Salt Air

Pea toast was excellent.
Fried chicken tasted like when it has been defrosted in the microwave.
Lobster roll was alright but quite small, frankly have had much better than this one
The ambiance and service was great. Overall experience somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, but service was great so I’m leaning towards 4

Came here for brunch on Saturday around 1pm and we were seated right away. They have a couple new items on their brunch menu which are the crab florentine and the steak and eggs. We ended up ordering both and we were very satisfied with our choices. For drinks, we ordered the mimosa which was made with freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juice. We also ordered the pea toast to start and for someone who doesn’t like peas usually, this was so yummy and it was cut into four slices which makes sharing easy. The décor is really cute and our server Ivy was very attentive and helpful. Will def be back to try more things on their menu!

Salt Air was lovely. From the space to the décor to the menu, this place will bring you happiness. The seafood is incredibly fresh and the menu explores innovative flavor combinations. The dishes are beautifully plated — you won’t be disappointed!

The oysters were good, but hey, they’re oysters — kinda hard to screw up. Server was friendly and courteous (topped off our wine for free because the kitchen was so slow). The main issue was the timeliness of the kitchen. We ordered two small plates, grilled octopus and lobster roll, and it took well over 45 minutes to arrive. It was a Monday night. The lobster roll was good, nothing spectacular but good. The grilled octopus was awful. Not the worst dining experience of my life, but not very good either. It’s also way overpriced. $ 150 for two small appetizers, 3 glasses of wine, and a dozen oysters.

I came to Salt Air on a whim, but as soon as I entered the doors and took in the dancing candles, marble table tops and pristine white walls, I knew I was in for something special. They were playing light jazz and Amy Winehouse. To start I ordered black tea, which I was delighted to find out was loose leaf and came in its own little pot. Next came the fried chicken, in all its glory. Fresh snap and snow peas surrounding two generous pieces of the most tender fried chicken I have ever tasted. Everything was well seasoned, and it lay over a bed of sweet onions (and perhaps leeks as well) that were cooked down into a delicate sauce component on the plate. I loved how the fresh peas and onions cut the heaviness of the fried chicken (ooh and also the honey!) Needless to say, it was awesome.
And then came the Lobster Roll
Just as a lobster roll should be,
You sat delicate like a lost lover waiting to be found,
Nestled between toasted tender buttered buns,
You rocked my world.
Except the chips, I wish there had been a different side dish.
Anyway I loved it. Its more then just the food, when you surround yourself in a place that can take you away, its special. You lose yourself in the sounds and textures and flavors and what more can you ask from a restaurant –then to give you an opportunity to relax for a moment and eat something spectacular.

Love this place.
Love the food and the people working there are so nice and friendly :)

We ordered House made Burrata & Shrimp as starter and the whole fish for the entrée. The whole fish was Sea Bass and it was so good!
Shrimp was good too but House made burrata wasn’t my favorite. People who work here are so nice and sweet.

I was in LA for one day, and stumbled upon this place walking near Venice. We didn’t have a reservation, so they seated us at the bar. The service was excellent. The food was epic.
Each plate was beautiful with great flavor combos and nice details. We had the following:
They started us off with their amuse bouche, a chilled pea soup topped with a ginger carrot froth, loved it, really tasty.
1 dozen oysters — a combination of east and west coast. Fresh, can’t go wrong
Yellow tail crudo — definitely then prettiest thing at the table. Fresh yellowtail scattered with edible flowers, chilies, and clovers. It was not my favorite. The chilies were a bit overpowering. If only it tasted as good as it looked.
King crab legs — today’s special, OH MY GOD, these were to die for, the meat was so juicy and sweet paired with melted butter and a whipped champagne sauce, I’m still dreaming about them, the plating was stunning with baby radishes, carrots, and parsnips surrounding them. Best crab legs I’ve ever had.
Lamb entrée — medium rare lamb on top a bed of cumin and curry couscous. It was tasty, but could’ve used an extra kick.
Poached salmon — super tender and juicy, with bok choy and bonito flakes, couldn’t get enough.

