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The Salmon, Leicester
Leicester
LE1 4QA
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
I L left this review about The Salmon
Having visited this pub last year another visit this year was a must for this award winning pub. We sat in the larger tiled floor part of this two roomed pub next to a very warming fire for n early December night.
A good friendly feel to this place.
On 10th December 2013
- rating: 9
[User has posted 287 recommendations about 284 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Salmon
Voted Leicester CAMRA pub of the Year for the last two years, with landslide majorities, the Salmon is an essential port of call for any real ale fans visiting the city. The pub has a compact U shape layout with a mix of tiles and bare floorboards. The right hand side of the pub was dominated by some temporary stilage set up for a beer festival and was very crowded during our stay. There is fixed seating around the perimeter and the walls have nice tiling and half panels. The left side of the pub has a decent amount of bench and low stool seating, with the PuG crawlers giving the benches a thorough test as they piled on for a group photo. A lit fire was very welcome given the terrible weather outside and the walls were decorated with various bits of Leicester Tigers memorabilia, with a TV screen on one wall for sports coverage. The servery has a stained glass canopy and a Banks’ mirror behind the bar reminds us of the pubs former ownership.
There were five ales available on the bar – Fallen Dragonfly, Elixir Cuzzy Brew, Burnside Blonde, Demonbrew Demon Black and Betjamin Imperial Christmas Stout – plus several more on the aforementioned stilage. My pint of Cuzzy Brew was in fine shape but as others have mentioned, the beers on stilage were pouring flat, which was a shame as there was a tempting line up. Food is available at lunchtimes from Monday to Saturday. The barman seemed friendly enough (although I didn’t have my camera with me, which might have helped!) and talked us through his proposed brewery venture which is set to open soon.
Clearly this is a must do pub for the beer tourist, but I thought it had more to it than just a good ale policy. It’s a well set up, homely pub with friendly locals and enthusiastic staff and it will be one of the first pubs I seek out the next time I’m in town.
On 1st May 2013
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3361 recommendations about 3361 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Salmon
I called in here twice during our Leicester jaunt. Once after the beer festival and again on the PuG crawl. On the first visit I had a couple of halves from their festival bar which I thought were in pretty good nick and a pint from one of the handpumps. The day after I just had a pint from the normal bar as the festival bar was crowded with familiar faces. I'd like to visit again when it's a bit quieter, but I thoroughly enjoyed the place. It will also become a brewpub in the very near future when it will be home to Dem Bones brewery.
On 17th April 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3308 recommendations about 3218 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Salmon
A charming street corner local hidden away from the young drinkers circuit,this is now a free house.The interior winds around a three sided bar and features an old Leicester Tigers framed K shirt,a host of other Tigers memorabilia,a Sky Sports flat screen and a coal affect gas fire but also some original tiling and very pleasant leather bound bench seating.There was a beer festival on my visit and the racked barrels took up one end of the interior,sadly my scoop was as flat as a pancake.However there are six handpumps on the bar and my Elixir Cuzzy Brew,a 5.5%dark IPA ,proved to be pint of the crawl.
It's a must visit and there will always be a good amount of banter amongst real ale enthusiasts but I thought it strange when the barman said there was a pub rule against photographing pump clips,a strange interpretation of copyright law unless he was joking.That aside,I plan to pop back next time in Leicester.
On 6th April 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2997 recommendations about 2997 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Salmon
Deciding to make an inaugural visit to The Salmon during the Leicester CAMRA Beer festival week when the pub was hosting its own mini festival with an additional eight barrels on stillage taking up a fair chunk of the available space on the right hand side of the bar probably wasn’t conducive to seeing how this place functions normally. But I saw enough to know this must now be added for a further visit when next in town.
The traditional pub décor is well described below and the collection of Leicester centred rugby memorabilia was interesting to a Saracens supporter.
Ignoring the festival options the pub offers 6 regularly changing ales, mainly from microbreweries, which usually includes a mild, and have real cider on draught too.
Similarly to the reviewer below the half I tried from one of the barrels wasn’t too good, but the one from the pumps was very well kept. And if I had been able to write at this late stage of our crawl I would have been able to tell you what they were as well !
On 2nd April 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2279 recommendations about 2135 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about The Salmon
Had to be included on our Leicester tour, given the good reports and the Salmon didn't disappoint. The ales come from far and wide - even Croydon! I could have had any of 8 or so ales but went for the Cronx Kotchin - an unexpected sight on the bar and in good shape. Past lunchtime, the bar snacks are limited but undeniably cheap. We didn't stay long, but perhaps we should have done. Maybe next time.
On 23rd February 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 576 recommendations about 538 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Salmon
My first visit to this 2012 Good Beer Guide entry, and won't be my last. This area of Leicester is looking up real ale wise as this one is not far from St Margaret's bus station, or the Longstop just off the Clock Tower in the centre of Leicester. Called as we wanted to check its location as it is hosting a new breweries beer festival next weekend, and we will be back up for that. It is a pub you feel comfortable in as soon as you get in, friendly staff, and clean and tidy room. Rugby shirts decorating walls and sport on TV. U shaped bar and micros offered on 6 handpumps. Lunches 12 - 2.30pm.
The above was in November 2011 and we have been back a few times since then and it seems to get better if that is possible. So friendly and the choice of ales is superb. On Wednesday we enjoyed the following beers, Eden Gold, XT Brewing 5, Bowness Bay Tern Mild, Alechemy 5ive Sisters, and Fox Kanook. They source new breweries extremely well, and I will be back for the new brewery festival next month.
On 12th August 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Mark Davey left this review about The Salmon
First time in this pub. Excellent! loads of great brews on the bar and a nice welcoming feel to the place. Lots of Rugby memorabilia on the walls and many Tigers fans drowning thier sorrows after defeat at the hands of Quins in the playoff final. Really clean toilets and a suntrap of a back yard, great for drying your shorts off after your mate deposited a pint in your lap! Will call again, one of the best in Leicester.
On 28th May 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 292 recommendations about 276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Salmon
A gem of a pub this one and well worth a visit. The pub consists of a central bar with good settling areas to enjoy your beers and not be disturbed by any loud music and gaming machines. Five ales on offer, I went for the Dark Star Partridge and Raw Brewery Equinox. Good food served and staff friendly.
On 8th May 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3716 recommendations about 3716 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Raymond Cunningham left this review about The Salmon
I recently visited this lovely public house in the middle of Leicester city. The Proprieter has already helped an owner of The Raglan Arms in Rugby, Warwickshire,achieve 3 camra awards. One being Warwicshire Pub Of The Year 2009. Now having his own establishment, I recommend you give it a visit. There was a beer festival at the time of my visit, with a Scotish & Yorkshire range of beers, ie: To name but a few, (Broughton, Peebles-shire) Clipper IPA 4.2(Cairngorm, Aviemore) Trade Winds 4.3. (Scottish Borders: Lanton Mill, Jedburgh) Dark Horse 5.0, Game Bird 4.0.(Stewart: Loanhead, Midlothian) Edinburgh No3 4.3,Edinburgh No7 4.5.(Banktop, Bolton)Black Beard 4.5. (Coniston, Cumbria)Bluebird Bitter 3.6.(Elland,West Yorks) Maximum Darkness 4.3.(Offbeat,Crewe, Cheshire)Odd Ball Red 4.2.: Also there where 7 unusual ciders and a couple of perry's, To go with all this some excellent pub grub.
On 22nd October 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 4 recommendations about 4 pubs]