Salt + Charcoal

Great place and great food. Not your ordinary Japanese restaurant. Go for an experience

Food Choices:
Wagyu Carpaccio
Black Cod Saikyo Miso Yake (one of my favorite dishes of all time)
Hot Kamo Nanban Soba noodles (with duck)
Atmosphere: Simple and charming modern Asian, with outdoor seating options for nice nights. Open kitchen with view of grilling fish and meat.

Run by the former chef of Aburiya-​Kinnosuke, this place is surprisingly underrated.
Although I would consider this much more casual then Aburiya-​Kinnosuke, the cuisine is authentic and ingredients are just a fresh.
The décor, and ambiance is very «fusion» style — which I found to be unfortunate considering the food and service put forward are very true to the Japanese root. The Western restaurant name and décor is a little bit of a mismatch to the food. The restaurant itself is pretty spacious for New York standard. Kids and Group friendly. The menu is not fusion at all, it is straight forward and very relatable to even customer who very little experiences to Japanese food.
I visited for lunch and got the «Hamachi Collar Lunch Set” — great value for the buck. No wait during lunch hour. Fish was fresh and charred nicely with a great umami finish. Lunch set came with salad and rice and some side vegetable dishes which I found very filling.

This place was great! We had someone with a gluten intolerance and they cooked some amazing chicken and rice. We appreciate that our server helped and went over the top to make sure everyone had a great meal not just a bowl of rice. Thank you

Really solid place. Delicious food and great service. A little expensive so I tend to go for their lunch specials instead. Their mackerel is excellent.

Love Salt + Charcoal! Everything I’ve tried there is very good, the duck and mushroom salad is a great salad. Really enjoyed the waygu carpaccio as well. We usually share some of the skewers, have yet to try one there that I do not like. The chicken wings are also delicious. Service is relaxed but prompt. I especially love their Monday music series. Perfect way to start the week, good music and good eats.

Great spot the Monday’s are killer great rotation of local and international talent. The cocktails are tasty. The food was delicious. Repeat customer right here

If you are looking for an overcrowded, scene-​y restaurant then salt+charcoal is not the place for you. But if you’re looking for an intimate, well curated yet eclectic dining experience — this is the place!
I love their take on small plates — the chicken wings, young cheddar cheese tempura and wagyu carpaccio are favorites. And if I’m in the mood for something filling it’s the Wagyu Soboro Meshi. Favorite drink is of course the Oolong Hai. It is so light and refreshing that it can creep up on you. I know as soon as summer hits, I will be returning for more of them.
Atmosphere is warm and inviting without that overcrowded feeling — definitely a great first date spot. If a good party is more your vibe check out Mondays. There’s a guest DJ every week offering a wonderful mix of music. With such a varied atmosphere I will be returning many more times for sure!

I came here optimistic, but found an overpriced and fairly tacky experience. The staff was perfectly nice, but something doesn’t add up…
I am all for paying what it costs for good food– but the price point of this place simply does not match the quality and portions. Took my girlfriend here, spent roughly 80 dollars for the two of us, left hungry. I felt we were expected to buy into the vibe of the place.
Its disappointing to drop money on a mediocre meal that still leaves you hungry in NY because there is so much amazing food around here, so 1 star it is.

Laid back and cute Japanese izakaya joint in Williamsburg. Must order the Wagyu Teppanyaki. The meat just melts in your mouth. The Black Miso Cod and the dally special chicken wings are also good to order.

When I first heard of Salt and Charcoal I immediately thought of a American BBQ place and boy was this place far from that. It is a Japanese restaurant. So as a lover of all thing Japanese I had high expectations. We made a reservation and arrived 30 minutes earlier and we were seated right away. Staff in the front was friendly and polite! We were seated downstairs the lighting was very low which was extremely romantic. But the only issue I had was they played disco music the entire time… that was totally opposite of what was expected. We order omakase for two and the selection wasn’t the best. The waiter didn’t explain the dishes very well to us and we weren’t sure what we were eating. Despite all that I would like to return to try other items on the menu. Maybe request to sit by the bar and see if I have a different opinion.
Update:
Thank you for your reply. It is nice to actually be heard. My date and I had dined at Salt & Charcoal on 3÷12÷16

Sorry I just don’t understand this place. I spent time in Japan and enjoyed the food there, but this just didn’t fit any flavor profile I enjoy. Maybe it just wasn’t for me, but starting with the drinks they were extremely weak. We walked in with a reservation to find an empty restaurant which is never a good sign in my opinion. We were thrilled to try the noodle bowls, but they were way overpriced and we essentially left hungry and didn’t complete the meal. I love tofu, but the tofu that arrived before the meal didn’t taste good to me or my friend. Salad was fine, but reminded me of my youth with the bottled tasting ginger dressing atop a few iceberg lettuce pieces that I used to enjoy at my local hibachi joint in Ohio. I paid an extra $ 5 for the mountain vegetables and laughed when I received a ramekin so small only about 2 tablespoons of vegetables arrived. Sorry it was supposed to be a special meal and I was really looking forward to the house made buckwheat noodles but the whole thing was a disappointment. We left before dessert to avoid any more misses. They were very attentive in clearing dishes and taking orders so at least the service was decent.

