Our server Katie was great at making a recommendation for my Old Fashion. Her level of service…read morehelped make this one of my favorite places on the N. Shore. Loved the Benton Old Fashion smokey bacon maple cocktail. The large warm pretzel Was recommended. W dipping cheese and mustard. The dips were made special for this pretzel, stayed on the pretzel. I like the look, lighting and feel of the cocktail lounge. High seat bench cushion are quality and made for sitting on for a good hour or more.

We love a speakeasy and this one did not disappoint!! Secret door to get in. Dark and cozy inside…read more We visited twice on our vacation. Drinks were awesome as was service. Food was pretty good but typical bar food. You come for the drinks!

I had heard the food at the Rip Tide had improved, but was sorely disappointed. I had the…read moreSmashburger last night, but will never have it again. The burgers were overcooked, the grated cheddar cheese that was lumped on top was fresh from the refrigerator and not even melted, the French Fries were so overdone and over-salted, they were like wooden twigs. It wasn't even possible to get a bottle of ketchup; I had to keep asking for little plastic things of ketchup. Very disappointed, and will not go back.

The food here is incredible and such a hole in the wall find! The service is great and everyone…read moreworks very hard. My favorite is the dive bar burger or The bang bang shrimp:)

This place is a dreamy, cozy, hidden gem. The menu has all tradition cocktails, gourmet hot dogs,…read moreand more. They have board games and cards available for customers' entertainment. The staff is extremely attentive, friendly, and skilled at their craft. You can easily stay hours in here because of the inviting ambiance and fun. Highly, highly recommend.

Recommended to us by some locals as a great place for "tourists" to go. I can't agree, since the…read moretwo bartenders on duty were slinging drinks to their buddies while ignoring us. (They clearly saw me there; we made eye contact and the one guy wasn't even doing anything.) After about 10 to 15 minutes of waiting with no service, we were about to leave when a server finally came to our table. Since they were obviously busy and weren't keeping up with the crowd that night, we tried to order two drinks each so they could save a little of their time and we could relax without worrying about if a server was going to take our order again before the end of the week. The server very sharply said that he was NOT going to give us two drinks at a time, CERTAINLY not with drinks of this high alcohol content. We ordered one drink each, cashed out and bounced. The cocktail I got was fine; I could make a slightly worse version at home at a fraction of the price (or even two at once!). We we were told later by a friendlier Salemite at a bar with a better vibe that there is a Massachusetts state law that prohibits having two drinks at once at a bar. Fair enough. Had our server told us that, unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to give us two drinks at once -- instead of making us feel like idiots/degenerates for daring to ask -- we probably would have dropped a lot of vacation money there that night. Oh well; we had a great time at the other places we went.

"Here lie the roses in the ashes Deep as the barnacles that…read morecling Just like a lace that runs through everyone and everything" (Elvis Costello) This is a tough one to write up. The food was very good, and I thought my Steamed Mussels might have been the very best version of a favorite dish I ever had. The view of the harbor from the back counter was beautiful. But..........there were a lot of buts. First of all, The Barnacle is not a large restaurant, and the dining room was so crowded, with tables and chairs so densely packed into every square inch it's really quite difficult to navigate your way around the room. In fact, after we were seated at that back counter, a server asked us if we could slide over because another patron couldn't maneuver herself into an open seat. We placed our order - a cup of clam chowder ($8), fish tacos ($14.95), and those fabulous Steamed Mussels ($18.95). And then we waited. And then we waited some more. And then the couple who sat next to us hadn't seen a server yet, so the gent walked over to the bar to get his own beer. And then we waited some more. And then our server sheepishly walked over and said she never got around to placing our order with the kitchen, so would we mind reminding her what we ordered? Now look, we had no appointment to keep and didn't mind the view of the scenery. But truthfully, the wait and delay did slice into a big chunk of our metered parking fee. And it sure would have been nice to see their service lapse translate into some tangible consideration. How about a complimentary appetizer, drink, dessert, or a cost reduction or anything. But no, there was no consideration given at all. No attempt to make things right. I'd say forgetting to place an order and not realizing the mistake for half an hour is a fairly serious issue. A waterside restaurant on a hot day really should have done a better job with the crowd, and they clearly weren't up to the task. But... those plump heavenly mussels in a sweet, herb and garlic broth were divine, and influenced my rating decision for a four-star experience.

One of our go to Local spots in Marblehead. Great location with a fabulous view of the Harbor and…read morethe lighthouse. Very friendly staff but the star of the show is the seafood. We ordered an order of steamers to share. Very good! For the main course, Fish and chops for me. As I had remembered from prior visits, the fish are outstanding. Very good cold water white fish /Haddock, cooked with a light breading so it doesn't overwhelm the fish. Fries were fine but again the star is the fish and definitely worth the visit!

