Salt Traders Coastal Cooking — Restaurant in Round Rock

We found ourselves in Round Rock, TX on a recent Saturday, early evening, so we decided to stop by Salt Traders Costal Cooking on IH 35. We found a couple of open seats at the bar. Our first orders were a couple of craft cocktails, the Gin and Housemaid Tonic and The Rum Around. Both were good, but upon reflection, for the price, regular cocktails would have sufficed.

We kind of went crazy on appetizers, having Gulf oysters, grilled oysters, crab fingers, and the crudo plate, which was yellowfin. All of those dishes were “off the chart” crazy good, with the exception of the crudo … the white sauce used was way too sweet for the awesome fish.

When we finally ended up at the main section of the menu, we ordered the fried oyster lettuce wraps and the simply grilled fish of the day, which was redfish. The tartar sauce served with the lettuce wraps was delicious, but a bit too much was slathered on the wraps. IMHO put a dash on the lettuce leaves and let the patron add as desired from the small cup of tartar sauce that comes with the dish. The redfish was terrific, but no one knew why the place would have farm-raised redfish from the Indian Ocean when we have fresh redfish 200 miles away in the Gulf of Mexico?

Keeping it local, we ordered the Becker Vineyard Reserve Viognier, and it was delicious. In closing, a special shout out to our waiter Nathan behind the bar, service was attentive but not intrusive, so nice to have a great waiter with a great attitude!

Update October 2023

We stopped by Salt Traders Coastal Cooking on a recent afternoon while we were in Round Rock, Texas. Malikai was our server, and he did a good job. Attentive, but not intrusive.

We decided to start the meal with an order of Ceviche, which was very good. Super fresh fish, nice sized portions of fish, and the fish was the perfect consistency for a ceviche. Very tasty!

Next up, we split the Crab Louie Wedge Salad. They split the dish in the kitchen for us, at no extra cost, which is always very nice. The salad was huge! I the crab was plentiful, and the dressing was more of 1000 island style, than the blue cheese dressing that you would normally find on the wedge salad. Nice slices of hard-boiled egg, tomato, and blanched asparagus on the side. Nice presentation, and delicious.

For an entrée, we decided to try the Fish and Chips, which we had had at another location and enjoyed very much. The fish was served piping hot, very nice thin batter used, and the tartar sauce on the side was very good. The issue with the dish is that the french fries came out barely above room temperature.

I must admit, we are a bit finicky about fried potatoes... we like them piping hot, almost so hot you cannot eat them. We expressed this to the waiter when ordering. Malikai immediately replaced the french fries, but the second batch was not much warmer than the first. A manager stopped by next to apologize for the situation; and, he returned shortly with a piping hot serving of fries. A good recovery!

All in all, a good meal. The issue with the fries was most likely a result of the "twice cooked' method. Fries are par cooked, then dropped back in the oil for a couple of minutes before serving. Great method of cooking fries, but the key is leaving them in the oil long enough on the second drop! :-) Recommend...

Went here on 9/17/24 with my son expecting to have a great experience, to my surprise the service from Nicholas B was not good. He barely greeted us, nor did he smile the entire time he served us. He kept a stone cold face no matter how nice we were, nor how many times we thanked him for bringing items to the table. As a person of color it’s usually NOT a good sign from a server especially when they are super nice to all the other white tables around ours. I waved him down to get a receipt for our purchase, he looked at me with 0 acknowledgment and walked the other way. When he took the neighboring tables’s order he smiled and was very friendly to them. He even thanked them for ordering with a smile on his face! Not to mention he wasn’t mindful of our space and bumped the table several times, again very different treatment than what was displayed to other tables. My son and I went the extra mile to make eye contact with him, smile and thanked him every time he brought us something or took our order, he never thanked us or welcomed us, until the very end reluctantly because of the obvious tip expected. When we spoke to Patrick the manager on the way out, he apologized for our experience while saying he was surprised that Nicholas was that way. He apologized while not giving any resolve other than stating that sometimes servers have bad days but they strive to make everyone’s experience enjoyable. He gave 0 promise to make it right. Now I’m aware of and have heard about the lie “ black people don’t tip”, but when people treat you as if that’s how you are when you walk into their establishment by providing subpar treatment based on your skin color you just MANIFESTED EXACTLY what you don’t want, a lousy tip. Now I DID TIP 18%. However it’s optional especially when you are a sucky server because you are biased or racist. I will call it out! No more supporting business that give subpar treatment. Yes 1 rotten apple can ruin you bottom line. I’ll be sure to no longer recommend this place to my network and record any recommendations I’ve already made that have supported this business. If the manager showed more sense on how to appropriately correct these sorts of issues they may have saved themselves. Very unfortunate for a pescatarian family favorite. You can have the best food but when it’s served with a negative energy I’ll take my dollars where I’m thanked and treated...

A Disheartening Decline in Service and Standards

Salt Traders has long held a special place in my heart—a go-to recommendation for friends, family, and out-of-town guests seeking a memorable dining experience in Round Rock. I’ve celebrated milestones here and trusted the team to deliver both quality and care. Sadly, tonight’s celebration dinner fell far short of that legacy.

From the beginning, I extended grace. I overlooked the hair in my crabcake appetizer and even shrugged off the moment when I went to pour my Mexican martini into the glass and the lid—clearly not secured—fell off, spilling the contents onto the table. I tried to stay optimistic, even when our server seemed aloof and disengaged, checking on us only once during what became a roughly 40-minute wait for our two entrées (steak & salmon) in a nearly empty restaurant.

When the food finally arrived—delivered by someone other than our server—I was surprised to find my salmon plated cold. The explanation? It had likely been sitting on the salad bar. Beneath it were cold potatoes, which I assumed were improperly prepared until the manager informed me they were potato salad. As a culinary business owner, I was stunned by the decision to plate a hot protein over a chilled side on a cold dish. A heads up on the menu would be very helpful as I would never pair hot on top of cold as an entree.

The most disappointing moment came during my interaction with the second manager. I had hoped for understanding and resolution. Instead, I was met with dismissive language, multiple side-eye gestures, and a tone that felt more confrontational than conciliatory. His energy was deeply off-putting, and his word choices only escalated the situation. It was a missed opportunity to restore trust and demonstrate the kind of hospitality that once defined Salt Traders.

Tonight’s experience left me feeling unheard, undervalued, and disheartened. The food was just okay. The service was poor. And when you spend over $100 for three people in Round Rock, you expect warmth, attentiveness, and professionalism. Salt Traders had every chance to make things right—and chose not to.

I sincerely hope this was an anomaly. But if this is the new standard, it’s a painful shift from the excellence I once knew. There aren’t too many nice places to dine at in Round Rock, so I’m truly bummed. I thought I had found my home away from...