Full disclosure - I've known chef Ricky on and off for years, and have followed him since he was a hired chef in various spots around town. So if this place sucked, I'd just not write a review. I've been three times now and every time it kills. There's a chalkboard of fresh fish, which you can get on a platter or a sandwich. This last time we got something like amberjack, plus a shrimp roll, and it was all perfectly cooked, the shimp especially. Ask for the red sauce, which is kind of a cross between cocktail sauce and hot sauce. read more

Went there for a quick business lunch. I got the fried shrimp platter and a side of honey hush puppies. Usually, I find fried shrimp to be very bland. This was seasoned perfectly and the hush puppies were awesome! read more

We heard that Chef Ricky had received the SE James Beard award and we knew we had to give it a visit. We are culinary adventurous folks from NYC and are always looking for amazing local restaurants to try. This didn't disappoint. Fresh, simple and straight forward. Well balanced flavors with slaw that is refreshing rather than heavy. The grouper bites were divine. Oysters were well seasoned but had some chewy bits and slightly overcooked. Hush puppies are fine. Other than that our experience was satisfying. We will be back to try other menu items. read more

Another Durham gem! My mom had researched Saltbox Seafood Joint before going so we were there at 11 a.m. My mom got the chowder that changes daily but 10/10 would get again without hesitation. Hush puppies w/ honey were a huge hit. Big portions so you could definitely split a platter if you wanted. read more

Wow! Just wow. Amazing food. Probably one of the best meals I have ever had in my life. Shrimp rolls and honey puppies were drool worthy!!!

Had a delicious lunch from the Saltbox joint, I got the shrimp,coleslaw,fried broccoli,and a lemonade. The shrimp was cooked perfectly and the coleslaw was fresh and delicious. The fried broccoli had an acquired taste but was pretty good. The lemonade was definitely thirst quenching and refreshing. I would come back because of the good location, the food is very good and vibe of the restaurant was great. "Eat well and live life" read more

Saltbox Seafood Joint - Hanging out with my love! - Seafood Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

What a great concept - small easy to order, pick up and eat. I had the shrimp, which was fantastic! The potato chips included were soggy and did throw away. Cole slaw ok. Should have had the Brussel Sprouts. read more

I have wanted to try this place for a while and was coming back from a hair appointment in downtown Durham saw it was open and did a u turn . Glad I did. I had the fried shrimp which were delicious with a light breading and not your typical cocktail sauce. The sauce is not thick mainly ketchup like most cocktail sauces it is very flavorful and reminded me of the sauce from Sanitary seafood market in Morehead city from years ago .Plate came with homemade chips and onions which were also tasty. The only downside is the price my meal was about 30 including tip and no drink but as the saying goes you get what you pay for . They have other sides that sounded delicious but there was an up charge to change sides . read more

I have been looking forward to trying this place for forever. The hush puppies are amazing. I ordered the scallops and they were so breaded, I did not get a scallop flavor. The cole slaw was fine read more

Great spot for seafood that tastes super fresh! Go earlier in the day if you want to have access to the whole menu as they seem to sell out quickly! read more

Hush honeys to die for! Quick service. Although the food appeared to be cooked when we ordered, it wasn't hot.