Opentable res on a cold Friday night prob not needed as we were the only diners.
Uni shooter was «memorable» as per my husband. Do yourself a favor and order TWO of the young cheddar cheese tempura (imagine lightly tempura coated melted cheese that you can dip in honey dip and/​or wasabi salt!)
I’d skip the duck and mushroom salad-didn’t like the cold duck but salad was well dressed. Warm tofu was awesome, just add a tiny bit of soy sauce.
Wagyu rib eye roll was tender but had a little too much pepper. Preferred the harami which is skirt steak served with garlic chips and ponzu — served perfectly medium rare, tender and juicy.
Negima (chicken thigh with scallion) also moist and tender, get it with tare sauce. Scallop was tasty but small portion and didn’t taste butter.
Service was good and food came out fast!

I came across this place by surprise. I was actually walking to go somewhere else and this corner a place stood up. I went in and I’m so glad I did. Sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways like
that. As soon as I walked in, their bar tender Leah, make me feel like we are friends for a long time. Gave me advise on the whiskey and wow it was delicious! I had the Takesuru 17. I had a great time and I feel like if come back, I have a
friend in there.

While the majority of food obsessed NY’ers are eating eggs & pancakes on Sunday, I normally eat Japanese food for brunch. When my friend Andrew said lets go to Williamsburg we found Salt & Charcoal on Grand– luckily Andrew does Japanese brunch like me.
We ordered a ginger laced cocktail with the word Yuzu it was a boozy brunch after all. I ordered the Teishoku or meal of the day with mackerel. There is a reason this spot is called Salt & Charcoal cause that’s how they cook the fish– best mackerel I ever tasted. The spot reminds me of Ootoya with a more intimate feel & frankly better food. $ 15 for the Teishoku. Japanese owned & operated restaurant

I had popped in here on a Sunday afternoon while they were still serving the brunch menu. From the décor, I was expecting a different type of cuisine.
Totally taken by surprise by the great food and value for brunch box.
Meal came with pickled appetizers, soup and salad. On top of that, service was attentive and knowledgeable. Def will come back to this gem!

Hubby and I went to this place last night after purchasing a Livingsocial deal for their 6-​course omasake.
First course: their house-​made tofu topped with scallions, sesame, and yuzu sauce — very clean, flavorful, and delicious.
Second course: a bento box of 6 small plates. There were sashimi of tuna, salmon, and yellowtail. Duck pastrami, root vegetables, and another small plate of some type of veggie. The only complaint I had about this one was that the sashimi was not cold. Perhaps weather has a lot to do with it but it was almost warm which in sashimi may lead to disaster. But still… it was very good. And I believe the wasabi is freshly made in-​house because it was super fresh and delicious.
Third course: miso glazed cod, braised pork belly, and a small portion of veggies (I think it was seaweed). Both the cod and the pork belly were amazing! The seaweed was a little bland but I think that could be done on purpose as a palate cleanser between the seafood and the meat. For me, it was fine but my hubby would’ve liked more seasoning on the seaweed.
Fourth course: Tempura of shrimp, corn, and kale. Delicious, delicious, and interesting. I’m not a kale lover so it was good but not something I would go out of my way to order.
Fifth course: Eel and Wagyu Nigiri. The eel was so tasty and flavorful. It was perfect with the rice. The Wagyu was always very tasty but a bit veiny.
Sixth course: Matcha cake with fresh fruits and vanilla ice cream. I really loved the ice cream. It was so creamy and rich, almost like a custard. The matcha cake by itself was a bit dense but perfect when eaten together with the ice cream.
All in all we really enjoyed the food and the overall experience. Our first course came out fairly quickly and then every course thereafter were perfectly spaced out. We didn’t experience the long wait that many people complained of and the service was excellent. We would definitely like to return.

«Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water»
I’ve seen reviews claiming this place is too slow, too expensive, and that staff is mistreated. I can tell you with certainty, staff was not mistreated when I was there. Maybe service is a little slow and maybe it is a little more expensive, but damn this is one place that is totally worth it!!!
So their thing is using the Robatayaki method of cooking; in other words, cooking that is similar to barbecueing, but better. They use carefully selected salts and Japanese charcoal, which is probably how the Japanese came up with the concept of «umami.» A waitress also kindly explained the entire menu to us because we were new, which was awesome. Furthermore, another waiter thoroughly answered all of our questions. Essentially, customer service is quite good, albeit slightly slow.
What we ordered: unagi, muscovado shochu pork, kake soba (with shrimp tempura) and shiratama cream an-​mitsu for dessert. Everything was phenomenal. This was the BEST unagi I’ve ever had and I’ve tried unagi from all over the city. My boyfriend had the pork, I had the soba, and we were both extremely satisfied. The dessert was nothing like I’ve had before; usually, I only have chocolate sweets because I don’t like any other type of sweets, but this was special. The dumplings, red bean, strawberries, syrup, and ice cream combination were out of this world. To top it off, they even have a great drink selection. (Please check the pictures for reference).
I had a delightful time overall. This restaurant does not even deserve one review less than four stars.

This is one of those places where you need to expect a long wait for a small plate of excellent tasting food. In the end, the quality of food will win over the time your stomach starts to grumble a bit.
The beau and I had a date night, and we decided to go to Williamsburg and wing it. His end plan was to go to Luckydog for drinks, so we started walking down Bedford, sorting through options. The brightly lit sign for Salt + Charcoal grabbed our eyes, so in we went. Honestly, we did not know what kind of cuisine we’d be eating upon entering, but we were pleased to see robatayaki!
Our waitress, off the bat, gave us a very thorough and knowledgeable run-​down of the menu. She also explained that items don’t all come out at the same time and may take a while. Fair enough; it’s not that we were waiting for food without knowing what the hold up would be. We ordered three items to split (duck pastrami, ribs, and waygu beef with ponzu sauce), as well as a small carafe of tengumai sake. I enjoyed the pastrami, though I don’t think the beau was as much of a fan. The ribs and waygu beef, however, were a toss up! The beef was about as perfect as beef can be, and the ribs were meaty yet not drowning in sauce. We split all three among the two of us, and it filled us up easily.
You will be paying a bit of a pretty penny for some small dishes, but… just come here knowing that. The food is worth it, and the time spent waiting, well, it’ll pass. Haaa. (Maybe grab a Kind Bar before hand???)

This place is a rarity in America. A truly authentic and delicious washoku restaurant.
I think the key word is «care.» The chef here who you can see working through the glass into the kitchen puts great care into all his work. The ingredients are all so fresh and mindfully sourced. Even the décor in the restaurant displays a piece of work from the legendary photographer, Hiroshi Sugimoto.
I’m reminded of Jiro Dreams of Sushi.
While there is still room for improvement and the pricing is unmistakeably «high-​end» (i.e., even knowing that it’s a quality restaurant, you might be surprised by portions), S+C is truly a shocking addition to the neighborhood. It elevates Americans, New Yorkers, Brooklynites’ sensitivity and attentivess to truly amazing cuisine.

Encore une belle adresse japonaise à Williamsburg, mais très différente de Bozu. La déco se veut un peu plus classe, les serveurs sont en uniforme, c’est un peu moins «à la cool» mais l’accueil est chaleureux.
La carte est variée, entre les sashimis, les tempuras, les brochettes, les salades, les plats… Le choix est grand et on né sait trop où donner de la tête.
Nous avons goûté ce soir là:
— le wagyu rib-​eye roll que j’ai trouvé pas mal du tout: de fines tranches de boeuf wagyu, fourrées à la moelle, servies avec du sel à la truffe, une sauce ponzu et des pousses de wasabi. Fondant, moelleux, pas léger mais la portion n’est pas trop grande
— Le Yasai tempura, un assortiement de tempura de légumes délicieux, avec du sel au wasabi qui fait toute la différence, mioum !
— des brochettes de poulet au yuzu, fondantes et délicieuses
— Nasu Degaku, mon coup de coeur: une aubergine grillée mais fondante et laquée avec du miso doux. Le résultat est un ovni d’aubergine sucré salé, j’en salive encore…
Cette fois j’ai gardé de la place pour le dessert, avec notamment leur fondant au chocolat et matcha, au goût unique matcha-​chocolat, une tuerie !
En cocktail, le Sakura Sip est délicieux mais assez fort, on a adoré aussi le Yuzu Mule.
Une très belle adresse du quartier.