Salt Air has been on my bookmarks for a while & I finally tried it with one of my girlfriends. Got lucky with a 8pm reservation on First Fridays on Abbott Kinney!
Saving grace:
Pea soup with ginger foam (starter)
Pea toast
Also ordered but were flavorless:
Fried chicken
Slow cooked cod
The chicken was so lacking in flavor that we unfortunately had to send it back.
We then proceeded to order the tomato soup and yellowtail crudo because of course we were still hungry!
The tomato soup come with cheese & croutons over which they pour the tomato soup. It was pretty darn fantastic for a tomato soup!
Yellowtail was good. Not bad. Not amazing. Just good.
Also ordered a glass of wine — for being a higher end placs, I would have thought I’d be getting a nicer wine glass for my red. Nope…
I personally can’t see myself coming back here.

SAVE YOUR MONEY
Huge disappointment. We tried to make resos to this other place but unfortunately it was unavailable as there is a two month waiting list so wound up here.
I looked at this menu and the pictures on Unilocal and was so excited to try this place out thinking it was another one of those up and coming gastropubss in Venice.
All the dishes were super salty, super greasy, and fall short of anything I would ever imagine Gastropubs to serve.
Sure the food looks exotic and maybe a little different as far as any other restaurant in Venice, however the food is nothing near good.
They serve you this green moussey drink in a small shot cup right before dinner and it was sort of confusing. Was it a palette cleanser because it sure didn’t serve a purpose I could gauge after drinking it. It looks all fancy but the purpose was… well actually there was no purpose for a drink like that before meal. It was a warm. frothy moussey type of soup, that just tasted like fish.
The green pea bread was just meh. If you like green peas then you’ll like that but don’t expect fireworks to go off in your mouth.
Burrata was excellent however all the bread served as sides on the entrees or appies we’re loaded with melted butter.
Octopus was not perfectly cooked, super salty, and didn’t have that popping crunch like Madeo’s or Cecconnis.
Snapper was super greasy, over salted, and when you bite into the fish all you can taste is some of the grease oozing out from the fish skin.
The full bass fish that we ordered was just OK. I’ve had way better fish at even non-​Gastropub restaurants to include Sam Woo seafood.
Lobster was overly buttered, rolls didn’t taste fresh made nor were they soft. I would imagine I can get better from a food truck.
Wine selection was just OK. I would’ve thought that they would’ve had a better wine selection but oh well.
We decided we won’t be returning even with a lower price point.

Nice little place in Venice for lunch! The interiors very cute with a sort of beach house, sailor decorations and it had a lot of natural sunlight shining in but wasn’t too bright.
All the appetizers were all really good. My favorites were the Lobster Roll and the Pea Toast. The lobster in the lobster roll was so fresh, juicy and tender, not overlooked and so soft. The Pea Toast was so delicious. It was soft and light. I think the drizzled honey that gave it a hint of sweetness was what made it special. I don’t usually like peas but I could eat this!
The grilled shrimp was also really good, and so was the grilled octopus lentil salad. The burrata and grapefruit was also light and refreshing.
I got the Tuna salad, I thought the tuna would be like seared tuna pieces, but it was mashed up with olives which I’m not too fond of. But maybe other people would like it.
I would come back here again for a nice lunch with friends and to walk around Venice afterwards.

I came to SoCal and chose Salt to celebrate a social occasion with family. What should have been a memorable evening in a good way, instead became memorable in the worst way.
Service is just as important, as the food. And, the experience we had with Blair, hostess on Sat, ⁴⁄₂ at about 930, was by far the worst I have experienced at a fine dining establishment (who they purport to be), as a brown Asian Pacific Islander. She did not own to her bad, which was giving away our table to another group, who just walked in, because they were her shade of pale. How do I know that was my table she gave away? Ashley, who I perceived to be Front of House Manager, gave me eye contact at the bar, that it was our table (since we’ve been waiting at the bar for at least an hour after our 815 reservation). But as soon as he leaves to get the table ready, Blair witch swoops in and seats a group that just walked in. WTF! Even Ashley was like, WTF! He had her come to apologize to us, but instead of owning to her mistake, she made us feel like second class citizens, making excuses that they were there first but came back. Again, WTF! What’s the point of a reservation then! She went on and on, offering pittance appetizer or other menu item as a consolation prize for waiting over an hour and half after 815 reservation. I don’t ever play the race card, but that Blair witch showed us, we really didn’t matter. She wasn’t gonna go back to tell the group she seated, that «her bad,» this table was actually reserved. Instead, we were the 2^nd Class Citizens who had to wait. And wait we did, because it was already too late to find another spot. Luckily it was only a 5 min wait, and in the end, Ashley, Paula (our server) and the food made the night better.
For starters, we had Oysters (briny goodness), Pea Toast (unique, fresh, and springy), Grilled Octopus with Lentils and Chorizo (wonderful play of texture and flavors), Mussels (spicy broth) and Seafood Bouillabaisse (curry broth). Both the broths were very nomnom, crusty bread sop worthy. For the entrée, we were set on having the grilled trout, but due to the late seating, they ran out. We had to settle for the cod, and settling, it was. The best part of the cod, was the pistachio crunch. After the 2 flavorful stews, the cod didn’t stand out. For dessert, we had the monkeybread. By then, we were super full, but we had to. This dessert didn’t disappoint, just do it!
To sum things up for me, Blair’s blame game really brought this place down, but I’m giving 2 stars for:
1 Star — Ashley and Paula
1 Star — Food
I hope management takes notice of my review. For that evening, Blair was your representative. Providing excellent customer service, one must be color blind. Money is green, no matter where it comes from.

