I love a good restaurant opening as much as the next foodie, but if you go to enough of them it’s hard for one to stand out from the other. That’s not the case with Saltine. They stand out in a crowded restaurant scene. Saltine was a surprise and I was happily shocked.
Luckily I got to preview Saltine prior to the opening. Eater called it one of the 10 highly anticipated spring restaurant openings in Nashville. They are a seafood and oyster restaurant and bar from Jackson, Mississippi.
Far too long one of the best pieces of restaurant property in Nashville has sat vacant, and it’s exciting to see what they have done with it! Saltine took over the space previously occupied by Blackstone.Thinking back to its former days, I have to say that I unequivocally love what they’ve done with the space. It almost feels like the space was built for them and they were meant to be there.
The decor was just as appealing as the food. The theme is carried through the restaurant without being over the top nautical like a seafood Shenanigans (Go watch ‘Waiting’ and shame on you if you are reading this and haven’t). Get your phones ready to snap some great shots of their shell lighting covers, painted boat oars, or giant octopus wall mural. They even have wallpaper with bright yellow lemons and oysters all over them. Careful, it’s not Willy Wonka wallpaper, so don’t lick it because it really just tastes like wallpaper.
It’s fun, colorful, approachable with lots of natural light. It almost transports you to the Gulf or the Atlantic. You just need a salty breeze and some sand and you're there. Well as close as you can be from West End in Midtown.
Our meal consisted of Chicken Bao Buns, Ramen, and Cornbread Dusted Redfish. A couple other items that caught my attention was their unique take on poutine with pimento cheese and their Nashville Hot oysters.
These Bao Buns were tasty, but without a sauce it felt like they were lacking a little extra something.
This veggie ramen had a meaty taste and flavor depth as deep as Barry White’s voice.
I mean this was like, damn! It could convert a vegetarian to a pescatarian.
The decor is fun and the food is really good, but it’s the drinks that are going to rack up the likes on your Instagram. These are some of the most beautiful cocktails that I have seen. Amazing!
I am going to make this easy for you. Go.