Best meals we had on Water Street (the pedestrian area downtown) in St. John's. Sublime baked cod. We went back for shellfish on pasta and in risotto that were lightly sauced and delicious, and worth the trip. Seek this one for Friendly service and pleasant ambience amid St.Johns party central. read more

The staff is really friendly . The saltwater resturant is really nice upscale restaurant. Is very clean . Deb started off with a lychee Martini without the lychee. She had the lobster roll with fries. Which the lobster was fresh and delicious. The fires were crispy and hot. I started off with the Caesar salad which was large enough for 2 people and was fresh . My main dish was the cod Tacos which was good. The overall meal was very good . The services were excellent. This was a little pricey but worth it read more

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Went here for dinner with my fiancé for her 30th birthday. She wanted to try her own Lobster dinner for the first time. She really enjoyed it! I tried my first bite of Lobster ever from her plate and enjoyed it as well! I also enjoyed my burger. The cocktails were very tasty as well! I had a creamsicle and loved it. Only things for us personally were it was too dark of dark lighting and it did get very loud but I guess that just showed you that people were really having a good time! Next time l come return hopefully my income is good enough where I can afford to try on of their Steak dinners aha, because those looked delicious. But overall, great food, drinks, and staff. Had a positive experience! read more

It's hot in here! Wish they had ac or more fans. Half lobster dinner was ok. Very small portion. Potatoes it was served with were ok. I'm happy I added vegetables, but 2 pieces of asparagus seemed light for an add-on. Service was ok. They were busy. Parking on a weeknight night was awful. read more

Saltwater Restaurant - Half Lobster Dinner - Seafood Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Mussels: half rotten. And the ones that weren't, bland. Caesar salad: bland. Lobster roll: yum! Drinks great, just on the small size read more

The food was good. The wait staff was attentive. I wasn't fond of the techno music but, hey. I got the Risotto with shrimp scampi. Hubby got the fish and chips. No complaints about both items. read more

Wish I could offer more. Disappointing evening. We were told after being seated that there was no lobster available at all last night. Let's just say that wiped out a notable piece of the already a bit small menu. The food we did have was fine, but not 5-star by any means. Our server tried, but seemed as if he had been pushed into service and not really being comfortable with his job or engaging customers. With only a few dinners in St. John's, this one was a downer. read more

Not sure if this is the whole resto or the bartender himself, I feel like he didn't want to give me a table since I'm an Asian. I walked in to ask for a table for 1, and he told me all full and he cant take me in without reservation, however, the white guys behind me asked for a table for 5, and he took them in. (They asked for table, didn't say they have reservation, also, they were checking the menu before coming in, it's really obvious that they don't have reservation. Really bad experience. I posted my experience on instagram, but whoever handling the social media replied my with lots of f-word. He/she agreed to give me explanations, but I never get it afterwards. read more

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it's a tourist trap. The lobster was served without butter and convered in a basil oil? Not good. The server got our wine order wrong, red instead of white level wrong, and then she got our appetizer wrong serving us raw oysters instead of steamed muscles. We had a decent meal and I added some photos. The lobster rolls had mostly celery and mayo in the bun under a little later of lobster, plus the basil oil ruining the flavor. The half lobster did not taste made to order, it was rubbery and cooked hours early. Food and wine were both very expensive in the context of just across the street at blue or fish exchange you can pay similar prices but actually enjoy the food and service. I am telling you an experience I had on a Tuesday night. Maybe it's better on the weekend. If you have the money to eat at saltwater just go to the keg and have a good time. Cheers read more

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Food was good, but it took over 2 hours for our dinner to arrive with only 5 tables sat and under 20 people in the restaurant. A drink was missed, a meal was missed and everything took forever. I think the kitchen needs some help. No special requests, ordered off the dinner menu and a an app before. Waiter did comp one missed meal which eventually arrived after most of us were done eating. Not sure what was going on but it didn't go smooth for us read more

Saltwater Restaurant - No. 5 and Blood Orange martini - Seafood Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Just go to another restaurant downtown, not worth your time or money over priced food for bad experience. Over Cooked "gourmet" food. May I suggest that if your thinking on here tonight for a nice dinner, try one of the many others on the street. I remember five years ago this was one of the best places to go for a nice meal and bottle of wine. Me and my wife used to love it there, But from what I've heard lately the head chef has no formal culinary training. Now I don't wanna throw a local company under the bus,but I would really like to the restaurant get back to what is was. K. Hunt read more

Superb in every way. Service was professional and flexible. Salmon and mussels meals were great. Love the quiet vibe. read more

Great spot. First time being to the new location. I like the old location better. Better ambiance

I've been eating at saltwater for over 4 years now. Every time we eat there, it's a gorgeous experience. The staff are dedicated to ensuring that everything is perfect. read more

Great food and service . The seafood was wonderful . There was something on the menus for everyone .

