27 Best American Restaurants in Salem

“We first found mercy tavern last October! We planned a quick trip again this year and it was on our list of places to return to! We absolutely love the atmosphere, food and amazing drinks! Can’t wait to go back.“

“We met our son and two grandsons for Saturday morning breakfast. Food was good, fast, eggs done perfectly with not too much grease, and generous portions. Staff were excellent. Loved the meal.“

“Lydia is beautiful and amazing. Very attentive and professional. She's so great with all the customers even when it's a full house. Wow is all I can say. Highly recommend when she is here. The beers are always cold and they make great cocktails. Food is tasty and fresh. Pizza is a must.“

“Great food and great service!“

“Was at Longboards recently for a family event - they were incredibly accommodating and created a customized cocktail for the occasion. It was a hit with everyone in attendance! Thank you to Hayley and the team at Longboards - we will be back!“

“Very good soup and they were very hot. We had chicken vegetable and clam chowder.“

“April’s II is a wonderful restaurant with a very friendly staff, great food with huge portions and reasonable prices. Special Thanks to Yulana our very friendly waitress.“

“the food was great! love the wall art inside.“

“Love the atmosphere there. Friendly staff and the food selection is pretty good.“

“Me and my family visited Salem yesterday for a little roadtrip, we come to Salem all the time (we are from New York). My sister mentioned that we go somewhere different to have lunch/dinner. We selected on The Counter, Ashley (hostess, waitress) charmingly greeted us and we picked a table to sit. The menu was very simple and had great selections. My sister and mother got the counter salad wrap, I got the Counter Burger, my daughter 12” cheese pizza and sister in law the grilled cheese. The amount of satisfaction being whispered out of our mouths…oh my god! Everyone’s food was absolutely delicious, we all voted that this will be our food place to eat every time we come to Salem. With the amount of hospitality, Kindness and attentiveness that Ashely gave to us, she was top notch! You have one AMAZING employee at The Counter. We can wait to come back, we would love to check out Hotel Salem one day. So all in all, myself and my family give The Counter a 10 out of 10, and we give Ashley a 10 out of 10!!!!“

“The wicked nachos (with chicken) appetizer was amazing. We also enjoyed our entrees, the 1925 burger and Hawthorne’s penne pasta. Great atmosphere. Wonderful service.“

“Very attentive staff! Good music.“

“My husband and I sat outside and had a lovely snack in the sun, away from most of the hustle & bustle that October brings to Salem. We thoroughly enjoyed the butternut squash hummus, falafel, and cauliflower & quinoa tabouleh but the real highlight for us was the apple cider! Holy. It was the best we had on our trip around New England. Not too sweet, served nice & hot, lightly spiced and so, so good! The service was wonderful as well! Best of luck to this crew, we wish you much success & hope to see you next fall!🍂☺️“

“It was awsome, yummy and all of you very friendly - you are Great. Mans ist warm regards for Jacky from the two germans . Good Luck Kerstin“

“One of the best lunch experiences in all of New England! Delicious food, wonderful staff, variety of local beer choices. Loved it and will be back at every opportunity possible. 🔥 🤤 🍻 🍔 🔥“

“We were looking for a place to watch the Lions game while in town visiting Salem. This bar was recommended to us by someone we met in Gloucester. The bar's atmosphere small, well put together, clean and welcoming Irish pub. We met the owner who made us feel like we were long lost friends. Service was attentive and consistent. We went back 2 nights in a row. Thank you, to the staff and Kieran for being great! Definitely recommend checking this place out while in town.“

“I love this place! highly recommended. Impressed with the food and drinks, the atmosphere and also the staff. Kelly B was our waitress, she was awesome, our first time there, she had a great attitude and always checking in with us! thank you for the great service! we'll definitely be back!!!!!!😊“

“I love this place. It’s located in the beautiful town of Salem on the water. The setting is perfect. My siblings and I enjoyed appetizers, lunch, cocktails and mocktails at the bar. Great service. One odd thing was that the tv closest to us had an infomercial on dental implants during a good portion of our visit. I’d think someone in management would be paying attention to that. Maybe put a baseball game on? I didn’t mention it because our bartender was busy keeping everyone fed and happy. She was great. They served my delicious fried clams is a plastic bucket which was unusual. All the clams were under the mountain of fries. The awesome bartender got me a big plate so I could empty the bucket and enjoy my lunch.“

“OMG! The food is delicious!!!!“

“They have the best pinball selection!“

“Thanks to Diamond's Catering for the wonderful job they recently did providing the buffet for the reconciliation lunch after my father's funeral. They were the utmost professionals from start to finish. Everything was delicious !!!“

“We came by on our first day coming into Salem, Massachusetts. We came in at about 2:00 in the afternoon and there was a farmers market going on across the street. It was a wonderful lively place to sit and people watch. Our waitress was incredibly friendly, made sure our drink stayed topped off and kept us with great glasses of ice, cold water and on top of all that the lobster roll came out with such a delicate blend of butter and seasonings. It was beautifully put together. No wonder they're number one“

“Love the service!! The guy at the desk is a really outgoing and friendly individual! Love the pizza and the specials they have, and I love how it comes out nice and hot, as well as fresh. I highly recommend it too anyone in the Salem MA area!!! 🫶🏼🙌🏼“

“Food was delicious 🤤 and our waitress Tara was awesome!! First restaurant we went to at Salem and we were definitely impressed. The drinks were great as well.“

“Great place to listen to live music!!“

“Our server brigidt was the best server i’ve ever had in my life. She was kind and very quick!!!! Hope she remembers us!!“

“Everything is superb. They do everything right. I love this place.“