Delicious food, incredible decor and vibe, and very welcoming staff. Prepare to be there at least 2 hours for the experience because it is rather slow (little kitchen, perhaps?) but ultimately worth it! read more

To set the context for this review, I'd like to share that I first discovered Salt in 2017 during a road trip down the Oregon coast to So. California. That was such a great experience that I stopped in again on a similar road trip in 2019. Fast forward to 2026. My husband and I were taking that same route and made sure that Arcata and Salt were on the itinerary. I was looking forward to the amazing risotto I'd had in the past! I was disappointed to discover that the location, the vibe, and the menu have all changed. That said, we still enjoyed our meal. I ordered the Market Salad. It was fresh and the dressing was light and delicious. It was large enough to share. Not realizing how large the salad would be, my husband also ordered the calamari as an appetizer. It was cooked perfectly with a light breading and it wasn't not greasy at all. For our main course, we split the Salsiccia pizza. It was the perfect size for us to share, especially given the appetizers we had. The amount of toppings were on the sparser side, but that just might be the nature of that pizza. Side note on the service: Our server was friendly enough but she was not very familiar with the menu. I asked if I could substitute the lettuce in the Market Salad for romaine and she didn't think that was possible. I explained I didn't want field greens and/or big leaves and she assured me those were not used in the salad. She said she thought it was iceberg and it was chopped very fine. With that, I ordered the salad. When it arrived, it was actually bibb lettuce that was left in relatively large pieces. At least it wasn't field greens! In their new location, they have a great patio. If I were a local, I think this could be a great place to hang out and enjoy their crafty cocktails. But since I'm not, I don't think I'll be back to Salt. read more

Love the ambiance and the staff were very pleasant. We ordered the raw oysters (which was very good), calamari was ok... but the sauce was amazing! The margarita pizza was ok... think it could be cooked longer... now on to the main dish... the ciopinno was very good... bisque consistency and the squid ink tagliatelle dish was good... the shrimp was cooked to perfection. read more

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I have been up since 3am regretting going here. SICK! Do not eat the oysters. That is not mayonnaise on them. Good luck! read more

We dined there assuming we could get some scallops, crab or lobster. None of which was on the menu. Had the beef short rib pasta, which was delicious. Service was great, food was excellent but not what we were expecting. Can't wait to try the crab here. read more

The oysters were not edible. When the waitress told the guy shucking them, he said "ooops, my bad." How do you mess up garlic and butter? This place looks cute but those oysters were totally nasty. Also toxic fire dump outside makes it hard to be in the outside sitting area. I hope I don't get diarrhea read more

Get the fritto misto di mare and thank me later. It's basically their version of fish and chips plus fried shrimp (prawns) and calamari. The batter is seasoned amazingly, the portion size is generous, and the size of the prawns are HUGE. Also really enjoyed their drinks and their seasonal salad. The vibe was excellent. You can sit inside or outside. Service was also great and friendly. Definitely will come back next time we're in town. Ps make sure you pay in cash at small businesses! I read more

Salt - Fritto misto di mare - Seafood Near Me - Arcata, California

Came here for happy hour while visiting on a weekday and were able to be seated right away. We ordered half a dozen grilled oysters, half a dozen raw oysters, and calamari from the happy hour menu + a smoked italian sausage pizza from the normal menu. I enjoyed the oysters - the grilled ones were huge compared to the raw (not sure if that's common), but they all tasted fresh. The calamari and pizza were also good. Overall, the service was good and the space / ambience of the restaurant was nice and spacious. Would recommend for anyone looking for some happy hour bites! read more

