SaltBox Oyster Co.

The food is really good. Had the roasted oysters with Parmesan and basil. Carrot and dill soup and a char fish dish. Cocktails were delayed and not great but everything else was fantastic. I hope this place sticks around!!

Worst dining event ever. Waited for 90 minutes for our food and left. Of course on the way out the door we were told one of our entrees was ready. Boo!

The service was horrible. They didn’t have the reservation i had booked down and ended up having to put together a table. We also received two different menus with no one wanting to change it out for the correct one instead just telling us they didn’t have the items that we wanted to order available. Sat there for a hour with no food brought to us, waiter came to check then sent the “manager” over. manager didn’t care either, she came over asked us what we order. waited another 10/15mins with no sign of someone coming back over to check on us or sign of the food coming out. ended up leaving with nothing done to try and right their wrong. never have had a worse experience at a restaurant.

Sat at the bar as the reservations were over an hour behind. Bartenders were great, food was average, except for the fried oysters which were excellent. The food came out late and some not at all. There are better seafood places in town.

We had a 7pm reservation. At 8:22pm we left the restaurant because we were still waiting. Unacceptable.

Very good. Wine was good which can be rare. Server attentive and liked atmosphere especially open kitchen.

Expensive for the quantity served. Quality was good, not outstanding. Noisy. The front end host wa flummoxed when we came in to be seated, finally stuck us a a community table. Young couple next to us wound up having to share a table with a middle aged couple (us) so much for a "dinner for two". Overall impression as a valentine's experience...mehh....100 bucks for 2 (no alcohol). Many other places to try before I come back.

Had a meal at SaltBox Oyster a few months ago. My husband and I had the most amazing experience. However, we were the only people at the restaurant.
This Valentines Day, we had a reservation for 5.45pm, we put in our drink orders, and then followed up with our appetizer orders. In a meantime we ordered another round of drinks and decided to ask our waitress about our appetizers around 6.45pm, which she said she would check on. People that were seated after us were eating their main course at this point.
We asked for our check and left.
They gave us two oysters to share and removed one drink from the bill. Such a waste of time on such a special day.

Arrived 10 minutes before reservation, which they didn't have. Since was Valentines Day there was no where to really seat us. They had come up with a table that was not a regular dining table and two elementary school plastic chairs. Had two of these shoved between a wall at the end of the bar and the bathroom. We had to move table out into the restaurant walkway. We left at 7:15 and out of the two meals ordered only one had come. When I asked the host how I rated this table his reply was simply, luck of the draw. Won't have to worry about that happening again.

Made a reservation and they were not open. RUDE! Heard they shut the doors without warning to their employees.

Arrived and there was a note on the door that they'd be closed for a week! I'd suggest blocking off your availability on open table. Traveled 2 hours for reservation to start off bachelorette party weekend . . . very disappointing!

Went for my birthday specifically for the variety of oysters. They had 1 type available. The oysters were good ( so glad they were from the Eastern Shore) and the food was fine.
A lot of substitutions on the menu, they said they were out and their shipment hadn't come in.
Also, the bar ran out of vodka, not just the specialty Vodka, all Vodka.
There is a wonderful cocktail that is made with Woo Woo Vodka they make (Tangier Handshake).
Alas,

Great meal. Seating across from kitchen a little isolated - watch for that.

Love the oysters here - both raw and roasted! All of our entrees also were great - carb cake, shrimp and grits and grouper. And our waitress was lovely.

Our server was 5 star. Amazing. Would go back just for her. The menu was rather limited but very good.

We continue to visit SaltBox Oyster Co. to enjoy it's fresh selections, delicious foods, and great staff. The oysters were excellent, top-quality. I miss the baked chicken, but that's all we could say that isn't positive.

Great Food and Fresh Oysters! We had 1 of each oyster they had and they were all very fresh and tasty. The scallops with polenta and goat cheese was amazing. The crab cakes, kale, and cole slaw were fantastic. Not a lot of filler in the crab cake either! The hushpuppies and fried oysters were delish too. It was a very slow night and they said several of their servers were out, so I was worried about the quality, but it didn't suffer at all. Our server was on her "first shift" yet was very knowledgeable and attentive. I'm from the DC area, but can't wait to go back to SaltBox when I am back in Richmond.

Love this restaurant. I drive all the way from Midlothian. Wish they were on southside

We celebrated our five-year anniversary. The food was pretty good. Pretty quiet restaurant. They even gave us a card signed by all the servers at the very end.

