saltine restaurant

this place is amazing!!! great food, great service. it’s located downtown in an old school. unforgettable experience!

used to love saltines, but it's gone downhill quickly. although the last few times were not great, kept giving them a chance. last thursday, june 24th was the last straw.

had a party of 12. server was awful. spent twice as much time on a neighboring party of 2. took 1 hour to get a cocktail. failed to tell us they were out of several things prior to ordering. oysters came out without cocktail or horseradish sauce and no oyster forks - poor presentation. crab dip appetizer came out with crushed up crumb like chips.

2 entrees never came out. appetizer order was messed up. refills never offered. ordered kids entrees 45 minutes before adult entrees. kids entrees came out after adult entrees. brought bill that was not itemized. tip included and i had to ask. didn't even take the time to get the itemized bill to ensure non-delivered entrees and messed up appetizers were taken off because i just wanted to leave and never come back.

whenever eating at a new restaurant, especially in fondren, i worry about waiting in line just to leave later with an empty wallet and not a full stomach. but my first trip to saltine, i was pleasantly surprised. it was a little hard to find and park – just follow the traffic to babalu. on this sat night there was no waiting. the atmosphere is understated, but the service is outstanding. beyond the online menu they had a good selection of specials on a printed insert. we started off with the nashville hot oysters and the feta mozz gratin. the oysters where fried with a little heat. as someone who loves mediterranean food, the gratin was outstanding. one of the best dips i’ve ever had. but it is *cheesy*, so you won’t look sexy eating it. while the oysters are small enough for one, you will need help to finish the dip.

for the meal we had catfish & chips and red snapper. the catfish was ordered blackened but it was only lightly seasoned. the hushpuppies were unremarkable, but you got your choice of side so the alligator and andouille gumbo was chosen. the gumbo was a dark roux without many vegetables -- the sausage providing the most notable flavor. the snapper was moist and flavorful, but if you like fish covered in a thick sauce you’ll need to look elsewhere. i substituted the potatoes for the sweet potato side, but there wasn’t anything extraordinary about them.

we finished with the banoffee pie – saltine’s take on banana caramel. it comes in a short mason jar which looks nice but is harder to eat than a standard pie slice. while tasty, i think it needs less dulce de leche and more bananas. there is also something a little off about the crust. also you will need help finishing the banoffee.

located in fondren  in what used to be a school.  great oyster selection and great lobster roll.  so if you are wanting to eat some great oyster with a different variety to them, go to this place

the place is very chique. our server, zach, was top notch. he was well versed on the microbrews and how the food was prepared. we had the oysters lafitte to start. they were great! the presentation was awesome and they were hot and delicious. our entrés came out shortly after. i had the shrimp and grits. most decadent s&g i've ever had! the shrimp were fresh and nicely spiced and the grits were creamy and scrumptious. the wife ordered the seafood pasta and was a bit disappointed. the pasta was a bit over cooked, there were still shells on a couple of the shrimp and it was over salted. the only real downer was we were seated next to the server's prep station where the servers congregated to wrap flat wear and converse about their shifts and hours. this station should be placed in a more private area away from diners. but, all in all, we enjoyed it and would definitely go back.

i love this place. not only is the food excellent, the service is great as well. our server, aaron, was fabulous. the banoffee pie and wood-grilled oysters were the stand out at our meal.

my wife and i had been wanting to try saltine for several months. we decided to give it a try for her birthday dinner and we were not disappointed. great food and great service. amondo was our waiter and he made great recomnendatons for food and beverages and was very attentive. we will most certainly be back.

i love this place. another one of my favs. the nashville hit chicken is just wow! and the oysters are great. love the atmosphere and the staff are friendly. haven't had anything bad from here.

this place was amazing! i had the wood fired oysters (3 with alabama bbq and 3 with crawfish, pancetta, and parmesan)--both fantastic. the highlight was the pbj (pork belly with boiled peanuts and pepper jelly) with a local high-gravity black gold stout. i travel nationally for business and this place would rate highly on a "must do" list!

saltine is a fun spot. the decor is chic and memorable. service is usually good. oysters are always good...especially the ones that have bacon in them. overall a nice place.

my husband and my's most favorite in the jackson area. menu is constantly fresh and new. we dig all of the events they host as well! the game of thrones themed mother of firkins event was my favorite so far! this is an amazing spot for great food and libations!

