AT the end of 2023 it was great to see a historic building in Maldon being brought back into life.
I walked into the newly opened Salero Lounge restaurant for a bite to eat at lunch at the weekend.
Part of the Lounges franchise, Salero Lounge opened at the end of 2023 in the former Post Office in High Street.
It’s been completely refreshed on the outside and looks great in the High Street. It was buzzing inside and nearly every table was filled.
Dress code-wise, I'd say it's the type of place you would wear jeans and a nice top too but equally you could get away with wearing your nicer comfy clothes.
Customers were queuing next to the bar eager to make their orders.
The restaurant is also dog friendly, so there were lots of visitors enjoying lunch accompanied by their furry friends.
The entrance area is dimly lit, leading through to the impressive, airy main room of the building.
It has high ceilings, large windows and the walls are covered in paintings and art, similar to other restaurants in the franchise.
My friend and I were quickly seated at a small two-seater table near the entrance, which was a shame as I felt like the back of the building was the main event.
We settled in and browsed the menu, which features a range of all-day breakfast items, sandwiches, flatbreads, burgers, mains, salads and tapas items.
I went for the Lounge bacon cheeseburger, costing £13.50, with extra onion rings at an additional £2.25.
My friend chose the chicken souvlaki, costing £9.75, with fries costing £2.40.
One of my favourite things about the Lounge restaurants is their freshly squeezed orange juice which is always incredible.
As we waited for the food, people constantly came in and out of the restaurant. It was certainly a popular spot for lunch.
The only downside to this was that every time the door opened, a gust of cold air was blown in, and sitting near the door became slightly frustrating as the temperature was about three degrees outside.
Our food soon came and mine looked delicious. The burger was stacked high and the chips looked perfectly cooked.
The onion rings were crisp and delicious, but I was slightly disappointed that I only got three for £2.25, this didn’t seem like good value for money in my opinion.
Overall, the food was very good quality and having a decent meal out for two at under £40 can be hard to come by.
The atmosphere was also very nice and I feel like if you were seated in the main room it would be even better.
It was buzzing the entire time and it seems as though the new restaurant is fitting in very well with Maldon locals.
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