------ TL;DR Clearly fresh seafood. Probably your best choice in Durham if you're craving fried fish. +FOOD+ - Flounder Plate (4 stars): Today's catch included flounder. The plate came with three pieces of fish, coleslaw, and potatoes. The fish was well-seasoned and not overly-breaded. It was also clearly fresh with a nice flakiness and mild fish flavor. The coleslaw was vinegar based and a refreshing combination of sweet and tangy. I thought this light coleslaw paired nicely with the fish, as opposed to your typical mayo-based slaw. The potatoes were supposed to be crispy, I think, but they were soggy and just tasted mostly like grease. Their homemade cocktail sauce was chunky and I loved it. The tartar sauce was meh; I like generic tartar sauce better in my opinion. - Lemonade (4 stars): Not cloyingly sweet. Refreshing. - Hush Honeys (3 stars): These are just hushpuppies with some wildflower honey drizzled on top. Definitely a tasty combination, but there was not enough honey / the drizzle missed the hushpuppies. Trying to dip the hushpuppies into the honey as it sunk into the paper boat was a miserable fail. Would be a lot better if they served the honey on the side to dip into maybe, but overall, not something super special you have to order. +EXPERIENCE+ Came in on a Tuesday afternoon around 2:00 pm for lunch. The restaurant is small, but beautifully well-lit with nice, nautical-themed decorations. The wait for our food was about 15 minutes; the restaurant had a few patrons. Service is counter service: order at the window, seat yourself, pick-up from the window when your name is called. I would eat here again. Visited 3/13/18 read more

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After a second visit, I am going to knock a star off. I ordered a plate this time and chose flounder. My main reasons for the downgrade are the price is pretty high for plates (I believe $16). You do get slaw and potatoes with that price, but I wasn't crazy about either one. (I did enjoy the founder and the home-made tartar sauce). The flounder was good, as was the hush honey's, but you have to pay $4 more for those and I think hushpuppies should be included for the price. I am sure I will come back to try more items (eg. shrimp, oysters, scallops). I would like for Saltbox to offer different items as sides to choose from. read more

Very good food. Service was great and fast. Was craving done fish for a very long time and this catfish met that craving. If you go starving get the plate , if you are mildly hungry get the roll. You will not be disappointed read more

Excellent fresh seafood!!! My family enjoyed spicy mahi, oyster and shrimp roll sandwiches, excellent. I had the spicy mahi, very tasty with a lovely roll and crunchy slaw. We also enjoyed the crispy cauliflower that had a dusting of curry powder I do believe. A must stop when in Raleigh or just craving good seafood! read more

I finally tried this place and I was underwhelmed to say the least I ordered snapper I received one pie of over cooked hard fish which was Tasteless some cold greasy potatoes with a sliver of green-pepper yes just one piece and about four slices of onion sprinkled with that red seasoning salt I'm guessing it was supposed to make it taste good and how they could have been cold is a mystery because it was crowded so it seems as though they would have been hot and fresh for the money 23.00 dollars for one piece of fish and not even a full serving cup of slaw I think I was expecting a little more.Maybe it was just so busy that the food became an after thought that seems to be the general consensus now a days read more

Stop in. It's great. We had spicy Mahi, fried oysters and shrimp. We skipped the rolls and went with platters. Recommend. Spicy, great seafood, really lovely staff. Get here early the lines start quickly. read more

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Everything is amazing. The flavors are distinct and a bit different than anything you've had elsewhere. Solid place to visit when in the Durham area. read more

Food was over fried and pricey. My husband had the catfish dinner that came with fried potatoes which were thinly sliced potatoes deep fried and Cole slaw. I had the grouper sandwich and ordered collard greens. The sandwich had a small amount of slaw on it. We also ordered hush puppies that had a small amount of honey on them. We were not impressed with our experience and felt very disappointed with our meal. read more

My husband and I enjoy finding and trying restaurants based on awards won, minority owned, unique concepts etc. This one popped up and we decided to drive 40 minutes to try. The pricing was decent so I had high hopes. They were out of chowder, which was my first disappointment. They fry everything as ordered which is nice but the fry station looked like it had seen better(and cleaner) days. Our fish was good, the coleslaw was a tiny portion and not my taste, the potatoes were greasy and soggy. So in essence I paid for a few pieces of decent fish. I will probably never go back. read more

I recently went to this location of saltbox to give them a try. I like this location even better. I had an oyster sandwich, the slaw was fresh and delicious. The bread soaked up the oyster seasoning extremely well, and the oysters were fried to perfection. I strongly recommend this establishment if you were in the mood for some fried seafood as they do it well! read more

