The Salisbury

I heartily concur with the four-​star rating of The Salisbury by those who came before. A genuine gnarly old-​style English pub, traditional wooden interior with a wide variety of traditional ales on tap. I had a pint of Old Peculiar and savored every drop.
What to expect: hidden away on a side street it has a small outdoor beer garden in the back for smoker’s, inside a pool table with guys yelling and having a good time, a thoughtful bartender, rock music blaring across the pub. A few cozy table areas and some room at the bar where I seated myself to enjoy watching the action.
Looking for a sports bar with multiple screens and some potted plants? Move on buster. This ain’t the place, but if you’re looking for a pint and/​or maybe some two-​fisted drinking you’ll be fine right here. The kind of place I wish I could visit more often, for sure.
Oh, and I don’t want a pint at any goddamn 5-​start pub! Four does just fine.

You know what, I’ve just realised that I moved to Manchester 8 years ago this week — wow, what was probably going to be a few years stop while finding a home on this planet, has basically turned into home!
I know this because I watched the entire Wimbledon tv coverage over 2 weeks that year, the weather was fantastic like today and I used to hit the Salisbury pub loads with some of my mates I know from Liverpool.
And it’s weird because I used to go here all the time but have hardly been in the past 4 years — but based on nipping there for a few pints with Ian M, nothing has changed in 8 years at least!
It’s not glam, it’s a proper old rocker pub with a fantastic jukebox, usually free pool table and loads of cask beers at low low city centre prices — circa £3. If you want somewhere that’s properly authentic, no frills and salt of the earth peeps, hit the Salisbury!

This bar has the cask ales you wanna try.
The décor is traditional pub-​style.
The bartenders are friendly.
The shared outdoor area is great if you want to mix it up with the locals and talk shit.
The interior is a great spot to also talk shit to strangers and laugh.
Love it.

With dinner done at Zouk we needed some place to down some beverage and talk. We decided on Salisbury for three reasons.
1. It was close enough to Zouk and bang on Oxford Road
2. They play great classic rock (daddy rock if you were unfortunately born after 1995)
3. My wife had never been there
For a saturday night, it was quite quiet, but we still didn’t get seats (it’s not that we couldn’t organise a piss-​up in a brewery) but we simply weren’t good enough on the night (think about Man United against Southampton the other week).
The bloke at the bar was great, served us straight away with IPAs and they were belting out some proper rock like Thin Lizzy, AC/​DC, Rolling Stones, Led Zep, Metallica, Maiden (you get the idea)…
Four stars because I am and have always been a fan, but the extra star is for that extra special feeling which I didn’t get on this occasion. But like Arnie famously said (in terminator films and in Expendables 2) I’ll be back!

I love this pub! I rather much come here on a Saturday night than a crappy club.
This place is right next to the Oxford Railway Station Bridge. hidden in a corner after Grand Central. I always try to get my friends to come here to get a pint of ale, pickled egg and a packet of Worcestershire sauce crisps…(its my traditional treat to myself)
The atmosphere is great with a cool jukebox and good rock music playing in the background, but not too loud where you can’t think! The guest ales are fantastic… I tried Oddly Peculiar this weekend followed by The Dogs Bollocks. these were quite strong. but flavorsome.
The staff are usually quite chatty and friendly and know their stuff when it comes to alcohol! and the décor just fits into a nice traditional pub style…
Shame this place is a little out of the way… because I would come here a lot more often. They don’t do food by the way… just beer, nuts, eggs and crisps…

Terrific beer selection and very nice staff. Have not eaten here.

I’ve always seen the Salisbury as a good foil to Grand Central.
GC a bit too full? Pop to Salisbury.
GC a bit too loud? Pop to salisbury, although if GC is too loud for you then you really shouldn’t be in there in the first place :)
But the other Saturday when Kreator were playing round the corner at the Ritz, Salisbury was both full and the music was loud, also the music was of a good vintage of Metal, not too much of the watered down stuff that gets passed of as Metal these days…
GC to Salisbury, to GC to Salisbury is one of the shortest and best pub crawls in the City, unless you don’t like good music and a massive range of beers and spirits.
If you are one of those people then I appologise, still, there’s always night clubs :)

A real decent pub this. Proper music (says the rock and metal fan), cheap pint, place to sit (few enough seats but on the few visits i’ve made never full).
Despite my friends living in fallowfield (for non-​residents a 40 minute bus from town). I would still insist on calling the Salisbury their local.
A trek out is well worth while and its location makes it perfect as a stepping stone on to a longer night. Not the family pub by any means but certainly always a consideration for us when starting our nights out.

