The Salmon and Ball

Not bad. There’s a friendly cat who I worry about being around all the drunks. The pub has a bit of a right wing clientele from the English Defence League but the rest are OK. Beer is reasonably priced and they had my favourite lager. Staff are friendly enough.

I still haven’t mastered the very English skill of being able to spot a great pub from a mile away. Or maybe smell the pub from a mile away? Mmm, that burnt caramel undertone to a hoppy, pungent initial whiff… But I digress.
My then boyfriend and my good friend both told me from half a glance at this place that it was sub-​par for English standards. Lacking that lazy, warm inviting feel you get from place with gold-​lettered pub name mounted on a wooden beam. However, the Salmon and Ball was the closest pub we had in our lovely Bethnel Green area which was open past 11pm. So, I recommended it to my room mates for our quiet drink before heading back home.
We enter into a slightly grotty establishment, with almost casino style lighting and flooring. Flashing lights, pub quiz machines galore, several TVs and a few stray patrons, looking like they had never made it home from an after-​work drink in 1978. The drinks were cheap yes, but so was the experience. It is usually busy as it sits literally on the tube stop but I didn’t find the clientele, nor the manager very inviting. In fact, we were told right after ordering that we would have to hurry with our G&Ts/pints as they were going to close early due to the lack of people. There were 4 of us and we had literally only come here because of how late it advertised being open. Kinda defeated our purpose completely.
I realize there is a black hole of suitable pubs in the BG area. But do try and look elsewhere if you want a proper experience.

Had a few rehearsals in Bethnal Green so fellow cast member and I came here a few times after as it’s just by the station.
Handy location, a slight dive, with the selection of punters who have probably been stuck to the barstools since the 1950s.
The pub has a good selection and as it was a million degrees outside the good selection of cider was great. I like how you can stand outside on the street and no bouncers etc tell you off!
They only take cash btw so make sure you have some! There is an ATM next door if you need.
Apparently they do some pints at just over a pound if you get there between 10am and midday? Will need to try that one out at some point!

I had too much fun here. That’s my story and I am stickin’ to it. Don’t hate, appreciate. As an American slowly trying to acclimate myself to the English drinking tradition, I was received warmly at the Salmon and Ball. I have some memories clear as day, and others hazy but accompanied with a warm smile. This means that it was love. Me, Salmon and Ball, yeah, we had some fun. They’re a crackin’ good time if you are lucky enough to find yourself in the fab and unforgettable city of London. You can’t beat the location fellas!

This pub has nothing special about it but I like it. It’s a proper old traditional English pub the staff are really nice the beers good but there’s not a lot going on here every time I’ve been. Great place to start the night

It’s fine all right.
Suffers from many of the aspects of «right next to a Tube station» syndrome.
Also, runs drink specials, the earlier you go, the cheaper they are. They were advertising pints of (presumably about to go off) bitter for £1.10, if you’re wiling to go between 10AM and noon. Then it jumps to £1.80.
Fruit machines. Lots of Sky sports. Beer. Scruffy & very east-​endy. Would be nice if they took the fruit machines out, (does anyone *ever* use those?) but then the regulars might spend their hard-​earned cash on beer instead and fight each other. Or you.

I’ve been to this pub quite a few times since I live in the bethnal green area. This pub is quite the classic old pub you can expect. It’s got a few tvs and the «usual’s» that sit at the bar pretty consistently throughout the day and night.
This place is nice if you’re just looking to have a nice cold brew on a day in London or if you just want to meet a pal for a drink or two before deciding what your next move is going to be. i definitely suggest this place to start out a nice evening with or to just pop in and have a brew.
The staff is always friendly and the prices are all good as well.

I always consider this pub a bit touristic because of the tube station location. I don’t know if you can say that from Bethnal Green as its not the biggest tourist attraction there is, but still, I always get that sort of feeling from this place. The Salmon and Ball is one of the busiest pubs on the Bethnal Green road.
Generally on this area you need to watch out which pub you choose and it can it can get a bit wild occasionally. I would say this one is pretty much average. Very basic pub with no obvious specialties. I prefer my pubs more quiet so I usually head for the Sunn Inn little further on the BG road.

The Salmon and Ball is situated on the corner of Bethnal Green Rd. and Cambridge Heath Rd. It is right next to the Bethnal Green tube station, which is probably a good thing for the pub, as it gets quite a few clients popping in who are unfamiliar with the area.
It is a pretty average pub overall, and it’s location is probably the best thing it has going for it. It is not the biggest dive I have ever been to, but it is pretty rough around the edges. It is quite dank inside, and it hasn’t really changed in accordance with the emergence of Bethnal Green’s trendy bohemian nature. Maybe that’s not a bad thing, just don’t expect more than an old fashioned, gritty East London pub.

So I’ve stood outside The Salmon & Ball many a time, waiting to meet friends at Bethnal Green Tube Station. Finally, last week, whilst waiting in the arctic London temperatures, I decided it was better for both my body and spirit to wait inside.
So into the Salmon & Ball I went. And it was rather pleasant. A traditional East-​London boozer with the usual smattering of cool boys and old men that look like they’ve been glued to their bar stools since the late 60s. Bar staff were really friendly and my pint was ice cold, so no complaints here. A far better alternative than standing on the street!

Good for the cheap sunday beers (they put ale down to £1.40 a pint from midday) and sport but lacking in character otherwise, and in desperate need of a refit inside — strange considering it looks great from the outside. THere are pubs with more atmosphere nearby, but it’s worth as stop if you’re lazy and have only just risen from Bethnal Green tube station (it’s right outside).

This pub is the first place I stumbled into upon arriving in Bethnal Green, instantly outside the underground station exit. The place is old and run down, just like almost everywhere in this little pocket of East London, but rather then struggle against this handicap the pub has perservered and shone through as a local boozer where everyone knows one anothers name… and an outsider isn’t always welcome.
I ignored the alarms going off inside my head as I took my seat, watched beadily by about 10 locals all sitting at the bar swearing at each other. I was in their end now, so I have to be careful… The bartender however could not have been nicer, even when I was just sitting in there to watch the cricket (I came back later for a pint as homage to this good service.) The TV is projected (sports) onto a big screen and Led Zeppelin/​David Bowie screams in the background. awesome. Their are boxing posters all over the wall, looking back to a time when boxing was still a huge part of East End culture. An excellent little boozer.

Just as you get out of the Bethnal Green tube station, you’ll spot this ‘evergreen’ pub. It has a nice English buzz to it, especially if you drop in the evening post office hours. The staff is also friendly and prompt. They also show live football matches, just in case you’re interested.

When a place gets a reputation for bad things, it is so difficult to shake it off. The Salmon & Bull had one for being a hangout for drug dealers, nutters and general hardmen. Sounds good to me I hear you say, well it isn’t all bad. The beer in there is good and the prices are fiar, the location is handy being right next to the underground station and they have football on.
In fact the two times I have been in there, most recently a month ago, I enjoyed my beer, watched a bit of football and left with not so much as a dirty stare.
Thinking of going in here? Well I wouldn’t if you were dressed glamourously or looked alternative in anyway, otherwise I can’t see why not