We liked everything that we ate here. Server was very friendly and service was quick. Not sure why there were not a lot of people in the restaurant. But we found the ambience, food and service to be very nice.
Nandita B.
The Salt is an interesting restaurant - it's "Indian" inspired, but I don't think the inspiration is as strong as I had hoped it would be. Having said that, the food is pretty delicious. The menu is seasonal and is designed for sharing. Most of the menu is small plates, which definitely gives you an opportunity to try a bunch of things. That's what we landed up doing. None of the larger plates appealed to me or my husband so we just stuck to drinks, apps, and desserts. The wings were hands down my favorite. They had the most beautiful char, flavored with classic Indian street food flavors. The watermelon gazpacho (served in a whimsical way with little "paani puri style - puris") was refreshing. Tamarind glazed pulled pork was way too sour, so wouldn't recommend that. We thoroughly enjoyed the dessert - beignets (don't expect the pillowy, light dough balls), served with chantilly cream and orange glaze. The restaurant has so much potential. The interior was very blah. Did not match the menu and the overall vibe they are trying to create. Still worthy of a visit though :)
Jason C.
My girlfriend and I came here after scrolling through yelp looking for a date night dinner. Our server Haley suggested a majority of our dishes and we were more than pleased. We ordered the fries, cauliflower wings, lamb ribs and the beignets for dessert. Every dish was delightful and exceeded expectations. For our cocktails, Roxy suggested the Rose which was exceptional. Toward the end of our meal Ava brought out a complimentary house made dessert to end our dinner date. While enjoying this dessert the owner greeted us and asked for feedback from our experience. We told him we had a great experience and plan on coming back.
Roy Nal
Fantastic food, friendly and great service. A gem in San Ramon, Danville area.
David K.
4.5 stars Though it brands itself as an "Indian-inspired" restaurant, most of the menu offerings at the Salt weren't recognizably Indian at all, and instead reflected a global palate of flavors that can only be labeled Californian cuisine! For example, the Cauliflower Wings were deep-fried florets tossed in a "buffalo" mango hot sauce and served between dollops of goat cheese and celery slices. The Yellowfin Crudo were slices of tuna topped with yuzu kosho (Japanese chile paste), grapefruit, castelvetrano (an Italian olive), and slices of radishes and red pepper. The tuna was soft and delicate, and this was definitely an inventive dish, fusing elements of both East and West (but just try finding raw fish on any other Indian menu)! Perhaps my favorite dish that we tried was the Soy Keema Sliders, two perfectly toasted brioche buns topped with aioli, pickled onions, and Impossible meat. The best part of the sliders was the slightly spicy creamy yellow aioli, and the Impossible meat was a totally convincing plant-based substitute. And then we continued with some larger plates. The shrimp and grits (also not recognizably "Indian" in any way!) was a creamy porridge of heirloom Rosebank grits topped with a generous portion of tender shrimp topped with red chili powder and served with a grilled lime and grilled scallion. The Gucci Korma was a thick, yellow, mildly-spiced yogurt-based curry that came with seasonal ingredients of asparagus, king trumpet mushrooms, and slices of paneer. The curry didn't come with any bread or rice on the side, so we got several orders of their thin house-baked naan for eating with the thick gravy! And finally, the two standout dishes here were the Alaskan Halibut and Grilled Lamb Ribs. The halibut was dusted with tandoori spice and perfectly cooked, but the best part was the slightly spicy orange makhani sauce it was served over (perfect for eating with that naan I mentioned). The grilled lamb ribs were four lamb chops topped with gnocchi in a green garlic pesto and pickled onions, along with a cooked "strawberry sofrito" on the side. The lamb itself was super juicy, and the combination of the flavors of the pesto and sofrito contrasted nicely with the gamey meat! What a great dining experience! The owner came by several times to make sure we were happy with the food, and though the menu prices definitely reflected the restaurant's "fine dining" status, the quality and plating of the dishes were simply stunning!
Carolina W.
