This is really nice seafood restaurant. And the Oysters are the best. We also ordered several other items. All are.the best.

The food here is excellent. The space is a little noisy, but overall appealing. The issue I have is with the service. We were here about a year ago and then one of the entrees arrived at least five minutes and perhaps ten minutes after the other dinners. We haven't been back because of this. We decided to try them again on Saturday, February 8. Same thing. Because of our previous experience, I timed the difference between the first plate and the last plate. The fish taco arrived a full five minutes after the four other plates were on the table. I mentioned this to the wait staff and they offered to take it off the bill. I appreciated the gesture but when it came time to pay the bill they had us sitting and sitting before picking up our charge cards and charging out the bill. I finally had to take the charge slips to the cash register. The dinner experience, usually an hour, was over two hours -- most of the extra hour was due to the service. read more

Dinner here is amazing! Lunch however could use a bit of work My noodles were a bit undercooked :( But overall I must say this is an amazing place and has done a great job turning what was once a dungeon like basement into a very cute place to eat read more

We sat at the bar. A male bartender was serving us this time. Funny as hell guy! Great service, funny jokes, friendly, outgoing, approachable!!! This guy needs a raise!! We had mussels with red curry which is amazing!!!! The penicillin is on point too great cocktail that is surprisingly hard to perfect for most places so good job. Ambiance is great. Much needed in Arcata. read more

This place was so delicious. The oysters were my absolute favorite. The service was excellent as well as the whole atmosphere. We will definitely be planning a trip back there. read more

Nice food and the service is good too. The grilled oysters are awesome!! Only little flawless is that the fries is sorta salty but not bad.

Salt, for being a new establishment, impressed with it's delicious food and refreshing drinks. I took my girlfriend here for Valentine's Day and it was money very well spent. We started with the Curried Mussels appetizer which were cooked to perfection and came with crispy crostini for dipping. I ordered the surf and turf which came with grilled sturgeon and perfectly cooked slab of pork belly. Both items were amazing and came with house pickled veggies. My girlfriend got the mushroom herb crusted patrale sole with a cauliflower puree. Sole itself doesn't really have a ton of flavor but with the mushrooms and cauliflower puree along with the lightly fried texture, it made for a delicious dish. Lastly, I just want to say that their drinks are amazing. My girlfriend got the no alcohol Cucumber Cooler, which was sweet and refreshing. I got a whiskey cocktail called the Corpse Reviver #3 which as a delicious blend of rye, ginger ale, and some other ingredients I cant remember. After leaving Salt, my girlfriend and I were talking about when we can return again to try more of their delicious food. read more

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All-around best dining experience in Humboldt County. The food is great. The atmosphere is lively. The price isn't over-the-top like most of the nicer restaurants in the area. I'm a Humboldt resident who's eaten my way across NYC and SF. Salt is the real deal. read more

I don't understand how anyone could give a positive review of this food. Can't anyone in this county see past the flash of meta-language marketing with fancy french or Italian names on a menu? Whoever thought up these flavor profiles could not possibly have a palate that actually tastes flavors. (my only thought was that even hostess sno-balls taste good when you're uber stoned) The mac and cheese was straight bechamel, that broke immediately upon cooling and stayed on my palate for hours like raw flour. It is disgusting. The salsa verde tasted like vomit. Seriously, like vomit. That horrible bitter acid on the back of your palate. And who in the world would destroy gorgeous scallops with pickled beets. With almond extract in the "vinaigrette". Almond. It is warring with the raw flour bechamel and making me nauseous. I understand it is all the rage not to overcook proteins but if I wanted sashimi, I'd order sashimi. Cook the scallops to temperature, I'm begging you. A sear on top with raw in the center isn't good cookery, my daughter actually gagged when she tried to swallow it. The mash potatoes were gelatinous glue and the texture was so off-putting you couldn't eat enough to register the taste. I don't understand the Humboldt restaurant scene. Just make good tasting food. How hard is that. read more

Oysters were super yummy and the service was excellent. Made reservations for a Thursday night but they weren't needed as it was about 1/2 capacity. Only thing that left me from giving 5 stars were the few gnats that were flying around and the fact that I've had better oysters in Humboldt. Love that everything is sustainable and fresh, but other places in Humboldt might be better if oysters are what you're after. read more

Absolutely AMAZING!! the food was mind blowing, and so was the service. Bobby was excellent! We will definitely be going back in the near future, and we will certainly be recommending this spot to our friends and family. read more

Good food a little overrated in my opinion. The portions are very small and little bland. The service is great though and the cocktails are good. Charred octopus is my favorite. read more

