SALT the Bistro in Boulder, CO

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:	+1 303-444-7258
Website:	www.saltboulderbistro.com
Address:	1047 Pearl St, Boulder, CO, 80302
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:	0.2 miBroadway & Canyon 0.2 miGate 1 0.3 miGate 2
Categories:	American (New)

Download QR Image Download vCard

Map

Streetview

Activate map

Bussiness info

Takes Reservations	Yes
Delivery	No
Take-out	Yes
Accepts Credit Cards	Yes
Good For	Dinner
Parking	Street
Bike Parking	Yes
Wheelchair Accessible	Yes
Good for Kids	No
Good for Groups	Yes

Attire	Casual
Ambience	Trendy
Noise Level	Average
Alcohol	Full Bar
Outdoor Seating	Yes
Wi-Fi	Free
Has TV	No
Waiter Service	Yes
Caters	No

Today

Today	11:00 am – 10:00 pm Closed now
Local time (Boulder)	07:04 Friday, 13 June 2025

Business hours

Monday	11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Tuesday	11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday	11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday	11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday	11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Saturday	11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday	10:00 am – 9:00 pm

Description

Specialties

The philosophy at SALT is simple: a belief that the best food travels the shortest distance from farm to table, that menus should change with the seasons and that locally sourced ingredients, combined with European technique and innovative thinking make for a truly remarkable experience. Chef Bradford Heap and his staff have made a commitment to source local, organic and fresh ingredients whenever possible. The menu reflects this mind-set, simple, yet elegant and delicious. The wines, while sourced all over the world offer our guests some classic profiles, while introducing them to some new and exciting choices as well. A comfortable blend of neighborhood and fun. Enjoy!

History

Established in 2009.

Salt has made it’s home on the historic corner of 11^th and Pearl in Boulder Colorado, the site of Tom’s Tavern for 40 years. We are proud to be able to continue the legacy of Tom Eldridge by honoring his life long dedication to people and place.

Our commitment to using local sources for our produce also extends to the re-building of Tom’s. Almost everything used in the interior is made from recycled and reclaimed materials. Many of which came from the original building. The old pane glass from Tom’s windows was used in the metal (reclaimed boiler plate) and glass dividing wall in the entrance. The 100 year old sagging floor joists became the doors, flooring, and community tables. Everything from the tiles and counter tops, to the interior doors and glass shelves came from our neighbors at Resource 2000. The tables are the old doors from Casey Junior High! Local artists came together to reconstruct this beautiful building. For more on the what and how of the building visit our website

Meet the Business Owner

Bradford H.

Business Owner

Classically trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, Bradford Heap is a true example of «do what you love.» After graduation, he worked at L’Orangerie in Los Angeles and in San Francisco in the wine country with Gary Danko. He then traveled to France and Italy to train in the Michelin three-star kitchens of Alain Ducasse, Georges Blanc and Carlo Cioni. Here, Brad sharpened his skills and learned the nuances of French and Italian cooking. His time in Europe left a deep impression on him. He has embraced the way European chefs procure and prepare the freshest possible ingredients of the region and the season. Bradford was also the successful chef/owner of the highly Zagat-rated Full Moon Grill and Chautauqua Dining Hall. After selling his interest in both in 2006, he purchased the existing Le Chantecler to create COLTERRA. With 16 years of experience as a chef, Bradford’s talent and reputation have secured a loyal following in and around the Front Range.

SALT the Bistro also recommends

The Mediterranean Restaurant

616

reviews

Spanish

,

Greek

,

Mediterranean

Bradford H. says,

«Great Happy Hour!»

The Kitchen Boulder

500

reviews

American (New)

,

Breakfast & Brunch

,

Seafood

Bradford H. says,

«Great ambiance, service and food…»

Happy — CLOSED

80

reviews

Bars

Bradford H. says,

«Love the Bitter Bar… cocktails are off the hook! Great food and friendly staff.»

Related places

Nearby

Near this location:

Goodrich Violins

1045 Pearl St

100

Intelegain Technologies

30 Wall St 8th Floor

110

InspiringApps

1045 Pearl St

110

Digital Housing

1035 Pearl St Ste 400

110

Impeccable Faux Interiors

1035 Pearl st

20 reviews of SALT the Bistro

No registration required

Rob B.

Place rating: 5
Chandler, AZ

Tony is awesome!!! The bartender, great laugh and great at improvising at creative cocktails.
We had the steak,(tony recommended it) it was delicious! Good job Tony!
The he recommended another place for a great drink, hang with Tony he know what he is doing.
May come back tomorrow unless we get distracted

Annaliese W.

