Salt Seafood & Oyster Bar — Restaurant in New Brunswick

Been trying to get into Salt for about a year with all the Covid restrictions we finally got a reservation. Me, wife and my sister inlaws came and we had outdoor seating but its really isn't outdoor because the outdoor space is enclosed. It's more like an extended indoor space than an actual outdoor space. We checked in and was seated within minutes. Now after waiting for a waiter for almost 20 min with only water we asked for a manager. The manager came over and I explained that we were sitting for almost 20 min without anyone coming over. He offered to take our drink order and put it on the house which was a good start. After we spoke to the manager a waiter came over and explained there was a mix up on who was going to wait on us.

They brought bread and butter and thank god the butter was soft because they would have lost a star on hard butter.

We ordered apps which was shrimp cocktail, oysters, lobster bisque and crab salad. All which was outstanding. The cocktail sauce had a nice kick to it which complimented the shrimp cocktail.

After the apps we ordered entrées which were Blacked Sea Bass, a Sole fish dish, a halibut dish and the one they got wrong which I ordered a Chilean Sea Bass which was wrapped in bacon which I asked for it not to be in bacon because I don't eat pork. Well guess what they brought out all entrées and mine had the Chilean Sea Bass wrapped in bacon. I immediately called the waiter and let him know that it was wrong and he could take it. The manager came over and asked was everything ok and I let him know that I asked for no bacon and it came with bacon. He then asked me if I wanted anything else which I finally got crab cakes. They put a rush on the meal and came out and looked and tasted good.

After the wait to finally get in here and review it it met my expectations and would definitely come back and recommend coming. I give a shout out to the assistant manager for making the meal good with his approach to make sure we were taking care of and that all our concerns...

Honestly, I think this place is way overhyped. It's definitely good, but the food was just slightly above average, and the service was... memorable. This was my first time at Salt, and although I was quite impressed with the vibe, the food just didn't hit home for me. At first glance, the menu looked great - lots of seafood options, albeit a little pricey. For starters, I decided to share some oysters with a friend. The oysters were pretty good, no complaints there. I also got a lobster bisque (one of the most popular items), which honestly wasn't that great. There were barely any lobster chunks in the soup. Would have been nice if they added more meat. Then we shared the crab cakes (another popular item). It could have been crispier. The outside of the cakes didn't have the smooth crunchy finish. The inside felt kinda mushy like mayo. We also got a side of brussel sprouts - no crisp on them either. We ended with the crème brûlée cheesecake. Again, not great - the cake was ve r y heavy. Yes, I know cheesecakes are heavy, but this one was like all cheese, no cake. There's a ton of other fish dishes, which I'm sure are good.. maybe I'll come back, but unlikely. To end, also want to give a special shoutout to our waiter. He was very...interesting. He made the whole dining experience one for the books. Not to go into full detail, but every time he came around to the table, you didn't know what you were gonna expect. He would have a different personality each time. Started off nice, got annoyed at one point, then got wild, then nice again, then just drifted away. Suffice to say, it was an emotional...

We made a reservation and arrived 10 mins before. Our table was not ready and the front desk requested that we wait a bit. Expected a delay of 10 mins to setup the table but it was disappointing that the wait was 35 minutes. The restaurant should have informed us of the delay upfront and not said that they were setting up the table. The start was not great. However, everything else after we got seated turned out to be amazing.

Service : Jordan took care of our table along with a few others. He was friendly, attentive and very good at his job. Had a smile on at all times and gave good suggestions about the food options. The rest of the waitstaff were wonderful as well. 5 stars for service.

Food & drinks : A fully stocked bar with cocktail options and a good selection of wines. Options for food start with a raw bar, small plates to entrees. We ordered a variety of food and everything tasted good. Our personal favorites were the crab cakes, fries, heart of palm salad and the charred octopus. The clam chowder was yummy. For the main course, everyone who took a bite of the sea bass with risotto loved it. 5 stars for food.

Ambience : A fine looking restaurant with a modern and upscale feel. Casual atmosphere with seating by the bar is available as well. A parking garage is across the street which makes it convenient.

Pricing : Moderately high but totally worth the spend for excellent food and service.

Will I return? : Heck yeah!!!

Only reason for the 4 star rating is for the long wait time despite having a reservation. Everything else truly deserves a 5...