Salty's on Alki

I understand this place is a Seattle institution, and it’s easy to see why: Aside from the food, which for the brunch we attended was super, they have a spectacular view of the Seattle waterfront, offer complimentary limo service from the downtown hotels (it’s about a ten-minute drive in good traffic from downtown Seattle to the other side of the bay, where Salty’s sits), and you can walk off the food with a walk along the shore.

Brunch is a truly massive and diverse all-you-can-eat buffet:

• Seafood: Glazed salmon, steamed mussels and clams, crab legs, raw oysters
• Pasta bar: They’ll cook you up just about anything fresh, on the spot
• Omelettes to order
• Traditional breakfast fare: Eggs benedict, various kinds of potato and hashes, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy
• Piles of mini pancakes and waffles with a whole table full of syrups and toppings
• Chocolate fountain
• Bagels, lox, spreads
• Fresh-made mini-donuts by the bagful

I think that does it. Brunch comes with coffee, soda, juice, and/or milk, which the friendly servers will keep refilling as long as you care to sit and enjoy the food and view. They also have a full bar, and I can personally confirm that the bloody mary is very good.

They fill up, so make reservations. I had no trouble getting a reservation for two just a day in advance. By noon, when we were on our way out, the wait looked ugly.

I’ve been to Salty’s for a variety of events. By far the highlight is their Sunday brunch – if you want to splurge. Totally worth it. I like to have their brunch at least once a year. There is just so much good food. Fresh seafood, omlettes, desserts galore and a ton of other delicious foods – and of course it is all you can eat. Salty’s also has regular dinner, which is comparable to most other high end seafood restaurants around Seattle. I would either go here for brunch or their happy hour. Happy hour is 3-6pm on weekdays. They have a nice little terrace where you can sit outside and enjoy the view of the Seattle skyline.

I take personal offense to ANYONE that says Salty’s is mediocre at best. Especially because I think everything’s mediocre. :p

I’ll start off by saying I like Salty’s so much that we chose to have our wedding reception there. Which really just means that if I chose to bore to you death I could truly rate each item on the menu.

The discerning foody would find every element of this restaurant impeccable (yes even the oddly nautical themed furniture). The service is prompt and friendly. The food quality and portion sizes impressive. The view is a no brainer, and the cost mild in comparison to the bang for you buck. Whether you’re looking for the next place to host a wedding or a small dinner party go to Salty’s.

If you’ve never been to Salty’s I would urge you to go for brunch just to get a true feel for the indulgent nature of the restaurant. It’s pricey at $38 per person but when you see the sheer bounty they provide, you’ll realize that you’ll be there for hours eating. I also must comment on how efficiently they run their buffet. Never are the items cold nor the chaffing dishes near empty, which I would assume to be a difficult tasks as they have more than 50 items on their brunch buffet.

I could go on for much longer than I care to, so in short go to Salty’s and if you’re friends tell you otherwise consider searching for new friends.

ok restaurant for dinner, quite bad for brunch.