Salt - Grilled oysters - Seafood Near Me - Arcata, California

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Honestly I never write Yelp reviews, but an experience I had a few weeks ago has been haunting me. I came in with my grandma who flew in to visit, thinking the nice-looking seafood restaurant would be perfect for being on the coast. Food was average for such high prices, but expected for the area. Wouldn't complain about it. What I'm concerned about is the hygiene practices in the kitchen. I went to the bathroom after we got the bill, and saw some sketchy guy with slicked back hair shucking oysters in the back through the door window. Never saw someone open an oyster before so I kinda stood there and watched. But then the guy dropped his tool on the ground, looked around, picked it back up and kept using it! Ick! Not going back. read more

Very good food, but it is a smaller menu. The inside is super pretty! A perfect date night location. read more

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Definitely an epic local spot. Great vibe, really fits the local community atmosphere. On weekends definitely try to get a reservation, as they are not a massive place and is a popular spot for the locals. Located in an old Machine Shop building, which in itself makes the location really cool. Great friendly service, awesome food. 10/10 read more

Salt - Great pizza, awesome burger, and the fried calamari was great too! Not shown here was our flight of oysters, both raw or grilled. Amazing! - Seafood Near Me - Arcata, California

Decided to get dinner at Salt after seeing chef Jon's instagram story about the linguini and clams + mussels dish, and it did not disappoint! The sauce was a perfect blend of garlic and herbs, with the pasta being cooked perfectly. We also indulged in the halibut entree, which was cooked to perfection. The pistachio crust perfectly complimented the bright red pepper puree. I would highly recommend Salt to anyone looking for high-quality seafood and homemade pasta dishes. read more

Salt - Seafood Near Me - Arcata, California

Fast friendly service. Great food. Looking forward to our return. Only street parking, no parking lot, so plan on a walk. read more

Salt - Cioppino - Seafood Near Me - Arcata, California

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Cool place near the water. People were very nice and service was good. Food wasn't so good. Had the appetizer bread, which was good and hot, but too much Oregano. Had 3 grilled oysters and nearly left after putting the first in my mouth. It was hot off the grill which was great, but the belly was full and it tasted like (can't type it). I thought about spitting it out, but cloth Napkin and sitting by myself next to other tables forced me to chew through the nastiness. I had the Frito Misto as the entree and it was just not good. All the items were breaded with heavy panko and hard to tell the fish apart. The prawns were large, but not evenly cooked. Must have been from frozen. The kicker was the cocktail sauce. It was just ketchup. Ordering seafood next to the ocean in an upscale restaurant should provide a decent meal. Not so much. Try another spot unless you are just looking for a drink. read more

Salt - Frito Misti de Mare. - Seafood Near Me - Arcata, California

The food, service and ambience were amazing! Loved the cocktails, the frito misto & oysters were delicious! read more

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Salt's ambiance is nice, our service was great, and most of the food was very good. The steelhead was excellent and the accompanying leeks were good, but the broccolini was boring and just alright. The mushroom pizza was very good. However, the marguerite pizza with pepperoni we ordered to take home to our son was poor and very disappointing. There were no sliced tomatoes or basil leaves, the pepperoni was not very flavorful, and the sauce was ho-hum. Buy a pepperoni pizza just about anywhere else. If I had bought just the marguerite pizza this review would be a 1 star. Overall, we had a very good meal in the restaurant, but were ultimately disappointed by the take-out pizza, especially considering how much the meal cost $$$. read more

Extravagant food, great service, and wonderful ambience. I will definitely be back. A great gem!

The food was so fresh and delicious We wanted something quick but with flavor and good ingredients. So glad we came back a second time. The oysters were fresh even when grilled so yummy, normally don't eat them but I had to try them,glad I did. It was very filling and we didn't want to leave anything behind and finished it, was more than enough for 2 people, good portions read more

Salt - Caesar salad, carne pizza grilled oysters with chimichurri sauce and kombucha drink - Seafood Near Me - Arcata, California

We have not been to salt in a while. Wanted a place for a Sunday date night, after Valentine's Day, and salt was the only place with a lot of tables available. That sounded a bit alarming. We got there and the server told us they were also offering items from the Valentine's menu. The food was very good! The risotto with scallops was very good and a very generous portion. My wife got a surf and turf and it was good. Just wished the steak was a bit larger. read more

