Salero Lounge — Restaurant in Maldon

Writing this after two very disappointing visits. (2nd visit on 10th nov approx 10.30am -11am) My boyfriend and I are both vegan and love to eat out and especially love a nice meat free breakfast. We decided to try the Salero lounge together as they appeared to have a really nice amount of vegan breakfast items and my boyfriend recalled the food being nice there a while back. The place has the potential to be quite grand and quirky, with the high ceilings and art work, however on both visits we found it a little on the grubby, unloved side, with dirty floors and a general unkept appearance (parts of the flooring seemed broken the 2nd time there). I ordered orange juice which was fairly expensive and came un chilled and with no ice so pretty unpleasant and my boyfriend had a coffee which he also didn’t enjoy - we didn’t fuss over these but made a note not to purchase again on any further visits. We got a large and small vegan breakfast and different food items were missing from both of our plates -we had to ask for these to be added - only for me to later realise they had still missed my vegan bacon off and I had to ask for a portion to be brought over. My boyfriend didn’t think the standard was what it used to be, and tbh I wasn’t really impressed. The sausage tasted nice but the mushrooms and spinach were very bland. We paid and left and later decided we would give them another try sometime to see if it had been a one off failure. The second visit (couple week ago) was worse and ended with us leaving without having any food at all. We again had ordered a small and large vegan breakfast and these were brought over to us with fried eggs on the toast. The restaurant management have clearly not given adequate training to staff as the person bringing our food didn’t seem to realise egg is not vegan. And the fact that the chef doesn’t seem to know that either is astonishing. The food was returned to the kitchen where we saw the chef take the egg off and send the same plates straight back out - didn’t even remove the toast that was covered in eggy grease. At this point, after speaking to staff and seeing that they didnt seem to understand the difference between vegan and vegetarian, we asked for a refund and left feeling very dissatisfied with our experience and feeling it very unlikely we would ever go back...

EDITED REVIEW 10/11/24 VEGANS BEWARE Came here when it first opened but after some time, and a recent visit, I thought I would give a review. When it first opened, the food was so amazing and fresh and everything was cooked perfect. It was clean and tidy and looking very pristine. After a recent visit, we left a bit disappointed with the food. Both the breakfasts (one small, one large) had items missing. It wasn't simply one thing, it was 3 things on 2 plates. The serving staff were awesome. Got things sorted pretty quickly. It seemed that the foot is off the gas here now that it's opened. The coffee this time was terrible. Very badly made and a very cheap bean, if it was a bean at all??? We moved to the bar section for a drink and the floor was very dirty and hadn't looked like it had been cleaned from the night before. Hopefully things start to improve again soon.

RECENT VISIT 10/11 VEGANS BEWARE Dropped number of stars after visit yesterday. Very doubtful we will return again. First time our plates had to be returned 2 times because of missing items. Also the poor quality of coffee and the cleanliness of the place had dropped dramatically since it first opened. This recent visit has left us thinking it very doubtful that we ever return. We ordered two vegan breakfasts. One large and one small. We are a very vegan couple. They both arrived with eggs on toast. We had to explain to the server that vegans do not eat eggs. But what shocked us the most was seeing the cook remove the eggs from the toast and just hand the plates back to the server. If the cook was a chef, firstly he would of know that vegans do not have eggs and they certainly do not like their food being contaminated by meat or dairy products going on their food. Suggestions....Employ proper chefs that know the difference between vegan and vegetarian. Keep the place looking tidy. It is already looking a run down in places. The floor on entering the place was heavily damaged in places. Damaged walls etc. Employ managers that actually manage rather than standing at the side eating a sandwich, watching customers complain to...

We went to Nautico Lounge down in Weymouth in August 2023, and we loved the decor, the atmosphere, and the food. When we heard we had part of the chain coming to Maldon, we were delighted.

This evening (Saturday 27th January) we turned up without making a booking (only down side). There were 15 of us… on a busy Saturday evening… in a newly opened restaurant… without a booking. We were welcomed in with open arms, and despite the large party of us, were seated within minutes. To make it easier for myself and the staff, I ordered as one whole order instead of multiple orders. There were 3 GLUTEN FREE people with us, and it was all perfect. Matthew (I believe, going by the till receipt) took our order, he got the gluten free ones out of the way first so we knew they were correct. The rest of the ordering process was flawless. Even when reading the order back to me, it was in the exact order that I had written it down, so it was so easy for me to refer back and check I had ordered it all.

It was for my daughters and my nieces 6th birthday and we brought a cake in which the staff were more than happy to organise the candles for, singing the happy birthday to my daughter made her evening!

The drinks came first, without issues, and the food didn’t take too long to come out either despite the size of the order and it all came out together. A real credit to the kitchen staff, and the front of house staff, and the (I assume manager? Tall man with glasses light coloured hair?) was absolutely fantastic too! I am so impressed with everything, the lovely decor and atmosphere, and the friendly staff. It was very busy in there, and the staff didn’t seem flustered or rushing around to get things done, it was nice to see! I believe having the calm atmosphere for the staff made the evening a massive success.

Keep up the good work, we will be back! Thank...