The Salisbury Arms

The Salisbury Arms has something of a captive market being the only pub in Winchmore Hill open before midday on a Sunday. I went for brunch with my youngest a month ago and enjoyed a lovely English breakfast.
I decided to take the rest of the family this past Sunday driving 20 minutes from our home in Barnet only to arrive and find it shut.
Upon locating an open door I was abruptly told that they were not open until midday (despite the website saying 10am) due to some «stuff» that had happened. No apology was offered and I’m unlikely to go again given the travel time.

I’ve been to the Salisbury many times and have had some wonderful breakfasts and Sunday roasts here, so I was looking forward to introducing a friend who is new to the area to Winchmore Hill green (feels like a village with some pretty houses and a nice village green area) and the Salisbury, which has always been consistent if not quite gastro pub level.
Well I was underwhelmed folks… freezing cold inside but no roaring fire. When I asked the barman if it could be lit I was told they didn’t l light it during the day. It was 7pm.
My steak was a hefty £17:50 but was full of gristle and minuscule. I’d expect better from a wetherspoons… the veggie portions were also tiny and so all in all a pretty poor experience here despite the fantastic roasts and breakfasts I’ve had here in years gone by

The final stop on our tour of pubs in Winchmore Hill was The Salisbury Arms. This place has a traditional pub feeling inside with a bit of a modern funkiness with some of the seating being a mish-​mash of different couches and lounge chairs. There’s also a pretty good sized outdoor seating area.
There’s a fair number of real ales on draught, although the majority of them were IPAs or beers trying to be punny with names like «Hoptimus Prime». I’m not a huge fan of over-​hopped beers, so it was a bit discouraging to see so many of these beers available to drink. They also have the American wheat beer Blue Moon on tap which was a plus AND they know to serve it with a slice of orange. This is the first place that I know in the UK that has ever done that so they get bonus points from me.
The food, well, is a bit disappointing. The menu looked fab. I had the burger with BBQ pulled pork on top (sounded delicious). Other orders at the table were the gammon and eggs, the posh fish and chips and the pork and chorizo burger. I think i was the clear winner. The burger was pretty standard but the BBQ pulled pork on top really added a nice element. The chips were pretty boring and uninspired. The pork and chorizo burger wasn’t amazing to be honest. Nava had the gammon and she complained a bit about it being too salty and that the eggs were way overdone. The posh fish and chips weren’t served with mushy peas but more like chopped up regular peas. Not okay. We ordered a side of mac and cheese to share as well, and it was alright as mac and cheeses go. I also ordered the sticky toffee pudding (as they were out of the chocolate and salted caramel tart) and it was a bit over spiced. Lots of cinnamon and something else which just made the whole dish a bit weird.
They do have a selection of board games. It was here that I found out that I know practically nothing about the UK in the 1990’s. My Trivial Pursuit partner carried our team while we got destroyed by the other team. It was a lot of fun though, so no complaints.
I’d probably come back, I’d just hope the beer selection and food would be a bit better next time.

it is more like a crèche than a pub — screaming babies and nappies in the ladies terrible

This place is a great local. Always got something interesting on tap and tends to stay on top of drinking trends. The reason it gets three stars though is that it markets itself as a gastropub, and the food is EXTREMELY variable. Sometimes it’s utterly fantastic pub fare (seriously, I have had the fish finger sandwich to end all fish finger sandwiches here), others it’s late, cold and/​or burnt. You take a gamble with this place. I suspect it is down to a high staff turnover in the kitchen.

Great pub!
I love the outdoor seating where you can relax and enjoy the sun. Come the winter months the fire inside is brilliant with the big loungy sofa’s. There are games you can play and good beer to be drunk. Definitely worth a visit!

Top boozer. Good staff. Family friendly. Papers. Breakfast. Great beers.

Take a wide range of beer — proper real ale, lots of continental pils, and other entertaining things.
Add to this a menu where the people writing it appear to have had some fun — baked camembert, or choose from the barbeque that is out the back.
Go outside and into one of the rather peculiar garages which have been decked out with sofas and tables; or inside, next to the open fire, sinking in the leather sofas; or inside t’other way, on a nice elevated table, perfect for people watching.
Order from the barstaff who genuinely seem to be enjoying themselves, rather than just earning their hourly rate.
Read the funny notices on the wall while you wait for your decent food to appear. Grab one of the papers from the table.
Relax.
Enjoy.
I did. You will too.
By far, the best pub for miles.