Salt Yard

i had been looking forward to going to this restaurant for some time. we went on a friday night when it was quite busy. downstairs where we had to be given a table however it was quiet, hardly anyone there and no atmosphere. it was also a reasonably hot day and it was very warm down there.

the tapas dishes we shared were good but very expensive considering the price and there are no dishes which really stood out. i had a sherry which was good and we shared a bottle of red wine which was served hot as if it has been placed next to an oven and with hindsight i wish i would have complained. service was ok but not great.

maybe we just had a bad experience but i definitely would not to back but would opt for its sister restaurant dehesa instead
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Annie
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Have been to Salt Yard twice in quick succession - once for lunch and once for dinner. The food was absolutely delicious - fantastic rare beef with dressing, tortilla that is wobbly and gooey as it should be and chorizo in a lovely vinegar reduction. We had lovely prosecco cocktails to start and the service was excellent. We will now try its sister restaurant Dehesa and see if it lives up to the original.
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Stow Eater - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, July 02, 2008

We went to Salt Yard last night and had a great meal. We sat at the bar and I was impressed with both the service and quality of the food. The goat cheese platter was fantastic and the stuffed corgette flowers were great and a bit different from what you find at other tapas places. Great spot.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, May 16, 2008

Overall an enjoyable experience due to ambience, friendly staff and generally tasty food.

However, the price quantity ratio is on the stingy side, particularly with some of the dishes. Michelin syndrome I suppose.

For example, Rabbit consisted of only one rabbit thigh, two braised spring onions, in a good sauce for £7.50.

Tapas is a sharing concept really, so this grated.

Duck Liver (£5.75), Manchegos selection(£6.75) and Morcila Croquetas (£4.50) were highlights. Under seasoned, tepid and flacid "Crispy Squid" with incipid aoli (£5.75) was the lowlight.

Also, Gitana Manzanilla at £14.60 for 50ml (£21.90 bottle equivalent) is a big mark-up in my opinion.

Would I go back ? Perhaps, but there are much better value Tapas to be had in London.
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Paul Darby
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Tuesday, April 08, 2008

The food at Salt Yard is excellent and has made me a repeat customer.

However after the appalling service that my party received last night I won't be returning.

Our waiter was inattentive and our food arrived slowly with requests for additional water and wine forgotten.

We were then asked to vacate the table for the next seating even though the restaurant was empty. This is not unusual in London restaurants but the surliness of the waiter is less than I'd expect from an otherwise successful venue.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Friday, April 04, 2008

15 of us ate at Salt Yard last night & we all had nothing but praise. The staff were excellent, giving great service and advice. The food was lovely - we asked our waitress to choose for us & we got exactly the right amount of food (often restaurants will wheel out too much) and it was all excellent. We had some very reasonably priced wines which were very drinkable and all-in-all had a great evening. We meet fairly regularly for dinner and I think this is the best restaurant yet.

When I booked I was told we had a 7.15 to 9.15 sitting, but 9.15 came and went without a mention - I think we left about 11 in the end.

Lots of food, wine and desert cost about £40 per head.

I'll definitely be going back.
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Sirolway - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, March 14, 2008

Overall I was very pleased with this restaurant.

I have so much heard about it that I was sure to be disappointed once there. Well I wasn't. Food simple but good. My favorite that is something I saw for the first time in London. Zucchini flowers with goat cheese inside. Fantastic.

Looking forward to another visit.
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Mauro Spagnol
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, March 11, 2008

I have walked past this place so many times in the past year or two, and seeing the classy exterior of Salt Yard really got my hopes up, so when I took my girlfriend here last month I was really pleased when everything about this restaurant exceeded even my high expectations. In hindsight I got a bit lucky because I unknowingly booked the best table in the whole restaurant – there’s a table for two at the back on the top floor, which is perfect for a romantic meal as it’s just far away enough from the noisy main area for you to get a bit of peace and quiet. The seats are comfortable and the décor in general looks cool and sophisticated.

Most of all, I was very happy with the quality of the food. The menu changes quite often I think, so maybe what I’m about to mention might not always be there – but the sea bass and also the chargrilled beef we had were both outstanding, and neatly presented. In fact, all of the dishes we tried were excellent, including the vegetarian dishes such as the padrón peppers. Overall, we were well fed for quite a reasonable price, considering the good service and ambience. I also loved the chocolate cake I had for dessert. The only problem I had was with the wine list – despite its plethora of options, the cheapest bottle of rosé on there is £26.50, which was beyond my budget unfortunately! However, the bottle of white wine we had was very good. I rate this restaurant very highly and I hope I can go back soon.
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N. P. - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, March 10, 2008

When you think of having tapas, you imagine delightful, delicious and different dishes in a buzzing place with great atmosphere. You're so often disappointed in London, but not here - it hits the mark!

Waitress very knowledgeable and helpful. Service is efficient but not hurried.

Reasonably priced. Friday night was really busy but we managed to get a great table near the back. Avoid downstairs, it has the atmosphere of an office.
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George C - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Saturday, February 23, 2008

Visited Friday 23rd November.

Wine and sherry list great (try Fagus, a beautifully rich Amarone-esque grenache from Aragon), as are the basic ingredients (jamon iberico - awesome). It doesn't come cheap, but then good food doesn't.

The only slight disappointment were the tapa dishes themselves. They were all good, well crafted, generous, but just lacking a bit of something to make them as special as the basics. Morcilla crocquettes for example were slightly underseasoned, while the patats bravas was very overpowering with (I think) smoked paprika.

The service was great, the right mix of friendly and efficient, and the atmosphere lively and pleasantly noisy (although watch out for the Friday night media crowd that dominate the area - one largish group was threatening to whoopingly ruin everyone else's evening...).

Will visit again, but probably just for a drink and snacks in the bar.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Monday, December 03, 2007