, guys.
The meat itself is ok, but it isn’t particularly juicy or flavourful.
Skip.

Not a big fan of Brass Rail’s smoked/​cured meats.
Ordered a pastrami/​salt beef on rye. I liked the ability to choose the type of mustard I wanted. English mustard still makes me tear up every time, so I chose the American mustard from a squeeze bottle. Both of the meats were on the dry side and very one-​dimensional. All I tasted was saltiness. Neither the mustard nor the pickle were able to cut through the salt.
I might be spoiled from having lived in NY with access to Carnegie/​Katz/​2^nd Ave, but I think that even in London, your best bet for salt beef are the bagel (beigel) places on Brick Lane.

My favourite salt beef place in London. The beef is less salty and not as fatty as what you’d get at the Brick Lane bagel shops. The tongue is not to be missed out either. The meats are perfectly flavourful, and moist. Probably a slight bit tougher than the Brick Lane salt beef, but this is less… local.
I got a full order of salt beef and tongue over a bed of mixed greens, with whole grain mustard and horseradish. OMG… I was in culinary meat heaven.
The seating are is cramped. In the short duration of time that I had sat there dining, I witnessed people dropping whole trays of food, glass breaking, and awkward encounters with strangers. The trays are abnormally and unnecessarily large, so… just try to be careful.

Love salt beef sandwiches and have always been a Selfridges fan… but what’s with the cost? it’s so overpriced that they even offer half
a sandwich on the menu… oh please… get your ass to New York Mr brass rail manager and see how it’s really done with a Value for money versus quality ethos…

Whats there not to like about this place! I pop in here quite regularly with a group of friends after a long run around Hyde Park and the local area. It serves as a perfect place to eat, chill and catch up.
The food is really nice too! Salt beef is somewhat of an acquired taste but if you like it, this place is a brilliant spot to enjoy some.
If you’re not into the salt beef and looking for something different to fill the gap then there are a wide variety of different sandwiches and pastas to chose from. I’ve had the smoked salmon pasta before which is really nice!
Beware…in and around lunch time the Q can get quite large so plan your visit to avoid waiting around!

I discovered Brass Rail Salt Beer Bar one day in Selfridges. I was intrigued right away based off the long line. Hot corn beef sandwich made to order, plenty of sides, options for drinks, and tons of baked goods. Absolutely would recommend either for a hot lunch alternative or an early dinner.
There is quite a lot of seating either at booths or the table counters. Staff are great!

25%
Fairly average corned beef or salt beef sandwich.
***
Came here for lunch with a friend, Dec ’13.
Brass Rail seems to be a sandwich deli the specializes in Salt Beef /​corned beef, pastrami, and beef tongue sandwiches. Nonetheless, you can also order the meat with salads or by itself. I did not notice if they sold their meat by weight.
I’ll break my review down into different categories. I’ll elaborate the dishes I tried, value, service, and ambiance. It is a causal counter type restaurant and there is no waiters involved, which isn’t such a terrible thing in this city.
Food seems below average, bordering on inedible (rarely does food get me squeamish enough to admit this). I got to try a corned beef /​salt beef sandwich on rye with a bit of grain mustard on the side. My dining companion had salad with slices of tongue and pastrami. I did not try the tongue unfortunately, but got to sample some of the pastrami. Its difficult not to compare it to my favorite pastrami at Langer’s in Los Angeles, and Katz Deli in NY. I have a hunch that the approach might be entirely different and just not something that works with my preferences.
Salt beef sandwich, regular size. Approx 8 English pounds or US$ 13 (dish rating 25%). I had this with rye bread that wasn’t toasted. Apologies that I didn’t document the pricing. My estimate in price is approximate and not precise.
There were some positives in the Salt beef sandwich. I did like how the meat was sliced. It was thick and consistent. The slices were generous. The bread was quite thick and soft. You could certainly discern the pleasant presence of rye in the bread. There was a balanced ratio between meat and bread. I liked the texture in terms of chewing through the thick pile of meat and the soft thick bread. They offered good contrast against each other, and it was hearty. Even with a ‘regular’ as opposed to large size sandwich, I found my meal to be filling.
The flavors of both the Salt Beef and Pastrami did not work at all for me. I found both meats to be far too aggressively salty. It was unbalanced to the extent that I struggled to taste much of anything else. WIthout any condiments, my sandwich was almost inedible. I had to pile on lots of mustard, sweet beetroot, and horseradish to work against the saltiness in the beef for it to have some minor concept of enjoyability, and still it was a challenge to swallow.
Not helping matters at all, was that the meat was far too lean. There was barely any fat at all. It was difficult to discern any beefiness in the meat’s flavor. I found myself getting bored of the sandwich after two bites.
The pastrami had a very sublte hint of spice and not quite anywhere close to as smoky as I’d like. At times, I could barely discern the difference between the salt beef in the pastrami. A comparison to Katz and Langers is inevitable. At both places, I find there is no better way to enjoy their sandwich other than keeping it simple. I always order pastrami with rye, no other condiments. Both hold their own, have a balance of saltiness, other spices, smokiness, and tend to be more decadent with fat content (this is especially what makes Langer’s special).
Value seems reasonable for what you get. I didn’t like the approach to cooking, but I couldn’t deny portion sizes weren’t skimped. I also have to keep in mind the cost of living is higher in London than most American cities, so this might fall on the more affordable end of gourmet sandwiches with a delicacy like Salt beef and pastrami.
Service is at the counter and what I unexpectedly enjoyed most of the experience. I found the meat slicers to be dedicated and serious in their craft. I was happy that each meat slice was very consistent to the next, even though the meat was cut by hand and knife. They were also patient with our order, yet very efficient in preparing food. The cashier was also friendly and patient. I was happy I did not need to wait long for lines to move and food to be ready,
Ambiance is casual and fairly comfortable. Despite the eating space being a bit crowded, I never felt claustrophobic or uncomfortable. The place is surprisingly not that noisy to the extent that it’s difficult to hold a conversation with others.
Overall, I can’t see myself returning soon, although I’m thankful I had the opportunity to try the food here.

