Find Big Seafood Towers and Plenty of Oysters on the Sunset Strip Soon

A Boston seafood specialist is coming to the Sunset Strip soon, taking up residence inside a rather well-known space. Saltie Girl, a Northeast institution known for oysters, lobster, caviar, tinned fish, and more, is landing at 8615 W. Sunset Boulevard later this year, inside the former home of Mark Wahlburg’s family burger joint Wahlburgers.

Saltie Girl is a party kind of place, a spot for brunch wines and seafood towers and cocktails from daytime to evening. There are trays of fried clams and fish and chips, whole sections for tinned seafood and toast, and big grilled mains like tomahawk steaks, whole branzino, and beyond. The menu is meant as a nod to East Coast seafood restaurants — not unlike East Hollywood’s much smaller Found Oyster, but with a lot more flash and decadence.

While news about the upcoming expansion has been trickling out for some time, things are now starting to ramp up quickly. The Saikali Architects-built project is said to be arriving this fall, potentially in September, to compete on one of the busier restaurant stretches in the city. The area already has projects in the works from other out-of-town groups like Dallas-based Vandelay Hospitality (also promising oysters and martinis at a spot named Hudson House), a restaurant from Orange County restaurateur and big-time director and producer McG, and existing spots like Lavo Ristorante, Merois, and the recently reopened Madeo.

Saltie Girl has been on a tear itself lately, with plans to expand to London in the coming months as well. Meanwhile, the Wahlburgs, who previously occupied the address, have been moving the other direction, contracting locations while also drawing the ire of their former landlords for allegedly stripping the restaurant space on their way out the door, according to a lawsuit filed by Montgomery Management Company.