A
lovely looking pub, particularly the exterior tiling. It’s a shame though that
they have such a bland ale selection. Given that they seem to have some choice,
why stick to Wells/​Youngs, Marstons and GK? My Waggle dance was average at
best.
The toilets stink but not like normal. They seem to have found a cleaning
product that smells even worse than p*ss.

I’ll never forget the first time I heard Warrant’s ‘Cherry Pie’. Have you ever listened to the lyrics? They’re dubious, ludicrously sexual… well, with a title like that, I’d expect nothing less. In fact the sheer mountain of cheese that has emanated from The Salisbury’s jukebox rivals that of Rock Radio. Sisters of Mercy? Check. Whitesnake? Check.
The Salisbury is one of those places you walk into where you know instantly if you’re comfortable or not. If piercings, tattoos, men with long hair and loud guitars scare you a little, avoid. It’s often a first-​stop with a few pints for those heading to Jilly’s Rockworld later. Seriously though, these people are soft as marshmallow underneath. I witnessed a man sobbing and clutching the jukebox when Pantera were on the day after their guitarist died. «Legend!» he was shouting. «LEGEND!!!» Needless to say I chose an alternative route to the toilets.
What sets the Salisbury apart are the prices and the variety of schnapps available. Yes, schnapps! My personal favourite is a lemon schnapps with diet Coke (remember that diet Coke with lemon you could buy for a while? Like an alcoholy version of that), or perhaps a sour apple schnapps with lemonade. I’d also recommend the melon schnapps for those with a sweet tooth. These shorts will set you back about £1.50. In some places, you’d pay more than that for the shot itself. They’re all a form of ‘house brands’ so maybe that’s why they’re so inexpensive.
Despite it being in a very student-​heavy area of Manchester, The Salisbury attracts a wide and varied clientele. Just take care on the weekends when it’s packed. It’s so long and narrow around the bar that you can easily do yourself a mischief navigating between the pool table and the toilets. There are also TVs dotted around showing either music channels or… BBC documentaries. Unless that was a one-​off.

Hm. 4 stars. I’m a bit surprised.
Kind of loud & bad hard rock with a mismatching selection of hard rock videos on the tellies. Decent (OK, kind of nice) selection of ales. It’s a good pub for within sight of a train station.
On the down side, more ££##%%#& fruit machines, brightlights, bad music, sticky everything, stinky loos, and, despite the size of the place, there seems to be about four places to sit. Which is odd. But it’s not a vertical drinking establishment.
There’s nothing really wrong with this place, but it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Solid, decent, but, but, but…
But it’s open late.

Rock music, friendly bartenders, and laid-​back people drinking pints.
Went here on a Sunday evening and it was a great way to end my night.
Definitely reccomend this bar.
Not a student hang out. And good, true, rock music.

In Manchester for a trade show. To three stupid Canadians looking for a traditional English pub, this seemed like a great find. It’s up the street from the Holiday Inn Express. It’s slightly recessed and not over run by students. It’s a rather a sausage fest. Women in this pub are few. Lots of cool bartenders with patience to spare for three stupid Canadian trying to figure out beers and British coinage. If you only know Guinness as your one bitter and you wish your local North American so-​called British pub had more variety, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by some of the local bitters on tap.
Seating is pretty varied and random rock god photos on the wall make for conversation starters.
There’s a neat jukebox near the bar. A dollar (no pound… pounds dollars it’s all the same to Todd Margaret) buys you 3 songs. You’ll find a huge collection of Buzzcocks in this wonder machine as if having Buzzcocks in a jukebox is the most natural thing in the world. Yes?
The washrooms, like most phone booths in UK urban centers, become awash in urine as the night gets on. Is that part of the charm? I don’t know. I double bagged all my shoes for the trip home. A Korean friend in London suggests high heels do the trick of keeping you above the floor urine but even in LBGT friendly Manchester not sure if I’d pub in heels unless its for a charity. I got enough odd looks when I whipped out my umbrella.

You don’t get much better than the Salisbury for a rock pub. A well priced doubles bar, a good selection of ales and a newly constructed decking area in the beer garden, you’ll be hard pushed to find a more chilled atmosphere whilst (ironically) listening to the cathartic sounds of the wickedly heavy jukebox. The sort of place where you can go and enjoy quiet bevvy and game of pool in the afternoon, a mad one in the evening (it opens till 2am most nights) or to watch live bands.

The salisbury attracts a massive variety of ages and professions who are all united by their love of rock. This doesn’t mean to say you have to be heavily tattooed and peirced to fit in, this place is very welcoming to all. Although a tad grubby, prices are pretty decent as are the friendy bar staff, and the pubs convinient location.
Whenever I have paid a visit to this rockers haven, its been bustling, full of friendly welcoming people having a good time and enjoying the places famous jukebox. If you play, head there on a Sunday night for Jam night. Everyone gets a turn, it’s lots of fun and offers a fantastic atmosphere.
As far as pubs go, this place is worth a visit. Makes a change from the usual silent british ‘old man’ pubs I find myself in; and it’s still laid back enough that you can actually find a seat and hear yourself think.
C’mon, even the chaviest of chavs love a bit of rock from time to time!