We ordered the Black Shishito peppers, pork belly, and the pulled pork. The attention to detail, flavors, and infusion of American and Indian culture was to die for. We came on a Friday night and the place was quite busy, but the waitresses kept coming back our table and constantly check up on us. I cannot emphasize enough on how attentive the owner was. He kept coming to our table and asking us if everything was according our liking. We had a very pleasant experience overall. Definitely recommend this place and will be coming back.
Steven W.
Great dishes for sharing. We got the pork belly, pulled pork, shishito peppers and Panna Cotta. They were all delicious and unique. The owner checked on all the customers and was very kind. The servers were perfect. The Salt has great music and a low stress atmosphere. Paired with the right drink this place puts out sweet vibes.
Amritha D.
Just moved to the area and decided to try this place. AMAZING!!! No reservations, walked in around 5:30pm on a Friday. Had available seating, but this might not last for long so make a reservation. Food was fantastic! Cauliflower dish was so flavorful. Tried the bruschetta and it was a hit. Ended with the Lamb and it was such a great take on the dish. Portions were good for sharing and my husband and I could have easily ordered more and dessert!!! But decided to call it quits before we at too much. Staff was all pleasant and attentive chef and owner came by to say hi. Nice touch.
Madhuri G.
We had been to this place pre covid and had loved it. Now that dining is opening back up we wanted to revisit. We called for Friday night reservation and they said they were full. We went on Saturday instead and this is what happened. We entered at 7 pm on dot for our reservation. No one was at the door. We waited for 4-5 mins. I could see there were a few tables occupied. I then peeped and waived at the bartender ( who is also the only wait staff and usher we later discovered) . She showed us to our tables. Due to covid there are no table linens nor the usual fluff. It is pretty bare bones. We were asked to look up the menu on their website. They have a bunch of dishes but nothing that says If it is an app or main course . The server told us she didn't know exactly what was what and was going to fetch the chef to help us out. We waited a few mins and decided to just order since no one came. This was at 7:10 tops. We got our first plate ( the cauliflower dish) at 8.00 pm !! We waited for sooo long. She said it was a soft opening and looks like there were two people running the place. There were only 4 tables occupied, we were the last to arrive. The food was very good no doubt about it. Only the naan was not the soft fluffy kind. It was more of a stiff (kadak) tandoori roti type thing. Best item was the black shishito ! The service was way too slow since the poor waitress was taking care of all the tables and I am pretty sure there was 1 person cooking all the meals. I hope they can ramp up quick. We were thankfully not in a hurry. They offered us complimentary dessert which was so-so. We left at 8:45 pm satiated and satisfied with the exceptional food despite the long wait time. 3.5 stars
Such a unique fusion of Italian and Indian! Super flavorful. I loved the corn salsa bruschetta
Gregory T.
[Pre-Covid Review] Solid 4/5 star rating for this establishment. Amazing restaurant, amazing service, and exceptionally modern Indian-inspired food. I came here with my family and my girlfriend for my birthday pre-covid and it was one of the most memorable meals that I had. Every dish was presented to us beautifully, and I feel like the only reason this place hasn't really blown up as much is the fact that it's located all the way in the East Bay, and that it's tucked away in the corner of a little strip of other stores. They were even nice enough to have a birthday message on the menu they provided me with that day. The price point is a higher ($20+ for meat entrees) since I feel like this is more of an upscale Indian restaurant than most, but it's definitely worth trying especially if it's your first time. The format of the dishes is tapas style, so each dish is meant to be shared amongst your table. Below are my thoughts on all of the dishes that I had there. - Onion Rings: Not your typical onion rings! Battered to perfection and then sprinkled with some curry spices - for sure my first time having an Indian onion ring and not being disappointed! These were a great start to our meal. - Naan: I always look for how good an Indian restaurant's naan is, and this place did not disappoint. The none was buttery and soft, and was the perfect vehicle for scooping up some of the sauce. Possibly with some garlic, and it could've been even better! - Cauliflower: Served with fenugreek and chickpeas on top of a smear of hummus, the cauliflower was a great vegetarian tapas dish. It was roasted to perfection - Not too soft, but tender enough to where you didn't really have to use a knife to cut off pieces of it. We originally got it just to satisfy our vegetable requirement but it proved to be just as good as some of the meat dishes. - Shrimp & Grits: Wow! I did not imagine having a southern classic at this restaurant. Coming from the south, I had high expectations for this dish, and it did not fail me at all. The grits were smooth and lush, the shrimp was blackened perfectly, and the scallions were grilled to perfection. I also loved the addition of the grilled lime that you could squeeze into the grits to cut into the acidity. I would most certainly get this dish again if I came. - Lamb Ribs: This was so good that our group ended up ordering 2 of them! Spiced aggressively with Indian spices & served with a cool mint chutney, I think this was by far my favorite thing that we had. The lamb was cooked perfectly each time. Presentation was also incredible with the fried parsnips on top and the shaved pearl onions on the side. - Korma Curry: I'm a big fan of paneer, so I really had high hoped for this dish. I think this was the only dish that fell slightly short for me. The dish sounded great, but when eating it, it just didn't feel as robust as it could be. The flavor was rather mild, and even though the paneer was nicely grilled, it wasn't as good as some other paneer I've had. Overall, the experience at The Salt was incredible. My mind was blown away at the level of creativity involved with each dish. To top off such a wonderful birthday dinner, they even gave us this complimentary dessert on the house, which consisted of Indian-spiced candies. My recommendation would be give this place a try before it blows up in the future! The only thing stopping this place from succeeding is possibly the higher price point for some of their dishes, but other than that the food is worth it!
mike lippitt
Always excellent as always. Great food and service. The owner always comes over to ask you how everything was. Clearly a 5 star restaurant. Please help support them during these challenging times
Gordon Anderson
Never had the chance to sit and eat...closing soon...familiar with the kitchen. Excellent ambiance.
Debbie H
Lovely birthday dinner for a friend, they even customized the menu with the heading saying HBD to her!We ordered drinks and starters but I forgot the names of the cocktails - they weren’t that strong though. The pork belly with arugula salad was really good, pork was juicy and crisp with 5-spice seasoning. The raita with naan was tasty, wish we got more. Then came our mains - my friend got the paneer ravioli which she liked and I got the risotto. It was very flavorful with prawn and scallop.For dessert we shared the raspberry sorbet with activated charcoal - interesting mild taste.Service was friendly and attentive, I think the owner came around checking on each table too.
We liked everything that we ate here. Server was very friendly and service was quick. Not sure why there were not a lot of people in the restaurant. But we found the ambience, food and service to be very nice.
The Salt is an interesting restaurant - it's "Indian" inspired, but I don't think the inspiration is as strong as I had hoped it would be. Having said that, the food is pretty delicious. The menu is seasonal and is designed for sharing. Most of the menu is small plates, which definitely gives you an opportunity to try a bunch of things. That's what we landed up doing. None of the larger plates appealed to me or my husband so we just stuck to drinks, apps, and desserts. The wings were hands down my favorite. They had the most beautiful char, flavored with classic Indian street food flavors. The watermelon gazpacho (served in a whimsical way with little "paani puri style - puris") was refreshing. Tamarind glazed pulled pork was way too sour, so wouldn't recommend that. We thoroughly enjoyed the dessert - beignets (don't expect the pillowy, light dough balls), served with chantilly cream and orange glaze. The restaurant has so much potential. The interior was very blah. Did not match the menu and the overall vibe they are trying to create. Still worthy of a visit though :)
My girlfriend and I came here after scrolling through yelp looking for a date night dinner. Our server Haley suggested a majority of our dishes and we were more than pleased. We ordered the fries, cauliflower wings, lamb ribs and the beignets for dessert. Every dish was delightful and exceeded expectations. For our cocktails, Roxy suggested the Rose which was exceptional. Toward the end of our meal Ava brought out a complimentary house made dessert to end our dinner date. While enjoying this dessert the owner greeted us and asked for feedback from our experience. We told him we had a great experience and plan on coming back.
Fantastic food, friendly and great service. A gem in San Ramon, Danville area.
