Marco Polo Global Restaurant

I have eaten at Marco Polo several times over the last few years. I have had their General Tso’s chicken, and sampled some friends’ meals (chicken curried fried rice & a lemon chicken dish). All were very nice. Twice, however, I have made the mistake of ordering the Pad Thai with chicken. It’s typically a favorite dish. Here, however, it came with very little chicken, noodles coated in sweet and sour sauce, bean sprouts, literally one green onion about two inches long, two sprigs of cilantro, and some fried egg strips laid on top. It does not resemble Pad Thai at all and frankly was hard to get down.

Was excited to try Marco Polo in Salem. I read reviews on Unilocal,and looked at the website of the restaurant. I noticed they played attention to vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free diets. So I was not concerned about asking if they used MSG when I ordered Chinese food. I did not have symptoms right away, but after eating left overs the next day, I had a huge MSG headache! I know so many people with this sensitivity. I am surprised they still use this ingredient.

The review I posted about the buffet took place at Christmas brunch. They only serve brunch once a year as a buffet. I think when you go there with a regular menu their food quality is substantially better. Buffets are not always so easy to do even though you might think so. With a little more thought to detail I think they can do it

This is a really interesting restaurant. They have a separate full vegetarian menu with lots of options in all categories. (I think they also had a gluten free menu.) I ordered General Tso’s «chicken.» The texture and taste was really good. My husband had General Tso’s non vegetarian chicken and said it was really good too. We had the hot and sour soup (my favorite dish) and that was very satisfying. We ordered all the food with medium spiciness. It was more like mild to us so we’ll try a higher level next time. We tried a portobello dish and it was very rich and tasty.
Service was good. Kept our water glasses full. At the end of the meal they gave us vegan cookies with our check which was a cool touch. Great view from the restaurant of the greenery outside. We’ll definitely be coming back.

I’ll start with the good: nice quick service. The food was terrible. Pad Thai was noodles covered in sweet and sour sauce. The quality of the food was so disappointing.

First impressions are not great and it continued to spiral down from there. Walking up the stairs to the main level I could smell the damp and mildew carpet. The reception desk (cluttered and apperence was unprofessional) was behind a booth and i was totally confused if it was a old hotel or a restaurant. The only thing I can say about this place was that the servers and hostest where really nice which was why i gave it 2 stars. You can tell from the décor, hair in the food and the quality of previously frozen food that someone has given up on this place. If the food is so good then why give a complementry (appology) desert with the meal? Not impressed and really not the quality I was hoping for.

Four stars for the Mongolian Beef. First time dining at Marco Polo, it’s a bit upmarket from the typical Chinese restaurant (though they have nonmenus also), and might have rated it five stars but I expect a little more from a spendier restaurant. I’ll definitely return to try other dishes and menus.

Very good salmon. Never overcooked. Flavors are all very mild; the Asian food seems to have gotten slapped upside the head by a proper French chef in terms of taste and presentation. If you are ready for a calm meal with calm surroundings that seem to have a desire to be 1880 and calm taste this place is perfect. If you want your taste buds spanked, seek elsewhere.

I went here on Thursday to celebrate a girlfriends birthday and we choose it because we’d never been there. The service was horrible and the waitress was really rude to one of my friends the whole time we were there. It was slow and not even busy. The food was just okay. We ordered Asian and it was just ok. Nothing specially though we all thought the Mongolian beef was best out of everything we ordered. I won’t be going back i don’t think or recommending it to anyone. Wish we had gone to gamberetti’s downstairs which is way better.

Marco Polo is a great option if you’re vegan or eat gluten free. In fact they have separate menus for their vegetarian/​vegan items and their gluten free items. We have eaten here several times and have always had friendly service and our food always arrives very quickly! We have only tried their Chinese dishes, which are always very fresh and flavorful. It’s amazing to see such a large selection of vegan dishes, including desserts. Portions are large so we always have leftovers. One of my family’s favorite places to eat in Salem!

They have so many menus here! At dinnertime, there were four menus. They also have two different menus seperating lunch from dinner solely through pricing. There are two menus for drink options too. The food was served quick. The noodles were kind of greasy. And it was way too much food once I reached the mid point. Honestly wanted to stop eating after the first bite. A small cookie was left for desert which I dont understand.

Love love love this restaurant. First of all, the atmosphere is very classy. The lighting is soft and the décor is old school class meets Italian meets Asian. You are served by great staff and there are several menus for Italian food, gluten-​free, vegetarian, Chinese, etc. I’d highly recommend any Chinese food off of the vegetarian menu! It comes served with a purple rice that is simply fantastic.

Yum, yum, yum! We had the veggie dumplings, hot and sour soup, and the garlic broccoli. So good!
They also gave us a yummy dessert for free.

