Salt Bae's Notoriously Terrible New York City Restaurant Has Closed
Some may call it the end of an era. Many more will probably say: Good Riddance. Salt Bae Burger, a Manhattan restaurant owned by social media sensation and butcher Nusret Gökçe, aka Salt Bae, closed earlier this month (via Robb Report). Gökçe rose to fame for his unique talent of adding salt to food by bouncing flakes off his arm, garnering 52.2 million Instagram followers as of this writing. Salt Bae Burger served, among other dishes, burgers and milkshakes, including two that piqued the public's interest: the Gold Burger, a burger surrounded by gold foil priced at $100, and a $99 milkshake that contained flecks of gold. A sign on the restaurant's door indicated that Salt Bae Burger would be relocating to another of Gökçe's restaurants.
While it was open, Salt Bae Burger was met with many negative (and some ruthless) reviews. Food critics weren't shy to share what they thought about the restaurant. In fact, Scott Lynch, writer for Gothamist, started his review succinctly, writing simply, "The food is terrible here."
One reviewer called Salt Bae Burger 'the worst restaurant in NYC'
Gothamist reviewer Scott Lynch compared the dishes at Salt Bae Burger to hospital food, claiming the latter to be superior. "The menu, framed within a weirdly weighty metal tombstone apparently marking the death of everything pleasurable about eating, is wall-to-wall bad sandwiches." Lynch concluded his review with, "Salt Bae Burger is an insult to our city."
Over on social media, reactions to Salt Bae Burger's closing are similar to its initial reviews — at least in their ruthless nature. TikTokers didn't think Gökçe was worth the hype in the beginning. Instagrammer @sevenseas commented on Eater's post announcing the restaurant's closure, writing in part, "This should be read: circus clown show shuts down ... These types of restaurants are a scum and a disgrace to the hardworking restaurant industry and the culinary world." Twitter user @DannyGroner noted the restaurant wasn't very popular, sharing, "Literally never saw a customer inside during lunch hour."
It's unlikely that Salt Bae will be disappearing though. Nusret Gökçe owns nearly two dozen (still-open) restaurants around the world.