The Salusbury, Kilburn, London

The first time I went to the Salusbury was back in 1999 before moving to London. A friend had moved to Queen's Park and it was the only interesting pub in the area at that time. Fast forward to 2004, we moved to London and were living in Queen's Park and the Salusbury became our local. It was great and still was until about six months ago.

The pub has done a complete refurb. I have no problem with refurbs if done right, but they have emptied it of any individuality (all tables and chairs are small and matching). It feels more like a cafe than a pub but with "gastropub" prices. And the new staff there are rude.

Left a bad taste in my mouth. We won't be back. Kind of sad considering it had such charisma and used to have a good vibe about it.

Been there several times, the atmosphere is nice but they charge outragous prices!! And lately food is much less nicer and also not adequetly priced. As much as I like to turn it to my local pub, I rather travel to other's local.

The Salusbury is the best pub in Queens Park, it is extremely busy, but has a great atmosphere. We enjoy a nice G & T or a Bretton Cider. The staff are not the friendliest. The loos are also in a poor way and need to be revamped.

The Salusbury is the best pub in Queen's Park, and is by default, the busiest and most wallet-crushingly priced in the area.

The atmospehere is jovial and on the point of explosive on a Friday night sue to the sheer number of people crammed in to its tight confines.

You'll need to get there early if you're planning on staying for the long haul, as limited seating will force a group of more than four or five outside where seating will be available, but again, only for a brief period of time.

The Salusbury is best enjoyed in mid afternoon summer quiet, before the trendies come out to play and whilst the air isn't thick with the smell of 'let us all go to the best bar in town'.

A good range of beer, including the magnificently expensive Hoegaarden, is on offer, but across the board is a bit tightly priced.

Celeb spotters will enjoy seeing the likes of Pete Burns hanging out there on occassion.

We went to the Salusbury for lunch on Saturday and Sunday of the same weekend (we were doing a course nearby).

Between us we managed to try: - gnocchetti salsiccia pomodoro e pecorino - pappardelle con anatra - cotoletta di vitello alla milanese - patate arrosto insalatat mista - tagliolini all’uovo con aragosta

Actually the description on the menu used more English words, but they were Italian dishes so I used Italian words. The lobster (aragosta) was a special, and not on the main menu, but the chef said it could be ordered for any given day if asked for.

The food was very nice. Definitely as good as you get in a decent restaurant in Italy. We weren’t expecting such good food, as we just happened across the place. Once we saw the menu we couldn’t contain ourselves and over ordered a bit and came out absolutely stuffed, and paid £20 a head. So not cheap, but not too expensive either.

The gnocchetti were a little salty, but very tasty. The pappadelle were not hand made, but the duck had a great flavour and soft texture that perfectly fitted the pappardelle. The veal cutlet was huge and tasty, coming with the bone in the Milan style. The roast potatoes were melt-in-your-mouth soft and quite garlicky.

The best dish overall was the lobster which had a deep lobster flavour, soft flesh and only a little bit of shell cracking let to the dinner.

We are already planning out next vist.

The Salusbury has a nice feel and a great location just outside Queen’s Park Station. Where it comes down is the ludicrous cost to drink there. This place should be my local, but I’d have to sublet my living room to visit here weekly and so after 2 years of living down the road, I’ve only made it there twice.

It actually really bugs me that they charge far more than most central London pubs which I think is just silly. How on Earth can they justify this? To give you an idea a pint of Leffe will set you back £5.50 and to order a Magners and a beer you’ll be shelling out £9.20. Simply mad. As the meals start from £12 (for pub food?) I’ve never tried it so perhaps this is where their strength lies. Service is nothing to write home about either.

I did a rendezvous with a friend here on a blustery cold day. I would call it meeting for a sundowner, but the sun was never up to start off with so let’s just say it was a drink to usher in complete, as opposed to partial, darkness.

So this is a great place to go when the weather is gloomy as it has a hearty atmosphere and the mass of people inside warm you up pretty swiftly. As timba3000 notes, this is a little bit of a trendoid zone, but if you don’t know any of the D-listers then what difference does it make, right?

I was lucky enough to secure a bench, which was inevitably shared by comers and goers, but if I hadn’t been so lucky I would have been a nomadic stander for the full two hours. Crowding is an issue here.

Another big downside was cost of drinks. If you’re on a budget avoid this Salusbury place if you can.

But when the cider slips down your throat and you have newspaper in hand and your hat on the table then Salusbury is as good a place as any in the Kilburn region.

a bit crowded and annoying. this place is a victim of its own success. if you go early and grab a well placed table, you’ll be set for the evening. it does get a little boisterous at times, and the younger folk can be seen frolicking and mingling in a very relaxed way for brits. so if you are single, or want to get some buzz, drop in. if you are standing and being jostled with a full drink by the toilets, don’t worry, its a tradition there.

A nice little pub in Queens Park, always busy which must be a good sign but can make getting your own table a little tricky! The idea is to just cram in where you can and chat to whoever is around you, can be a little alienating sometimes as everyone seems to know everyone….except you! Frequented by D list celebrities there is often a familiar face nearby, one of those ones you know but struggle to place! (X-factor/Big Brother Runners up) Overall the Salusbury has a nice vibe and a buzzing atmosphere but despite its reputation its still really just a pub.

When a few out-of-town guests came to stay this summer, so we thought it would be a good idea to eat out. The Salusbury has a good reputation, so I felt sure we would have a memorable meal. But to be honest with you, it was a bit of a let down. The food was okay. It was the menu I felt at odds with (it wasn’t seasonal and there were no specials). I wanted some cooling summer fare, not a keep-you-warm lamb shank. Even the wine was served warm, not cool.

Maybe I expect too much from 'pub grub’, but it seem to me that the Salusbury needs to up its game a bit, especially as it is just over the road from one of the best bistros in London.

I love this place. Its a really nice, trendy but not too trendy, pub. Its always busy and the tables are really big so you often end up sharing (which I always think is good because its fun to chat with new people). Lots of giant photos and prints on the wall.

I’ve walked past this place many times and its always been full of people. Friday night some friends and I ventured in for a meal and soon found out why there were so many patrons (including on the night we visited).

The very helpful waitress advised that there would be about ten minutes before a table would be available but if we wanted to have a drink, she would come and get us when it was ready.

So, a nice bottle of Roija was purchased and started on. Sure enough, she soon came and found us and seated we were with an interesting menu to chose from. I chose the Osso Bucco, John the lamb shanks, Viv the pasta (although I have forgotten which one). All meals were fabulous, as was the bowl of broccoli also ordered. The portions were large, the food tasty and well presented and it would have to rate as one of the better pub meals I have ever had, especially in London. Prices ok too, ranging from £12-£15 as was the wine.

Desert was offered but declined - simply no room.
Service was excellent, not OTT but effective.
It was noisy and crowded but what do you expect if the place consistently serves up food like that!

An off-shoot of the equally good Salusbury pub next door...this is not just a deli...Oh no!...Although the counters are brimming with cheeses and meats to make you positively salivate, the best thing about this place are the pizzas, which, although they aren't the real McCoy italian jobs, they are damn tasty and with a nice latte from behind the counter provide and excellent pick-me-ups. And it's nice to be able to sit outside (sharing benches) even in the freezing cold and watch Queen's Park life go by.

Fresh fruit and veg and the meat is all organic, but beware, VERY expensive.