Really, really good! I had the spicy mahi and loved it. The grilled fish was exquisitely seasoned. The potatoes with green peppers and onions was terrific. I also ordered a side of hush puppies with the honey drizzling and it was a delight. I came home and told my wife all about it and we have to go together. read more

I had an outstanding lunch for my first visit. I got the trout roll and not only was the portion of trout very generous but the fish was delicious (well seasoned, lightly fried, very fresh). In addition, the slaw was epic - the apple flavor was very present and created an awesome contrast to the richer fish. Finally, the bun was rich and crunchy and really tied the sandwich together. I recognize the feedback that the prices may seem high but I believe in paying for quality and you can't beat this quality. read more

The food was tasty. The jazz music made it feel like I was at home. Tried the fried flounder today. read more

Saltbox Seafood Joint - Nice atmosphere as always. - Seafood Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Heard about it this morning on CBS 17's "My Carolina." I had a doctor's appointment in Durham this afternoon, so I thought I would give it a try. And I am glad I did! The scallops, though small, were quite delicious and plentiful was the serving. Fried cauliflower and slaw as sides did the trick! It's a ways to travel from Oxford, but I will be back when next in town! read more

No better place to get fish, particularly if you want to try the unpopular kids in school, like sheepshead, tilefish, ribbon fish, croaker, black drum, mullet, blue fish, monkfish... You can get red snapper, oysters, soft shell crabs, catfish, flounder anywhere but they're great here too. Be adventurous! Try them grilled. read more

I decided to swing by for dinner on a Friday evening at around 7pm. This is a neat little place with a decent amount of parking. There is some outdoor seating but because it was raining, there was no one outside. The restaurant wasn't packed but upon ordering I was informed that the food would take about 30 minutes. There aren't many options on the menu and I ordered the bluefish plate (comes with fried potatoes and slaw). I was pleasantly surprised when the food only took 15 min before my order was ready. The plate came with a red sauce (a cocktail sauce with some herbs) and a classic tartar sauce. The slaw was slightly tangy and sweet, a refreshing and perfect complement for the fried salty potatoes and fish. The fish itself was breaded well and not overcooked- though I wished it was a little more crispy. The fried potatoes were potatoes cut like potato chips. They were a little too salty for my taste. Overall, it was a hearty meal. I wished there was a little more slaw to counterbalance the saltiness of the rest of the food. I'll probably come back again to try something else on the menu. read more

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Absolutely amazing. The freshest seafood. One bite and you know it. The fried potatoes are out of this world! The crispy onions and green pepper! We just happen to drive by and we're like "what's this". The reviews said there was a long line but we didn't experience that at all but I'm pretty sure they do get crowds. I got an Arnold Palmer mix and it was sooooo good. And get the hush puppies. You have to! Oh and check out the cutie at the fryer. He's got kind eyes. LOL read more

Have wanted to eat here for just forever and finally made it. We looked at the website first to get an idea of what to expect but it just said their menu changed by the day so there was nothing specific. We thought that was fair. But when we got there for an early lunch, we gulped at the prices. wow. A modest lunch for three came to eighty dollars before tip. served in cardboard boxes with plastic cutlery. serve yourself, bus your own table. The fried shrimp was delicious. the side sauces were really good. But the flounder was really more skin and fry than any fish itself. the bun on the sandwich was standard hot dog. lunches came with a teeny tiny plastic container of coleslaw that was exceptional, and some fried potatoes that were not sure if they wanted to be crispy or soft if you got a platter. To me, it just didn't add up to extraordinary. read more

The food is awesome . The hospitality is great. I highly recommend it to everyone come Check it out read more

Food was enjoyable. Servers were helpful and friendly. There was no line and the dining room was clean. Unfortunately the portions don't match the prices. Got a combo platter and cup of "chowda" which was 60% potato for $30. Witnessed quite a few people walk in, look at the menu prices only to turn around and walk out. read more

Saltbox Seafood Joint - Shellfish (potato) chowda - Seafood Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

