The Salusbury

The Salusbury Deli has had a revamp.  Gone are the organic fruit and veg, fridge with expensive meat and cheese, and with it the only place I can guarantee to buy a big bunch of basil on my way home from work for that essential Italian dinner.  In its place is essentially a cafe. The only thing that remains are the fab but pricey Pizza slices.  Instead, is an entirely light an airy place, all marble tables and written menu!

They have yet to decide if this is a sit down and be waited on type of an establishment or a queue up and place your order eatery.  Either way, the staff are very poor.  If I am to be kind this may be because they are new and so too is the whole set up...... but no one seems to have a clue what is going on - and that accusation I will widen out to the cooking staff!, I waited forever for a cup of tea on my first visit and today had two sets of badly cooked eggs.  Am I wrong or should boiled eggs and soldiers consist of a runny centred egg (and by that I do actually mean runny without giving me salmonella).

No doubt these are all teething problems, the Salusbury 'deli' or 'cafe' or whatever it ends up being called has to compete with an extended Jacks Diner, Hugo’s and CC’s not so far away and Penks (with its perfect poached eggs) across the road, not to mention the soon to be opened branch of Gails (with the very best cheese sticks in the world!) so if they don’t they will be eaten up by the competition.

I am sure they can pull it back, the pizzas and sausage rolls would still pull me in and its slightly oldie world feel make it a nice place for a coffee and natter.  The Queens Park celebs and yummy mummies who don’t have proper jobs are always happy to have another place to hang out whilst the rest of us go to work, so the Salusbury will probably do ok.  If they can get organised, implement customer services, learn to cook boiled eggs and introduce some cakes on the menu, everyone will be a winner!

Leandra's profile     Other reviews by Leandra     Leandra likes    

I knock places like this all of the time. Poncey delis that are pushing out the old established Ma and Pa operations that have been around for years. I’m a hypocrite. Its places like the Salusbury that are the new community hubs. Yes they sell moccha, locca, chinos and a dizzying array of food stuffs at eye watering prices but the food is good. I’m a particular fan of the pizza here they taste authentic, a mini slice of Italia in NW6.

I hate myself for liking this place.

Roifield's profile     Other reviews by Roifield     Roifield likes    

The Salusbury is a real hub of Queen's Park, combining, deli, pub and restaurant alongside one another. The deli contains a range of delicious goodies, from fresh fruit and veg through to pizzas cooked on site. It is a great place for a coffee mid morning or to watch the locals go by of a sunny afternoon. It is of course grossly overpriced, but that is par for the course in this area!The pub is always busy, and in the summer hoards of people congregate outside early evening for that post-work drink. Inside it is a little cramped, but the clientele is fairly friendly so the lack of space is not such a big deal.For me, the best bit about the place is the dining room. It is always bustling and the food is really good. You can see into the kitchen, so can watch and smell your meal being prepared. The food is on an Italian tip, with some good pasta (especailly the linguine with seafood), fish and meat. I personally love the prawns in chilli alongside a rocket and parmesan salad, rounded off with the melting middle chocolate pudding - a winner every time!

Leandra's profile     Other reviews by Leandra     Leandra likes    

The Salusbury is at the heart of the new Queens Park. Truly a buzzing pub, restaurant & deli. First things first, the pub is surprising, and not in a good way. A long thin room stretching back from the road to the bar at the back, very little space so you will be always climbing over someone. But you know, it turns out that is the attraction. Because the people you climb over are, on the whole, beautiful. A great vibe, and my favourite pub in the area. Next restaurant - we have done everything from Valentine's Day to Sunday lunch here - and it???s consistently excellent. Food is subtle but tasty - meats are always good, and side dishes likewise. Portions are very modern (i.e. minimal) but I???ve never left dissatisfied. Finally the Deli - the latest addition to the Salusbury empire. They bought the shop next door, and opened a superb quality deli, with carefully selected delicacies from across Europe. They have a good Italian connection, and bake fantastic pizza. Coffees are good too, could be larger, but well made. In fact Starbucks have just moved in opposite - but don't let that distract you. Summer afternoons with organic ginger beer and pizza lounging on the table outside - happy memories.