January 2024 by Mark Northcote
Saltfish restaurant is always good. Excellent food, large menu. The hardest thing is narrowing it down to one choice. Service is always wonderful.
January 2024 by Illona Kell
We attended here as a group of 6 for an evening meal. The restaurant was busy and had a nice atmosphere. The front of house staff were polite and attentive. There was a good selection on the menu, as well as the options to cater to those with any additional dietary requirements.Unfortunately, my starter had been missed from the order, so it arrived 5 minutes after everyone else's when I brought it to their attention. The starter itself was absolutely delicious (smoked salmon with beetroot and crostini), I could've eaten 3 courses of that.I ordered swordfish with chips, garlic butter, and buttered veg for my main. Firstly, the sides had been mixed up with my friend's, who had also ordered swordfish, but that was a quick fix. But unfortunately my veg was stone cold, so I asked if they would mind heating it up for me. 5 minutes later, a fresh portion was brought with apologies. Although warmer, the bowl they were in was half full of warm buttery water as they hadn't been drained properly, so the taste was really watery. The main itself was underseasoned on the whole, the garlic butter needed more garlic, and although OK, it was very underwhelming for the price. The chips were top-notch, though.Dessert was lemon and cherry posset with shortbread. The portion was generous. The posset was looser and much sweeter than I expected, though that could be my personal taste. Though the fact it was topped with crumbled meringue meant it was just too sweet to eat a lot of.On the whole, the meal was a little disappointing. These dishes plus 2 mocktails came to just under £60, so I expected a little better for the price. I've still given 4 stars because the front of house staff were attentive (with the exception of my missed starter), and we still had a lovely evening. My friends' food was all good with the exception of another cold veg and an overseasoned fish pie. I think the food does have potential. It just needs more attention to detail in terms of plating and seasoning to make it worth the price.Rooms: Rooms available for those looking for an overnight stay (at average boutique hotel prices)Walkability: Right in the town centre
January 2024 by Cher England
Gorgeous food, great service, good prices. The oysters are so fresh and
December 2023 by Vicky Wilson
Fabulous meal supporting Darlington restaurant week. Always feels like a special occasion at Saltfish. House wines delicious, great cocktails. The staff are always on hand and very professional? I had a crab fondue to start with, which was to die for. Followed by sea trout. Fried pancetta potatoes and buttered greens. Thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.
November 2023 by Brian Summerson
I had lunch with 2 friends and we tried the set menu. The food and service was excellent and the decor and ambience of the room first class. The staff were friendly and helpful and very efficient and courteous. I would definitely recommend it and will return in the near future.
September 2023 by Tori Swinbank
Absolutely outstanding! I don't eat fish and even I loved it. Went with family for a mid week meal and was blown away, my husband had the lobster which he assures me was amazing and my aunt thoroughly enjoyed the crab. I had a beautiful non fish dish which was gorgeous. Two lovely bottles of Chablis, only gripe was they needed to be a bit cooler but the fantastic waiter was straight on the case. The service was second to non and the atmosphere was amazing, we will definitely be back. Thank you
September 2023 by Garry Leversidge
Great stay here. Lovely hotel. Room excellent and bathroom spot on. The staff are excellent. Evening meal and breakfast very good. We would stay again.Rooms: Very comfy. Excellent bed. Great bathroom.
September 2023 by Frank Maguire
Salt fish restaurant Great service fanatic food would recommend and will definitely be
August 2023 by Lydia Aydon
Fabulous seafood restaurant, stylish interior, pleasant service and wonderful food. I had the special starter of sardines and then Whitby dressed crab and it was delicious. Tables are quite close together and it can be a bit noisy, but otherwise a great place for Sunday lunch.
August 2023 by Cowman4Darlington
As we live in Darlington, picking this hotel as a wedding anniversary venue seemed an unusual trip ?away.? However, what a wonderful choice the hotel proved to be. Once inside we were transported by our lovely surroundings to what could have been any location in the UK. The staff were very friendly and helpful & our room was fantastic: immaculately clean and well equipped with a roll top bath as the bedrooms focal point. Particularly of note was the room/bathrooms catering for disability access. The large bathroom incorporated a wet-room style section with grab handles, a low level sink and higher level toilet. The hotel also benefits from a small lift. Breakfast was very nice as well as being professionally presented. Again the staff were very pleasant with a ?can do? attitude. The location and setting of the hotel is perfect for either staying put, or taking advantage of the many local facilities. On your doorstep there?s several bars and restaurants, Darlington?s town centre with its indoor market, a cinema, leisure centre, multi-storey car park and railway station. All of these being no more than a five minute walk away. Or just stay in the hotel which has it?s own bar and renowned fish restaurant. There are no faults to raise - but as an observation there is a bit of street noise, particularly if you get a room at the front of the hotel. We expected this, especially with being in the proximity of bars with late night opening hours, so we didn?t mind at all. But, for those expecting silence after midnight, the ongoing nightlife might be the reason complimentary ear plugs were on the bedside tables.
August 2023 by Neil M
We had an amazing meal, if you love seafood and live in the Darlo area this place is a must. Food was excellent and the staff were spot on.
July 2023 by jonathangK2598KW
Wow! Where do I start. Simply put this is a fabulous place to stay and hence I felt compelled to write a review. Having recently been refurbished it has been done to a very high standard and the bedroom which is one of eight was very special. Picture a four poster bed with the finest linen and a mattress that is wonderfully comfortable. Once rested it?s only a few steps to plunge into a roll too bath or if preferred into a spacious bathroom that was just perfect for me as I am a wheelchair user. The towels, shampoos, soaps etc were all very luxurious and overall made it a very nice stay. This hotel is more than just a room to put your head down as on the lower floor is their bar and Saltfish seafood and wine bar again all tastefully done and the food was delicious. A lift made accessing the floors easy and within a three minute walk is a large multi storey car park. It?s location is bang in the middle of Darlington so perfectly placed to visit all the local attractions. And lastly like anywhere you visit it?s the staff that make a place memorable and from my initial call to make my booking all the team were just brilliant. Oh and one more thing to those of you reading this thinking it must be very expensive?£140 a night with breakfast, just great value. Highly recommend you visit and I?ll certainly be back!
July 2023 by Duncan F
Dined here with some local friends while holidaying in the area. The prawn cocktail I had for starter was okay, but no better. My wife had smoked salmon for starter and said it wasn?t the freshest. We both had haddock and chips for main, and whilst the fillet was fresh, plump and tender, the batter was really quite thick and soft, which is not to our liking, personally, and it wasn?t a patch on the fish and chips we had earlier in the week at Whitby.
July 2023 by Carl P
Great little Gem of an Hotel, beautiful rooms, lovely food and fantastic professional staff, stayed lots of times, never been disappointed, everyone including the owners make you feel welcome, will be back again.
July 2023 by Gavin C
Arrived at Saltfish for a lunch date with my wife. We booked first table for lunch time and the resturant area had nobody inside. We booked for 2 people and asked for a table not in the middle of the room. We were told that all tables had been reserved and this was not possible (2 other tables were occupied by the time we left in whole restuarant). A group of 3 came in after us and they placed them right next to us so we were basically sat on top of each other in an empty restuarant. The main course of prawns, fries and salt fosh salad were totally inadequate for the price paid. (Wife had 4 full bodied prawns). I wont be returning the restaurant really has potential as the food and flavours were awesome but the portion size is something you would expect on a kids menu.