So grateful they were open on Xmas eve and we enjoyed happy hour prices on oysters And hush puppies! Seared scallops, crab cake, octopus, and gumbo were all delicious! Will definitely be back!

My favorite place for oysters in town. They have an excellent version of fish and chips on the lunch menu. Their craft cocktails are wonderful and they have an interesting selection of beer and wine.

A quick look at the menu will tell you it's expensive, but I thought it was well worth it. All of the food was amazing and there were many different, distinct types of oysters and preperations. We enjoyed raw, broiled, and fried oyster dishes. Highly recommend.

A perfect place to go prior to the theater, out for lunch, for a friends dinner, for a couple's date, and so on. Good selection for a short menu - and tons of oyster choices, of course. Fresh, tasty, with a reasonable wine list. Thanks!

Every dish, and beverage met or exceeded expectation. This is my second visit and it was better than the first!

This place is an absolute gem.

Matt Tlusty has a rep as chef who's a genius with fish, Salt Box is proof of that reputation. Best crab cakes on the east coast, IMO. Today's surprise? Charred octopus salad that blew my mind.

Oyster program is insanely good, lagniappe of house-made relish and mignonette, along with traditional cocktail sauce, also house-made.

Plenty of options for folks who are vegetarian, or who don't like fish, too.

Do yourself a favor - book a table here. And make it a habit.

Great selection of oysters. The oysters in the stew were plump. We also had on the half shell and roasted. No complaints except that oysters have gotten expensive over ther years. I remember when you could get them for 50 cents.

Roasted oyster appetizer was very good. Octopus in salad was skimpy serving of octopus, not worth it.
You have to pay for bread separately.

Food, outstanding. Service, terrible. We were a party of 6, dining on what turned out to be a slow Saturday night. Ordered a half dozen oysters to start, along with our dinners. Oysters came with one entree (our of 6). We sent the stray entree back to wait under the broiler until the rest of our dinners were ready to be served. Then dinner came, and one was undercooked. We sent it back, not knowing the “house rule” is to toss the whole plate and start over. It took more than 15 minutes to get the plate replaced, by which point the rest of us were all but done.

Fortunately once the meal was replaced, it was delicious (and comp’ed). However, if the house rule is to toss the entire plate and start fresh, (1) tell your customer, (2) only take back the part that’s cooked incorrectly so your one out of six doesn’t sit watching the rest of your group eat, and (3) have the kitchen expedite that damn plate.

Good service, terrific food but terribly pricey. The drinks should be 2 to 3 dollars cheaper, if it was then me and my friends would go more often.

Great selection of oysters with quality descriptions. Had the travelers oyster sampler, and the buffalo oyster, fried oysters, fried calamari for happy hour. Also had the oyster stew and baguette. Everything was delicious and we would love to come back. This will be our new raw oysters spot!

The service was very affable but it took a really long time to just get a drink. The food was slow but delicious. Will def try again, just seemed like an off night.

A wonderful new addition to the Richmond restaurant scene! It’s in Willow Lawn, so everyone needs to know to go there. Primo oysters and lots of other good treats.

Great find. The oysters, dinner, and dessert were great. The service was excellent, though the lighting could be improved. Will definitely go again!

I was very pleased with the quality of the food. Yes we plan to return. Thanks

The setting is such that it is comfortable for solo diners as well as groups. The happy hour house wine was step or two above a typical house wine. The oysters were served on ice and appropriately chilled. Several of the raw oysters had large bits of shell or grit but that is the gamble with fresh oysters. I appreciated the note identifying the varieties of oysters in the sample.
Will definitely go back next visit to Richmond.

We received our order 45 minutes after placing our order. There was nothing extraordinary about the menu. The pecan pie was good, but the texture was off. Taste of all dishes ordered was ok. I did not order oysters. May be best to go if you like oysters.

Strange in a good way... all over the place menu... but again it's Thai style after all.

We selected the SaltBox for our anniversary dinner and overall it was terrific. We were a bit disappointed to see they obviously have changed the crab cake entree - claw meat and more filler, very disturbing. Would have given them a 5-star rating, if it had not been for that change. The Chincoteague Salts raw oysters, according to my husband, were tops! I had the Oyster PoBoy just to enjoy fried oysters. The remoulade sauce was outstanding, but the BEST part of the dinner was their collard greens! Rest assured we will be back, but probably select something besides the crab cake.

Food was good, service was excellent but it was hard getting over the “strip mall” view from inside the restaurant.

Service was slow and strange for not having a lot of people in the restaurant. Octopus was overcooked and chewy. Raw oysters were definitely the best part of the meal and the Eclair cake