The Haunch Of Venison

What a wonderful old building! Twisty and turny and kooky and crooked: every bit a classic old pub.
Fabulous fine food too - with many venison options - and a decent selection of well kept real ale as well. I would come here often if I lived nearby!

Absolutely superlative pub, it’s unreal thinking to dine in such an old venue…it’s fascinating!
The food is excellent, we had the venison casserole and the trio of venison and they were delicious, rich, tasty…definitely a delightful dinner.
Highly recommended to whoever will have the pleasure to visit the stunning Salisbury 🤩

Great pub, solid food. The service was attentive and was perfect for a cold day!

Fantastic old pub! Worth the visit even if you are not willing to eat. If you eat, won’t be disappointed, solid good pub food.

Fantastic, classic old pub experience for one of the oldest pubs in England. A must visit pub in Salisbury for anyone visiting. A lot of history to the place too.

I heard good things about the food, although we didn't have any time to try.

It was the 1st of January 2023 and I was in a new town. I was supposed to go home but postponed it and dropped by this restaurant after my walk.

The Haunch of Venison is a restaurant recommended by almost all the blogs of "things to do in Salisbury". From the outside, the facade looks very old but maintained and the place is huge. Big wooden beams, ambient lighting, leather and vintage furniture/trinkets were inside. Felt very homey yet a little scary because its haunted. 😊 I was sat near the window and asked the lady if it was just me or it feels like I am tilted. She said ita because of how old the building was, the beams were wobbly but guaranteed it was safe. You would notice some warping on the ceiling. 😅 the wood and leather tho 🔥 I wanna drink here on my next visit 😬

For my starter, I had the duck liver pate with onion chutney. This was lush and I enjoyed every bite. The pate was bitter, rich and creamy while the onion chutney was sweet and a little tangy - perfect contrast tastewise and a perfect pair.
It was served with 4 thin slices of sourdough -- i was tempted to ask/buy more -- couldnt find it on the menu and I was to shy to ask.

Then, I had the trio of venison (best of all venison worlds in one plate) it had venison sausage, pulled venison and venison steak. It was sitting on a bed of sweet potato mash and had some vuttered vegetables on the side.
Now, the started got me almost full but this main dish I still devoured. The pulled venison was my least favorite, i love the snap the venison sausage case had and the venison steak #1. It was cooked thoroughly no pink but it was very tender. I didnt understand 🤯

A couple of men were already drinking at the pub area when I arrived. I looked like little red riding hood because of my raincoat and felt awkward with the stares. 😅 there are more seating upstairs and you can sit in silence in a corner if you are by yourself and enjoy the food 😊

It is along the road (Near the Poultry cross - 2 historic locations in one 😁)
They have a loo
There are fireplaces inside the restaurant if you want to sit near it
They accept card payments
The lady was very efficient in taking my plates when I finished every dish

☆Star rating☆
Price 5/5✨️
Food 5/5✨️
Ambiance 5/5✨️
Service 5/5✨️
Location 5/5✨️

Lived local over 10 years but never ate here. The food was fabulous and locally sourced. It was one of the best pub dinners I have had.

We visited The Hunch of Venison for lunch yesterday and sadly they didn't have available the twice cooked pork belly...on valentines day lunch the head chef didn't plan the full menu availability (while we were there 3 other people wanted to order it) 😫 2 star for the organisation, however we really enjoyed the slow braised pigs cheeks and trio of Venison!!! We will visit again because we really want to try the twice cooked pork belly 😋