SALT needed salt. Everything was under seasoned. This is my 3rd and last time here. This restaurant is listed as seafood, fish and chips. There was no fish and chips on the menu. No clam chowder or any soup. It was primarily pizza, pasta, salad and some other dishes with seafood. We ordered the Brussels, octopus, mushroom pizza, scallops and polenta, mixed seafood plate, and tagliatelle with cream sauce. I wish I could say we loved it, but the best thing was the water. The chef needs to taste their own food, as everything lacked flavor and passion. I wish I took a photo of the tagliatelle, as they should be embarrassed to have it on the menu. Everything came out at once, and the last thing we got were the Brussels, which was an appetizer. They don't do anything for birthdays, just give you a candle if you buy a dessert. The birthday boy/man wanted the tiramisu but they were out of. I don't know what happened to this place. It is a far cry from the seafood tower and elevated experience it used to be. They one star is for the decor. read more

To be fair, not everything missed. The steak was decent, potatoes a bit try, though they did not have a New York cut and instead upcharged us to a ribeye. The burger was forgettable. The fries, for a place called Salt, somehow needed salt. Drinks were fine, though nothing memorable. Unfortunately, none of that matters because the cavatelli is why I am writing this review. I took my girlfriend out for what was supposed to be a nicer dinner. I'd driven past Salt for years and avoided it based on mixed word of mouth, but she loves pasta and was hoping for leftovers, so we gave it a chance. The cavatelli was indefensible. Afterward, I looked up what cavatelli actually is, and the discrepancy was humiliating. Cavatelli are traditionally small, hollow pasta from Southern Italy, hand shaped from semolina and water and designed to capture sauce. What we were served were dense, solid, baguette-like noodles with no hollow at all, a texture reminiscent of gummy worms and seemingly no functional relationship to the dish they were supposedly part of. Even if the pasta had been correct, it would not have mattered. The sauce was a blunt, overpowering lemon assault that erased every other ingredient on the plate. The mushrooms were overcooked. The greens were indistinguishable. The dish had no balance, no restraint, and no apparent understanding of what it was trying to be. We each took two or three bites out of guilt for the wasted food and stopped. I've had better pasta at Olive Garden, which is not a comparison anyone charging these prices should ever invite. A frozen meal I microwaved the night before was more satisfying, more coherent. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that this may have been the worst pasta dish I've ever been served, and that's counting a few drunken nights involving boxed spaghetti and peanut butter. When the server checked in, we were direct: too lemony. Far from palatable. The plate was cleared. End of story. No follow up. No replacement. No adjustment. The dish remained on the bill. Kitchens miss sometimes. What separates good restaurants from mediocre ones is how they recover. Asking for feedback and then doing absolutely nothing with it is not fine dining. If your food isn't good, it shouldn't be on the menu. Thats okay, though, we won't be back. On the way out, the chef was visibly watching us. Clearly the message traveled. The response did not. The server was kind, but the experience left a bad enough taste that tipping felt undeserved. This place seems far more interested in posture than execution, and far more comfortable charging premium prices than standing behind the food. Based on other reviews describing similar issues, this feels less like an off night and more like a pattern. At this point, Salt Fish House should probably go back to fish. The pasta is doing real damage. read more

Salt has such a beautiful ambience and kind people who work there. The food is amazing and always tailored to your unique wants or interests. Their cocktail bar is awesome as well! Ryan is always willing to make creative cocktails towards your interest. Kitchen staff do a great job with this as well! Love Salt!:) read more

Another memorable dinner at Salt. A classy environment with professional and friendly servers who deliver very good experiences. My dining companion and I shared a Caesar salad, Dungeness crab spaghetti, and grilled sourdough bread. All were delicious. Wine and beer selection is nice. read more

