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    Salem's Retreat

    4.4 (104 reviews)
    Closed • 7:00 am - 2:30 pm

    Order Salem's Retreat Takeout or Delivery

    Salem's Retreat Photos

    SALEM'S RETREAT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Salem's Retreat

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    Reviews With Photos

    Turkey sausage eggs Benedict platter
    Farrah B.

    From the looks of things this is probably one of the better restaurants in Salem. Fully decked out in Halloween swag, this old house, turned converted restaurant is a busy spot. The spaceci itself is tight, loolts of tables are squeezed in. Be ready to meet new people, lol. The staff was cordial and service was pretty quick. I looked at a lot of different plates when I came in and decided to stick to my regular diner choice, grilled cheese & fries. My friend was far more adventurous with the turkey sausage eggs Benedict. It was good, very much so met the standatd. My friend said her dish was weird, but edible,thought it would be better with turkey bacon. Note: there is a parking lot in the back of the building l.

    hot chocolate
    Cindy L.

    First things first I had no idea how to get to the parking lot in the back. If you don't go in through the back you will awkwardly be standing at the front of the building waiting for someone to notice you because the hostess stand is in the back of the restaurant. Not very tourist friendly because we're all trying to figure out where we're going and looking at GPS and not even noticing that in dark letters on the sign it says there's a parking in the back that you don't notice until you've already found parking on a side street. Just a bit frustrating but not much to be done about it. I got a hot chocolate and it was fine, just a standard diner-like hot chocolate. Then the burrito came and although it was supposed to have cheese and chorizo in it, all I tasted was beans and pico de gallo. Barely tasted the eggs. It was HUGE also and the beans are filling so I couldn't finish it but I was just disappointed in the lack of balance in the flavors. I will say the apple cinnamon waffles were fantastic. The crumble on the top was my favorite part. I would just get that next time. I tried my mom's eggs benedict and did not like the hollandaise so I'm glad I didn't get that, I think the waffles might be their specialty.

    Classic Benedict
    Nadeen C.

    This place is AMAZING! Great staff, great service, & great food! This was our first time here, and if we are ever back in this state, we will definitely be coming back here! We had the nicest waitress ! I didn't get her name and I really wish I did, but she was the sweetest person ever. The place itself is very classy and very welcoming! I am completely obsessed with this place, and will recommend it to anyone we know is going on a trip to Salem.

    Irish coffee
    Lindsay D.

    The food and service were excellent. And the corned beef has was some of the best I've ever had. Highly recommended!

    Eat here!
    Linda M.

    This place is great! Hot, fresh coffee...hot, fresh food....what more can you ask for? The waitresses were awesome, offering recommendations and even providing a pamphlet for us travelers to help see what Salem has to offer. If we ever come back to the area, this will be one of our go-to eateries.

    Martha H.

    The interior was beautifully done, the back deck could use a little work but the food....DON'T CHANGE A THING!! This was the best chicken and waffles this side of Beantown!

    OJ
    Annie L.

    Salem's Retreat is such a hidden gem in Salem. A bit of a walk from Downtown with no wait time! Once you get there, it's just this cozy little diner with good food & service. We ordered Ojs to start with veggie omelette, scrambled eggs, bacon & hash browns. The server was kind, soft spoken and got all the little details down to make sure our breakfast was perfect! This is our favorite breakfast spot in Salem and if we are ever in the area again, I wouldn't hesitate to come back!

    Sangria
    Grecia P.

    Holy moly was this place GOOD. You must try the espresso martini and anything on the specials menu. My mom ordered a custom omelette and it was cooked perfectly - I cannot stress enough the fact that my mom is an incredibly picky and critical eater. The service and staff were lovely and the overall experience was more than we could ask for. DEFINITELY returning!

    Amber S.