Not nearly the best salt-​beef in London, expensive, sweet pickle (not a plus), and really poor bread options. Do I want limp caraway seeded bread with my salt-​beef? No, nor do I want cheap white bread, rosemary ciabatta or bready bagels.
B&K Salt Beef bar is the true purveyor of quality brined meat in London, but thats all the way in North London, and who can be bothered?
The Brass Rail is a nice place to eat when in the area, and the salt-​beef is really not too shabby. It’s quite a genteel lunch crowd, and I’m nothing if not genteel so it works.

Located inside Selfridges, we decided to try this place since it had the longest line amongst the other restaurants.
The wife and I split a full sandwich w/​salt beef, english mustard, horseradish, and a pickle (or Gerkin, per the brits)… all on the soft focaccia. Price was around 9 pounds, pretty expensive.
Food was pretty good, I guess salt beef is another word for corned beef. The meat was very tender and fall apart. We both enjoyed our sandwich very much, but the price is keeping me from giving 5 stars.

Walking about London, I kept seeing signs about «Salt Beef». What is this salt beef? I’ve never heard of it, so I asked my good friend google. Low and behold it’s another name for corned beef. Like a moth to a flame, deli’s and I tend to find each other. The Brass Rail Salt Beef Bar had the reputation for the best Salt Beef, so like the good American Culinary Jew that I am, I have to go.
Now I have my concerns. The British, while masters of stuffing all kinds of meat inside of pastry, have never really figured out what to do between two slices of bread. A sandwich over this side of the pond, will usually consist of white bread with the crusts cut off, a little butter, a couple thin slices of cucumber, and shaped like a triangle or some dainty geometric shape. The Woody Allen at the Carnegie Deli however, would most likely have made even Winston Churchill surrender. So I go into the Brass Rail, with tempered expectations.
I know right away this isn’t going to be a Jewish Deli experience, it’s an order at the counter take to your seat style thing. I get the large sandwich, which turns out to be a sandwich and a half on the same plate. Only about 4 thick cut slices of meat between two slices of seeded rye bread. We ordered 1 Salt Beef sandwich and 1 Pastrami with some whole grain mustard on the side. The name doesn’t lie, this is some salty beef. Maybe a little too salty. It’s also very lean. It is well steamed so not dry in any way. In fact I’m impressed with how moist it is with that little fat on the meat. It’s also my favorite of the two meats. I didn’t like the Pastrami at all here. I’m guessing that clove is the main spice added to the rind of the pastrami. It was so strong that’s all I tasted. Combined with the generic rye bread, this just isn’t a sandwich I can recommend. 3 stars for the Salt Beef, and 1 star for the Pastrami.
Now there is something on the menu that I can highly recommend. The Russian Salad. This is a potato egg salad mixture with cooked carrots and peas in a mayonnaise dressing along with some diced up pickles to give it a slight relish flavor. Oh wait excuse me that’s (flavour) for my English friends. This is topped with shards of Salt Beef. Here the saltiness of the corned beef works very well mixed in with the salad. It was so good, we got another container of it to go. This isn’t the first time I’ve had this salad, as a Persian neighbor of mine used to make it. Seems like Russia isn’t the only country who has a claim to it. However, she never made it with the salt beef, and the Brass Rail’s version was outstanding. 5 stars.
The best thing about the Brass Rail is that it’s in Selfridges Food Hall. While not quite the same level as Harrods Food Hall, there are still plenty of good looking items to take home along with your Russian Salad.

So, I caved in and had the salt beef sandwich instead of the miserable salad disaster I had the last time around. After my last visit I concluded that they really have to hate greens here with the treatment they’re giving them. But with friends raving about their sandwiches I took a day off my meat-​free diet to try one out. Seriously, it’s like two different worlds!
This. was. divine.
I had the regular size sandwich, rye bread with cumin (oh joy! cumin!), salt beef, French mustard and gherkin. It just went perfectly together. The only reason I’m not giving it a 5 is that the meat could have been a tad more juicy — and I prefer shredded beef rather than slices. But it’s all a matter of taste.
When it comes to beef sandwiches, the quality is high, good service, fast — really good. But avoid all other food items, you’re just gonna get depressed.

