salut kitchen bar

1435 e university drive tempe, az 85281 (480) 652-3600 http://www.salutkitchenbar.com/ i have been wanting to drop by salut kitchen bar since they opened and i spotted the "grand opening" sign on my drive home from work.  that was two years, which may speak to the location.  the restaurant recently celebrated its two year anniversary with great deals and i was wooed in by a $2 bottle of wine coupon (do read the very fine print on the wine specials, usually these deals require purchase of one bottle at full price--$28-$49). as a wine bar, i expected something pretensions from salut, but the atmosphere is warm and inviting--more rustic villa than  sleek wine bar.  the patio is spacious and charming. the eclectic menu features small plates and sandwiches with most options in the $10-12 range.  the wine list is fairly standard with the usual varieties from the popular spots with glasses ranging from $7.50-$14. the menu is broken down into "tapas," "bruschetta," "salads," "sandwiches," and "entrees" and is much heavier on lighter fare.  we went for a happy hour and ordered from the special menu the quinoa fritters ($9.50, $7 during hh) and the hummusnachos($9.00, $6.50 during hh).  my partner ordered the malbec burger ($13) off the regular menu.  the wine special was for the house chardonney, which was blessedly non-oaked though nothing particularly interesting as is usually the case with house wine. i was pleasantly surprised by the quinoa fritters.  i'm  not always thrilled with the texture of quinoa, but the fritters were similar to falafel in texture.  the crimini mushrooms and dill havarti were the dominant flavors.  the red pepper sauce was a nice compliment and added a sweeter note.  i felt like the fritter could have been fried a bit more crisply to stand up to the sauce, but the fritters were good on the whole. at our servers insistence, we tried the hummus nachos.  i said they didn't sound like my thing, but our server promised to comp them if we didn't like

i had fun here. i hung out with my brother and dad and his friends. the food was really good. dad let me have salmon and i liked it a lot. i think the hummusnachoswas the best. the waitress was really nice to all of us. it was a pretty fancy place. i hope i can come back here but my dad and his friends like to try new places

a must try. we had wonderful service! there was 14 of us that had never been there and we left full and happy! the good was amazing, great appetizers.we had 8 different kinds of brushetta and the hummusnachoswhich were so amazing! great wine list and mixed drinks.the only negative thing i could say is that it was very hot in the restaurant.so much that we complained 3 times to 3 people and they all said the manager was aware that it was uncomfortably hot but would not do anything about it. never the less we will be back!

i would recommend this to a friend

a tempe favorite. this place has become a favorite of mine since they have opened. they do a really good job of plugging into the tempe scene. i love the outdoor patio and the atmosphere here. salut has great happy hour specials (7 days a week) that keep me coming back. the hummusnachosare amazing and they make a good size portion burger on a fresh potato bun. the sun devil and sriracha burgers are my two favorites. i love their wine selections and i'm looking forward to trying sunday brunch (chiken and waffles with refillable mimosas).

awesome!. there is only one word to describe salut...perfection!! my bridesmaids set up my bridal shower there and it was so incredible. we had the outdoor patio which was set up so we could all sit at one long table, but there were also padded booths so our preggos would be comfortable. the food---to. die. for!!!!! the hummusnachoswere so delicious with the balsamic drizzle! and all the brushetta's! and oh my gosh, the greek fries!! i could've eaten my body weight in those fries if i wasn't trying to fit into a wedding dress! the chef came out and we couldn't help but shower him with compliments. my maid of honor old me that the owner, chris, treated her to a special tasting before the shower so she could select our food and that he was just so helpful, acommodating, and nice. i will for sure be back! hoping to make this "our spot"! :)