Salt Cellar Restaurant

We had dinner there on Jan. 17th it was amazing. The food was fresh and cooked to perfection. Our server Dawn was a delight. She recommended the halibut which two of us had. The other two persons had the scallops satue'd loved every bite. We all rate them as a five star restrauant. Can't wait to return.It was quit a surprise to us that it was like sitting in a 1962 bomb shelter from the cold war.But very well done. more

A friend recommended this restaurant to me and I must say it was a good choice. The food is excellent, staff friendly and very clean. Well worth a visit. more

After hearing favorable comments about the Salt Cellar we made reservations and went last night. Service was prompt and courteous in the bar and at our table. Although they carried a good selection of wine, the quality was subpar. Sutter Home may be a fair wine, but not what I would expect at an establsihment such as the Salt Cellar. We started our meal with clam cowder which was tasty with a hint of bacon. However, the soup was not rich and creamy, but milky. The salad was excellent, made with a variety of greens and fresh mushrooms. Nice presentation. My main entree was halibut, wild rice and a steamed carrots with green beans and it was excellent. The generous serving of halibut was cooked to perfection as was the veggies. The rice was so delicious, I could have made a meal out of it alone! My husband had king crab legs that were hot, plump and succulent, perfectly prepared with a side of clarified butter that was placed in a warming dish. I am not sure why the previous reviewer said it wasn't sufficient in quantity. The order is 1.5 pounds which my husband who is a hearty eater had trouble finishing. Although the prices are high, you are paying for fresh flown in fish in the desert. We will definately return and I highly recommend the Salt Cellar. I would have given them a 5 star if it wasn't for the wine list and clam soup. more

I was really excited about this restaurant. My brother had mentioned it to me a while ago and I had high expectations. The ambiance of the place was great. An underground restaurant is a cool idea. more

Alright, so i was told by a family memeber that this was his favorite restaurant, so I decided to take my wife for a nice dinner. I should have went somewhere else. more

We started off by making a reservation well in advance as they are busy most of the time from what I hear. We had another couple with us so that made 4. We sat at a great round table whee we could all talk. Nice!! The server told us about some specials and we all tried something different and shared. This is the place if you want FRESH-WONDERFUL-SEAFOOD. You will not be dissapointed. more

A nice lady bartender at the airport Crowne Plaza Hotel in Phoenix reccommended Salt Cellar when asked about seafood places around Phoenix. I have traveled a great deal around the world. This was however my first visit to Phoenix. My wife Bonnie and I were very pleased and had a wonderful dinning experience at Salt Cellar Rstaurant in Scottsdale Az. We reccommend this unique experience. Pros: Very good food and service Cons: Too far from Patterson Georgia more

Our waitress, Christina, was really friendly and very helpful! She suggested we start of with the Sauteed Shrimp San Remo and we weren't disappointed at all! It was one of the best things I have ever had! The sauce it is made with is so delicious, you can dip the bread in it too. My husband got the stuffed baked lobster, which was absolutely awesome. I got the steamed lobster and that was delicious as well. The staff cracks the lobster so you don't have to do the ""dirty work"" and that's an added bonus as well. Overall the experience was great and we had an outstanding time. We just can't believe it took us seven years to find this place but then again, we live on the other side of town. We definitely recommend this place to anyone who likes seafood!!! Pros: Friendly staff, fresh not frozen lobster, awesome appetizers Cons: Not cheap more

I had heard how good it was. What a disappointment. Very expensive restaurant with food inferior to the corner fish and chip shop back home in Australia, or MT, CT, NY. more

The Salt Cellar offers the best seafood in the entire valley. I should know, I eat seafood every chance I get. My husband and I dined at the Salt Cellar twice this month already (october 2009). We ordered the king crab legs and the shrimp san remo. It melted in our mouths- We decided to order the yako (?) tuna for an appetizer because we loved it the 1st time as a dinner. Every appetizer and entree we have ordered there has been cooked to perfection. The service was prompt when it needed to be but she also knew when we wanted some alone time. The servers there really know how to make the evening special. The bottle of wine we ordered was poured by the server and the cheesecake (snickers) was amazing. I would HIGHLY recommend this amazing restaurant to anyone who wants to impress their date (1st date or married for 50 years).\r 5 stars to the Crew of the Salt Cellar Pros: Great Food Cons: Tummy too small:) more

I went here w/ my family the first and ONLY time last night. The prices are high and the quality of service and food are poor.\r \r The hostess was extremely rude, commenting on our attire even though we were similarly dressed as other patrons. The food was average at best; I had the shrimp scampi which was inedible. I returned the meal unfinished and barely eaten as it tasted as if it were cooked in Pine-Sol. The prices were very high for the quality of food and rude and unprofessional greeting. The hostess, an older white female w/ above the shoulder length hair should at least wait until the guests of her place of employment have left before disparaging their attire with such disdainful comments as, ""Have you seen the ones that just walked in?""\r \r The table server, at least, was polite and professional, but that along w/ a ""cool"" building certainly do not justify the overly high prices. I WOULD NOT recommend this place to anyone, I know there is better service and seafood for less money somewhere else in the area. Do not waste your time and $$$ here.\r more

