Birley Salt Beef in Tower Hamlets

I have been a customer for over two years. The staff are always friendly, especially Azad and Roswin, they go the extra mile to provide excellent service and make sure everyone smile. I hope their hard work gets some acknowledgment. Many thanks :-)

I am writing to share my frustration with the service I received. I’ve been a loyal customer for years, and while I’ve always appreciated the quality of the sandwiches, the customer service at this branch has noticeably declined. During my visit today, I ordered a Reuben sandwich and was met with behaviour from one of your staff members that was not only rude but shockingly disrespectful. He prepared my sandwich with a clear lack of care, then threw it toward me without a single word—no greeting, no thank you, nothing. He simply pointed at it to indicate it was finished, making me feel more like an inconvenience than a valued customer. This isn’t the first time I’ve noticed this particular staff member behaving this way; he’s consistently dismissive and seems utterly disinterested in serving customers. However, this latest incident was the breaking point for me. After years of choosing Birleys and supporting your business, I expected better. Instead, I was made to feel unwelcome and unappreciated. I have attached a photo of the staff member in question. I hope you understand how disappointing this is, as I’ve always spoken highly of your sandwiches and service. Unfortunately, unless changes are made, I won’t be returning, and I felt it was only fair to let you know why.

Went back today after almost 5 years. I used to go here at least once a week when i was in the wharf. Found the carvery team to be rude and unhelpful. Barking questions and showing frustration when its difficult to hear them above all the noise. I thought easier to just say yes please to all questions at which point i got told "We are OUT of that!!!!! What you want instead??" There was no eye contact, no listing of alternatives, just an awkward atmosphere where he didnt seem to want to be there. Wasn't just the guy serving me but also the next one along serving someone else. Very fond memories since 2007 destroyed in one instance.

Staff that make the sandwiches are a bit rude, I don't expect them to be incredibly friendly but at least be polite and not rude. I wanted to sit in but the tables were all dirty as well so I had to do takeaway.

Really nice salad but the people who make them wear gloves and I’ve seen one of them touching their face and hair with the same gloves and then touching the food. Use a pair of tongs please!

The roast pork belly sandwich from the carvery is so tasty!

This place is a lifesaver! They offer a great variety of salads, and the veggies are fresh and delicious. The lovely (As Mgr Wanda)made my salad—she was an absolute angel, very patient and kind. I'll definitely be coming back!

I've had pork belly the last two times I've been here. Both times have been disappointing. The portion size was much smaller than previous visits and the crackling was undercooked and soft, rather than crunchy. Today's sandwich was also mostly fat with very little meat. It was so fatty that it soaked through the greaseproof paper and bag. I don't think it's necessarily fair to blame the servers for the crackling - they probably don't cook the meat, but they did chop up a load of fat and serve it to me in a sandwich. I'm not impressed and will probably stick to the salt beef if I return. I've given three stars based upon previous visits being 5* with a star lost for each of these two bad experiences.

So it’s an okay sandwich, but incredibly sub-standard for the price. Normal bread - tastes like the stuff you get from Tesco and randomly smeared ingredients. What really brings down the rating however is the service, rude and inconsiderate staff - showing little to no interest in helping you as a customer. Do better, especially if you charge what you do,

I’m so sick of paying £5.45 for a beef soup that has no beef in it. Today, no rice either and a piece of bread that was more like a crumb. Done with Birleys now.

Had a great salad here which was freshly made and nicely tossed. Fresh ingredients used and nice dressing, the one making it was also quite hands on. Will go again.

Excellent sandwiches . Good quality ingredients, for Canary Wharf one of the better value places. Easy to find - it's under the Pyramid tower! Can eat in but tables limited. highlights: Bacon sausage and egg sandwich for breakfast hot special for lunch - chicken and mushroom bbq Very nice staff. Bellies in !

Bacon roll for breakfast is always good. Atmosphere low because it's a takeaway only but staff very friendly.

The pork belly sandwich has been my favourite one and I go to get one from time to time. My visit yesterday was however very disappointing because the portion was about half the size compared to what I used to get. The staff even forgot what ingredients to go in the sandwich and I had to remind him before him wrapping up the sandwich. That sandwich costs £8.15 but i think it worths less now in my opinion. I hope the shop will review their food quality and provide more training to their staff in maintaining the standard!!

If you want good customer service, this is definitely one to AVOID. Saying that, the salads are nice but it does depend on who makes them. Some staff do make them really nice and others just pay no attention at all. Considering the salads are around £9-£10 you’d expect a hello at least. Atis do better salads and have great customer service!

It was amazing I got the Salt Beef sandwich it was amazing the best food ive had in months

Usually alright but today they put so much mustard in the salt beef sandwich that I couldn’t even eat it. Waste of £9.

Sandwiches here are just great. The recent hot turkey breast sandwich is a true winner. Obviously this isn’t cheap but when compared to other lunch time places it’s about right for CW.