The Salisbury Pub is hidden away, behind the Thirsty Scholar and sheltered by the railway line which thunders above it. Quite literally a drop down from road level, the Salisbury feels like it was built around, as opposed to built into the space, as it perfectly fits into the available nook off Oxford Road.
From the outside, the pub looks relatively quiet and undisturbed, but once inside, it becomes quickly apparent that this is not the case. The Salisbury is where the heavy metal, moshing, rock-​loving drinkers come to while away the long, cold Manchester nights, and they do it loudly. There may well be the odd clue from a disgruntled rocker smoking outside on the steps, but other than that, unless you know — you will most likely be completely surprised.
The pub itself is perfectly nice — warm, cosy, a little on the dark side (not that this is surprising considering the pub’s location) and is a comfortable place to sit and have a drink with friends. The drinks on offer are at good prices, and the pub has a good range of local ales and interesting beers. I often end up in the Salisbury after a night at the Cornerhouse, for a quiet, wind-​down drink. Good pub — try it out!!!

I haven’t been to the Salisbury for years, but I’ve got some really fond memories of the place! Back when I was at college, we always met up here for a few vodka jelly shots before heading on to Rockworld across the road. Loads of other alternative kids did, too. So it’ll be interesting to see how the club’s closure affects this pub.
This is an alternative pub, so it’s a little scuzzy around the edges. But the bar staff are really friendly and there’s a great jukebox that’s packed with Goth, metal and alternative tunes. Like the vodka jellies I’ve mentioned, you can normally find some weird and wonderful shots at the bar, all at good prices. There’s some nice real ales, too. However, most of the crowd here would be happier with a pint of cider and black. And who can blame them?!

Dark and a little bit grubby, The Salisbury is just how any rock pub should be. However, it seems that it has received a few disgruntled customers after the introduction of the smoking ban. Without the luxury of an already made undercover smoking area like the Thirsty Scholar next door has in the form of the railway bridge, smokers have to stand outside behind barricades at the front entrance. They are not allowed to take their drinks outside unless they’re in plastic cups, which has resulted in many discontented ale drinking smokers. Personally I am quite happy that I can visit a rock pub without having to wash my hair and all my clothes when I return home.
As the other reviewers have said, there is a really good jukebox which is commonly regarded as the best in Manchester. There is a good selection of drinks, though I would not recommend a visit to the toilets if you are a clean freak. The tables tend to be a bit sticky too. As I said in my review of Grand Central, although this is a rock pub, you do not have to have piercings and tattoos to drink here. I like my rock music, but look pretty ‘normal’ and do not feel at all out of place in here.
\m/​Rock on

The Sailsbury is a quaint little pub that’s perfect for meeting those folk who aren’t locals coming in from oxford road. The drinks are reasonable at around the £2 mark for a pint. There’s nice fire places and plenty of alright seating. This pub is very alright in many senses of the word, so much so that I can’t think of any distinguishing features, its cosy in a under the railway arches way, but that’s the only thing I can think of that makes it special. It’s a shame as it has a great location and the potential to be a big hit.

I’ve only ever spied The Salisbury from afar on my travels to Grand Central, and never actually bothered to try it out until now. I met a couple of friends down there to pass away an evening, and found quite a charming little pub. I’d heard that it bore more than a passing resemblance to Grand Central, or that Grand Central bore more than a passing resemblance to it, depending upon your point of view. Those rumours were true, alright. They’re a bit like identical twins separated at birth by a cruel mistake, and raised by different families, yet who who will always share a special bond and do creepy shit like dress the same and finish each other’s sentences.
It feels a bit more ‘pub-​by’ than Grand Central though, with softer décor and furnishings. The clientèle are pretty much unchanged though; it’s the same mix of old rockers wearing enough dead cow to put a slaughter house to shame, and young rockers who wish they were old enough so they could wear the same stuff without looking stupid. They do also claim to have the best juke box in Manchester though, and after playing through System of a Down, Dream Theater, and most of Iron Maiden’s back catalogue, I’d be inclined to agree.
There’s a really nice selection of ales on as well, and the prices are fairly reasonable for a pub that doesn’t plan on catering for the student market much. If you’ve not been before, then I heartily recommend it. Of course, if you hate all things rock and metal with a burning fury hotter than a thousand suns, then stay away. We wouldn’t want you anyway.