    Service: The host, and servers were attentive and well appreciated their cohesive care in making sure someone checked or refilled water, took our order swiftly and throughout the meal even quick with clean up! Ambiance: Outdoor patio with music playing and seating with umbrellas for shade. Very casual and relaxed atmosphere for brunch lunch or good time with friends and family. Food: ultimately large portions and good flavors but nothing stood out or makes me want to particular seek out another visit other than potentially trying their breakfast/brunch specialties. I had the dish named after the resturant the Salem Retreat. It was delicious overall considering the separate ingredients, but together they had a flavor clash that ultimately that brings down the potential of the final dish - steak had some soy sweet sauce base but cooked well done without being charred to crisp which I much appreciated -veggies were a bit more oily than expected -chicken and shrimp well cooked and seasoned (my favorite part of the dish) -mash potato was alright nothing extraordinary but tasted good and great chunk to smooth texture balance

    Salem's Chicken & Waffles
    Brianna R.

    The best parts of a local diner - speedy service, comfortable, inviting, and relaxed atmosphere, and typical diner staples - with a slight but welcome elevation - beautiful plating, delicious flavors, and plenty of options. On this trip, I had the chicken and waffles with maple syrup, which might be the best I've had outside the south. Don't know why it took me so long to try this place but I'll definitely be adding it to the rotation.

    Outdoor dining area
    Elbert D.

    This was my first time here for breakfast I can say it was a very excellent experience eating here the food is very fresh and homemade from scratch upon order I would definitely highly recommend this place if your in the Salem area and it is also tourist friendly as well so if you're looking for a good spot as a tourist, I definitely recommend this place for a good homemade Hardy breakfast or lunch

    Menu
    Caroline K.

    Such a great place for breakfast and lunch. I had a friend tell me that the main area of Salem was lack good restaurants choices so as I was driving in from a conference at Harvard saw this place and took a chance. I was so glad I did food was amazing, bar was fun, people know because it was super busy , but they had me seated and served fairly quickly. I went with the special it was super delicious but definitely want to come back and try the main menu.

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    1 month ago

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    2 months ago

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    17 days ago

    Amazing breakfast and service! Omelets and home fries are great! Highly recommend for anyone visiting Salem!

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    1 year ago

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    1 month ago

    There were issues with order error, and the service response was a highly negative and strange experience that made it so much worse.

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Food and drinks were great! Patio outside was nice as well. Servers were very friendly!

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    Ask the Community - Salem's Retreat

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    Gulu Gulu Cafe

    3.8(1.3k reviews)
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    I've been here a few times. The first time was in 2021 and a few times recently…read more I usually get the drinks here, especially warm drinks and a quick bite but their food that I've seen looks delicious. The London fog is one of my favorites and they make this taste so good. If you like London fogs and chai teas I would go here. I'm not sure of the coffee bc I hate coffee but there were a lot of coffee drinkers there. The staff is always very friendly when we come by and the place is clean, cute and cozy. Will come back!!

    Food- 5 stars Service - 5 stars…read moreAmbiance- 3 stars I loved this cafe so much- I am glad my visit to Blackcraft Cult didn't work out because the line here was so much shorter and there was no wait to be seated. The only reason why I gave this spot on a 3 stars on Ambiance is because it was just super chilly outside. However, I did not have to wait for a seat and was given a menu immediately after being seated. I ordered the Nutty Professor latte and let me tell you, this was so divine! I tasted a hint of Nutella cream and how delicious this was that I was no longer disappointed about being seated outside. I also ordered the Shroom Sandy sandwich, I wish I ordered two (one for breakfast and one for lunch). It was that good! The sandwich was prepared with house marinated portobello, scrambled eggs and spinach and Swiss cheese. I felt energized for the two hours I walked around after only eating half. I would be delighted to visit Gulu Gulu cafe again the next time I visit Salem and highly recommend you arrive when they open if you want preferred seating. Happy traveling

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    Hawthorne Hotel - Outside of hotel