I brought my wife here on a date on a Tuesday night. The service was slow, Waited several minutes just to be greeted and took several more before we were seated even though there were several tables open. Just before we were seated another couple got up and walked out before they even ordered. I knew that wasn't a good sign but we're from out of town and didn't know where else to go so we stayed anyway. After being seated our server came over pretty quickly and took our drink order. 1 beer and 1 kombucha, nothing hard about that right? 10 minutes later she walked by and said, "I'll go get your drinks now." She took our order after getting our drinks and we didn't see her again until she brought the check. Different servers brought our food, no one everyone asked us if we wanted anything else or how everything was. The food was good but nothing great. The worst part of the whole experience was the noise level though. We were sitting face to face and could barely hear each other over the noise. One had to almost yell to have a conversation. read more

Dinner at Salt Fish House was a great choice. Went for starters and was not disappointed. Raw oysters were fresh and delicious but varied in size considerably. The charred octopus was very tender and full of flavors added to the dish. The tuna poke was simple and yummy! Topped off with Pisco Sours, made well. Attentive service in a very clean and fashionable setting. Thank you a nice evening meal. read more

Just got home from a fabulous dinner at Salt. This was our first visit and we were impressed with the service and food. Our waitress Anna made us feel welcome and was a true professional. Nice addition to Arcata. read more

Excellent food, very creative. Humboldt bay oysters mignonette was delicious, albeit a little sweet. Fried calamari was good, the blue cheese stuffed olives were delicious. Maple farms duck, good, too sweet, too much fat, the sides were excellent. read more

Salt is one of my husband and I's favorite restaurants in the area! We eat there often and have never been disappointed! Their menu includes a good variety, whether it's seafood or farm fresh foods you are looking for, and everything that we have tried always comes out delicious and cooked to perfection! Big city quality, with small town reasonable prices. The service from the kitchen is prompt and the wait staff are great!! Always polite and friendly and willing to make recommendations! I definitely recommend this restaurant! read more

Our server was extremely kind, recommended a great drink. We had the tacos and the fish and chips, and both were extremely delicious. I wish this place was closer to San Francisco- id be there all the time! read more

Walked in without a reservation on a wednesday and it was packed. Ended up sitting at the bar, had a nice meal and a few very good drinks. The trout was amazing and everything else was good. Seemed a little hectic; can't wait to come back. read more

We went there the second weekend of them being open. The service was great! The server was quick and attentive. The food was delicious! The charred octopus was amazing! The little neck clams were tasty as well (had that umami). The surf and turf was very tasty but if you're starving, this isn't for you unless you get a few appetizers and are not relying on the dinner to fill you up. I got the lobster roll. It was good but would rather have the roll not toasted (did not know the roll would be toasted) the meat was lots of claw meat too. It was good but will try something else next time. The cocktails are very tasty, definitely try one. Brand new remodel so it's nice and clean. Music was a bit loud like a bar. Maybe they have adjusted it since? read more

My son and I tried Salt Fish House. We felt that It was good but not great. The service was just ok. I did like that they served a lobster roll, it was good. For me Jacks is a better bet as I live in Eureka and Salt just didn't have what it takes for me to take a ride into Arcata. I would suggest giving them a try though. read more

Very good food..but a little pricey. Service was great. They also have a friendly looking bar area.

So yum! We had the friend shrimp with sure noodles and scallop risotto. Both were very delicious and we were reminiscing the fabulous dinner all night long. Would recommend read more

We really wanted to try Salt and enjoy fresh seafood. fish sandwiches and the fish tacos were not good. For the prices charged for lunch, fish should have been fresh. Fish sandwiches were one step above filet of fish from McDonalds and at 16$ with limp terrible French frys. Will not return. read more

This was just delicious from beginning to end. The hostess was sweet and gracious even though it was a Saturday evening and we had no reservations. We sat at the bar to wait for our table and enjoyed a Thai me up which was delicious and the bartender was attentive and friendly. Dinner was perfect and every bite well cooked, seasoned and flavorful. Wish I could go again tonight. read more

Fish and chips, very solid. The cod was great, very tasty thin & soft fries. May return for the lobster roll, octopus, etc

We really enjoyed SFH, the service, energy, and food were perfect. Our server was chill and understood my desire to have grilled mid-size oysters rather than the big ones restaurants in this area seem to favor. The margarita was not too sweet and maintained its balance through melting ice. The fresh salmon salad special and the halibut entree were both fantastic with layered flavors. These dishes needed to be slowly savored. Wine choices were not overwhelming and it was easy to find a glass to match the meal. The overall vibe of the restaurant was great! read more