New England, end of summer, and you're out and about on the rocky beaches of "noat shoa" (north…read moreshore)? Then youve got to lunch at the Landing. First, the view: you eat with your eyes they say, but you see the bay with your nose. That salty sea air makes you hungry for some chowder, or mussels, or just fish and chips. Or crab cakes. And a beer. All on the menu. All good. Sit on the deck and watch the lobster come in. Small white buckets filled by fishermen with accents. Hemingway ate here and it totally changed his style, as if. Sometimes the ambiance adds to the food and no better example than here: fish and chips, but under the sea gulls on the deck by the boats? That's a memory. Come early and/or make a reservation. Eat fast because there's a line waiting for your spot.

Great lunch with a view! We all ordered the Fish & Chips. Very fresh Haddock lightly battered and…read morenot too greasy. Paired with a tasty tartar sauce. Nice selection tion of beers and cocktails. There is a parking lot and it fills up quickly. We found a spot amd when we left, a waiting line for parking! Service was excellent. Jason was our server and he checked on us often for drink refills. Definitely a great brunch, lunch, ot dinner spot with a view! We sat out on the patio on a colder day; enclosed witg heaters running. Very comfortable.

Cool doesn't cover it! Amazing experience and specialty cocktails are to die for! Highly…read morerecommended love the vibe

Not really a speak easy. Kinda disappointing. Definitely shouldn't have the sign outside the…read morealleyway lol. Was a bit busy but also isn't that big. Only have certain drinks and they were really weird. No one in Salem has even heard of it really and never been there. Definitely would not go again. Also shares a bathroom with Dire wolf tavern. When u walk in the door u also can go straight into DW.

I still think about the French onion burger I had this past summer. We will definitely be going…read moreback - especially for the live music!

Visiting from out of town; saw good reviews and decided to give the Barrelman a try. The smash…read moreburgers were awesome. Make sure you get the tater tots-unbelievably good. The waitress and the chef were so friendly, it's like we were eating at their dining room table. On our way out the chef handed us a to-go box-an ice cream sandwich. Get the idea of the vanilla ice cream and chocolate cookie out of your head. This ice cream was SO, SO good: chocolate ice cream between 2 chocolate chip cookies. Just the right balance of ingredient. This is a very unassuming bar that packs a punch.

Had a good time here. Accepted our dogs. Very diverse clientele. Drinks were great. Service was…read moregood. Talked to cofounder, Ian, for a bit. Talked to Pam, bartender, for a bit. Was impressed with the whole experience. Hole in the wall fun.

The Taco Lady was the star of this "distillery". The waitress was more interested in flirting with…read moretwo guys at the bar rather than serving us drinks. Looking for a good time? You won't find it here. But shout out to the Taco Lady's ramen

First timers: cute towny intimate restaurant. The server was…read morevery nice- explained things well. Service was quick. The only reason I put 3 stars was because the entrees and limited selection. Idk if it's a seasonal menu but the pictures I saw from others are not what was available unfortunately. But the drinks , appetizers, and sushi are 5 stars Entrees: burger- most bland burger, it looked as dry as it tasted. With a side of 10 fries Pork Tenderloin dish absolutely no flavor in anything not even the sauce whatever that was. No seasoning, no stand out ingredients. I would try it again if I were in that area but only for sushi and drinks.

I love Mai Tai! I resisted going there for a couple years because I thought the price points were…read morehigh, but once I went, I discovered that the food is absolutely amazing and the drinks are so fun! I highly recommend it!

I'm not sure you would find this without knowing where to look. It's a favorite among locals for…read moregood reason. Downstairs is a "lively" bar, upstairs is the restaurant portion. Use the outside stairs to joueny up stairs. They don't take reservations and on a Thursday night it was full so plan accordingly. They have a full offering of drinks and I went draft beer, Alagash, a wheat beer from Maine. A good choice to go with a heavy meal. At the recommendation of our local host, I went for the Pan Seared Haddock. This comes with lobster meat in a white sauce served over potatoes and cooked spinach. So tasty, the seafood was tender and delicious, the sauce not overwhelming the flavors. Our server, Casey, was top notch and gave the right amount of earnest attention. When he wished us a good evening, I think he truly meant it. Husband had the seafood platter mixed and I tried one of the shrimp which was excellent. Great spot, though it is dimly lit and noisy(just know before you go type thing). Didn't hamper our enjoyment of a fun evening at all!

I was a Thursday night regular back in '69 and '70. Baked stuffed lobster. Street level walk-in. No…read moremusic or entertainment, just belly up to the bar.