    Hawthorne Hotel

    3.9(383 reviews)
    0.6 mi
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    Great stay at the Hawthorne--had dinner in the tavern, great food and cocktails. Room was clean…read more They said it might be hot and they could bring a fan up but temperature was fine. Great location--right in the center. Two things of note--we stayed on the 6th floor, room 622. The 6th floor is the pet-friendly floor (we didn't have any pets), and my husband opened the door to get ice and there was a mini Doberman pinscher (cute!) desperate to get in our room. Then the owner came around the corner and could not figure out why he wanted to get in our room so bad. My husband went in search of the ice and saw the couple with the dog was staying in the room that would be exactly parallel to ours on the other side. I had a great sleep. Husband did as well except around 3 or so he was awoken to a hard poking several times on his shoulder. He said I was dead asleep and facing away so it was not me. We are both FAR from superstitious and don't believe in ghosts etc, so his mind went to someone broke in--but everything was locked up quite securely. He even checked under the bed! After the fact we found out about its ghost stories with specifically the 6th floor--specifically room 612. Again we were room 622, so does 612 (with the doggie) mirror ours? Other people have also mentioned getting poked as well, which we again didn't see about the hotel till after. So between the desperate dog and the poke, probably nothing--but most creeped out I've been in a while!! (Not so creeped out that we wouldn't go back!)

    My family stayed here in May 2024, and overall, we had a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, our…read moreexperience with the nighttime employee was a significant exception. The individual working the nighttime shift was consistently rude, harsh, and unprofessional in the way they interacted with guests. I witnessed them speaking loudly, yelling at people, and using inappropriate language. Their overall demeanor made the environment uncomfortable and did not reflect the level of customer service I would expect from this establishment. I had originally planned to return this May because we enjoyed our previous stay so much. However, I was disappointed to discover that this individual is still working there. When I called to ask about room availability and rates for weekends in May, the conversation was extremely frustrating. I asked whether the property was booked every weekend in May. I was asked which dates, and I explained that I was interested in the weekends throughout May rather than one specific date. I was told that they could not look at the entire month at once. I explained that I understood and was simply asking about the weekends in May. I had also just been on the website, which instructed me to call to check availability. Instead of assisting me, the employee became increasingly short with me and repeatedly demanded specific dates in a raised voice. I finally said, "Well, you're a lot of help, aren't you?" The response was, "Yeah," followed by the employee hanging up on me. I understand that employees may be busy and that availability inquiries can take time, but there is no reason for a guest to be spoken to in that manner. Hanging up on a potential returning customer was particularly disappointing. I had every intention of coming back because of how much my family enjoyed our stay in 2024. Unfortunately, this interaction has made me reconsider returning. I hope management will take this feedback seriously and address the customer-service concerns surrounding the nighttime employee.

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    Fountain Place Restaurant

    Fountain Place Restaurant

    3.5(254 reviews)
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    I really wanted to like this place. It has a cute atmosphere, and the waitstaff were nice enough…read more We went during a very busy time, so we only saw our server a couple of times, but I can give them some grace on that. When a restaurant is slammed, I understand that service can be stretched thin. Unfortunately, the food was another story. I ordered a scramble with feta, tomato, black olives, and shrimp, and it was incredibly disappointing. I honestly didn't think you could go wrong with that combination, but something about the feta tasted really strange and made the whole dish unpleasant. Then came the raisin toast. Again, something that seems pretty hard to mess up. It arrived cold and unbuttered. Finally, I ordered a fruit cup, which consisted of a few pieces of honeydew and cantaloupe. That was it, very sad in my opinion. If you're looking for a good breakfast, I'd go somewhere else unless you're really out of options. They did seat us quickly but then had to wait 35 minutes for a rather simple breakfast.

    If you're navigating the beautiful chaos of "tourist trap central" while in Salem, MA, do yourself…read morea favor and skip the overhyped, crowded "Ugly Mug Diner" down the street. Fountain Place Restaurant is just a few blocks away and had zero line. It's definitely got the "tourist trap price" as we walked away spending a little over $100 for a breakfast for three after tax and tip--but honestly, for the quality, the location and speed of service, it felt worth the splurge. The food was well-seasoned and not super greasy (which is usually the typical "diner food" struggle). We went all in on a spread: the Big Breakfast with a pancake, a savory crepe, the hash grilled cheese, a blueberry muffin, and a side slice of French toast. Everything was so good that our group of three actually finished it all! Skip the french toast and go for the pancake. This spot has that classic, cozy vibe without the "greasy spoon" after-feel. If you want a delicious, reliable meal away from the massive lines, this is your spot!

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    Salem's Retreat - breakfast_brunch - Updated October 2026

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