i have been here twice now. i have to say that they have a great beer selection.  the first time i had an awesome oyster po'boy and a nice ipa on draft. i thoroughly enjoyed my meal. 

the second time i went i got a shrimp po'boy and i was let down. my first bite was all toppings, no shrimp. i looked inside the first half and found 3 small shrimp. the 2nd half had 5 small shrimp. i found out from the waiter that the shrimp po'boys only get 8 shrimp no matter what size they are and mine were the size of quarters. it was a pitiful excuse for a shrimp po'boy. 

even tho i was let down by the shrimp po'boy, i'm still looking forward to going back and trying something different. the service is great, the beer selection is huge, and the oysters are good.

a great addition to the jackson food scene. don't be deceived, it's not just oysters. plenty of seafood and "food of the land" to try! jesse houston continues to roll out creative and accessible cuisine.

i was very impressed by this restaurant during a late afternoon, early dinner before leaving jackson for home. saltine occupies the opposite end of an old middle school from the anchor & very popular babalu. it's in the heart of the fondren district, a revitalized area just up the hill from the medical center & millsaps college.

the old school setting, complete w/ patio, is a great locale for this fashionable oyster bar, w/ the focus on the open oven behind the curving raw bar, which turns gracefully into the bar proper, complete w/ several microbrews on draught & varied beer & wine list. there are a few large flatscreens about, on one of which i watched the final few holes of the masters.

since i had a 3 hour trip ahead i refrained from any alcohol, but i did sit at the main bar. hard to say too much about the service, as i was one of very few diners at that odd hour, but my barman did a fine job of answering a few questions i did have. i'm a real oyster lover, thus it's not difficult for this kind of place to win me over. that's exactly what it did. i ordered a sampling of warm-ups, namely the chinese-influenced bao, a small wrap sandwich that would be the dim sum version of an oyster po-boy. i ate it so fast i don't remember what, besides oyster, it tasted like. mighty good though. as the crowd was light, the staff agreed to split an order of 6 baked oysters b/t 2 of the 3 listed choices, the initial 2 being mine. both were again superb, notably the trio w/ the alabama white bbq sauce. if i were a rich man i might eat nothing but various cooked versions of these wonderful bivalves. b/t baked & fried, remoulade & garlic butter, scallions & hard italian cheeses, there are really no bad selections. for a change of pace, albeit not a drastic one, i chose the shrimp po-boy next. also very well done, but i should have just gone for the hat trick & more oysters.

to my palate & stomach there's nothing quite so attractive as a well done oyster bar w/ talented cooks & high quality shellfish. saltine pulls it off.

by eat jackson on april 14, 2015 in casual dining , date night , fondren , supper guest post by jubilee perkins, local pastry chef & belhaven university senior saltine oyster bar stands amidst the stained glass windows and 1920’s architecture that make up duling hall. it portrays everything that makes jackson and more specifically, fondren, a unique and delicious place to eat. the cold and rainy weather slipped instantly from my mind as i walked into the fun and warm atmosphere of saltine. the décor and layout of the restaurant is inviting and whimsical. the oyster shell-lined bar stands out while the octopus tentacles painted on the wall embrace the patrons in a very laid back greeting. the oysters of the day are written on a chalkboard next to the entrance. they are listed in descending order based on price. i cannot come to an oyster bar and not order at least half a dozen oysters, so when i was seated, i asked my waiter, chad, to recommend his personal favorites. honestly, i don’t really know anything about oysters. only that they are delicious. chad suggested i try a sampling of all six oysters on the board that day, so i did! oysters on the half shell are raw, and at saltine, they’re served with a spicy cocktail sauce, a vinegar dip, and grated horseradish. when the oysters were brought to the table, chad explained which was which, where they came from and what i could expect when i tried them. the differences in the oysters were slight with the saltiness and soft texture being the only variations. my favorite was the sweet jesus oyster from maryland. i slurped it right out of the shell. a fork would have just gotten in the way. they were not too fishy tasting, but salty enough that i could tell it was fresh! delicious. after i finished my oysters, i ordered my entrée. again, i asked chad if he had any recommendations. he suggested the pb&j. the pb stands for pork belly, and the j stands for pepper jelly. he also recommended the clam and flounder chowder. it w