A traditional Bath Ales pub that serves up hearty food and real ales; there's not a gimmick to be found in this wood pannelled bar.

The Venue
It's a straightforward sort of pub. There's a bar room that's wood pannelled and furnished with the usual pub chairs and tables, and there's a few nooks and crannies that are ideal for a quiet pint with friends. Upstairs there's a dining room that, although a bit more sophisticated, has similar decor.

The People
Bearded real-ale fans make up most of the crowd of the Salamander. Although the age range leans towards the forty-plus end there is a younger set making their mark on the evening scene of this city centre pub. The early twenties mingle happily with the older drinkers before moving on somewhere else. The older crowd, however, stay here until the landlord starts making noises about needing to go to bed to get up for the deliveries.

The Food
The Salamander serves up traditional pub grub made from local ingredients. Lunch dishes include fish and chips (£8.50), soup of the day (£4.50), scampi, chilli beans, grilled vegetable ciabatta, pies and bangers and mash (local sausages). Vegetarian options are available and include grilled vegetable ciabatta and spicy bean burger.

The evening menu is more elaborate, with dishes like breaded wedges of warm Somerset brie, breast of guinea fowl, sweet red onion and goats cheese tart, pan-seared sea bass and shoulder of lamb. The prices are higher though, and starters are between £4 and £5 while mains are £8 to £15.

The Drink
The Salamander serves up some cracking real ales but they also have an impressive selection of British fruit wines, meads (they serve both the traditional English and the spiced varieties) and obscure liqueurs like the rare Somerset cider brandy. It may be a Bath Ales pub, but if you're a fan of any of the above you will be happy to forget the beer for once.

Within the beers, Bath Ales obviously dominate. You can get bottles and draught pints of their popular Gem, SPA, Barnstormer, Wild Hare and, seasonally, Festivity. Alternatively, you can get Bath Ale organic lager, Budvar, San Miguel, Erdinger, Ashton Press, Butcombe Blonde, Old Swan and others on draught (£2.35 to £3.70) and bottles of Liefmans and Weston Organic cider (£2.80 to £3.40).

They also serve more than a dozen wines priced at £12 to £22.50 a bottle or £3 to £5 for a small glass and £4 to £6.60 for a large glass. Try the bizarre Chenin Blanc 05/06 from the Sula Vineyards in Nashik, India.

The Last Word
The Salamander waves Bath's beer flag with pride, and once you've tried their real ales and their delicious locally sourced dishes you'll know why.

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