My friend and I walked in with day old make-​up and no reservations (classy– I know. Stop judging), but the nice hostess found us a seat near the front window in the corner of the restaurant. The restaurant was surprisingly not crowded on a late, morning weekend.
I am not sure what our waitress’s name, but she was petite, blondish, lived in NYC before LA, her body language and tone of voice conveyed: annoyed and snotty –w/​my friend and I. Our waitress was inattentive, short and quick with us. After some time, my friend and I had shared with our waitress that we weren’t feeling well after a night out .it was then she started to give her two cents about hang over remedies, doting –then even apologized for being like a overly doting mother, filled our cups with more coffee and water… and being what she was supposed to be in the first place… NICE. My friend and I, in the state of being hung over –shouldn’t be the only reason to get NICE. Let’s get this all clear and straightened out: I AM A PAYING CUSTOMER –that ITSELF, should always get service to be NICE.
My lobster omelette was $ 17, a bright un-​natural yellow tone, but had large chunks of lobster wrapped in it. The roasted potatoes were overly seasoned with rosemary and salt. This establishment is a bit overrated. Interior décor is really cute, but service is poor and food is mediocre. People probably are influenced to liking this place just because it’s located in Venice on Abbot Kinney and celeb sightings.
I will give it 2 stars for good coffee –they serve Sumptown.

Met a couple of friends here for dinner and was disappointed by the fact that they only have beer and wine. That said, the rest of the dinner definitely made up for the lack of liquor. I will just say, the Salmon I had was one of the best I’ve eaten… that was the main thing that stuck out for me.
The atmosphere is pretty awesome, just feel like you’re in California (I mean pizza beach in NY is only so convincing when you have to wear eight layers). If I lived in the area, Salt Air would probably be a go to spot. The service was spot on and we did our best to try everything on the menu and it was all solid.
Just a fun spot.

This place is well, average.
From the décor to the food, nothing stood out. The only aspect of our meal that was not average was the service, which was way below average.
After waiting for 15 minutes we had to ask our waitress for drinks, then we had to continue to ask for refills on our mimosas throughout the meal. We had to ask about both of our side orders, which came after we had completed our meal.
Overall, the food was bland, the coffee was so so, and the service was disappointing. Two hundred and twenty-​five dollars later I can say with confidence I will not be back. There are way too many great brunch spots on the west side to waste money on mediocrity.

Wow, I really loved Salt Air for brunch and definitely interested in trying dinner. I love the décor and vibe of the space, it has a laid back beach vibe with fantastic natural light. The outdoor seating is very small and smack on Abbot Kinney, I think it would’ve been nicer in the back but the inside is spacious with a lot of cozy booths and tables.
For brunch, my friend and I ordered:
1. mushroom toast: this was AMAZING. Our waitress was very honest saying it’s hit or miss with people but we thought it was fantastic and flavorful. There are 4 small pieces with ricotta, sauteed mushrooms, bacon and jalapeño. Perfect flavoring.
2. gravlax with crispy egg: this is a very light and flavorful dish, good if you don’t want anything heavy. There is a good amount of salmon and 1 crispy poached egg and a decent amount of arugula and frisee. The crispy egg was unique, I have not had something like this before. I felt 2 eggs would have been a bit better for the portion.
3. veggie burger: my friend ordered this and could not stop raving about it… to be honest I was not impressed lol. I felt the veggie burger could be more crisp. The bun was very good, fries were fries, good but I’m not a fries gal.
We ordered coffee and tea as well. $ 4 for coffee but refills so I guess that is an okay price… Food was delicious. Our server was very nice but kinda out of it. We had to remind her about the tea and cream for coffee. I’ll let it slide, not a big deal but something we noticed. Overall, great space and meal. Can’t wait to try dinner :)

