The Salt Room on King's Road: what to order and when to go

The Salt Room sits at 106 King's Road on the Seafront, with the West Pier ruins right in front of it and the i360 just over the road. It is a seafood and fire-cooking restaurant, and since its refit it has been one of the more talked-about tables on this stretch of coast.

What it is

It opened in 2015 as the second restaurant from Raz Helalat, after his steakhouse The Coal Shed, and it is part of Black Rock Restaurants, which also runs Burnt Orange and Crazy Goose. The cooking is modern British seafood, done over coal on an Argentinian parrilla grill, with British meat and vegetarian dishes alongside. Fish is landed locally, supplied by Brighton & Newhaven Fish Sales at Shoreham Harbour, according to Restaurants Brighton.

The refit

It closed for four months and reopened on Friday 22 May 2026, just before the bank holiday weekend, as Restaurant Online reported. The old stripped-back brasserie look of exposed brick and arches has gone. In its place are terracotta floor tiles, off-white lime-washed walls, hand-painted tiles, a new central bar and an open kitchen built for live-fire cooking.

The big news for a November visit is the terrace. It seats 60 and is now fully weather-glazed, so you get the sea view whatever the sky is doing. Kim Woodward is executive chef. She is a Gordon Ramsay Group alumna and was the first female head chef in the Savoy Grill's 126-year history.

The menu has also changed. The old starter, main and dessert structure is replaced by sections, so you can graze on sharing plates, have a few oysters with a drink, or go for a full meal.

What to order

• Oysters, sold by the half dozen. The Bloody Caesar dressing, spicy and herbal, gets plenty of praise.
• Grilled turbot, described by London Unattached as the house classic.
• The fire-cooked seafood platter. One Restaurants Brighton reviewer had mussels, cuttlefish, langoustines, scallops and Argentinian prawns with mayonnaise and fries.
• Sea bream to share with fat chips, and the Basque cheesecake to finish, both praised by recent Tripadvisor diners.
• Sussex sparkling on the aperitif list, such as Wiston Estate Blanc de Blancs.

Other dishes written up include whipped cod's roe with trout roe, tuna tartare, sea bass ceviche and red mullet with tarama. Caviar and Cornish bluefin tuna are on the menu too, and they are the quickest way to push the bill up. One recent diner reported paying about £35 a head, which is anecdotal, so treat it as a rough guide rather than a promise.

When to go

Weekday lunch is the smart move. The set lunch runs Monday to Friday, 12 to 3pm, at £20 for two courses or £25 for three. Examples include Caesar salad, beer-battered fish, grilled cuttlefish, a fish burger, minute steak and truffle mushroom orzo.

The glazed terrace makes winter a proper option. It also works as a pre-show dinner using small plates, as Tripadvisor reviewers have noted. Weekends are busy: it was fully booked on the first warm weekend after reopening, according to 10 Magazine, so book ahead.

Booking

You can book through the restaurant's own website, saltroom-restaurant.co.uk, or by phone on 01273 929488. Groups of nine or more can ask about group menus. Check the website for current opening hours before you set off, as listings differ.

For after

The British Airways i360 is over the road on the Seafront, and the restaurant itself has suggested a drink before a flight. Check ticket prices and times with the attraction before you go. Failing that, the West Pier ruins are right in front of the restaurant, and a walk along the seafront is free.