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    Saltwater Restaurant

    3.5 (48 reviews)
    PriceySeafood
    Closed 5:00 pm - 9:30 PM

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    Recommended Reviews - Saltwater Restaurant

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    Half Lobster Dinner
    Melanie M.

    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.

    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.

    two hot dogs and french fries

    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

    No. 5  and Blood Orange martini

    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

    Lobster bisque
    Jenn N.

    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.

    On way to Newfoundland

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    11 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    12 years ago

    Another great meal at Saltwater.....Halibut was excellent. All 3 guests enjoyed and no complaints.

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    8 years ago

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    Portage

    Portage

    4.5(21 reviews)
    0.7 km

    Portage was amazing. I loved the craft nature of their dishes, often using locally sourced (even…read morewild crafted) ingredients. The service is great and attentive here, happy to answer all questions and make off menu beverages. The ambiance is a bit tight and loud unfortunately but the dining experience is still remarkable because of the creative food and excellent employees.

    Located near the upper end of Water St just before it turns into offices, Portage's PoMo space is…read morein contrast to much of St John's historical downtown, but it's a refreshing vibe that still feels inviting and relaxed. The menu is on the larger side for a place of Portage's caliber and reputation, with several snack-sized starters and veggie-based dishes, and a leaner variety of proteins and desserts on offer. You know you're likely in for an excellent meal when it's hard to choose what to get, but after some deliberation, my wife and I landed on a handful - smoked olives, the cleverly-named Tongue and Cheek, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower souvlaki, and fingerling potatoes. Note that you can conveniently get half-sized portions of most dishes, although we, somewhat greedily, did not. Unsurprisingly, the smoked olives arrived right out of the gate. The plump green olives came as advertised and while you wouldn't know it from looking at them, tasted more like smoke than olive - and I was all for it! I'm slowly converting to olives, although it's generally only at nicer restaurants and not the olives that come out of obscenely large buckets/cans that get slopped on mediocre pizzas and salads. The cauliflower souvlaki started off our string of excellent veggie dishes. I wasn't sure what the portioning or presentation would be like for these, but they were all a generous size for two people to share, and while they were plated with consideration, it wasn't so much "haute cuisine" as it was "piles of delicious food with complementary garnishes". I was a bit surprised that the cauliflower was served at room temperature, but the charred cruciferous veg still packed a lot of flavour into each tender-crisp bite. Paired up with pickled dates, yogurt, and fresh dill and mint, the dish hit a lot of notes - savoury, lightly sweet, and tart and bright vegetal freshness. On deck were the fingering potatoes. Loaded up with sauteed onions, scrunchion-esque bits of pork belly, and a blessedly-conservative amount of Dijon, this was a dish that harkens to a lot of continental European dishes. The execution of the relatively simple ingredients is where it stood out though, with firm-but-tender potatoes that had hints of sweetness and umami from their toppings, and the crisp bits of pork belly brought some textural contrast to this comfort food classic. The dishes were coming hard and fast at this point with the broccoli, Brussels sprouts and (cod) Tongue and Cheek showing up in quick succession. Brussels sprouts have become a family sight on contemporary restaurant menus in the past 15-ish years, and the crispy, charred veg got the Boomer parent treatment, although melted Cheez Whiz was replaced by a much more natural Mornay sauce. I'm not jaded enough yet by their ubiquity to bemoan the delicious execution of these sprouts, and the cheesy goodness of the Mornay mellowed out the sharper edges of this infamous vegetable. A surprise hit was the broccoli - with velvety smooth and lightly salty ricotta, fresh micro greens and a not-insubstantial punch of heat from chili crisp, our third cruciferous vegetable of the night took top honours of the three, IMO. The Tongue and Cheek is an amusingly tongue-in-cheek play on words, using two cuts of cod that have become local delicacies. Each was fried in a light and airy batter that was only slightly heavier than a proper tempura, with a perfectly generous amount of salt. The tongues were a bit more toothsome, but still tender, while the cheeks almost melted in your mouth. They're one of the more pricey starters, but absolutely worth it. After this sizeable feast, dessert was not on the table, figuratively or literally. Service was spot-on and friendly, without the almost clinical coldness that can come with the precision that some fine dining places have. Portage is understandably representing St John's on Canada's Top 100 list with its deliberate, but unpretentious menu that will leave you wanting more and loosening your belt at the same time.

    Photos
    Portage - Dining room

    Dining room

    Portage - Broccoli with ricotta and chili crisp

    Broccoli with ricotta and chili crisp

    Portage

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    Rabble - Cod tongues (and cheek meet)

    Rabble

    4.6(8 reviews)
    0.4 km

    Top notch service here!…read more Charissa made me feel at home at the bar. I got fresh tasty oysters, the code tongues, and fries. The oysters were small but so refreshing. The cod tongues are a unique item in just had to try and they tasted really good. The fries came out hot but I would say they lacked the crunch I really enjoy.. I still found myself eating them all though. The fry sauces were great, I think all made in house. What I really loved was the homemade peri peri sauce with the oysters... I put it on my cod and fries.. game changer!!! The place is beautifully designed, small and quant, and a good place to hang out. The rotating drink special was a frozen Paloma which was nicely garnished and had a natural wheat straw. The chef gave me a nice little gift at the end of my meal which I appreciated greatly.

    There weren't many places open late downtown for dinner, we went to two places prior to get food…read morebut the kitchen was pretty much closed. Luckily we made our way to Rabble, and they seated us at the bar immediately upon arrival. We were very happy to find that they were open late. I thought the decor and aesthetic was nice, cozy, and clean. I loved the dishware and houndstooth napkins. First, I got their blended Passionfruit Guava (?) mocktail. I'm pretty sure those were the flavors. It was citrus-y, sweet, and refreshing. We ended up ordering the Half Chicken, Brown Butter Turnip Papperdelle, and the Seasonal Parisian Gnocchi for 2. Everything was absolutely wonderful. The Half Chicken was flavorful and the juicy. And the skin was the best part! It had a beautiful crisp. The Brown Butter Turnip Papperdelle was nice, I was very impressed with how they made it "noodle" like. The texture was good, and I loved how it was under a mountain of parmigiano hehe. Lastly, the Seasonal Parisian Gnocchi was a hit. The gnocchi had the perfect texture, it was chewy and soaked up the sauce very well. And the sauce! It was creamy, savory, and just fantastic. I've actually been raving about this gnocchi to everyone, and it has stayed on my mind ever since we ate it. I think that was the best gnocchi I've ever tasted. The only reason why I gave it four stars was the wait time. We came a good 30ish minutes before the kitchen closed and I'm pretty sure we put in our orders with enough time. However we waited a lot longer than we anticipated. Nevertheless, we had a wonderful time. We actually visited St John's for our anniversary and celebrated it here for dinner, and this was a dinner and day we'll never forget. We'd love to come back for another anniversary, and I hope that the gnocchi will still be there haha. Thank you!

    Photos
    Rabble - Local oysters and the peri peri sauce

    Local oysters and the peri peri sauce

    Rabble - Half Chicken

    Half Chicken

    Rabble - Frozen Paloma

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    Frozen Paloma

    Saltwater Restaurant - seafood - Updated September 2026

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