Sections
  • Best of Washington
  • News & Politics
    • Washingtonian Today
  • Things to Do
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • This Week
    • 100 Best Things to Do in DC
    • Neighborhood Guides
    • DC-Area Events Calender
    • Washingtonian Events
  • Food & Drink
    • 100 Very Best Restaurants
    • The Hot List
    • Brunch
    • New Restaurants
    • Restaurant Finder
  • Home & Style
    • Health
    • Parenting
  • Shopping
    • Gift Guides
  • Real Estate
    • Top Realtors
    • Listings We Love
    • Rave Worthy Rentals
  • Weddings
    • Real Weddings
    • Wedding Vendor Finder
    • Submit Your Wedding
  • Travel
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • Best Airbnbs Around DC
    • 3 Days in DC
  • Best of DC
    • Doctors
    • Apartment Rentals
    • Dentists
    • Financial Advisors
    • Industry Leaders
    • Lawyers
    • Mortgage Pros
    • Pet Care
    • Private Schools
    • Realtors
    • Wedding Vendors
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Subscription
    • Current & Past Issues
    • Features and Longreads
    • Newsletters
    • Newsstand Locations
Reader Favorites
  • 100 Very Best Restaurants
  • DC-Area Events Calendar
  • Brunch
  • Neighborhoods
  • Newsletters
  • Directories
  • Washingtonian Events
Washington’s Best
  • Apartment Rentals
  • DC Travel Guide
  • Dentists
  • Doctors
  • Financial Advisers
  • Health Experts
  • Home Improvement Experts
  • Industry Leaders
  • Lawyers
  • Mortgage Professionals
  • Pet Care
  • Private Schools
  • Real Estate Agents
  • Restaurants
  • Retirement Communities
  • Wedding Vendors
Privacy Policy |  Rss
© 2025 Washingtonian Media Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Skip to content
Washingtonian.com
  • Search
  • Subscribe
  • Menu
Washingtonian.com
  • Subscribe
Reader Favorites
  • 100 Very Best Restaurants
  • DC-Area Events Calendar
  • Brunch
  • Neighborhoods
  • Newsletters
  • Directories
  • Washingtonian Events
More
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
Sections
  • News & Politics
  • Food
  • Things to Do
  • Washingtonian Events
  • Home & Style
  • Editors’ Picks
  • Events Calendar
  • Health
  • Longreads
  • Parenting
  • Real Estate
  • Shopping
  • Travel
  • Weddings
  • Best of Washington
  • News & Politics
    • Washingtonian Today
  • Things to Do
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • This Week
    • 100 Best Things to Do in DC
    • Neighborhood Guides
    • DC-Area Events Calender
    • Washingtonian Events
  • Food & Drink
    • 100 Very Best Restaurants
    • The Hot List
    • Brunch
    • New Restaurants
    • Restaurant Finder
  • Home & Style
    • Health
    • Parenting
  • Shopping
    • Gift Guides
  • Real Estate
    • Top Realtors
    • Listings We Love
    • Rave Worthy Rentals
  • Weddings
    • Real Weddings
    • Wedding Vendor Finder
    • Submit Your Wedding
  • Travel
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • Best Airbnbs Around DC
    • 3 Days in DC
  • Best of DC
    • Doctors
    • Apartment Rentals
    • Dentists
    • Financial Advisors
    • Industry Leaders
    • Lawyers
    • Mortgage Pros
    • Pet Care
    • Private Schools
    • Realtors
    • Wedding Vendors
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Subscription
    • Current & Past Issues
    • Features and Longreads
    • Newsletters
    • Newsstand Locations
Food

100 Very Best Restaurants: #81 – The Salt Line

Cost:

Written by Ann Limpert
, Anna Spiegel
, Jessica Sidman
and Cynthia Hacinli
| Published on February 15, 2019
Tweet Share
The raw bar shows off oysters from Virginia and New England.

About The Salt Line

Cost:

cuisines
American, Seafood
Location(s)
79 Potomac Ave SE
Washington, District of Columbia 20003-3671
Awards
100 Very Best 2018 100 Very Best 2019
Good For
Good for Date Night

The menu at this wainscoted Navy Yard dining room overlooking the Anacostia River relies heavily on easy-to-like New England classics—baked stuffed middlenecks gilded with Parmesan, buttery and mayo-dressed lobster rolls, and crunchy Ipswich clams—that the kitchen executes faithfully. That’s a good thing: Who wants a curve ball on the fried-seafood platter? But the menu’s B-side holds chef Kyle Bailey’s own quirky creations. XO sauce, bacon, and ginger are surprisingly good accompaniments to a round of local oysters, while lemon-anchovy dressing, olives, and capers make for the rare lobster preparation that doesn’t have us craving a cup of drawn butter. If only the gargantuan desserts were designed to impress palates instead of iPhone lenses. Moderate.

The 100 Very Best Restauran…

More: 100 Very Best 2019Navy YardSeafoodThe Salt Line
Join the conversation!
Share Tweet

Ann Limpert
Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.

Anna Spiegel
Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.

Jessica Sidman
Jessica Sidman
Food Editor

Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.

Cynthia Hacinli
Cynthia Hacinli

Most Popular in Food

1

13 DC Area Rooftops Where You Can Eat, Drink, and Watch the Fireworks This July Fourth

2

Fire Devastates One of DC’s Top Mexican Restaurants

3
Franks at Haute Dogs and Fries. Photograph by Scott Suchman.

Your Guide to Eating and Drinking Inside Nationals Park

4

Where to Grab the Best Bread in the DC Area

5

How Hard Is It to Get Into This Hidden Tokyo-Style Cocktail Bar in Tysons?

Washingtonian Magazine

July Issue: The “Best Of” Issue

July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue

View Issue
Subscribe

Restaurant Openings

A Veggie-Forward NYC Standby Arrives in Arlington

The first location of Westville outside of New York will land in Clarendon this month.

Ellie Bird in Falls Church Is Launching a Fried Chicken Takeout Shop

Side Chick brings Asian twists to classic comfort foods.

A New Mediterranean Bar and Bistro Embraces Fusion on H Street

Tiffany’s Bar and Bistro offers kabob melt sandwiches, avocado hummus, and plenty of seafood

New York’s Xi’an Famous Foods Is Quietly Doing Bonkers Business in Alexandria

The Anthony Bourdain-endorsed hand-pulled noodle and dumpling chain is offering takeout only.
READ MORE

Follow Us on Social

We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day

Follow Us on Social

We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day

More About The Salt Line

The Salt Line

Restaurant Review: The Salt Line

Related

Neighborhood Guide: Where to Eat, Shop, and Play in Navy Yard

Want Fresh Fish in DC Straight From Japan? We’ve Got a Guy.

Neighborhood Guide: 14 Things to Do in Capitol Riverfront

An All-Day Cafe Brings Breakfast Scallion Pancakes to Navy Yard

More from Food

The Passenger Will Get a Complete Makeover Under New Owner

A Veggie-Forward NYC Standby Arrives in Arlington

100 Reasons to Love DC Right Now

Where to Cool Off With Frozen Brunch Cocktails Around DC

Did Busy Pizza Shops Really Predict US Airstrikes on Iran?

Fire Devastates One of DC’s Top Mexican Restaurants

Ellie Bird in Falls Church Is Launching a Fried Chicken Takeout Shop

Neighborhood Guide: Where to Eat, Shop, and Play in Navy Yard

© 2025 Washingtonian Media Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Washingtonian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Privacy Policy and Opt-Out
 Rss
Get the best news, delivered weekly.
By signing up, you agree to our terms.
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs