Salt Lick Smokehouse & Grill — Restaurant in Hualien City

had a great experience when we were hear last over a year ago so, with fond memories thereof, made a point to dine here again when we were fortunate to revisit Hualien. sadly, this most recent experience was substantially less than stellar (words are definitely being minced) as a result of a culmination of missteps:

1. our seating was a 4 person booth and one of the bench seats was soiled when we were taken to our table, meaning the table had not been thoroughly checked.
2. we were left unattended for a substantial amount of time. when we managed to wave someone down, he said that there were only two iPads going around (presumably to take down orders) and asked us to wait. however, after another 10 minutes when another server finally came to take our order, she did not have an iPad on her person and simply wrote the order down on a pad, which begs the question why the first server did not do the same.
3. value proposition is reasonable for the large Mediterranean Salad, full rack of Kansas City Baby Back Ribs, and slice of Homemade Apple Pipe. however, the value proposition for pizza (for example, TWD 495/TWD 765 for a 12"/16" The Capone Hand-Tossed) seems rather low. at these prices points, it would be more reasonable for the size to be 16"/20".
4. our order of Homemade Apple Pie with vanilla ice cream was completely unacceptable: a) the pie itself was served cold (and had probably been sitting out for a bit as its temperature was somewhere between room temperature and refrigerator cold) and b) the pie was served without ice cream. when the ice cream finally arrived, it was also 15-20% melted. on our first visit the apple pie was served hot (as in reheated in an oven) with ice cream. other than an apology, no amends were offered for this serious misstep.
5. overall, dining environment seemed to be less clean than before (especially the floor).
6. they are cash only now whereas they accepted credit cards before. considering Salt Lick's price point (the average spend per pax is probably close to TWD 800+), it seems rather unusual especially when most other proper restaurants accept credit card. clearly, the move to cash only is to save on credit card processing fees and thus is not particularly customer focused. after all, this is not some budget food truck on the side of the road.

whilst Salt Lick is without competition, being the only restaurant of its type in Hualien, these issues greatly detract from an eatery that largely serves great food. cannot really recommend given the above and will probably not make a point of revisiting if we ever come to Hualien again, although your...

The best American restaurant in town!

They have many lunch/dinner specials depending on which day you go. Many options to choose from.

I like that you can order almost any dish along with a side of your choice. You can also order the side dishes separately if you wish to have more.

The chicken wings are pretty nicely seasoned, although I would prefer to be able to order a bigger sized portion.

Their french fries are amazing on their own! You can also order poutine, which is my personal favorite out of the various options they offer.

When it comes to sandwiches, you really can't go wrong with any of the choices on the menu. If you're lucky they might have the Reuben Sandwich on special (it's a seasonal offer).

Ribs and steak are also great, you definitely won't be disappointed. You could even split a full rack for two people and still be stuffed afterwards.

Desserts are also the best. It is so hard to find pie around here, it is definitely appreciated. Amazing apple pie and cheesecake. The brownie sundae is also great.

I don't drink much, but their Cherry Coke is nice.

Overall a great menu with many options to choose from. Great vegetarian options as well!

When it comes to pricing I'd say it's reasonable for an American restaurant. You won't leave with an empty stomach!

Will miss this place when I leave Hualien. I'll definitely come here when I'm back to...

TLDR at the bottom.

We were actually really disappointed with all the great reviews we had read. We came in and even though there were tables we were sat at the bar. The bartender asked if we wanted a table and we said yes and were moved right away. It was weird but whatever. We ordered a few things. The wings came out and they were the best thing from here we ate. They were delicious only to find out halfway through those weren't actually our wings. We only found out when they put the correct ones in front of us and we were confused because we had only ordered 1. The waitress looked at us like it was our fault but we hadn't been there before how were we to know they were incorrect? The rest of the order was mediocre at best. The onion rings were disgusting. Too much batter and they tasted of grease. The poutine was just soggy.

All in all, the service was awful. I haven't been to a place with service as bad as this in a long time. The food wasn't great and severely overcharged for the quality. There's nothing that stands out that I would go back for.

TLDR: Got sat in wrong spot, chicken wings given to us were delicious but the wrong order and the waitress looked at us like it was our fault. Onion rings were greasy and poutine was just soggy. Overcharged...