They are so slow!! And serious attitude problems. Especially the the moody cow in charge.

Very unclear about how they charge the items. Woman is not easy to understand and said you can choose multiple for the price. Of course they end up charging each item separately.... Not worth it

Bad attitude from the service. No apologies whatsoever

Great portion size and generous with the beef! Recommend.

Not good. Just like normal sandwiches.

La carne tenía buen sabor, pero casi no había nada, la porción era miserable. Trozos grandes de pepinillo y unos trozos de ternera. Por 7. 00 que fue una mala compra.

Si se encuentra en un ambiente de trabajo presurizado dentro de Canary Wharf y solo el almuerzo más rápido pero más grueso lo hará mejor que un pastrami de carne salada o una baguette de cerdo o un sándwich en una de las tres barras Birley in situ. Observe cómo la mostaza se extiende sobre el pan ante sus ojos, luego se agregan capas de carne y queso, pepinillos en rodajas, cebollas y encurtidos. Combínelo con una lata de granada italiana y jugo de naranja y regrese al mostrador de inversiones (o, en mi caso, en la audiencia judicial) adecuadamente renovado.

He estado aquí varias veces y, al igual que las reseñas anteriores, normalmente es genial. Tal vez nuestro horario fue incorrecto, el viernes a las 10 a.m., solo queriendo un sándwich de huevo y tocino y un café, no es mucho pedir. En primer lugar, el lugar estaba vacío, los trabajadores de CW se esforzaban mucho, eso está bien, el personal de Birley no está involucrado con los pocos clientes presentes. Pedimos el bocadillo, sin lomo ni huevo, sino salchichas, de acuerdo, pensamos. Nuestro servidor no estaba realmente comprometido, ¡no importa que logró producir una salchicha muy quemada para mi sándwich, me preguntaron si lo quería! Obviamente dije que no y en ese momento pensé que nos vamos. . . ¡Pero prometió ser no quemado! Lo que era, nuestros 2 cafés tardaron años en llegar a nosotros desde 3 metros de distancia después de haber comido la mitad de nuestro sándwich, para entonces la emoción y la felicidad habían desaparecido. Birley gestión de lo que pasó aquí? Esto no es lo que normalmente experimento y también lo reviso, un problema que espero o ¿estamos todos condenados a futuros sándwiches geniales?

Teníamos tanto la carne de res salada como la barriga de cerdo con sándwiches crujientes crujientes esta hora del almuerzo y eran muy sabrosos! Para poco más de 6 o más, son de buena calidad y relleno, servidos con pepinillos. Definitivamente una gran elección, recomendable.

Solo mi hora de almuerzo, buscando algo diferente. He pasado por este lugar probablemente a diario. Al pasar, vi a los chefs haciendo el sándwich y uno sazonó un sándwich de manera teatral, me llamó la atención. Me uní a la cola. No tengo idea de qué orden se vigiló lo que hacían mis compañeros clientes. A medida que me acerco al frente puedo leer el menú. Un "cubano" suena bien. Chico oh chico estaba bien. Delicioso. Sabroso. El mejor sandwich que he comido. Hecho con cuidado. Gran servicio. Lo haremos gente. Vuelvo a comer todo lo que hay en el menú.

Passing by London’s financial district, you need something quick and delicious to keep you going on. And there’s no place better than Birley’s Salt Beef Bar! Located just inside Cabot’s square (I guess), it’s a small joint that serves salt beef, pastrami sausages and other mouthwatering sandwiches. The place the clean, neat and tidy. The chefs are very welcoming and serve you directly from the counter. You’ll have bread and topping options, and everything is prepared in front of you with a smile on top! Hint: order their famous salt beef sandwich with English mustard! It so strong and tasty it just goes through your brain!.......!!!

Craving for juicy,tender beef,this has the answer,Quick lunch or snack-perfect.It is tasty too!There are many offices in that area,so for a quick bite this is great.

Delicious food. Looking at nearly £4.00 for a sausage and egg sandwich in the breakfast menu but it is yummy. My whole office are frequent visitors of this place

It's more than just salt beef. There's chorizo, turkey with cranberry sauce, pork belly with crackling and apple sauce, beef brisket and more. Definitely the finest warm sandwiches in Canary wharf: door-stop bread, generous portions, speedy service. Odd ticketed queuing system, but what the hell. If you're in Canary Wharf and don't fancy a sit-down lunch, this is your number one stop.

I was introduced to this place by some work colleagues recently I am now just as excited about it as they were. The sandwiches here are on another level. I had a peanut butter sandwich the first time I went, and then a roast beef sandwich the second and both were exquisite.

good flavoursome sandwich, you know its good when there is a massive queue at lunch everyday! tad pricey tho.

Wanted a Monday special on a Wednesday, but had to pay the full price. Was rather pricey but as usual the sandwich was well worth it!

Fast and tasty i dont think it's healthy. £5,95 for lunch which was good. I appreciated there were tables given the price.

Cant comment on the salt beef as i just stopped by yesterday morning to grab a bacon sandwich- service was quick and efficient and the food prepared fresh infront of you. Bacon sandwich was simply excellent- proper fresh soft bread with tasty, perfectly cooked bacon. A little on the pricey side...but it is Canary Wharf!

Pastrami had a weird taste to begin with but my palate adjusted and I enjoyed my sandwich a lot. The brown bread was lovely.

Delicious, moist, and succulent salt beef sandwich with a choice of mustards and other condiments. Only thing is that its not shredded/shaved and chunks of meat, but amazing nonetheless.

Las colas dicen todo! Las carnes asadas en mostrar mientras espera en Birley significa que van a tratar, visitó hoy y vimos mi carne salada de centeno con cuidado y pasión. Tras su visita, querrá trabajar a través del menú porque ahora debe hacer! ! Ir cuando estás en la zona de Canary wharf. . No te decepcionará.

Lovely sandwiches and very much catered for the financial district. A little too expensive in my opinion but good for a Friday treat.

One of the many sandwich joints in the Canary Wharf area and also one of the many Birleys in the area, but this one stands out with its sheer awesome salted beef sandwiches. The Newyorker sandwich was fantastic, the way the flavour of the salted beef gets along with the pickle and cheese. The queues are usually long for lunch, but it keeps moving. They might as well use robots instead of the waitress, due to her lack of emotions while taking the order! Prices are ok, slightly on the higher side, but its worth it.

When it comes to a quick sandwich in Canary Wharf, not much can compete with this! Salt beef cooked such that you end up with tender meat that falls apart. Beautiful and flavoursome, each sandwich customised to suit. Only negative is the costs are high, but for a once a fortnight/month it's worth it! Other meats are available however I can't personally skip the salt beef so can't comment on them other than they look, and I'm told they are, equally as delicious.

Best place to grab a sandwich in the whole of Canary Wharf. I genuinely LOVE the salt beef from here, the staff are great and quick, however like almost every single place in Canary Wharf they're over priced but its so nice i can almost justify the daylight robbery!

I just love this place, you get an excellent very very full sandwhich and its all freshly cooked and fabulous

Had this place highly recommended by a friend and whilst it was lovely, it was a glorified sandwich shop selling what most may consider to be expensive sandwiches. That said, the food was lovely but not sure I would visit again given choice in the area and the long wait to be served.

The idea is simple, choose your bread, choose your meat and maybe add mustard or pickle and watch as they prepare your sandwich at high speed. Portions are definitely generous, taste is extremely good. Prices are pretty much what you would expect for Canary Wharf, but in my view it is totally worth it.

Had to queue for while, but completely worth it. Simply place your order with the cashier, wait in line and you will be called to collect. Seems a bit old fashion, but completely does it for me! Great sandwiches and high quality meats. Simply love it

Went for a quick lunch with a colleague. We both ordered the pork which was accompanied with scratching on brown bread. Great quick service and mouth watering pork, with added, apple sauce or added choice of sauce. Nice ambience I'd definitely go again.

So, in Canary Wharf - in need of a little sustenance found this interesting overpriced sandwich bar -- providing salt beef, pork, sausage sandwiches -- all looking very tempting went for the salt beef and thought I would get a banger on the side -- but was charged the full price of a sandwich for just a sausage! Salt beef had no taste so, a disappointing lunch....

It seems to be a favorite. Clean Fast Food. I didnt care for the beef, but thats just my taste buds. Sandwiches served pile high. All meats looked very fresh. Next time I will try the turkey

Excellent salt beef, pork belly delicious too. I always get crackling on the side. When it comes to salt beef in London, Birley is second only to The Brass Rail at Selfridges.

Picked up a quick on-the-go meal here. It was fresh & tasty. Service was fast & helpful. Very attractively priced too. Recommended.

This is no substitute for the Brass Rail at Selfridges in Oxford Street (the best salt beef and tongue sandwiches bar none) but not a bad imitation. Wasn't sure to give 3 or 4 blobs----it is somewhere in between however fairly good value so went for 4 blobs.Seating area OK ish. Very helpful staff. You do not go for a gastronomic experience but you do get a decent sandwich at a reasonable price.

Stumbled across this place on my way to a meeting and grabbed a salt beef sandwich to go. It was expertly created by friendly, skilful staff using fresh ingredients. You have control over type of bread, mustard and pickles and a warm sandwich is assembled in front of you and then handed over in just a few minutes.For a little over £5.00 this is a delicious, filling sandwich, a step above my usual Pret offering (which I love, don't get me wrong!). There are a few seats at this particular branch, though you'd need to be lucky (or hang around) to grab a spot.I'll definitely return to try the pork belly sandwich, maybe at one of their other shops (hadn't realised they were also a chain!)

This place consistently makes the most delicious sandwiches that I have ever eaten. The staff are highly skilled and courteous.