It's been a while since I've gone to the original location and was craving some good ol fried seafood. Depending on the time of day, the lines can get long, but I usually get there right after opening to give myself all the choices available haha. The parking lot is small so get there early, but at least it beats parking on the street like before. We got a shrimp plate and a flounder plate. Both were seasoned well. We also got the hush honey's which I must say are probably the best part about this place. I would say the pricing here is kinda steep, but considering this is a small staff and the freshness of the seafood, I'd say it's worth it. read more

Wow. Wowowowow. This place is LEGIT. I couldn't decide which fish to order but the lady at the register suggested the Spicy Mahi. So I ordered Spicy Mahi AND Catfish for nostalgia. My mom used to cook up some bomb catfish when I was growing up. Their catfish was good - perfect for sharing. The Spicy Mahi was on point! Big portion too - they aren't messing around down here in NC. It wasn't too dry like I expected. I ordered a side of collard greens and hush-honeys. I wasn't shocked that the fish was bomb; There are plenty of reviews about how good the fish is. Chef Ricky Moore is a James Beard Semi-Finalist, btw! But to nail the greens? That's how I know this place is the jam. If you care as much about the side dishes as well as the mains, you're alright with me! Now, I would prefer the greens chopped up more, but that's just me. They also serve packets of hot sauce if you want to kick it up a notch. I respect that; Spicy ain't for everybody! The "fried potatoes" got soggy in the box. But, when you're eating such seasoned fish, it's almost like a palette balance. So I still ended up eating most of them. All in all, I'd 100% come back next time I'm in town and try the other fish platters for variety. If you have someone that doesn't like salty/flavorful/savory food, don't let them order the Mahi. The Spicy Mahi is too good to waste on them Got a cold beer to wash it down. 10/10 would recommend. Thank you Chef Ricky! read more

Wife and I just tried Saltbox, and it was an outstanding experience. They were fairly busy for 1:15PM on a Friday afternoon, but the line moved quickly and the gentleman taking our order was pleasant with all I saw him interact with, including my wife and I. Food was prepared reasonably quickly, and was absolutely delicious. I had a bowl of the beans and rice with ham, and it was a VERY generous portion, seasoned well, hot, and really tasty. Wife had the flounder sandwich, fish was crispy, breading was light, not greasy at all, and again it was a large portion. The tartar sauce was great. We had sides of the potatoes (great) and hush puppies (even better!). Couple of local beers to wash it all down, and we were thrilled. Check it out, it'll be worth your coin and time. read more

What a disappointment! I read the reviews and was expecting at least an above-average fish meal. What I received was one of the worst fried fish dinners I've ever seen - 6-7 tiny pieces of mostly fried flounder skin and very little meat. Potatoes were greasy and cold. And it was expensive. You have been warned ... read more

Excellent food! Didn't think you could do anything special with fried seafood, but boy can you! Highly recommend! Great for a first date or low key meal! Will definitely return! read more

I gotta say we were excited to try this place after hearing fresh seafood and it won awards. It was perhaps the most disappointing food I've had. The fried shrimp sandwich or roll as they call it was not cleaned. Who wants poop shrimp for 18 bucks without a side? Crazy. The scallops were over cooked and chewy. Only reason I'm not giving 1 star because the guy at the counter who took our order was friendly and nice. High end prices food worse then captain dees. Id never go back. read more

Food and ambiance is top tier. Staff is fun and welcoming. The food quality and portions were amazing. I look forward to stopping by again.

I absolutely loved this place! The fish is fresh and the portion size is extremely generous. I personally liked the grilled fish items in the menu although the fried ones are not bad either. It takes a little bit of time (approximately 25 mins) if you want the grilled fish items but I found the wait absolutely worthwhile! read more

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Saltbox was excellent! Between the four of us, we tried combinations and sides and EVERYTHING was just what we were hoping for! Great fried, blackened and grilled. I, for one, will say the catfish was exceptionally delicious! We will be back! read more