BlackSalt — Restaurant in Washington

Tucked along the winding elegance of the Potomac Palisades Parkway, Blacksalt Saloon is the sort of place you arrive at expecting a solid meal—and leave with the conviction that Poseidon himself must be on the kitchen staff. This isn’t dinner; it’s a symphony. A salt-kissed, butter-brushed, elegantly plated opera of oceanic bliss. And spoiler alert: it’s a 20/10 experience. Yes, we’re breaking the scale.

Let’s begin where every good oceanic romance begins: the mussels. These aren’t your average mollusks clinging to relevance in a garlic broth. No, these are plump, proud, and bathing in a broth so rich and flavorful you’ll start negotiating with your spoon for full custody. Sop it up with crusty bread and you’ll consider writing sonnets about seafood.

Then comes the tempura lobster—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and clearly battered by angels. It crunches like a golden whisper and melts like a promise. Paired with a tangy dipping sauce, it walks the tightrope between indulgent and ethereal. If you’re sharing this, rethink your relationships.

Next, the diver scallops. Seared to a caramelized crown and nestled into a bed of something so silky you’ll think it was made by Hermes, not a chef. They are ocean sweetness, seared in love, plated with poetry.

And then… the branzino. Oh, the branzino. Whole-roasted and plated like it was styled for the Met Gala of fish. The skin is crisped to perfection, the flesh delicate and fragrant with lemon and herbs. It flakes at the touch of your fork, sighing its last breath of deliciousness onto your palate. It doesn’t just taste good—it feels important.

At this point, you might swear off dessert, full and spiritually satisfied. But don’t you dare. The crème brûlée awaits, its sugar crust a glossy caramel armor that shatters with the perfect tap. Inside? A custard so velvety, it rewrites what you thought you knew about vanilla. It’s a lullaby in a ramekin.

Service? Impeccable. Vibes? Sophisticated but unfussy, where you can dress to impress or come as you are—and either way, feel like royalty. This is the kind of place you tell your friends about, then secretly hope they don’t all rush in and overbook your new favorite table.

Blacksalt Saloon isn’t just a meal. It’s an ode to the sea. A triumph of technique. A love letter to flavor. Go hungry. Leave...

We’ve been wanting to try Black Salt and we’re excited to spend date night here. When we came in we were met with hospitality by the host however that seemed to be the end of the kindness. A male server brought us menus, and I asked for Aqua Panna water, however he informed me that they only had Evian. I looked over a few moments later and the couple next to us had Aqua Panna. We’d already been drinking tap so I elected not to press the issue but it seemed odd from the beginning that a restaurant of this caliber didn’t have Aqua Panna. A female server returned asking “Did you figure out what you want to eat?” She never introduced herself nor asked if we were familiar with the menu. I had to prompt her for recommendations and specials which she merely pointed to on the menu. My husband expressed that he had a dairy allergy and she didn’t seem overly concerned or informed about which entrees included dairy. After we received our entrees our server walked past our table several times without checking in to ask if we needed anything. Meanwhile she visited her other tables several times. She came back 20 minutes after our entrees has been cleared by other staff, sat the dessert menu down and walked away - again, it reviewing the options or asking if we had questions. I decided that I no longer wanted dessert because I wasn’t a fan of the service at which point I asked for the check. On my way out I spoke with the manager JJ who was quick and dismissive- stating that they were busy and short staffed. I told him the other tables around us were visited more frequently and he said “I’m sure this was an equal opportunity mistake,” patted my shoulder and said to come back. He was very quick, dismissive, and implied that I was alleging this was a matter race when I had made no mention of such. The server’s mistake is one thing but to be dismissed by management is another. As a foodie and one who is familiar with the DC dining culture I had one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in...

My family brought me here for a celebration dinner. The walk from the seafood mart through the casual dining booths area and the room with ceiling-high wine racks to the fine dining room was an enjoyable mini-tour in itself. Our server was gracious and provided explanations of both menu and special items but also of components of served items. In addition to a comprehensive wine selection, they also provided a reasonably wide selection of wine by the glass; I enjoyed a rose cava, which complemented the seafood. They brought a sampler of 3 types of tasty fresh breads/rolls and poured herbed olive oil for dipping. We started with Oysters Rockefeller (4), which featured decent size oysters that could stand up to the spinach and parmesan cheese. The burrata cheese plate included sweet roasted figs and tender prosciutto. For entrees, the crab cakes were all blue crab with the minimum filler needed to bind them; the fish stew was piquant not peppery and sported a huge prawn in addition to multiple type of bivalves and fish; and the butter poached lobster (the starter menu item doubled into an entree portion) featured an entire lobster perfected cooked, chopped into large bite-sized chunks and served atop a bed of balsamic-sweet mushrooms, pearl onions and cauliflower. For dessert the key lime tart with blueberry couli (served without whipped cream due to my lactose intolerance) actually tasted of key lime! Please forgive that the photos are presented in reverse order of the food described. Note: the restaurant does not have Wi-Fi so if using Lyft or Uber, need to visit the pizza place down the street to...