Place rating: 4
Northbrook, IL

We stopped at this place for Sunday brunch.
The décor is beautiful, the waiter was wonderful and our Bloody Mary was fantastic!
The only reason we give this place 4.5 stars is because the menu is very limited. That being said, it is farm-to-table and the food was delicious!

Cindy S.

Place rating: 2
Boulder, CO

Food was good. Service wasn’t. We were repeatedly interrupted by wait staff throughout the meal, including rapid succession of dish clearing toward the end. Our dining experience was then completely ruined when we were virtually asked to leave. A woman, presumable a manager, came over to us, saying that our table was needed for a reservation she had made at 8. Our reservation was at 6, a whole 2 hours earlier in the evening. My party and I were stunned, not having ever experienced similar treatment in any restaurant let alone an expensive one. The woman then told us we could sit at the crowded bar if we wanted to stay. Outrageous. SALT is not so special that any of us would ever want to return to a restaurant that has the audacity to tell customers their table time is up.

Jaimee L.

Place rating: 2
Boulder, CO

My husband and I were excited for a date night. Our waitress was pleasant, but the service was slow. The charcuterie plate was good (how can you mess up cheese and ham) but our dinners were both pretty inedible. First my husband, who had order a medium rare steak, was served a well done steak. We did decide to send it back. The second steak (remember, medium rare) was returned about 30 minutes later. This was a Thursday night, and they were not busy… The second steak was edible, but highly salted. My gnocchi with braised short ribs was so salty I could hardly eat it, and I am a big salt user. We will probably not go back, which is surprising because we eat at Colterra often (another Bradford Heap restaurant).

Mayra J.

Place rating: 5
Rialto, CA

We hit up their cocktail hour and met Charles, he is amazing. He is personable, and his cocktails are exquisite! We had a whiskey Sour, a Corpse Surviver #2, and a Southside… all delicious, he takes his time and makes quality drinks! Definitely worth the pit stop!

Elizabeth W.

Place rating: 1
Princeton, NJ

Sunday is just the brunch menu. You can’t get anything at isn’t on the brunch menu. Which would be fine if the brunch menu had anything that wasn’t on the Approved Hipster Diet.
Want bacon? There’s a ton.
Want Brussels sprout quiche? They got that too?
They have a side of gluten-free bread, but no side of eggs.
There’s tomato soup but no chance of getting a grilled cheese sandwich. The latter isn’t on the brunch menu, and we were straight up told – brunch menu on Sunday only. No substitutions, no alternatives. No grilled cheese sandwich.
They have a quinoa burger or a pork sandwich. Want a chicken sandwich? Go f– yourself.
There’s a salt cellar on the table, so at least there’s that?
This place is so disappointing for anyone who doesn’t want to live on bacon and kale.

Heidi F.

Place rating: 5
Arvada, CO

I made a reservation for a semi large group (10 to 12). We were seated downstairs by the bar and it was a great location. It was intimate and hip. The place is huge upstairs and down. The food was excellent, a bit on the high side, but it is a farm to table restaurant, and I love that. Everyone I was with seemed to like the food. They even still had the original ‘Tom’s Tavern’ burger that was served there for so many years.
Parking wasn’t bad. We found a nearby parking garage that cost like 2 bucks. This was a Friday night too, near the pearl street mall in summer. This is a great hang for friends, FAC, or just fine dining. I would go back again. I loved it.

Jerad L.

Place rating: 2
Denver, CO

Bad service is the key reason for this review. Our waiter (wish I had his name) was in a hurry and very rude all night. The food was good: good chicken, good burger, good flatbread and good, strong cocktails. But nothing was great. And nothing outweighed the sour-puss that was serving us.

Mark J.

Place rating: 4
Houston, TX

I for one enjoyed this place very much. Even though I only ordered the Burger, it was well executed and in particular the fries were well done. The Chef seems to have a good grip on what comes out of the kitchen which is a great thing.
The burger was tasty and the fries were cooked perfectly and very well seasoned. Not all fries are created equal especially in the day and age of providers like Sysco that pre fab everything in many restaurants. It’s nice to see that some places still make fries the old fashioned way, cut in their kitchen from real potatoes.

Abigail S.