You can't go somewhere called Saltwater and not get seafood. My GF and I ordered the beet salad, lobster bisque and mussels to share. Our table was upstairs by the window so we got a wonderful view that overlooked the main street. The salad was arranged in a tower with seasoned kale and topped with goat cheese. The beets were roasted in vanilla and balsamic so there was a nice sweet and salty contrast. The mussels of the day were steamed in a jalapeno and tomato sauce which had a nice kick to it. The bisque was probably my fave of the 3, creamy lobster broth and topped with pieces of sweet lobster. The food was quite rich, I'm glad we got the dishes to split between us. Sadly I didn't make room for dessert but at least we got to try a variety of dishes they had to offer. read more

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Probably the best restaurant in the area. Great menu and met the chef and he was super cool. Very friendly and efficient staff. Loved the salads and we have had no issues with the food. Previous review must have been disgruntled worker. Chicken awesome as well as all of the fish. Sure wish they had a fan or something or air conditioning as it was 30c in restaurant and the food was cooler that the temp....just kidding. It was stuffy there on a warm night. Great small bar and fun to hang out and sip an iceberg. Staff makes you feel at home. Great bread too. Quality really shows. Did I tell you how great the service is? Best in Newfoundland. read more

Saltwater Restaurant - On way to Newfoundland - Seafood Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Not worth it! I would take the turn to the beach close to this place and walk along the beach to enjoy really nice seafood. Fresh and well presented read more

Me and my partner had a wonderful experience at Saltwater! We had chicken wings and scallops to start, and pasta and burger as our mains. Wine selection is great and priced well. The servers were amazing and ensured me where happy. Thank you Saltwater, and see you soon read more

Don't want to give this restaurant even one star. Place only had a few patrons for lunch, but we waited 10 minutes for a menu, then when ordering they said we were ordering too much and tried to tell us to not order that many dishes!!! I had to argue with the waiter to get him to accept our order. Ordered a drink which did not come for 20 minutes (after the food arrived and we asked about it twice). The waiter then says they had run out of the chowder and would I like something else, but this was after we had been waiting 30 minutes since walking in so I said "no thanks as I didn't want to slow anything down". Salad was very small with no dressing even though it was priced the same as a main entree. Had to ask for silverware and wait five minutes for it while fish and chips sat there getting cold. Service was abysmal and food was less than mediocre. Then they added a 20% tip on our party of two on the cash out machine without telling us they were doing it or with our permission. Just showed the total and asked for the credit card. Only figured it out later when we saw the charge on our credit card. Left hungry after only eating a salad that was terrible. Went down the street and ate somewhere else. Worst meal experience ever. Wouldn't even give them one star but this review won't let me post without at least one star. read more

For the starter we shared the steamed mussels. The appetizer arrived in a timely manner and was hot and, even more importantly, tasty with garlic and hot peppers tossed into the liquid for the steaming. The generous portion was plenty for two. My partner had the pan fried cod with scrunchions & caramelized onion and he cleaned his plate. My entree was the grilled trout filet with a delicious red curry cream sauce and I also cleaned my plate. Ok, ok, I used bread to sop up the last tasty bits of the curry sauce, if truth be told. The service was attentive but not intrusive, and the food was nicely presented and tasty. My one complaint was that the Bob Marley music was a bit too loud, so we had to raise our voices above it to converse among our group. The $$$ rating is correct and we enjoyed our Friday evening meal on Duckworth Street. The old adage held true, "the best time to order fish is when you can see and smell the saltwater." read more

Mussels were excellent. So was the cod chowder. Restaurant a little noisy? Large party upstairs? Main course cod was excellent. Seafood risotto was excellent as well. All in all. I would return to this restaurant. If looking for quiet ambience look elsewhere. Otherwise excellent. read more

Best meal we had in St. John. Absolutely fantastic seafood, and great service to boot!

