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

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...

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

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

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

I passed through Arcata twice on a recent trip and had great experiences at Salt both times. The staff is ridiculously informed, friendly, and helpful. The food and beverages are also top-notch. This includes wine, cocktails, and a variety of seafood including oysters and octopus. Check it out! read more

I love the food, the decor, and the location! Would be five star but the acoustics are a little off; it can be a tad bit noisy in there definitely not a deal breaker! The blue chairs can be a little uncomfortable too but again, not a deal breaker and I definitely enjoy coming here for special occasions! Staff is polite and attentive too :) read more

Service was great. Everyone was really nice and welcoming. Mixologist, Alicia was nice and she made awesome drinks. Definitely must try the penicillin drink. Food: we had the lobster roll and the cod and fish. The cod and chips was really good. The lobster roll was alright nothing special. Dessert: must try the coconut milk Panna Cotta. read more

If you have dietary restrictions this isn't the restaurant you're looking for, however the entrees are beautiful and everything smelled delicious! read more

I've been there twice now and enjoyed it very much. Good service, nice menu with tasty choices, good cocktails and decent prices too. Only complaint was it was loud in there. read more

Great atmosphere! Excellent food. Order the catch of the day on greens, it's delicious! The grilled corn on the salad adds to great flavor overall! read more

Amazing! We had the charred octopus, fish & chips, a couple oysters, curry mussels & tuna poke with chips. It was all perfectly cooked and so fresh. The service was friendly and just the right speed. They had great drink selections too. The decor was modern & simple. Best lunch I've had in years!!! My kids came & loved it too. It's 6 hours from home, but we can't wait to come back. read more

This casual, bright, beautifully remodeled restaurant is a great gathering place. The food was delicious (I had a hangar steak special) although fairly pricey for the size entree we received. Although this is a "fish house", I was surprised by the limited number of non-fried fish options available on the menu when we visited. Of the four of us in our party, only one ordered fish. The portions are fairly small, but again, the food was delicious! We'll definitely visit again! Note to Salt: I'd encourage the addition of a bread course upon seating - maybe Cafe Brio would provide a nice roll with butter for you to share with guests! read more

I've been wanting to try this place out for a bit but kept pushing it to the side. Finally, I went there for lunch and it was really quite nice. Fresh fish and a nice decor. The king crab legs were spendy but also really simple and great as with the shrimp and rice noodles. The poke salad was lack luster. Rice was overbearing and undercooked. Our server also rarely checked in and forgot a cocktail but overall was friendly. Gonna go back there for dinner and hope that they're a little more on point. read more

Came here for the first time 2/18, with our family of 5. We were excited to try a new restaurant. We ordered the calamari and fried Brie appetizer about 30 mins of wondering where our food was we asked the waitress and she said it should be coming up.. we waited another 10-15 mins and she came back to tell us it was forgotten about. She gave it to us a no charge, which was nice. Once dinner came out everyone was pleased with their meal, but one of the meals didn't come out with everyone else's, she had ordered the steelhead.. again the waitress told us her meal would be out any minute. 15 minutes later we were all finished with our meals and she still hasn't received hers. We nicely told the waitress to forget her meal she offered it free of charge but everyone was done eating and ready to leave. I would give this place another chance but definitely miss communicating between the kitchen and waitress. They weren't terribly busy, it's a smaller restaurant. Our first impression not so good. read more

SO excited to have a nice fish restaurant in town. But 1st visit not so great. Please fix: service (waiter disappeared for ages, never cleared plates), greens (soggy and with super burnt garlic), fish and chips (thick soggy breading), fries (not crispy and weirdly short), cucumber drink (4 sips for $6-rip off), oysters (spice combo way to overpowering). Mussels=ok. Decor=fantastic. read more

The atmosphere was nice and the restaurant was clean and classy.The wait staff was wonderful friendly and didn't "over serve" . The food was horrible though, we ordered the surf and turf and a lobster roll. I couldn't even eat mine and although the sturgeon was okay the pork belly was a slab of fat. Honestly I think that they have an awesome idea for a restaurant but we wont be going back until the menu changes. read more

