Saltbox Seafood Joint

5 out of 5 - Believe the hype

There’s too much to say about Saltbox Seafood Joint so really just go see for yourself. Get a plate! Get a roll! It honestly doesn’t matter because either way you’ll be so happy. Whatever you decide to order please please promise me that you will get the hush honeys. They might just change your life.

The romcom story: I first tried Saltbox on their last day at the original Mangum Street location. They were serving shrimp burgers and only shrimp burgers. The buzz was unreal. I got there probably 30-45 minutes before they were going to start serving plates and the line was already starting to wrap around the joint. Everyone seemed so excited to grab a bite to eat. There were people who had been eating the food for years and they were excited to see Saltbox close this chapter and open another one. At some point, a news crew showed up and started interviewing patrons. The interviewees tried to politely answer questions between bites but couldn’t resist waiting to chomp down. It was then that I thought this place was something special and as soon as I took my first bite I knew exactly why it’s an absolute gem.

Featured here: Mahi plate + hush honeys (above) | fried oyster plate + hush honeys (below)!

Protips: This is definitely one of the most hyped restaurants in Durham (and for good reason) so be mindful of when you stop by. Most of the time you can pop in with no problems but when there’s a big show in town like Hamilton or Frozen or even a Fourth of July Durham Bulls game, it’s probably going to be a 45+ minute wait.