This is the second time I've eaten at Salt now I gotta say this is a bad restaurant. The food takes forever to get to you and it's truly nothing to write home about. I got the simplest thing you could at a seafood place, fish and chips, and it was a mass of crap breading and hardly any fish. The fries were crumpled and sad. It all looked like some kind of Sysco nightmare. Someone else in my party got the steak and mashed potatoes and the steak was downright cold while the potatoes looked like instant microwave variety. If you are in search of real fish food I suggest going elsewhere. LoCo fish truck is farrrrrr superior. read more

We went to Salt Fish House after a very long drive from San Francisco. We were tired and ravenous and were looking forward to a nice relaxed meal. Unfortunately, our server didn't seem to take interest from the get-go in taking our order. This is a small upscale restaurant and we understand it may take a while before dishes come out of the kitchen. Our drinks took 10 min to come. Our server (or the kitchen) screwed up the appetizer and it had to be redone (adding another 15 min to the first 20 min we had been waiting.) The app was delicious and we were really looking forward to our entrees. Another 20 min passed with nothing coming. Meanwhile, we were seeing other patrons who had arrived well after us getting their dishes and finishing them. I finally waved my arms (literally) at our server who had been talking with someone at the bar for the past 10 min and asked her to check what was happening with our order. She came back with a pained look on her face to let us know that the kitchen has screwed up... somehow, given her lack of attention all evening, methinks she simply forgot to put our tickets in. We were not willing to wait another 20-25 min for our main courses and asked for the bill. The restaurant didn't bill us and that was fine and quite frankly, the least they could do. But I was so very disappointed not having been able to eat what I had ordered. So, if you go, make sure your order gets through. read more

I am so happy that we have something new in town.... pride of ownership!!! Salt is beautifully designed and both food and cocktail menus are well thought out and unique. The wait staff is very friendly and efficient too. I highly recommend the burrata and risotto. I am not a huge lover of seafood, and if you're not either, don't worry because there are options!! ... Can't wait to try that delicious looking burger I was eyeing last time ;) read more

I have to say my first impression of Salt was not ideal. However, I stand corrected. My second time here far exceeded my expectations. I tried one of the specials they served that night, duck breast, and it was so tasty I had to control myself from licking the plate. The service was wonderful! I was only disappointed with the desert. The cornmeal cake was a let down after such an amazing meal. Thank you for changing my original opinion. Salt is a great restaurant that continually gets better. read more

We've been traveling around California and that was the worst meal we've had so far. We got sucked into the place by the great interior and peoples buzz.The service was great and everything went well until the the food hit my mouth! The flavors of the hamachi dish did not marry well together and distorted a beautiful and delicate ingredient The octopus was not tender and super rubbery The halibut which is the favorite of many servers; is a disaster including flavor, texture, color, and presentation Not forgetting all the dishes were under seasoned The manger was very close minded towards criticism and didn't care about our dissatisfaction Other than that, all the employees were extremely pleasant and attentive read more

Excellent seafood. My wife and I were visiting the Redwood Forests. Driving through Arcata we thought we would have seafood for dinner. We saw this place on Yelp and gave it a shot. What a great decision! Excellent menu selection. Great specials. Very fire sly staff with excellent service. I would definitely come again! read more

Very disappointed after reading the good reviews. 1 bathroom right by the busy kitchen isnt very pleasant. The fish and chips were overcooked, dark brown, and way too greasy. My son ordered the fried chicken sandwich and it was just flavorless. I ordered grilled oysters as an appetizer and they did not arrive. I asked about them 5 minutes after my meal arrived and the waiter played it off like it was intentional, and said he had them cooked at the same time as my dinner. I asked him to take them off my bill and he said he would and bring me the oysters anyway, but he never did. Then he asked me directly if I got enough to eat at the end of the meal. Rude service and bland food. Not too happy spending that much money for a night out here. read more

Pricey lunch. Clam chowder looked good but was gummy...

WOW. Literally just got turned down for a party of 4 (when there was plenty of seating) 2 kids 2 adults. Was really looking forward to going here for my 29th birthday. Either they discourage tourists or children, either way, you'll never have my business again. No, there was no mistake, they sat down two ladies after they told us to leave our information and give us a call when they had room. Can't believe the profiling in this place!!!! Little did they know we're both from the service industry. read more