The food and environment was outstanding. We came here on vacation without doing much research before hand. The kitchen was a little slow but the place was very crowded. Outstanding food was worth the wait. Would recommend making reservations. read more

Please let me preface this by saying: We are picky. Highly, highly picky. As in, not much impresses us in Scumboldt. Also, we're not really big fish people. So I'm happy to say we were pleasantly surprised by Salt. Greeted right away and within minutes were seated- even on a busy Friday night after 8:30 sans reservation. The decor is absolutely lovely. Flawless. Light, airy, modern, not cheap looking. Very well done and tasteful. You would never guess this place was the old dark & dank Hunan's! Elegant. Simple. Knowledgeable server. Well executed drink menu. Hubby got the house's Old Fashioned, which was strong and straight forward. He ordered the fish 'n' chips, I got the fish tacos, which hubby said he wished he had ordered they were so yummy, even though his dish was equally delish. Tacos were perfectly seasoned with just the right texture and crunch. Spicy pepitas were a nice touch. Fish 'n' chips served in a basket lined with newsprint and the lemon half even came with a cheesecloth netting to allow squeezing without having to worry about the seeds in your fish. Nice touch and illustrates Salt's attention to detail. FINALLY a place in Humboldt that feels worth the price! Reasonably priced and we didn't feel like we were getting ripped off like most other subpar local places. Left full, happy, satisfied. Thanks, Salt! We'll be back! read more

Worst fish place in town. Local? Hell no. This place is a fake front for good seafood. They probably stock food from same distribution as McDonalds. Hair in food plus they sent us food from another table that sent it back. Worst service and ownership of a seafood restaurant ever. Do not eat here! Not to mention the smell of the place. It's hard to feel comfortable here let alone the massive hair I pulled out of my soup. Yuck! The glasses weren't even clean. I would never recommend this place, not even to my worst enemy!!!!!!!!! read more

Overall atmosphere was crisp refreshing and enjoyable. Staff were attentive yet didn't interrupt our dinner conversation. Had the special and the fish was moist and perfectly served, good size fillet with approximately sized sides. Dessert...bread pudding, was heaven. If nothing else, go for the dessert!Daughter felt the roll on the lobster roll was a little too big. read more

Had a great herb crusted sole with fresh veggies. Greg the bartender was friendly and fun to talk to - he introduced me to my new favorite spiced rum! It's a very chill atmosphere. I highly recommend Salt Fish House if you find yourself in Arcata! read more

The food is absolutely fabulous. I orders the clam chowder and fish n chips. It was the best clam chowder I have ever tasted. The fish was lightly battered and moist. I highly recommend this place to anyone! There is also a cute wine bar upstairs in the same building. read more

The service was great, but the food was overpriced for what it was. The king grab appetizer and fish tacos were good. The sole was bland. Gluten free options are very limited since most dishes are battered or have panko crumbs. Despite the great service, I don't think I will go back. read more

Made a reservation for Valentine day lunch.Did not need it as the restaurant was less than half full.For the two of us we ordered appetizers of broiled oysters and a shrimp cocktail;both very good-then the disappointment, our lunch of two lobster rolls.They were tiny!No exaggeration-my wife actually laughed when they were served-3 inch rolls with a lobster/mostly celery mix-approximately 3 or 4 bites @$24 each!Each roll with a large bowl of excellent french fries,which was essentially our main course.Shared a nice homemade dessert.Service was slow due to a lack of wait staff,not due to effort;70 minutes for our lunch.At well over $100 with tip[no alcohol] we were disappointed with our visit.It seems "Salt" needs to rethink its lunch menu;maybe on the lines of Gills By The Bay in King Salmon. read more

Had a truly great dining experience here. Our server Anna was so nice and warm. We ordered the halibut ceviche, scallops risotto and grilled fish tacos. Took a while to come out but it was well worth the wait. All were very delicious. The scallops were cooked perfectly. The tacos came with a creamy slaw that was out of this world. I would highly recommend this place to my friends and family. read more

We were fortunate to find Salt open for lunch, as we drove south from Oregon to San Francisco. It was terrific. The clam chowder was perfectly prepared: tiny potato pieces, fresh clams, just the right amount of cream. The Cobb salad was one of the best ever. The service was attentive, the decor light and airy. read more