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Great dinner!! Oysters were amazing!! Drinks were good. Old Fashion is a little sweet for me but good!! Smoke Show drink was the best!! Steelhead was good!! Service was great!! Great outside sitting area!! All in all good experience!! read more

Salt - Grilled Oysters!! Bbq, Chimichuri, and garlic butter!! - Seafood Near Me - Arcata, California

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Ordered bolognese pappardelle If pappardelle... why you give SPAGHETT'? Sauce Good. read more

Oyster FAIL Ordered oysters. No littles so went with the bbq size. First impression gaged me to the spit-in-the-napkin point. Onboarded several cocktails to forget about that fresh hell which helped (thankfully). And then I went to pee......gates of purgatory : the smell, the stank, the critters....cute wallpaper and nice lighting if that does it does it for you. Gag factor is HellA high and not recommend. No. Just, Nooooo. read more

The staff was very friendly and the atmosphere was nice (until a family of screaming kids showed up and were allowed to run around the restaurant screaming). We had two cocktails; the siren song was great! The Rhapsody in red was heavy on lemon and sugar and tasted mostly like koolaid. The octopus was fine - a little tough but overall good. The squid ink pasta was quite disappointing- it was so smothered in garlic and pepper you couldn't taste anything else. Overall, probably won't bother coming back. read more

Best restaurant in place . Ruby the head chef special sauce is die for it . If they sell the sauce in a bottle I'll buy it by the boxes read more

Salt - Ruby's sauce was hands-down the best fish accompaniment I've ever had. I had to ask the kitchen for the recipe. This place rocks! - Seafood Near Me - Arcata, California

Great service by Iris. Nice ambiance. Our food was super fresh and delicious. One of the best Caesar salads we've ever had. Loved the margherita pizza (we added pepperoni). Would definitely return. read more

Pretty restaurant with open space and cool lighting chandeliers in a modern barn like atmosphere and semi open kitchen and vibrant feel all around, thus this place is a seafood specialty place in Arcata. Since another popular restaurant has bar seating only due to eight reservations coming in the next thirty minutes, we decided to call this place to see if they could seat three people immediately. They had open tables and welcomed us at a short notice. They had three tables open when we arrived and quickly filled all of them with pretty quick turnovers. The waiter was efficient and quick. The food came out quite fast and tasty. We had a nice Pinot 2021 for $88. The vegetarian risotto was warm but not at the temperature and rigorous consistency as my liking but passable. My wife ordered Lobster Mac and Cheese in iron skillet that was fantastic. The Cesar Salad was ok. The lemon tart cake with Pustachio Gelato was $12 and was ok. Overall excellent service and fast seating and friendly staffs and decent food overall. Solid four stars. read more

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Too expensive! You know when someone tries really hard to be cool but all it really looks like is someone trying hard time be cool? and they ain't cool at all? Well they have the expected Humboldt State students working there and those kids are this restaurants saving grace. I found the taste and quality of the food unremarkable and waaayyyy overpriced. That's just me. read more

I was at salt tonight. There was a new bartender. The drinks were awesome. He had a cool vibe. Super impressed.!

Great Oysters and atmosphere. Went there for a couple of drinks and definitely want to go back and try more

it Was a one night stay in Arcata on NY eve (midway point of a 1,050 mile drive) and I didn't think places would be booked or closed! Called Salt and spoke with Ryan. He was gracious and said he would have a table for us. The restaurant was wonderful and the food was delicious. Will always be grateful to the restaurant for taking us in When others turned us away. read more