3.5 for food, rounding up to 4 for the service
Came here for dinner. Love the beachy vibe and think it would make for a cute brunch spot. Service was attentive.
MUSSELS– Yum. The mussels were huge and the coconut curry broth divine.
LOBSTER ROLL– Disappointing. Connecticut style and a bit too buttery. There wasn’t very much lobster, and the lobster meat present was bland and a little stringy. Definitely overpriced.
WHOLE FISH– In this case, fried red snapper. It was fresh albeit a bit bland (although I guess that is sometimes expected with whole fish). Given the price of this menu item (~$ 40) it would have been nice if it had come with a side of some sort.
VALROHA BROWNIE WITH PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE– Decadent and delicious.
Overall a good experience but I just wasn’t wowed by the food, particularly at those prices.

Hubby and I walked over to Salt Air when Gjelina was an hour deep into seating people and we wanted to be loved and pampered… and served good food. And while there were a few numbers here that were worth the splurge, we probably would have been better off saving our date money for another stab at Gjelina.
The meal began with a complimentary amuse bouche of butternut squash soup with maple syrup and pepitas, served chilled – California fall flavors in one shot. Smooth and tasty. Even more so since it was free.
The next plate we had was utter perfection and if there’s to be a repeat visit, I will be jumping all over two orders of this. It was a mushroom toast with lots of assorted wild mushrooms and bacon, with a few slivers of jalapeños. The mushrooms were cooked just slightly and there was interesting variety of them, all meaty and juicy and resplendent in their earthy glory. I’m a mushroom FANATIC and this was an extraordinary way to enjoy them.
The other sandwich we tasted – the crab tartine – was a complete and total waste of money because the cumin and the salt overwhelmed the delicate crab to the point where all that could be tasted was salted cumin. This crab was just misunderstood and shut down – not a note of crabbiness could power through the spice.
And then came another misfire, the bouillabaisse, which is usually one of my all time favorite soups. Unfortunately, the broth was grossly oversalted and there seemed to be smoked oysters in the seafood mix that were overpowering all of the other marine goodness.
By the time we got the fried deboned half chicken with the truffle honeycomb, we were getting full but we still had enough dinner fight in us to appreciate the juicy meat and the crunchy, sweet skin. It’s a great entrée – and again, for a perfect dinner at Salt Air, I would probably start with mushroom toast and then feast on the chicken.
At the end of it all, I was really wavering between three and four stars and I had to round down because the mistakes were too rudimentary for a place that’s quite high up there in terms of pricing. Still, if I had a chance to come back, I would, since I now know what Salt Air excels at.

Abbot Kinney First Fridays: #AKFF…is the best way to start your month!
Came here to kick off the well known First Friday a bit ago where Venice lights up with tons of people and all the food trucks line up & down the streets bringing the festivities to life.
We came here to show our friend from Miami who was visiting from out of town and show her how it’s done in warm Southern Cali.
It was the perfect spot to start the evening as we gradually got our evening started here with a delectable dinner and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon recommended by the waitress.
My beef tenderloin was the best I’ve ever had! So juicy and tender.
They sure know how to keep a girl happy.
All the other sides we had were a perfect medley to our main courses especially the octopus dish.

Brunch review! Made a reservation day of for brunch. It’s bright, light and the perfect atmosphere for a lively brunch in Venice.
We had to get the shrimp cocktail. Love that the shrimp are rubbed with old bay. So good!
The tuna nicoise salad was a modern twist on the classic. Raw tuna with green beans, pee wee potatoes, shallots and a ginger dressing.
Beets with goat cheese were also so good!
This is definitely a top pick for me in Venice!