I am still shocked that I found a good restaurant in Salem! Note: If you don’t like the Reed Opera house then you will hate this place for its cramped feeling and the sensation that the ceiling is about to cave in on you at any second. So, that is probably the only drawback to this joint. Other than that, the food is fresh and prepared well. Flavors are simple and traditional. Presentation is clean and straight forward. This is straight up solid Irish food. Soda bread, shepherds pie, and corned beef and cabbage all passed the test.
Tysandra G.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Salem, OR
I tried to eat here. there was 3 of us she said we only have this table for two and we close at 8. It’s 7pm the signs says they close 8:30, so basically hurry and get out is how I read their customer service… Or I don’t feel like dealing with you attitude. Yep I won’t try them at all.
A M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Portland, OR
I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place. It’s authentic Irish fare and oh, so quaint. The irish sodas are delicious, and I never go wrong with bangers and mash. I look forward to going back to try the sausage roll.
Lauren F.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Santa Rosa, CA
Great service | Good food | Small, cozy location $$ **TIP: make reservations Friday nights because the waitress told us it is almost always busy and tough to get a table. Everything tastes homemade. We had Shepherd’s Pie and Guinness Roast Beef — YUMMMM The waitress was friendly and provided great service. We took our time relaxing and enjoying our meal there. I’ve never had soda bread before, but it was really great to pair with our meals. Thick bread! It may be a bit of a challenge for some people to find this place. It’s in the Reed Opera House and downstairs. Upstairs is this open area with all these country’s flags, so if you see those, you’re really close but need to head downstairs. I think next door is a seamstress too. Super cozy spot, but I kinda liked this gem of a place. There are two tables outside of the restaurant to sit when the place gets filled. I don’t know if this always happens every night, but there was a guy playing some Irish music on his flute and guitar. Nice!
Lisa M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Aumsville, OR
A cozy hideaway tucked in the basement back corner of the Reed opera house. A family owned business serving made from scratch food. We were looking for some comfort food on a stormy day. This place really hit the mark. This very tiny restaurant even had live Irish style music playing early Friday evening. They are very friendly, it’s almost like going to a neighbors home for dinner. The fresh warm soda bread served with whipped butter was a delightful appetizer The Irish hard cider that we ordered to go with dinner was wonderful. If you like shepherds pie, bangers and mash, and other hearty Irish dishes, you will love this place.
Eric C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Coeur d'Alene, ID
I am traveling through Salem and decided to find a local place to have dinner. Luckily for me this little gem is highly recommended on Unilocal,and for good reason. The food is fantastic, the staff is friendly, and the ambiance is spot on kind of like a little pub. And it makes in better because you are down in the basement of the Opera House which makes it way more fun. I had the sausage rolls, corned beef soup and they were both fantastic. The biggest highlight though is the incredible soda bread. Please keep doing what you are doing, it works!
Sean L.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Salem, OR
A fantastic hole in the wall restaurant where 15 is a crowd. With a wonderfully delicious and authentic Irish style food and drink, this place is worth visiting during all times of the day! Oh, and if you ever want to taste a true Genius, look no further as their bartender pours it the traditional«Irish» way!
Mary B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Salem, OR
Hidden gem in the basement of Reed Opera House. The food is delicious, filling, and huge portions! Prepare to either split an entrée or take some home in a doggie bag. We went in on a Saturday evening and had a great meal of shepherd’s pie and corned beef and got out in plenty of time to get to the movies. The soda bread that accompanies the meal is lovely, the service is speedy, and the beer is cold. Definitely will return!
Darren O.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Beaverton, OR
A fantastic spot hidden away. They have exclusive irish beers on tap. When I went they had an Irish IPA which is delicious. Smooth and creamy, not punch-you-in-the-mouth hoppy. Ask for a black and gold, guinness floating on top of thr irish ipa. The owners are wonderful to talk to and have fantastic stories. The food is fantastic and I want to eat it all over again.