Place rating: 4
Kent, OH

Our meal at Salt had two divergent components – delicious food paired with lackluster service. When you’re paying at least $ 25 for salad and entrée, you want the experience to match the quality of the product. Our salads were perfectly dressed with bracingly assertive pickled onions. The grilled salmon and farro with greens came as a huge portion, and was as tasty as ever. The chicken with sweet corn polenta was also creamy and delicious. Sitting near the fire bar area where the food is prepped, you can tell that the kitchen staff is incredibly hardworking, busting it all night to keep the orders flowing.
However the front of house staff was engaged in a continual choreography of miscommunication and waiting. We were virtually forgotten after we were seated, until we finally hailed multiple servers. After wine was finally delivered, we were again abandoned for a while before the food order was taken. A pepper garnish was initially offered, then eventually administered after I had already eaten half of my entrée. We were unexpectedly given a dessert «on the house» because of all of the snafus, but all in all, a very simple dinner for 2 turned into a 3 hour waiting game. Salt seemed busy, and the food is delicious – they just need to rouse the troops and get the server game up to speed.

Dana A.

Place rating: 5
Cincinnati, OH

Went her for lunch with a group of four. Loved it, food was great, drinks were tasty! This visit was on August 19^th 2015.
Atmosphere:
This is obviously where the cool peeps are hanging out. The décor is nice, open kitchen I liked, there is a lot of natural light. Seating was very comfortable booth with great view of the kitchen.
What I drank:
I had a build your own cocktail that was really good. I don’t remember exactly what went in there but you could pick your base (I had sparkling something) your liqueur and some infused thing. There were two at my table and they were both really good. One of them had strawberry and basil I think and it was really good. I wish I had gotten that one because I don’t remember mine.
What I ate:
I had a cheeseburger that I swore I was not going to be able to eat all of. I proceeded to demolish it, it was soooo good I couldn’t stop! I also sampled a really good salad, fries and some very good soup.
Service:
One of the meals for our party didn’t get put in with the rest. Our waitress handled it beautifully, very professional and sincere (wish I remembered her name!). The meal was then comped which was really nice.
Overall:
Great service, delicious food and wonderful atmosphere. I don’t live on this side of the country but should I ever be back in Boulder I would come again.

Stephen B.

Place rating: 2
Denver, CO

I’ve had really good experiences at Salt in the past but was really disappointed in my experience on Friday, Sept 11^th. Some of this may have been due to staffing, it appears our server was spread too thinly.
First of all, it took about ten mins for the server to first approach our table. We ordered a cheese plate immediately. It wasn’t the server that delivered the cheese plate, nor a runner, I think it was a manager. Anyway, she just dropped it off and walked away. I figured out what the cheeses were but I’m used to the server pointing out which cheese is which. This may seem like a minor detail but it wasn’t up to the level of service that I’m used to. Or that I provided while a waiter in the Hamptons and NYC.
Or server finally returned an we ordered entrees and a glass of wine. I had planned on ordering one earlier but there was a long gap between ordering the cheese plate and our server returning.
Another thing that bothered me is that the cheese plate showed up with pickled onions. The menu lists pickled watermelon rinds. I have an onion intolerance and noticed immediately but I was still annoyed that we weren’t told of the change when the plate was delivered.
It also took quite awhile for the check to be delivered which leads me to believe that many of the issues I experienced were not the fault of the server but rather by management for stretching the staff too thinly.

Joe M.

Place rating: 4
Walled Lake, MI

Nice place to stop in to have a drink and get a meal. I did not eat on this stop but some of the folks I was with did. They had the mussels dish and raved about it. I just had a couple drinks and chatted with Rachel the bartender. She gave us lots of tips on things to do around town. Fun place. I will be back and try it again. Next time I want to be hungry.

Kathy P.

Place rating: 3
Westminster, CO

Nice sunny afternoon on Pearl Street so decided to have lunch on patio at Salt. Seated immediately so good start. They weren’t too busy so anticipated quick service. Wrong. We checked out drink and lunch menu… and waited. Someone finally came and we thought it was to take order. Nope. She plunked down waters and didn’t ask if she could take drink orders-just left.
This continued throughout our long drawn out lunch which just shouldn’t happen. Crummy service. Our food (Tom’s burger) was pretty good but nothing to make you return for so probably won’t. Even had to track waiter down to pay. Ridiculous. There are too many dining options in Boulder to have to endure bad service.

Andrea K.

Place rating: 5
Littleton, CO

I am disappointed with some of the reviews here. In my opion, Salt rocks. Yes, it’s pricy. But have you ever purchased grass-fed beef and all organic vegetables and non-GMO tortillas and oil and condiments, etc? I realize this might not mean a lot to some people, but knowing that I can eat an entirely healthy (and delicious) meal out at a restaurant is worth every penny.
We had brunch here and shared the tacos of the day which were a braised guajillo beef on soft blue corn tortillas and a side of refried beans. OMG. Fantastic. The beef was so incredibly tender and flavorful. We also shared a $ 6 house salad which was probably the best $ 6 house salad I have ever had. Farm-fresh greens, pickled onions, and dressed perfectly– not overly sweet or too drenched. Hubs and I fought over every. last. bite.
I also went ahead and had a cocktail. The Flower Sermon: round house barrel-aged gin, fruitlab ginger liqueur, fresh lemon, sage simple syrup, cracked pepper, sage leaf– it is an exquisite creation! It smells as though you’re hiking through a forest. It sings on every sensational note.
We’ve also dropped in for happy hour which features a mix and match cocktail DIY option for $ 5– among other beverage bargains and food discounts. It’s only from 3 – 5 each day, but it is great.
I will definitely add Salt to my regular Boulder rotation and you should too!