4.5 stars Though it brands itself as an "Indian-inspired" restaurant, most of the menu offerings at the Salt weren't recognizably Indian at all, and instead reflected a global palate of flavors that can only be labeled Californian cuisine! For example, the Cauliflower Wings were deep-fried florets tossed in a "buffalo" mango hot sauce and served between dollops of goat cheese and celery slices. The Yellowfin Crudo were slices of tuna topped with yuzu kosho (Japanese chile paste), grapefruit, castelvetrano (an Italian olive), and slices of radishes and red pepper. The tuna was soft and delicate, and this was definitely an inventive dish, fusing elements of both East and West (but just try finding raw fish on any other Indian menu)! Perhaps my favorite dish that we tried was the Soy Keema Sliders, two perfectly toasted brioche buns topped with aioli, pickled onions, and Impossible meat. The best part of the sliders was the slightly spicy creamy yellow aioli, and the Impossible meat was a totally convincing plant-based substitute. And then we continued with some larger plates. The shrimp and grits (also not recognizably "Indian" in any way!) was a creamy porridge of heirloom Rosebank grits topped with a generous portion of tender shrimp topped with red chili powder and served with a grilled lime and grilled scallion. The Gucci Korma was a thick, yellow, mildly-spiced yogurt-based curry that came with seasonal ingredients of asparagus, king trumpet mushrooms, and slices of paneer. The curry didn't come with any bread or rice on the side, so we got several orders of their thin house-baked naan for eating with the thick gravy! And finally, the two standout dishes here were the Alaskan Halibut and Grilled Lamb Ribs. The halibut was dusted with tandoori spice and perfectly cooked, but the best part was the slightly spicy orange makhani sauce it was served over (perfect for eating with that naan I mentioned). The grilled lamb ribs were four lamb chops topped with gnocchi in a green garlic pesto and pickled onions, along with a cooked "strawberry sofrito" on the side. The lamb itself was super juicy, and the combination of the flavors of the pesto and sofrito contrasted nicely with the gamey meat! What a great dining experience! The owner came by several times to make sure we were happy with the food, and though the menu prices definitely reflected the restaurant's "fine dining" status, the quality and plating of the dishes were simply stunning!
We ordered the Black Shishito peppers, pork belly, and the pulled pork. The attention to detail, flavors, and infusion of American and Indian culture was to die for. We came on a Friday night and the place was quite busy, but the waitresses kept coming back our table and constantly check up on us. I cannot emphasize enough on how attentive the owner was. He kept coming to our table and asking us if everything was according our liking. We had a very pleasant experience overall. Definitely recommend this place and will be coming back.
Great dishes for sharing. We got the pork belly, pulled pork, shishito peppers and Panna Cotta. They were all delicious and unique. The owner checked on all the customers and was very kind. The servers were perfect. The Salt has great music and a low stress atmosphere. Paired with the right drink this place puts out sweet vibes.
Just moved to the area and decided to try this place. AMAZING!!! No reservations, walked in around 5:30pm on a Friday. Had available seating, but this might not last for long so make a reservation. Food was fantastic! Cauliflower dish was so flavorful. Tried the bruschetta and it was a hit. Ended with the Lamb and it was such a great take on the dish. Portions were good for sharing and my husband and I could have easily ordered more and dessert!!! But decided to call it quits before we at too much. Staff was all pleasant and attentive chef and owner came by to say hi. Nice touch.