Wow! What an incredible meal we had here, I highly recommend Saltwater if you are visiting St. John's, NL! Such fresh seafood, I had the Tuna and it was so very good and my wife had the Cod, best seafood meal she has ever had! Service was fantastic, dessert and coffee were great too! read more

Saltwater Restaurant - Tuna seared perfectly rare! - Seafood Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

The cod chowder was great as was the soup of the day. We split the cod special that was served with risotto. Everything was very good, and well seasoned. I get a bit annoyed when salt and pepper are not on the table, but this was perfect and needed nothing. Great service and a nice ambience. Would be happy to go back read more

Awful experience. Waited an hour to get food - nachos said they came with a chili and lime sour cream, there was no chili (just uncooked black beans and veggies on some nacho chips) and regular sour cream. We were told chef was experimenting with the menu. Definitely not worth your time for this bad experience read more

I worked at this place for a short spell and left on good terms so my review is not coming from a place of spite but of one of worry. The kitchen would NEVER pass inspection in Toronto EVER. The waitstaff is all amazing and will serve you with an attentave smile but it's questionable how old the meat and fish has been around. Just be safe read more

Last Saturday night our best friends invited us to dinner for their 40th Anniversary.  To say it was our worst experience was an understatement.  I was so disappointed for them as this was certainly a very special occasion. When we arrived we had requested a table for 6 but there was a table for 4.  We waited while the servers scrambled to get a table ready.  There was a glass and cutlery left at the table they were joining to ours.  We had to remind them that these were from the other table and we would like clean ones. We waited about 20 minutes to get served as our waitress apologized saying she had forgotten about us. At least she was honest and did check back frequently to see if everything was O.K. My husband and friend ordered lamb.  I noticed a bad smell but didn't say anything until I realized my friend wasn't eating his.  When I asked him if there was anything wrong he said it didn't taste good.  I couldn't believe how rotten it smelled.  Since eating some of it, my husband has been so sick along with my friends husband.  To make matters worse, I visited my other friend last night who had ordered lobster and she told me she was up all Saturday night throwing up!  Disgusting!!!   Also, with the exception of the lobster, all meals were served with a small portion of fries.   I think lamb and duck deserve something better than fries!  Even though the menu said that there was to be chimchurri sauce with the duck - there wasn't any! We appreciate you taking the lamb off our bill, but it certainly doesn't make up for half of our party getting sick!Perhaps in the future it may be a good idea to make sure the food you serve isn't rotten! Will not be eating here ever again!!!! read more

So I saved my FIRST yelp review for a place that deserves 5 stars...I've been to a hundred of places since joining yelp, but this one, this one, I'm all over! If a restaurant had a "beast mode", this one would have it turned on! To start off, I chilled at the bar with our department's most seasoned veteran (and most interesting man in the world, mind you) sippin on some local brews. The staff there was so amazing...every one of them stopped to talk with us. Not sure why...maybe it was because they wanted to talk with a couple of guys from the lower 48 and see what we were up to. Who knows. I think they were genuinely interested in our travels and clearly, spent the time to BS with us for a while. One thing was for sure - good conversation ensued and many laughs followed. Then it was a small break and we were seated right by the open air front with a nice light breeze. Wine selection: Check! Appetizers: Check! Unreal. But here's the main reason for the 5 stars: The Halibut special was unlike anything I've ever had! I really don't know how to describe it, but the merging of all the flavors from the dish was beyond anything I've ever had before. Portions were very good - especially the Halibut. The fish was cooked to perfection. Grilled veggies were also done very well. So if I had to break it down, I don't know who to give more credit to: the amazing food, or the amazing staff. They were both equally responsible for one of the most memorable meals I've had - ever. If I had a gun to my head, then it was the Halibut Special that made it for me!! Can't wait to get back!!!!!!!!! read more

When my wife orders an old fashioned to start with, I know it's going to be a fun dinner! Amuse Bouche was a beautiful touch, delicate and expertly prepared. Scallop appetizer and calamari are winners, perfect sear on the scallops and the light bit of cornmeal in the calamari breeding added a wicked texture. My duck breast was a little closer to medium than rare but fantastic. Rendered crispy duck skin is as far up the mouthgasm scale as bacon wrapped bacon. Wilted greens-earthy contrast to the richness of the duck but the sweet potato gnocchi was the tops. My wife had the halibut feature, loved it but I am allergic to fish so no go. Malbec for me, sauv blanc for my wife. Scotch for dessert (lagavulin) Server was rushed at the start- had to run to the kitchen to find out the features and sped through most interactions. We were one of 2 tables of seated guests at the time so thought it odd. Maybe she was late getting in. All in all, highly recommend dining here! read more

I've been to Saltwater twice now and have been impressed both times. As the name suggests, the seafood options are many and well executed. The mussels are cooked in a great broth, and they are very generous with the seafood risotto. On both occasions, the meats (lamb, swordfish, halibut, veal) were slightly overcooked. Not enough to ruin the meal, but keep it in mind when you specify how you would like it cooked. read more

