Eric H.
Yelp
Austin's Very Own Saltt is located at Northcross Center, at the southwest corner of Anderson and Burnet. You'll enter into a bright, open space, and walk down the center aisle to place your order at the counter.
The menus are primarily displayed on the TV screens behind the counter, which unfortunately rotate through a few slides, so if you're halfway through reading, you'll have to wait for it to cycle. It might be helpful for customers to be able to reference the full menu on a printout. For instance, it's not exactly clear what comes as a side portion, or even what all the options and combinations are, for say, sides and appetizers. That said, they do have a printed brunch menu, but again that printed menu doesn't contain all the information (for instance, it doesn't list tacos).
But the general theme is this: choose a protein (shrimp, chicken, (cat)fish, crawfish), choose a preparation and/or flavor (fried, grilled, salt & pepper, taco format), and choose some sides. Their boudin balls are considered an entree, not a side or appetizer, and the minimum amount of them which can be ordered is three. Similarly, grits are unavailable as a side, and seem to be available only for brunch.
For drinks, they've got a soda fountain and daiquiris.
Food: amazing grits, grilled shrimp, boudin balls, and fish preparations (grilled, salt&pepper, fried). Their fried chicken & waffles are interesting: a crunchy, candied fried exterior, but the meat itself was underwhelming. For their crawfish, I felt the breading to crawfish ratio was too high, so I couldn't really taste the crawfish (which were reasonably small).
Environment: if you arrive when it's busy, expect there to be a DJ playing music with the volume up. If you come early and there are fewer patrons, the environment is pretty chill. After you place your order, you'll be handed a number on a stand; you choose your own table.
When the food is ready, the staff will come over with silverware, napkins, and plates, along with the food either together or shortly after. Murals adorn the walls, and a few TVs exist on the south wall.
Saltt is reasonably popular for events; for instance when we went the first time, they were hosting Alpha Sigma Theta's sorority party, which blocked off the northern half of the restaurant as reserved.
Conclusion: delicious filling food, partially-displayed in-restaurant menus, happy people, DJ'ed music, clean bathrooms, hospitable staff and service.
