Salty D’s Beachside — Restaurant in Ormond Beach

Only passing through, so wasn’t sure if leaving a review was fair, then thought, reviews help a business offer their best. After reading the great reviews, we had visions of exceptional dining al fresco on the upper deck on a beautiful sunny late afternoon. Major disappointment on all accounts. Perhaps it was an off day, perhaps it was because we were in between peak service times, perhaps because it was hump day and everyone was trying to catch a second breath for the remainder of the week, but our experience did not live up to the great reviews. When we entered, 4 people at the bar turned to look and a lady hollered out, “have a seat anywhere fellas.” Not the warmest of welcomes. The decor is certainly not beach vibey, I’ve been in cheerier funeral establishments. Dark, dismal, dreary for a late afternoon meal, but probably works for the live band dining and dancing. The meal was most disappointing. The spinach pie was either reheated in a microwave or stuck in the oven for a few seconds to give the appearance of being hot. The phyllo was soggy and the spinach mixture extremely dry. The gyro pita was soggy, hadn’t been grilled long enough, the tzatziki was barely noticeable, the lettuce seemed like it was cut up the day before. The fries were reheated from lunch’s leftovers, certainly not fresh, certainly not hot. Why not say something, you may ask. If they couldn’t be bothered to send out a top notch first offering, what makes you think the second will be an improvement? The only saving grace was Jamie, the server. This guy knows customer service and delivers with great class. Attentive, not intrusive, efficient, and pleasant. It seemed that he was also training a new server, didn’t get her name. She has an exceptional teacher. He was thoroughly explaining all the different steps to her and doing so with great ease. I would love to give Jamie and the new server a full five stars, but that really dismisses the first encounter at the door. In early 2025, many establishments in the hospitality industry are bemoaning a downturn in business. Successful establishments know that hospitality, all day, every...

I generously gave three stars because we didn’t eat the food. I say generously because I think the website is pretty misleading as to what the vibe of this restaurant is.

The website presents like a nice upscale dining experience. When we got there the only option was outside and the live music was loud, and not great. Also, when we arrived, we were completely ignored when we got there. I read a previous review where the owner unapologetically acknowledged the volume and said basically it just wasn’t the other patron’s kind of place. Maybe the website should paint a more accurate picture of what the restaurant is about. The upper deck looks like a run down pier bar. And that’s great if that’s what we were looking for. Anyway, if you’re thinking a nice night out with great atmosphere for dining and conversation. Keep looking. FWIW read my other reviews, I’m not the guy that only reviews when I’m not happy, most of my reviews are very positive.

Edit- In response to your reply to my review. We didn't eat because we were IGNORED, so nice of you to ignore that part of my feedback. So, in spite of the fact we were a bit confused by the disconnect between your website and our initial impression, we planned to eat, we just didn't want to be ignored for another 15 minutes. Being ignored made leaving easy...I'm sure to you that's our fault too. Also, the website is linked to your business profile in Google, so if it's wrong that's a problem you should thank someone for pointing out. You're welcome. The problem is you're too busy making up excuses for everything we experienced. That's a great way to show people that aren't familiar that basically, if they come to your restaurant and have a bad experience, that's not your problem. You're lack of responsibility and professionalism is why I changed the rating...

I was looking for a relaxed fun beach atmosphere with great food. I did not get that. I ordered the fried cod basket. I’ve ordered this at many establishments over the years and enjoyed all of them and would have given them all 5 stars. I would have given this meal zero stars if I could. I’m not sure if I had cod since it was a 1/4 inch filet with an overly thick batter that was over fried. There was far more batter than fish. I couldn’t even taste the fish because of this poor preparation. The fish should have been between 1/2 - 1 inch thick. The fries that came with it were equally bad. When my server came out with my meal I initially thought they looked like over fried sweet potatoes since they were such a dark brown. Since they were thin cut fries, which can be delicious, they were fried to the point of no white potatoes inside the fries. My server later acknowledged that my meal was definitely overcooked. This meal should have been recognized as extremely over fried by the cook as well. I regret not taking a picture of this meal to attach to my review.

I saw in a previous review that the owner refers to her cook as a chef. That is a stretch. A chef is a trained and experienced culinary professional that has a deep understanding of cooking techniques, flavors profiles and food preparation. A cook focuses on preparing and cooking food based on recipes and instructions. I would not expect a chef to be working at this establishment, but I would expect a...