My wife and I had dinner at Saltwater Restaurant on Wednesday 7 September. We arrived early, a little after 6PM, and the restaurant was nearly empty, but the tables filled up before we left. My wife ordered the Pan Fried Cod that came with a fish cake and I ordered the Seafood Pasta Puttanesca. My wife's cod dish included two large fillets so the late arriving fish cake was not missed until it arrived at the table with an apology from the chef. The seafood with my pasta included mussels which were good and plentiful, two grilled shrimp that were delicious and a fair size piece of grilled Salmon that was a bit tasteless. The pasta Tagliatelle was perhaps a bit too al dente as it was difficult to twirl around my fork. The highlight of the meal for us were the Cod Tongues. This was our first exposure to the Newfoundland specialty and we enjoyed the tender little finger size deep fried delights. The service was friendly and for the most part attentive. However my empty water glass was not refilled. Saltwater Restaurant is a good choice for seafood from a high end restaurant. read more

Wow. What a great experience. Service. Food, all amazing. Even the atmosphere. Quiet small place. Service staff were super friendly and knew what they were doing. I had seafood for an appy and for my main. Prepared well and tasted great! Recommend this place highly. That is saying something for St. John's. There are lots of great seafood restaurants here. read more

Saltwater Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

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What a wonderful meal my sister, her husband and I had tonight at Saltwater. We started with a smoked salmon and a baked Brie with partridgeberries. Both delicious. For the main course, my sister had a perfectly prepared salmon, my brother in law had a fantastic trio of steak, lamb and pork (all beautifully prepared)and I had a great pan fried cod, with scrunchions and delicious potatoes. Our dessert was a sampler of the three offerings, a delicious bread pudding, an amazing chocolate torte and a really good partridgeberry crumble. Our server, Melissa, was a great complement to a fine evening. Highly recommended. read more

Amazing experience. Comfortably upscale with no attitude. Food and service both 5 star. Came by myself, sat at the bar and was looked after like a king! Would never not come back (Newfoundland parlance). I had the oysters to start and the crusted cod for the main and sealed the deal with the daily cheese cake. Would have them all again. Excellent wine/cocktail selection. Located right on Duckworth, the location is close to downtown and also Sheraton hotel. read more

This place was amazing!!! The atmosphere is romantic and upscale, service great and food delicious. My boyfriend had the lamb and I had the seafood risotto. The restaurant is really good with gluten free. Will be going back for sure when in St. John's. Definitely worth the price. read more

Although the waiter was very attentive, I was extremely disappointed in the wait time to get our meal. We waited over 90 minutes! In all fairness the power had gone out, but the waiter assured us several times that this did not hamper the kitchen because the stoves are gas. There were approximately 20 people at the restaurant and two waiters that evening. After the 90 minutes, I and 2 others decided to leave as it was late and we had been getting up very early for work (4 AM). A coworker brought my dinner back in a box which was very kind of him, and it was quite good, but if the wait is always like that I won't plan to go back. read more

Given what they charge, a certain expectation is created. We were excited to go and experience a really great and memorable meal. Both my girlfriend and I agree that we would not recommend nor return to Saltwater. At $41 for a piece of Halibut I think it's fair to expect that I was gonna rave about this meal for a time to come. Instead I find myself ranting about it. Though generous in size, it was dry and underwhelming. The "jus" that surrounded it bland. The pasta average. I am hopeful there are better places in St. John's. All I know is, this is not one of them. read more

The food was excellent and we enjoyed the appetizer and mains when they eventually arrived. We both had the seafood sampler, and it was very good. The restaurant was short staffed during our visit and the servers were running their butts off trying to keep up, but we still were left waiting for over an hour between courses. We did get an apology for the slow service and our dessert was comped. read more

My partner and I had high hopes for Saltwater but were continually let down throughout the evening. We arrived 15 minutes before our reservation hoping to have a pre-dinner cocktail, but instead wasted that time waiting at the entrance for one of the four servers to address us. We finally got tied of waiting and approached the bar where the bartender was texting. He then directed us to our table. While waiting to be served we had two servers bring us water, but neither take our order. We finally made our order after an unacceptable wait - scallops and a beat salad for an appetizer and two servings of duck for our entree. While we waited for our meals we took notice of the state of the restaurant: the shelves behind the bar were bare, the glasses hanging above the bar were caked in dust, the table cloth was wrinkled, there were chips in the plaster, among other obvious flaws. Finally our appetizers were delivered and they were actually prepared pretty well; however, that was soon forgotten when our mains arrived and my partners was near ice cold. We spent about $175 tonight and we strongly felt that it was wasted. We will not be returning to Saltwater. read more