Great place, the restaurant is busy during the lunch hour which is when I typically visit. We’ve been one time for dinner and the experience was consistent. The servers are always friendly and willing to give a recommendation, the food is fantastic for Americanized cuisine, and the prices are extremely generous for the portions served. I would recommend you look into this restaurant for your next business lunch or for a quick beverage.
The restaurant is cleaned, each of the sections are well attended, and the restrooms are spotless. My office is just about a block away which makes this a favorite for colleagues of mine. We have tried several other restaurants but this is the «go to» choice at least once a month.

«Global» here may be a bit of a misrepresentation, but they do have *four* different menus, including a gluten free. I had the jambalaya (extra spicy) which was flavorful, if not a bit heavy, but my group also sampled the pasta, Chinese, and vegetarian fair. Portions were large enough such that no one finished, but everyone was happy. Things were a bit on the salty side, but the staff was great, honest, and kept the drinks coming.
If you have a diverse group, especially with dietary restrictions, this is a good choice.

Five stars for Marco Polo’s vegetarian and vegan food, and for its atmosphere. It offers the most extensive menu of the best vegetarian and vegan food that we have found in Oregon and Washington. Yes, we include Seattle, Portland and Eugene in our comparison. In addition, it has a pleasant, adult atmosphere that usually is quiet enough to carry on a conversation without yelling at each other across the table. This is something that cannot be said of all-​too-​many restaurants because of crowded tables, loud, obnoxious «music,» and hard, sound-​reflecting surfaces. Marco Polo is a very large restaurant, the music usually is suitable for dining, and it actually has a carpet! In addtion, many of the tables in its second-​floor location overlook a very pleasant park with a stream running through it.
Ample parking is available on the street or in a pay parking structure behind the restaurant. Four stars for parking.
Marco Polo also offers Chinese and American menus. We tried the Chinese and found it old-​fashioned and mediocre. Three stars for the Chinese. We have not tried the American.
The full bar offers a few beers and wines and a full range of mixed drinks. The gin and tonics are typical restaurant fare, which is to say, they are mediocre and they cannot be much improved by ordering a better gin because there is only one tonic; namely, the standard restaurant tonic, flavorless and flat, that comes from a hose. In addition, the bar tenders are clueless as to the need for lime. They think that a microscopic wedge resting in or somewhere near the glass is adequate. Margaritas and mojitos are no better, so we assume that most and probably all mixed drinks are standard restaurant fare. Three stars for drinks with alcohol.
There is a good selection of teas, some of which are seldom seen in restaurants. Five stars for tea, but three for coffee.
The restaurant also offers special rooms for events and its waiters will bag its delicious purple rice, dry, to order, for patrons who want to cook it at home.

Perfect date night spot! We got an awesome window spot, and the lighting is perfect. Huge variety of European and Asian cusine. My love ordered a delicious raspberry pistachio chicken and I opted for Curry Chicken and Pink Lady tea. So yummy, and leftovers were even better!

THE BEST PLACE EVER IF YOU HAVE ALLERGIES!!! There are so many wonderful options if you eat a vegan or vegetarian diet. And if you have food allergies, such as gluten or dairy (egg), you are in for such a treat! I love this place! The staff is friendly, the food is AMAZING, and to top it all off they have vegan gluten free desserts!!! For someone like me that is very hard to find!!! The prices are fare and the food is quality! If you are planning something special I would do it here for sure!

I was pretty impressed with this restaurant! I really wish it were closer to me, I would visit more often. Since I was going to be in the Salem/​Keizer area, I posted a question on social media, what was the favorite vegan/​vegan friendly restaurants in the area. The majority gave a shout out for Marco Polo. So that’s where we headed.
I had to park across the way in the parking structure, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to have enough coins to cover the parking meter. I had enough for an hour and a half, wasn’t sure if that was going to be enough time.
The building that Marco Polo resides in was really roomy! I noticed that they had a banquet room, lounge and different dining areas. We were quickly greeted and seated, with drink orders placed promptly. The menus clearly stated which items were vegan (V) or vegetarian (VG), which I appreciate. There’s a separate gluten-​free menu. There were so many dishes to choose from, it was difficult to make the choice. My dining companion ordered vegan potstickers and spring rolls. I got a lunch special that included soup, main dish with choice of rice, I ordered the chickpea curry soup with veggies in black bean sauce and brown rice. It was a good choice for me. My dining companion said that he thought the potstickers and spring rolls were some of the best he’s tasted. We were treated to complimentary cake for dessert. I inquired if it was vegan, and it wasn’t. They quickly replaced with vegan cookies. It was a really good dining experience!

Great and fast service. Pot stickers are HOT AND FRESH. The salad was tasty and tastefull. The chicken was hot and not chewy. That is unusual for most places. The view of waterfalls and trees are perfect with lots of window area. It’s not a dungeon.
Vast vegetarian and gluten free as well as Chinese and European menus.
The prices are very reasonable. In this category of restaurant it’s perfect.
What more can you ask for?