The Chapter House

Great food, drinks and service. This was probably my favorite restaurant we have been to so far in Salisbury. The restaurant has an old town feel with a great relaxed and chic vibe. We went as a group of 10 and the wait staff and manager were really accommodating. The food and drinks were great. Most people had the half priced Tuesday burgers and I ordered the sirloin. Everyone was very happy with their selections. If you’re in Salisbury you definitely have to stop by to hangout and grab some food.

Since changing hands, I’ve been here twice for lunch. First time we had a selection of appetisers and they all arrived in quick succession, piping hot. The mushrooms on toast was the star and the pulled chicken sliders just ordinary and a bit dry. This time I had the Mexican chicken salad. The server was friendly and took our order quickly, but the salad took almost 30mins to arrive. It was small and the only dressing was a small blob of sour cream. The chicken was overcooked, chewy and not a hint of seasoning — Mexican or even pepper and salt. There were 5 tiny strips only and 4 wedges of deep fried tortillas — again overcooked. In my opinion, worth only half of the £10.95 price tag. Service delays meant we ran out of time for dessert and staff were absent when we wanted the bill so we paid at the bar and left. Disappointing.

Overall, above average. We went on a Tuesday evening, and we’re glad that we had booked: it was surprisingly busy. The bar area is very well appointed, with a decent enough selection of drinks, although this isn’t a real ale pub if that’s what you’re after. Staff were polite enough to acknowledge us, even though they were very busy.
The restaurant was relatively noisy, but it wasn’t overpowering. The meal itself was mixed. Starters were good, notably the chilli prawns. The main course was excellent: we both had steak and it was cooked well, with good recommendations by the staff. Really enjoyable. Pudding was a letdown: the cheesecake was thoroughly underwhelming (too warm, and it wasn’t set properly) and the sundae suffered from similar symptoms. Also, £8.50 for a large glass of wine is a little bit outrageous.
Ultimately, we would come back, but probably for lunch rather than for supper. If you’re after steak and nothing but, then you’re onto a winner. If you are celebrating something important and the food is important, you might want to look elsewhere.