Salisbury Arms — Restaurant in Sliema

Salisbury Arms is a typical English pub in Sliema. A family business that has been at the same address for years, it has brought together those who love the pub atmosphere, good company and a wide selection of drinks at reasonable prices. The fact that the owner has been in the business for more than three decades speaks volumes about the quality of service and the skill of creating a real atmosphere in which everyone feels welcome. The pub is open every day "from 10 am to late", except on Mondays when they start at 4 pm. They are only closed seven days a year, during the summer before the start of the football season. Football is important here, as it is in every pub on the Island. When I said I was from Serbia, George sent me to the "back room" where I was greeted by Red Star Belgrade, as well as a section dedicated to the Manchester plane crash after the match in Belgrade. A special relic for fans of the most important side thing in the world is the framed ticket from the aforementioned match. There are scarves on the walls and ceiling, a lot of jerseys of almost all the island clubs, and some European ones, and it is striking that one of the most popular is missing. I wouldn't be me if I hadn't asked the obvious 😂🤣 George didn't show me the door just because I had previously said that I supported Zvezda and talked to him about the unbreakable bond between Manchester and the Red and Whites from Belgrade. The food is excellent. The photos show a chicken sandwich that is delicious, as well as an apple pie. What I didn't take pictures of is the English breakfast, the Sunday special, and the beer selection...

And, yes, the club whose very name is considered an insult to the team at the Salisbury Arms is the one that plays its games at...

I visited this pub twice during my recent visit to Malta.

First visit was good and was given complimentary nibbles with my beer. €3.20 for 500ml of Cisk. There is no price list on display for drinks and you pay after consuming, but the price seemed consistent with other establishments in the area.

Unfortunately the second visit (this time at the weekend, when they were much busier) was less good and I did not feel welcome as a solo customer. Was shown by the waiter to the only table, which was a table for four people. My order was taken, then my drink and nibbles were quickly delivered. After a few minutes, I was told to move to another table. The waiter picked up my drink and nibbles without any further discussion and placed them on the other table. After being asked for the third time if I wanted to order food, I was then told the new table was reserved in around 10 minutes time. I can only assume they didn't really want me there as a customer as a larger group would be more profitable, so drank my drink quickly, paid my bill, left and didn't come back (which was their loss as I was staying another 3...

Selection of beer was average. It was odd that they didn't have a beer menu. Wife ordered an IPA and we believe we got an double amber. So far the food at this establishment was the most disappointing so far on our trip. The "prawns" in my wife's salad were actually small shrimp and tasted very old, to the point I spit out a taste of them into my napkin. My son decided on the sword fish and it was a very thin and over cooked cut. Half way through his meal the waiter brought over some sauce, were guessing because they heard us complaining about the poor taste of the food. When we got the bill they had added $2.50 for Maltese Sauce to our bill. Best thing about the meal were the chips (potato fries). The burgers also looked good. The disappointment with this meal was probably our own fault for trying non bar...