We had been to this place pre covid and had loved it. Now that dining is opening back up we wanted to revisit. We called for Friday night reservation and they said they were full. We went on Saturday instead and this is what happened. We entered at 7 pm on dot for our reservation. No one was at the door. We waited for 4-5 mins. I could see there were a few tables occupied. I then peeped and waived at the bartender ( who is also the only wait staff and usher we later discovered) . She showed us to our tables. Due to covid there are no table linens nor the usual fluff. It is pretty bare bones. We were asked to look up the menu on their website. They have a bunch of dishes but nothing that says If it is an app or main course . The server told us she didn't know exactly what was what and was going to fetch the chef to help us out. We waited a few mins and decided to just order since no one came. This was at 7:10 tops. We got our first plate ( the cauliflower dish) at 8.00 pm !! We waited for sooo long. She said it was a soft opening and looks like there were two people running the place. There were only 4 tables occupied, we were the last to arrive. The food was very good no doubt about it. Only the naan was not the soft fluffy kind. It was more of a stiff (kadak) tandoori roti type thing. Best item was the black shishito ! The service was way too slow since the poor waitress was taking care of all the tables and I am pretty sure there was 1 person cooking all the meals. I hope they can ramp up quick. We were thankfully not in a hurry. They offered us complimentary dessert which was so-so. We left at 8:45 pm satiated and satisfied with the exceptional food despite the long wait time. 3.5 stars
Valentine dessert during Covid
Restaurantji Recommends
Such a unique fusion of Italian and Indian! Super flavorful. I loved the corn salsa bruschetta
[Pre-Covid Review] Solid 4/5 star rating for this establishment. Amazing restaurant, amazing service, and exceptionally modern Indian-inspired food. I came here with my family and my girlfriend for my birthday pre-covid and it was one of the most memorable meals that I had. Every dish was presented to us beautifully, and I feel like the only reason this place hasn't really blown up as much is the fact that it's located all the way in the East Bay, and that it's tucked away in the corner of a little strip of other stores. They were even nice enough to have a birthday message on the menu they provided me with that day. The price point is a higher ($20+ for meat entrees) since I feel like this is more of an upscale Indian restaurant than most, but it's definitely worth trying especially if it's your first time. The format of the dishes is tapas style, so each dish is meant to be shared amongst your table. Below are my thoughts on all of the dishes that I had there. - Onion Rings: Not your typical onion rings! Battered to perfection and then sprinkled with some curry spices - for sure my first time having an Indian onion ring and not being disappointed! These were a great start to our meal. - Naan: I always look for how good an Indian restaurant's naan is, and this place did not disappoint. The none was buttery and soft, and was the perfect vehicle for scooping up some of the sauce. Possibly with some garlic, and it could've been even better! - Cauliflower: Served with fenugreek and chickpeas on top of a smear of hummus, the cauliflower was a great vegetarian tapas dish. It was roasted to perfection - Not too soft, but tender enough to where you didn't really have to use a knife to cut off pieces of it. We originally got it just to satisfy our vegetable requirement but it proved to be just as good as some of the meat dishes. - Shrimp & Grits: Wow! I did not imagine having a southern classic at this restaurant. Coming from the south, I had high expectations for this dish, and it did not fail me at all. The grits were smooth and lush, the shrimp was blackened perfectly, and the scallions were grilled to perfection. I also loved the addition of the grilled lime that you could squeeze into the grits to cut into the acidity. I would most certainly get this dish again if I came. - Lamb Ribs: This was so good that our group ended up ordering 2 of them! Spiced aggressively with Indian spices & served with a cool mint chutney, I think this was by far my favorite thing that we had. The lamb was cooked perfectly each time. Presentation was also incredible with the fried parsnips on top and the shaved pearl onions on the side. - Korma Curry: I'm a big fan of paneer, so I really had high hoped for this dish. I think this was the only dish that fell slightly short for me. The dish sounded great, but when eating it, it just didn't feel as robust as it could be. The flavor was rather mild, and even though the paneer was nicely grilled, it wasn't as good as some other paneer I've had. Overall, the experience at The Salt was incredible. My mind was blown away at the level of creativity involved with each dish. To top off such a wonderful birthday dinner, they even gave us this complimentary dessert on the house, which consisted of Indian-spiced candies. My recommendation would be give this place a try before it blows up in the future! The only thing stopping this place from succeeding is possibly the higher price point for some of their dishes, but other than that the food is worth it!
Always excellent as always. Great food and service. The owner always comes over to ask you how everything was. Clearly a 5 star restaurant. Please help support them during these challenging times
Never had the chance to sit and eat...closing soon...familiar with the kitchen. Excellent ambiance.
Lovely birthday dinner for a friend, they even customized the menu with the heading saying HBD to her!We ordered drinks and starters but I forgot the names of the cocktails - they weren’t that strong though. The pork belly with arugula salad was really good, pork was juicy and crisp with 5-spice seasoning. The raita with naan was tasty, wish we got more. Then came our mains - my friend got the paneer ravioli which she liked and I got the risotto. It was very flavorful with prawn and scallop.For dessert we shared the raspberry sorbet with activated charcoal - interesting mild taste.Service was friendly and attentive, I think the owner came around checking on each table too.