Torrey S.

Place rating: 4
Encinitas, CA

One of the best meals that I had while on a trip to Denver– Salt is in the heart of the Pearl area. The exterior and interior feature exposed brink and a warm colors that reflect the food. I was impressed with not only the selection, but the ingredients in the selection: the ingredients are modest, but the menu is far from it. I had the chicken that was farm-raised, cooked to perfection, and I loved the baby carrots and arugula– not everything has to come with a starch and I appreciate that they wanted to utilize the fresh ingredients that they had. I would come back here in a heartbeat and would recommend this place to anyone wanting a truly good for you– and good tasting meal. Service was a tad slow, though.

Allison G.

Place rating: 5
Boulder, CO

Wow — this had to be one of the best meals I have had to date.
The hostesses were sweet and communicative. The server was fully expressive about the Friday evening specials. Water and drinks came quick. I got one of the specialty cocktails called Midnight in The Marigny. It was a kick in a glass. Thoroughly enjoyed and needed for the dinner conversation.
For my meal, I had the roasted beet salad. The beets were the right texture. I always love arugula with candied walnuts and goat cheese. MMM. Eating the orange makes it very satisfactory and gives it the finishing touch to help absorb iron.
Paired with it, I had the evening’s soup special of tomato soup with a garnish of grilled cheese. A GARNISH OF GRILLED CHEESE. I had to repeat it. It was the best tomato soup and miniature grilled cheese combo. I would eat that every day.
For dessert, I had an aged port and my friend had an aged spirit. It was either whiskey or scotch.
I love the interior design. The exterior is nice too. I walked past the place because the sign was hard to notice for me. I was distracted by the writing on the side of the building, because I thought that was the name of it. Oh well, now that I realize it is more nostalgic than representative, I appreciate it.

John W.

Place rating: 2
Erie, CO

Eh. Twice I have been here and I keep THINKING it will be amazing food. The ambiance… The feel… The people… All good! All great really! Plus both times I was with awesome company… So yeah I keep wanting to think their food is going to be ‘unbelievable beyond words’. Hell… Listen to how the menu reads! It sounds AWESOME!
But… No. I don’t know why but the taste is always way way off, combinations not good, not fresh tasting… Not enough salt (no pun intended)… Too much salt (No! No pun intended!). Even the presentations are not nice. Yeah don’t know what’s going on there but regardless, I will not return. Twice now and the exact same result. I suspect anyone saying they love the food it’s because they THOUGHT they would. Plus add the nice ambiance and people. But no. If you are a foodie at all, don’t do it. It will disappoint quite a bit I would suspect.
And no… I have no idea what I had. Either time (or what my fiancée had… I always sample hers too). It doesn’t matter… The food sucks.
Sorry… I really want to like your food!

Stephanie S.

Place rating: 5
Edmonton, Canada

I love the create your own drink idea. I had lavender + vodka + lemon juice + sparkling wine and it was delicious! I ordered the goat cheese grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup and it was perfect little lunch date!

Julie H.

Place rating: 5
Denver, CO

I’ve had the pleasure of eating at SALT several times for dinner or brunch. We also tried them out during restaurant week when some of our best restaurants feel like a wedding reception. SALT has been flawless every visit. They have everything I need for a five star review; location (you can get here via public transit and there is lots of business nearby), food (fresh, inventive and perfectly prepared), crowd (grown-ups and others that know how to make a reservation), drinks, and service.
They are gracious with dietary restrictions. I feel like you can understand a restaurant by how they handle substitutions and preferences. I ordered a cocktail a bit to hastily and ended up with something I did not like. Our waitress saw the look on my face after taking a sip and immediately came to my rescue. I’m not usually that person to send food/drink back. I had ordered it and it was my mistake that I misread the drink had mezcal in it. We discussed the problem and my drink was made with bourbon (as I had thought it would be). It was also fantastic.
I can’t really add anything new here with so many great reviews for SALT. I take my out-of-town guests to SALT. I try to save room for dessert because they have some amazing offerings. I never order the same thing and I have never left dissatisfied.

SALT the Bistro

Boulder, United States