The Brass Rail (Selfridge’s) — What Katz deli in NY is to pastrami, the brass rail is to salt beef.
It’s the perfect texture and consistency. Soft, tender, you can effortlessly peel off bits of it to sneak a bite without the bread for maximum pleasure. It manages to do this while still having enough texture to allow you to bite and chew while giving that feeling of almost melting away.
Order on rye bread with mustard and a pickle and enjoy.

The Brass Rail is the salt beef ‘bar” at the Selfridges Food Hall. There is always a massive queue of people eager to get a large sandwich of sliced salt beef.
I don’t really agree with all the 5 star reviews. The brass rail is overrated if you ask me. As someone who has had his fair share of salt beef bagels, there are many a place that serves better salt beef (Reuben’s in Marylebone, Beigel Bake on brick Lane, and even the stingy old man who carves it up occasionally at the exmouth market).
Now don’t get me wrong the sandwiches come with generous portions of meat and the requisite strong english mustard and are perfectly edible. However, If you also come later in the evening, the beef and bread can taste a bit stale. I’ve also had mixed experiences with the meat — the pastrami can sometimes be overly peppery. Note that the meat is not kosher. The atmosphere is also lacking. Yes, there is a brass rail, but the dining area is rather cramped and is no nicer than any other food court.
3 stars — it’s not a bad sandwich per se, but only worth going to if you are already in Selfridges.

So after a little scouting on the Unilocal London chat, a few people suggested that a «must eat» while in London was a good salt beef sandwich. Somehow I ran out of time and proper meals to get one on my first trip so I made it a priority on this trip.
I first had some hesitation about trying this place because of the fact that it is located inside a department store but the doubt that I had quickly subsided when I started walking around the lovely food hall. If you you only have one stop to shop for all food that is British, this I the place but that’s another review…
After being lost in jaw dropping awe in the food hall, I finally made it to the Brass Rail about half seven. Upon walking up to the counter I saw the attendant pull a behemoth of a sandwich out of the oven. I asked him what it wa an he said it was a Reuben. I told him that I’ll have one of those! He denied my request as the bloke in front of me got the last bun for it. Sad and Dejected I opted for the largest half pastrami and half salt beef on rye on the menu.
The pastrami was a big miss for me. It was thick cut (we are accustomed to thin sliced) and was extremely dry and had to be drowned in mustard to be palatable.
The salt beef… Where do I start… First off it was thick cut just like the pastrami but unlike the pastrami was moist and even a little juicy. The sour/​salt bite you get when bite into it is something else… Not like any other cured meat I’ve ever tired up to this point. I devoured the half of my sandwich like a starving Marvin and was tempted to get another but I wanted to try some of the many other stands in the hall…
Quick tip for dining here:
They sell camden town brewery and meantime beers in the food hall! Grab one or two as well as a bag of Guinness crips (chips for Americans) and take it to eat with your salt beef. You’ll thanks me later…
Cheers and enjoy

Definitely the best salt beef sandwich I’ve ever had!
It is simplicity itself, with just the right bread, the right condiments, and one perfect pickle to go with it, you can have the perfect sandwich. I have been here quite a few times, and I’ve found the best way to have it (for me) is with rye bread and French mustard. The salt beef is so moist and juicy, and the simple flavours come together in a sublime and perfect mouthful.
I have had salt beef in a few places, and at the famed Schwartz’s in Montréal, which is wonderful too, but in a very different and spice saturated way. I think this sandwich trumps that one by just a little because it shows off the salt beef itself.
I have tried it with English mustard, which was too strong for me and overpowered the sandwich. I have also tried it with some of the other breads. Foccacia’s own flavour didn’t let me appreciate the salt beef or complement it the way rye bread does (rye bread soaks up the moist yumminess too). You can get a half sandwich or a full sandwich. Whenever I have the half sandwich I always wish I’d ordered more though, :)
Everyone should have it the way they like, so they can go to sandwich heaven too:)
The Brass Rail itself is kind of charming with it’s overhead luggage rails. The staff there is amazing! I left my iphone there once and they were wonderful and took very good care of it until I could come back for it.
I love Selfridge’s food hall, which everyone in London should definitely check out. It’s a great place to wander; if you love food you can’t help but be happy here. There is great gelato (Oddono’s hazelnut), cupcakes (Lola’s red velvet), Pinkberry (always cheers me up), and just lots of beautifully presented and yummy looking food. My favorite is still the Brass Rail though:)
Update: They serve SOUP now! I *love* soup so this was Great News to me:) Unfortunately, they don’t seem to have a set schedule for when they make it, so if you really wanted it you’d have to call ahead and check. The salt beef soup with rustic vegetables was just perfect for a soup aficionado like me and on a winter evening with it’s rich and hearty broth, it was delicious:)