My boyfriend surprised me with taking me to the salt cellar for my birthday, since he knows that I LOVE seafood. I'm from the east coast and I miss all of the tasty roadside lobster shacks. I checked out their website and saw that it looked awesome, but pricey. The parking lot was super small, but their was a lot of room to parallel park on the side street, next to the restaurant. We walked down intot he basement and it was so cute! There are a series of small rooms that include booths and tables with chairs. The tables are set pretty close together, but it's a nice atmosphere. Our waitress was very nice and helpful with giving us reccomendations. We started with a shrimp dish (I don't remember the name, but the waitress recomended it) that was pretty good-it was sauteed in a spicy tomato sauce. They also give you really yummy bread, that was great for dipping in the extra sauce. We both each ordered the prime rib and crab legs. They were both so good. The crab legs tasted so fresh! They were moist, hot, and probaly were some of the best I'v ever had. The waitress actually cracks them for you and the meat is very easy to then pull out. The prime rib was cooked perfectly and melted in my mouth. We both ate every last bit that was on our plate. By the way, almost every entree on their menu is between $35-$40 and was well worth it. They then had me choose what kind of free dessert I would like for my birthday and I chose a triple chocolate cake with raspberry filling-so good! It was huge and it came out with a candle and best of all-no singing! Our final bill for an appetizer, 2 house salads (came with meal), 2 entrees of crab legs and prime rib (came with vegetables and mashed potatoes), a free birthdya dessert, and 2 beers came to about $130 with tip. I would definitley recomend this restaurant and I will be back. Also I heard that their 2 happy hours are amazing-1/2 off appetizers (they have tons of amazing seafood ones to choose from)! Pros: Servers break your crab legs for you, amazing seafood! Cons: Small parking lot, a lot of stairs to walk up and down more

I don't usually use this forum but after I dined at the Salt Cellar, I had to express my delight!! Pros: Food awesome!! Cons: Parking lot small more

This at one time was the best seafood around. Now Red Lobster gives it a run for the money. The tired and worn out basement smells which is hard to get past while eatting. more

My wife and I have only visited Salt Cellar during Happy Hour. While the regular prices are a little over our budget, the happy hour prices blew our minds. The oysters are only $1.25 apiece, which we always ask for, and we are both hooked on the shrimp toast. The service is standard bar service (as that is the only place you could get happy hour). Pros: Good Happy Hour Cons: Fishy smell upon entering the restaurant more

We have been going to the Salt Cellar for the past 35 years and have always experienced good food. After not being there for the past 5 years, we decided to give it a try this evening, and what a disappointment!!! For starters, the bread was very average; but the New England Clam chowder was quite tasty. The salad with the house dressing was nothing to write home about...we didn't eat it. My companion had the Alaskan halibut with capers, and I had fried oysters, and both were unimpressive. The sticky bun cheesecake was very mediocre! We eat out a lot, and when the food is good, we are more than happy to pay for it and will go again, but there are too many other restaurant options in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area with much better seafood and much less pricey. This place has become way over-priced for the quality of the food. It will be another five years before we try it again. more

We (party of 2) visited on a Sunday at 6 PM, and the restaurant was busy but not packed. It is dim and perhaps a little dated, but still charming. We were originally seated under an air conditioning vent, but were promptly moved when we requested a different table. The hosts, waitress, and runners were all very friendly and attentive. Another reviewer complained that there were only three slices of bread (sourdough, sesame, and olive) in the basket, but failed to mention that the slices are HUGE. Three slices is enough for six people. We ordered oysters on the half shell (good but not the best we've ever had), charcoal-grilled scallops - peppery and well-cooked, but with forgettable sides of steamed broccoli and rice, and black grouper, which was also properly cooked and served with a side of sweet sauce that was very good in small doses. Dutch apple cheesecake was tasty, if too cold, and the coffee was passable. Wines are vastly overpriced - I understand markups, but I really don't like paying the same for a glass as I would for a bottle. With two glasses of wine and two cups of coffee, our bill was about $120. If it had been $70, I'd have thought this was a good value and returned. As it is, I don't think think that the place deserves some of the excoriating reviews I've seen on this site, but we won't return. There are much better values with better food in the Valley. Pros: Fun/different atmosphere, attentive service Cons: Very poor cost/value more

My wife and I like to do dinner out at least once on the weekends, and more often than not, we find ourselves unground at the cellar. The food is always perfect, albeit somewhat pricey, I never think twice if I want to return. The waitstaff is quick and courteous, and unless you order the stuffed clams, the food arrives extremely quick. Most impressive is the reliability, it is always exactly the way we remember it. If you are lucky enough to go when the Alaskan Halibut with king crab is on the menu, get it. It is hands down the best thing they have. Pros: The food, location and staff Cons: Sometimes hard to get a table on short notice more

Our experience at the Salt Cellar was awful. We took a business associate with us and had requested a quiet table to discuss a few things and were placed in a crowed outdated room. We were so close to the other diners that you could not carry on a conversation. The waiter was in our space when he was taking care of the other table! Our lobsters were so overcooked and just awful. We were only given one bread basket with 3 pieces of bread! The server acted as if he really did not want to be there! While waiting for our table, we were escorted to the dingy bar area where the bar stools were so old that we thought we just might fall off of them! The place is not the best in the Valley that is for sure; in fact, it really needs a MAJOR facelift...updating and a new chef who knows how to cook fish. There are far better places in the Valley to eat delicious fish and to spend your money. Pros: Nothing! Outdated...poor parking...dingy Cons: Food was awful...overcooked. Service was below average. Noice level was extremely high. more

Prices were high. Food was mediocre. Service was O.K. The lobster and ahi tuna were overdone. We have dined there several times over 20 years. This time we took friends, and it did not come near our expectations. Somewhat embarrassing. Considering the prices, it was below average. more