Really disappointing. First of all, this is NOT a $$ restaurant -- more like $$$$. Everything except the specials is a la carte, and overpriced at that. Our simple meal this evening cost us over $100 (for two), and would have been overpriced at half that. I'm an ex-chef so I pay attention to things like ambience, service, overall value, and, above all, the food. We've also lived in the area for more than 20 years, and we've seen a number of restaurants come and go, and this one is really nothing special, particularly not at the pretentious prices they're charging. We asked the waiter whether the appetizer salads were large enough to share. He assured us they were, and on that encouragement, we opted for a smoked trout salad at $14. When it came out, it was barely a single portion. We had anticipated a nice piece of smoked fish, but the trout in the salad was a mush of fish bits scattered through the greens. Apparently neither fresh nor distinctive. Not at all what we expected for $14. I ordered one of the specials, a fried food basket with hushpuppies, which are a rarity in this area. I had really been intrigued by a couple of the dishes listed in their online menu, such as seared steelhead trout with parsnip puree and, especially, a halibut in brodo with fennel and white beans. Neither of these dishes were on the menu, however. Which is not a problem, really, but there was nothing nearly as interesting on tonight's bill of fare. How hard is it in these Internet days to keep your current menu online? I wound up ordering the fried dish mainly because it offered the hushpuppies (normally a $6 add-on) and cole slaw as a side. I couldn't have been more disappointed. For $21, I got a tiny piece of thawed out, tasteless halibut and three pieces of bland tasting shrimp, all of which were so soggy with grease that the breading fell off. If you've ever had fish and chips from nearly any sidewalk vendor in the U.K., you'll know what I'm talking about. I can get a much larger portion of crispy and tastier (if institutional) fried fish at my local golf course for half the price! The hushpuppies were very dark on the outside, heavy and dry inside, with almost no flavor at all. If you've ever had REAL hushpuppies (hopefully, down South someplace), then you'll also know what I'm talking about. The cole slaw was good -- fresh, not sweet (thank the gods!), and slightly spicy, but still nothing to get excited about. I was served three sauces, a tartar, a remoulade, and a tomato sauce, none of which was fresh or original -- tasted like they were straight out of a Sysco squeeze bag! My wife ordered an herb encrusted petrale sole dish. Her fish, too, was soggy and greasy, and her portion, entirely without a side dish, cost $27. It was served with a tasteless cauliflower puree and a few undistinguished mushrooms. I'm not sure why all the raves about the decor and atmosphere, either. It is a modern style, but utterly without imagination. Pleasant, backgrounding decor -- the kind that will offend no one, but not disctinctive in the least, and certainly not exceptional. Urban modern came to Arcata more than 20 years ago with Folie Douce, and while styles have evolved somewhat, at least Folie Douce has personality and charm, neither of which is offered by Salt's bland, industrial, pastel look. And like too many other local restaurants, you're jammed into straight lines, shoulder to shoulder with a whole bunch of other people, with nothing to divide up the space or condition the atmosphere in any way, in a hard-surfaced room whose din makes normal conversation impossible. I've seen more atmosphere at the mall! Also not sure whey the raves about service. Our service was adequate, but a little obtrusive and not professional. To me, a wait person should be like a phantom, anticipating your needs and immediately there to (quietly) assist you, but otherwise invisible. They don't need to be chummy or constantly buzzing around to check if "everything is okay" or to swish your plate away before you've even finished chewing. Don't get me wrong, everyone we dealt with was pleasant and courteous, but for a restaurant with the pretenses Salt puts on, well, the service felt a bit more like Denny's. I realize this review sounds very negative, but I get brassed by restaurants that offer high prices for less than stellar quality. I don't mind paying, but as the price goes up, so does my expectation of value. We did have two very nice glasses of wine at $9 each, a Pinot Grigio and a Viognier. There is an attractive bar, and the cocktail menu looked interesting, but their beer selection is very pedestrian and rather limited. Salt is, overall, pleasant enough, but nothing special and just not worth it. I'd love to see Salt take itself as seriously as it seems to want its customers to, and to offer really fresh, simple, and sumptuous LOCAL seafood dishes, and unique, freshly made sauces at reasonable prices. read more

The server was quite rude from the second I walked in, so I walked out. Really sucks because I really wanted to try the food. That's something that this place really should work on. First impressions DO matter. read more

So...I think lighting and ambiance are very important in any dining experience. I'm sorry to report that this place is about as inviting as a cafeteria. I would suggest sunglasses if you are light sensitive. It is absurdly bright. How much can a dimmer switch cost? I actually suggested to the owner that he turn the lights down, but he didn't even acknowledge me. The chairs and tables are set up cafeteria style. In rows. The noise level is deafening. Very harsh environment. The food was good, but personally, I couldn't get past the very unpleasant room to enjoy it. read more

A bad oyster on one visit is understandable. We went here to dinner on our wedding anniversary and my husband received a bad oyster, which he immediately spit out. They replaced the oyster plate and all was well. However, 2 weeks later I took my friend there for her birthday lunch. She ordered the oysters and, since she is a fast eater, downed two before she realized that they were bad. She was sick for 2 days. No replacement oysters (she didn't want one, anyway) and no charge, but two occasions of bad oysters is too many! Also, the prices are too high for the quality. So, yeah, meh! read more