austin’s very own saltt

It takes a lot to open up a restaurant. You have to have a business plan, financing, the right place, the right menu, the right staff, the right ingredients, and dedicated clientele. But there’s also one intangible that’s either on the plate or not: love. Love is the difference between simply exchanging calories for currency and proudly sharing cuisine that changed your life. Austin’s Very Own Saltt is proudly sharing cuisine.

Inspired by Bruce’s Seafood Deli, a little dive in Port Arthur, Saltt brings the best of southeast Texas chow to Austin. We’ve never had Port Arthur-style seafood before, but an Allandaler originally from the Port (let’s call him Eddie since that’s his name; he’s rumored to have been babysat by Janis Joplin) tried it out and gave it two thumbs up. Bruce’s, started by a Vietnamese shrimper who wanted to spend more time at home, was Eddie’s grandpa’s fave joint, eating there until he was 99.

The signature dishes are prefaced “salt & pepper” with tempura-fried fish, chicken wings, or shrimp piled high with red pepper flakes and shredded green onions. It’s an addictive combination meshing a light fry with an endorphin-tickling burn. The tempura is crunchy and chewy but also delicate, allowing your protein of choice to flavor through. Orders come with shrimp-fried rice or seasoned fries, both excellent.

Similar to Bruce’s (based on Yelp reviews), it can take a bit (15 to 20 minutes or more) for your food to arrive (“not-too-fast casual”). That’s because your food is made fresh. Everything we’ve ordered has been impeccably prepared and delicious. My fave is what I ordered on my first visit, the Salt & Pepper Catfish Strips (with shrimp fried rice or fries, $16). Again, that pile of pepper flake and onion ribbons with fried fish is perfection, a delectable fusion of Asian and Cajun cuisines. All the dipping sauces were good, but the jalapeno ranch dressing was particularly special. The Bride tried the Grilled Catfish (with rice and steamed veggies; $16) and I did the same but with shrimp ($16). Both were, again, perfectly prepared with an amazing side of al dente rice.

Saltt has several brunch items on the menu that are available all week and all day. I plowed through the truck-driver worthy Salt & Pepper Chicken and Waffles (4 wings, 1 waffle, 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, and grits; $20). The waffle crunched with slight sweetness while the robust cherry marmalade canceled the need for syrup complemented with the phalanx of savory choices across the rest of the plating field. The only miss was the Boudin Balls (3 for $8)—perfectly fried but with an oddly low-to-no-flavor sausage inside.

One local foodie outlet declared Saltt a New Orleans-styled frozen daiquiri bar, something that has taken over the French Quarter. I don’t know about that (Saltt is more about the food and pitches itself as “a seafood kitchen”), but they do have an impressive array of daiquiri choices, including the rum-based classic hurricane, strawberry, Mai Tai, and piña colada; vodka-based blue raspberry, sour green apple, and peach bellini; and the tequila-based margarita (all $9 except for the $16 hurricane). I tried an electric swirl of sour green apple and peach bellini and found it Big (it was large) Easy (how it all went down). The interior is hip, exhumes local regional pride, and spouts a 90s urban soundtrack that had everyone bopping in their seats.

It took a while for Saltt to open up, and for a bit I was worried if they’d ever open. But now that they’re slinging salt & pepper and dispensing daiquiris, it’s clear that they were working out the details so everything would be the way it needed to be. The love is on the plate.

Austin’s Very Own Saltt, 2525 West Anderson Ln. Suite 130, austinsveryownsaltt.com

I wrote this review for the Allandale Neighbor. (February 2024, v 39, i 1, p 18)