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Beer of the Week (w/e 26th April 2026) with Tris39
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Deacons, Salisbury
Salisbury
SP2 7QT
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Strongers . left this review about Deacons
Deacons has a central entrance that opens into a parquet floored wood panelled bar where a barrel sits in the left-hand window, and a high table sits opposite in the right. There’s a fireplace on the left-hand wall adjacent to a television that was off while some background music played from the jukebox during a recent Friday afternoon visit. The serving counter across the rear wall to the right supports premium keg and three hand pumps, the Bass was off, so the cask options were Dark Revolution’s Hazy Day and Hop Back’s GFB. Steps to the left of the counter rise to a tile floored room with padded benches, tables and chairs up the left rear and two dartboards on the right rear wall that are faced by a green sofa. I enjoyed my visit to the basic pub, but I think that was due to the group I was with rather than the surroundings, but I will mention that the barman was very friendly.
On 2nd April 2026
- rating: 5
[User has posted 6626 recommendations about 6588 pubs]
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Deacons
Basic, unpretentious pub with a compact front bar and more seats up a few steps at the back. Traditional alehouse-style furniture and decoration, but a bit smarter than I remember from my last visit over 12 years ago. We found Hop Back's GFB and Hazy Dazy from Dark Revolution (£2.50, half) being served on two of the three handpumps, with the Bass temporarily unavailable from the other.
On 1st April 2026
- rating: 6
[User has posted 9119 recommendations about 9119 pubs]
Steve of N21 left this review about Deacons
An unremarkable exterior, which a couple of our party managed to walk straight past, leads to a decent enough three room pub. You enter into the wood panelled and wooden floored main bar room with a small fireplace to the left and the small serving counter to the right and then a couple of steps lead you to two further rooms beyond. Two of the three pumps were in operation with Hopback GFB and Dark Revolution Hazy Daisy and the third badged with Bass but with the dreaded half pint glass perched on top as described below.
Both the available brews were very lively, and it took a fair amount of pulling even to dispense a half, but the Hazy Daisy was perfectly fine when I finally got it.
I didn’t really warm to this place, but that might have been that we were the only people in on this lunchtime and when I walked past it again some hours later en-route back to the train station it had a decent crowd in, so it must be doing something right.
On 31st March 2026
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2340 recommendations about 2186 pubs]
Will Larter left this review about Deacons
Three hand pumps with the Bass pump clip disappointingly topped by an inverted glass indicating it was not on. (Why not just turn the pump clip around?) The two beers that were on took some pouring to get into the glasses, with plenty of froth. Again, not a good look. My Hopback GFB was pretty good despite the palaver, and I was surprised to find that it was 3.4%, upon which a discussion ensued about the difference between the alcohol by volume stated on the pump clip and the actual strength as assessed by HMRC. The beer was better than the discussion.
On 27th March 2026
- rating: 5
[User has posted 4733 recommendations about 4337 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Deacons
Popped in as it continues to appear in the GBG and my now-departed fellow crawlee wanted a report. Well, it didn’t open on time which was a bad start, so I headed-off for a beer elsewhere and re-appeared later. Inside is a basic boozer which smells of damp though it's far less scruffy than it was back in the day. The 'real ales' stained glass window is a nice touch, can't recall if that was there previously. Two cask on the go, Hop Back GFB and a local one, Rude Giant Pale which in fairness was easily GBG quality (NBSS 3.5). I don't really understand the appeal of this pub but it started to get pretty busy, so I guess I’m in the minority as far as Salisbury goes…
November 2011
In my opinion it’s nowhere near as good as the hype would have you believe. Grotty looking from the outside, which at least leaves you prepared for the inside. Tiny front bar as you enter, which felt cold and draughty. More seating is available in the rear room, which has a bit more character about it. The jukebox was pumping out some decent tunes though it didn't really disguise the fact it was fairly empty for a Saturday evening. Three ales on the go, sadly not a great deal of imagination in seeing two Hop Back brews and the ubiquitous Doom Bar though in fairness my Hop Back was pretty good. It is a GBG regular, making it a default pub crawl option, though I wouldn’t personally spend more than a quick pints’ worth of time on it myself, especially as Hop Back beer is available in plentiful (and cheaper) supply at the Wyndham. And Doom Bar is available everywhere else…! Rated 5
On 30th January 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 6004 recommendations about 5984 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Deacons
ORIGINAL REVIEW May 2010
This is an earthy gem ,a traditional drinkers boozer.A small street frontage ,the front door opens into a small basic area with a bar to the right with three handpumps dispensing very well kept Hop Back Summer Lightening,GFB and Sharp's Doom Bar.A real cider is stocked together with continental bottled lager in the fridge.There is some seating by the small fireplace but much more on the higher level at the rear beyond the loos.Here there is a large screen TV,off on our visit,and a table football machine and wooden settles,tables and chairs.There is background rock music but not cranked up to put you off from the fine ale which is very good value around the £2.50 per pint mark.Well worth missing your train for,a must visit on any crawl in the area.
UPDATE
After a short closure,there has been a change of guard and the ale house vibe is back.The exterior now looks much more traditional and lots of wood panelling and pews make the front lower section a comfortable place.4 handpumped ales with Hop Back Summer Lightening and GFB as regulars and guests on my trip Stonehenge Great Bustard and Danish Dynamite (cheap at £3.30,but not well settled from a new barrel).
Open on Monday lunchtime ,so Whatpub hours are wrong and glad to see this solid boozer open again.
On 17th December 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3154 recommendations about 3154 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about Deacons
Temporarily closed until December 2018 when it will reopen under new management.
On 17th October 2018
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3915 recommendations about 3848 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about Deacons
Seems to have gone down market, never a salubrious looking pub the clientele now seems to match. Most were drinking macro lager so I was unsurprised at the lacklustre quality of the cask beers. Pool, darts and telly footy are the order of the day here now. A sad loss of one of Salisbury's better pubs.
On 15th January 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 4020 recommendations about 3683 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about Deacons
Unremarkable looking frontage to the pub,but once inside you find a quite vibrant locals pub with all the atmosphere you would expect from such a place, something that cannot be manufactured. Three beers on and my Hopback GFB was in fine fettle.This pubs right up my street, I will return.
On 8th August 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2306 recommendations about 2269 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about Deacons
A well known and lauded Salisbury pub, handy for the station. Two rooms, a very small front room with the bar in a corner, larger back room up a couple of steps. Blue banded windows which I also saw at The Five Bells, not sure if they represent an old brewery livery, stone jars and jugs on a shelf, sporting apparel plus a life buoy hang from the back bar ceiling. Bank notes pinned behind the bar, other décor included horse racing photos, maps, pictures of the cathedral, a row of Guinness advertisements and a Salisbury City shirt in a case which was signed by just two players, oh well. There is a TV but this was off.
Beer wise, the same as others have listed, Doom Bar, two from Hop Back, GFB and Summer Lightning.
I have to concede that I struggle to understand the pub's semi-iconic status, I found it distinctly average and rather tatty. The newish exterior signage is rather garish, non pubby and from a distance has the appearance of a branch of Barclays Bank.
It's worth a punt, certainly before or straight after a train, but it really isn't the destination pub some regard it to be.
On 1st August 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1711 recommendations about 1684 pubs]