From what I've had/and heard, it seems to be a really great up and coming restaurant for Arcata! Very modern feel, and the food (for the most part) mimics that...except for the Lobster Roll-ignore that, the Lobster is obviously not local. Loved the Tuna Tartar when I was there! Maybe just focus more on local produce/seafood? Service was great! They have a great bar in addition to their seating. In my opinion, they have had a lot of ridiculous bad reviews from people who don't know what they're talking about. This place is really good, and still very new. I'm sure they will stay around for awhile and definitely improve. read more

Manage was rude, staff undertrained. Bartender good, but went there for food. Manager rushed us and I have a kid. Felt like I was at captainds read more

What would have been a decent evening irrespective of the pretty slow service and bussing and uneven food was ruined by our experience with a terrible waitress. After waiting a LONG TIME for his meal, a waiter plopped down a huge, round metal tray overflowing with clams, crab legs, etc. in front of my husband. It was big enough to feed the whole table. Problem was, my husband ordered the special seafood basket. When our waitress (the one who took our order) stopped by, she just mumbled something under her breath and whisked it away - NO OTHER WORD. When we called her over a little later, she said "Yeah, that was the seafood platter. You ordered the basket". Yeah, we know. Then she said she wrote it down wrong. Then walked away. NO APOLOGY, NO "Let me get a drink on the house for you". No NOTHING! We have never ever experienced such a crappy service experience and you can bet we won't be back and neither will my friends and family. read more

This place is great! It did not have the best reviews on Yelp, but we went anyway by suggestion of a friend and good thing we did! (especially because the night before we ate at a place in Fort Bragg with good reviews that was terrible!). The staff here was friendly and helpful, service was fast but not too fast so you know the food is cooked with care. The ingredients are fresh and of high quality. The drinks are good. They have delicious vegetarian options too. I don't eat meat, and I never have been a fish eater but I am open to trying certain kinds, and I tried three kinds here (we went twice) and every time i loved it! The clam chowder, the swordfish special, and the ahi tuna.. all wonderful! Also the fried brie was ridiculously good. And the veggie dinner.. yum! Imo, this place should be getting all 4's and 5's. Already suggested them to everyone i see.Thank you salt, We'll be back! read more

Overall I was pretty disappointed in this place. Pros: my scallop risotto was actually pretty good and so was the sole dish as well as the oysters. Cons: service was poor. He came over only two times the entire trip, partially because we had a fairly big party and the tip was included so he certainly didn't have to work for it. It took 20 mins before someone even greeted us at the table and gave us water. My husband's fish and chips were awful. Over cooked fish and fishy fish. Ugh! Hard to mess that one up. My brother in law got the lobster roll sandwich, and seriously so bland and overlooked and chewy; barely edible. We also got the ahi poke for an appetizer...beyond bland, no seasoning or acid. By the time our main courses were done, we didn't even want to stay for dessert. We got the hell out of there with a 300 dollar bill to boot. Would not go back. Please humboldt... I beg you.... just take a trip to LA or SF and bring home some tips to help bring some good restaurants to the area! read more

Arriving at 6:00 on a Tuesday it was good we had a reservation. We were seated right in the middle of the room and it was NOISY already and got worse. Service was prompt and the server knew most answers to our questions. Water without ice (yeah!) was served at our request although we had to ask for lemon slices. The three of us started with delicious mussels. My friends' house salads looked nice and fresh. My clam chowder should have been labeled potato chowder although the broth's flavor was quite good. Onions in the soup should have been sauteed first so they didn't have that raw onion flavor and texture. Half a dozen baby clams in their shells rounded out the pleasantly thickened broth. One friend had the lobster roll. He said it was okay. The other friend had the petrale sole that looked like it was drowning in some sort of dark sauce, too heavy for the delicacy of the fish. She said it was okay. I had the fish and chips. Three nice size pieces of fish with batter a little heavier that what I like. Good flavor. More small-cut fries that what I could eat. Good portions all around. I don't go out to eat too much anymore and thought it was a bit pricy for the minimalist atmosphere, noise, and a little better than average meal. If stairs are a challenge, park in the back and go right in. read more