Amanda H.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Salem, OR
This place is amazing. I was looking for some place in town to eat that was different then the usual fair, and happened to find this place tucked away. The food was absolutely delicious; I was given some Irish soda bread to start with(which was warm and fresh and absolutely delicious), and the shepherd’s pie. I haven’t had a really authentic shepherd’s pie in ages so when I tried it I was so happy. Everything was jus so fresh and delicious, you can tell that care goes into everything. The only thing that disappoints me is the location — its downstairs and around the corner in the Reed Opera House, not exactly the best place for a company to do decent business, but I hope they survive. The whole place has a perfect ‘Irish Pub’ feel and it makes you feel like you’re home :)
Brent M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Woodland Hills, CA
Another great find in our first visit to Salem. Right from the start Tina and Ahmed provided great service and when we heard that the recipes were passed down from Tina’s grandmother… we were eager to get eating! First they started us with some warm soda bread which was great. Then I had the traditional Irish Shepherd’s Pie made with lamb and my daughter had the Irish Sausage Rolls… both were awesome! Somehow we convinced ourselves to have dessert and weren’t dissapointed… both the Irish Whiskey Cake and the Chocolate Guiness Cake were delicious! Start to finish it was a great experience and we will definitely be going back!
Madeleine C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Everett, WA
This is one of my favorites places to eat at in Salem. Every time I come to Salem for work, I always end up eating dinner or lunch here. I even brought a few customers here. Great service, great atmosphere, great food!
Gryphon D.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Salem, OR
Top notch. Great people, service, food, and atmosphere. The food is all made fresh, and by hand right there in the kitchen. Real imported Irish Bangers, not English ones, or American sausages called Bangers. The overall quality is quite high, but go there expecting Irish food, not something other.
Nelson S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Salem, OR
This is cool little bistro that is in the bottom of the reed opera house. When they served the food they warn that it’s very hot and it’s true! It took a couple minutes to cool down enough to start eating and it was delicious. The service was good and friendly. Both the Shepherds & Cottage pie were delicious and we will be back. Our only disappointment was that the corn beef and cabbage is only served on Friday and Saturday.
Kindi K.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Monmouth, OR
This place is so awesome! My hubby and I decided to be brave and try somewhere new to us, and boy were we glad we did! They are located in the cutest little spot on the lower level of the Reed Opera House. He had their new Irish Dip sandwich w/fried cabbage and I had the Dublin Coddle — wow! Absolutely delicious. And what gracious hosts — we so enjoyed chatting with them. We will definitely be back!
Steven C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Salem, OR
They have some awesome food! I had their shepherd’s pie and my sister had the Sausage rolls. We both had irish sodas. We started with some very tasty bread, she said it was her Grandmother’s recipe, which I was happy to learn since every restaurant I’ve been to that has used family recipes has been gooood. To my delight, the shepard’s pie was delicious with very well done seasoning. It made me wish they weren’t downtown so I could go there more often. I was allowed to try the sausage rolls, which were also very good and came with a delicious brown gravy to dip them in. However, I did prefer my shepherd’s pie. The sodas are good too, I think a mix of club soda, real sugar, and flavoring. I left with a full stomach and very happy we stopped to try it out!
Donald P.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Salem, OR
We went there tonight, was referred by a few colleagues and friends to check it out. At first entrance I was overcome with a feeling of home, and comfort. The owner/waitress was amazing … words can not express how awesome she was. Service A+, Food A+++++(there needs to be a higher grade or start for it) … it was so good! I got the mash … family name and secretly, great! didn’t have enough room to fit desert in maybe next time.
Ryan K.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Silverton, OR
Amazing food and service made from scratch. All homemade bread, mash, and beef. Very authentic.
David C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Junction City, OR
The Bistro is about our favorite place to go for winter comfort food. We have never been disappointed by quality or quantity. The Irish Crème Ale is a real treat as is the attention to detail in the food. The ownership duo, host and hostess, doat upon you to make sure everything is just right.
Howard M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Salem, OR
I had the shepherds pie. Amazing actually made with lamb loved it my 7 year old daughter had the bangers and mash she ate the whole thing I was surprised. The Irish whiskey bunt cake was delicious. The bistro is buried in the Reed opera house A hard to find if you don’t know where to. But well worth the work of finding it.