Social media sensation Salt Bae has been slammed by diners who have rated his London restaurant as one of the worst places to eat in the capital, according to Tripadvisor.
The Nusr-Et Steakhouse, which opened its doors in Knightbridge nine months ago, has been hit by a stream of bad reviews online at Tripadvisor where it is ranked 17,418 out of 17,488 restaurants in London.
The restaurant has an average rating of two stars out of 126 views on Tripadvisor.
In total, it has received 73 “terrible” traveller ratings to date along with 9 “poor”, 5 “average”, 3 “very good” and 28 “excellent” ratings on the site.
Among the most recent reviews, there was one headlined “Sh***” that said: “’The apparent speciality is the meat. Dry. Dry dry dry. Bland. Apparently salt bae is scrimping on salt - as well as every other type of flavour.
“Waste of cash. Just a social media fad. Feel bad for people who are convinced this is actual food.”
There was a positive Tripadvisor review left on the 26 April 2022 however which described the restaurant as “impressive” and “absolutely amazing”.
The steakhouse was reviewed last year by Evening Standard restaurant reviewer Jimi Famurewa who said it was “a bad restaurant”, going on to describe it as “a vibeless business lounge of a room where mostly amateurish Frankie & Benny’s-level food is served at insultingly high prices.”
Bad reviews did not stop it becoming an online sensation with diners regularly posting footage from inside the restaurant as they sat down to hugely epensive meals including its trademark Golden Giant Tomahawk steak which sold for £1,450.
It was regularly packed out with diners eager to experience a night at the restaurant run by Salt Bae, real name Nusret Gökçe, whose steak-slicing and salt-sprinkling antics propelled him to fame in 2017 and made him an Instagram sensation.
The Standard has approached Salt Bae’s representatives for further comment.
David Beckham, Jason Statham and Naomi Campbell have been among the famous faces who have eaten at his restaurants all over the world.
In the food world, Salt Bae had been hailed as a “genius” for being “fully booked with insane prices” by a fellow restaurant boss.
The owner of Manchester restaurant Seven 54 had nothing but good words to say about the chef after Nusr-Et Steakhouse’s glitzy opening in Knightsbridge became the talk of London.
Restaurant boss Nikolas Opacic - who boasts of his own celebrity clientele including Rio Ferdinand, Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, Vincent Kompany and a galaxy of stars from Coronation Street - said Salt Bae was a “genius” for securing his tables where customers spend £630 on a gold wrapped steak and £100 on a burger.
He told The Standard: “I think he’s a genius. He is fully booked with insane prices.”