My partner and I were traveling in Arcata for the winter holidays and had an absolutely delicious meal here! It was hard to find places that were open between Christmas and new years, and even harder to find places that were letting people eat outside (I guess people forgot that we are still in a pandemic?!) Luckily, Salt Fish House had us covered! We ate outside (alone because everyone else was indoors) on their large covered patio and heat lamps. The service was attentive and friendly. The food: our server let us know that crab season just stated so they had crab cakes with arugula and hollandaise sauce on the menu, which we promptly ordered. The crab cakes were absolutely perfect--they were crab-forward, not too creamy/heavy, and not to bread-y either. They were well-balanced, had some refreshing acidity, and were the perfect way to start us off. For our main course, we shared the seared steelhead which came with potatoes, broccolini, and an olive tapenade. The fish was cooked perfectly, the tapenade gave it a salty earthiness, and the vegetables and potatoes were absolutely delicious. For dessert they had a lot of Italian desserts on the menu, and we decided to get the chocolate cinnamon budino. I have never had a budino before, but this pretty much had the texture of a lightly fluffier chocolate ganache. It was a little grainy, but in a way that ended up melting in your mouth. It wasn't exactly what we expected (it was described as being kind of like a panna cotta/creme brûlée hybrid, which it was not), but it was decadent and super tasty. This was definitely one of our favorite meals on the trip and we will definitely be returning next time we visit Arcata! In terms of pricing--we got this meal + 2 glasses of wine for $100 including tip, and it was definitely worth it! read more

Salt - Seared Steelhead with potatoes, broccolini, and an olive tapenade - Seafood Near Me - Arcata, California

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I want to love and support Salt but I've had so many hit or miss experiences that it's hard for me to recommend it to visitors. My recent ahi burger wasn't good (a tough fully gray patty on brioche that was unrecognizable as ahi) but the fish and chips are always solid. I've decided that Salt is a reliably awesome spot for oysters, appetizers and drinks with great ambience. The entrees are iffy. read more

Apparently they were understaffed ... but that doesn't explain all the issues with a reserved table for four, which cost over $400. No silverware or plates, even once the food starting arriving -- had to ask more than once, only to then get a stack of plates and handful of silverware to deal with ourselves (while the food was already getting cold) ... and several minutes later (after again having to ask multiple times) received again a pile of napkins to fold and disburse on our own (and ten minutes later, someone else shows up with more napkins -- at least this time folded ...). Waiting a very, very long time between appetizer and entree course. But worse, one of the four entrees doesn't come out, and have to remind the waitstaff what had been ordered. So that order clearly goes in for the first time, while the other folks are awkwardly eating, and halfway done before the court meal arrives. One of the steaks being overcooked, in the meantime; the fries having the wrong requested seasoning (of the 3 choices they provide); and the food overall just not being that tasty. By the end, discouraging us from dessert because they are closing -- though we are only there late due to their mistakes! No apologies or fixes at any point -- seriously just seemed like they were all stoned or something. So we ask for some takeaway boxes as things are just getting awkward by this point -- and they bring a few undersized boxes for the many uneaten overpriced meals still on the table. So we ask for more, and finally get more. Then have to ask for a bag to carry it all in -- which should have been obvious to provide. Another five minutes, and have to ask for a bag yet again ... Now, three of the four of us spent several years in customer service, so we can be very forgiving, and very generous with proper care. But it gets to a point of scratching hour head and asking WTF went wrong with this one?? Unacceptable, particularly for the $440 price tag. I get that Eureka doesn't pride itself in nice restaurants, but I thought this one would be better. Oh well. read more

What a way to finish off the Redwood National Park trip. The food is amazing. Everything tastes amazing and fresh. The ambiance is pleasing. Our waitress was so nice and friendly. The sauce that she recommended for the grilled scallops was perfect for the grilled scallops. For the portion size and quality of the ingredients, the price is very reasonable. For the same price in Portland Oregon, portion size would be about half. read more

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Great cocktails and outstanding service, honestly one of the best servers I've had in recent memory. He was very attentive, helpful and friendly and we had a great time with our friends! read more

Amazing ambiance. Love the indoor decor. Great food and wine. The steak was well cooked as requested. Pasta was amazing! read more

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