The 10 best restaurants in Salem, MA

October fills the sidewalks of Salem, but the restaurants here cook for locals the other eleven months too. This list covers ten of them, all inside the city: French and Mediterranean dining rooms downtown, seafood on Pickering Wharf, wood-fired pizza on Derby Street and a fried clam house on Jefferson Avenue, away from the tour routes. The picks suit a day trip from Boston, a dinner out or a weekday breakfast.

The list favors independent, locally run restaurants with a track record in local press, and the prices vary. A diner breakfast and an 11-inch pizza sit at the low end. At the three most expensive dining rooms, main plates ran from $25 to $56 on menus posted in fall 2026.

How we chose

The list is alphabetical, not ranked. Each restaurant had to be inside Salem city limits and open as of November 2026, and each had to be backed by more than one source: the restaurant’s own website plus outside coverage such as Boston magazine’s Salem dining guide, last updated in October 2026. Longevity, local ownership and named, dated recognition counted. Restaurants that close for part of the year were passed over in favor of year-round kitchens.

Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Bambolina

Wood-fired pizza is the reason to go to Bambolina on Derby Street. The restaurant describes the pies as neo-Neapolitan: 11-inch rounds of slow-risen dough made with 00 flour, topped with fresh mozzarella and crushed San Marzano tomatoes, and baked in about 90 seconds in a hearth oven imported from Italy. Boston magazine’s October 2026 guide to Salem points to the mushroom and truffle oil pizza and the pasta plates. Sibling restaurant Kokeshi is cooking ramen and small plates out of the same kitchen, so one table can order from both menus. Park in the municipal lot at Derby and Congress streets.

Hours: Monday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Address: 288 Derby Street, Salem, MA 01970

Why they made the list

• The oven runs at 925 degrees, by the restaurant’s account.
• Dough is made in small batches and hand-stretched to order.
• Kokeshi’s own website confirms the ramen shop is in residency at the same address, with takeout from both menus.
• Lunch and dinner are served seven days a week.

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Bella Verona

Dinner-only and small, Bella Verona is the Italian restaurant on Essex Street that Boston magazine’s October 2026 Salem guide recommends for old-school red-sauce cooking. The printed menu leans on the Verona region: a farmer-style house salad with potatoes, mozzarella, tomatoes, eggs and grilled chicken at $17.95, baked calamari over polenta at the same price, and linguini with scallops and shrimp in a spicy light tomato sauce at $29.95. Plain spaghetti with tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella is $18.95. The kitchen opens at 4 p.m. every day, and a separate takeout menu is posted on the restaurant’s website.

Hours: Monday to Saturday 4 to 10 p.m.; Sunday 4 to 9 p.m.

Address: 107 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970

Why they made the list

• Soups, including a vegetable minestrone and a Roman-style egg drop soup, are $10.
• The fish section includes sauteed trout with capers in white wine sauce for $29.95.
• A wine list and a dessert menu are posted alongside the dinner menu.

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Bernadette

Aaron and Shanna Chambers opened Bernadette in 2024 as their second Salem restaurant, according to Boston magazine, and gave the Washington Street room a French menu. The sample menu posted in fall 2026 lists tarte flambee at $20, Burgundy escargot under puff pastry at $21, moules frites at $33 and hanger steak frites with sauce au poivre at $52. Lobster from Marblehead over housemade spaghetti is sold at market price. The restaurant says dishes and prices shift with what New England farms and docks send each week. A 20 percent gratuity is added to every check, so read the bill before tipping.

Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 5 to 9:30 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2026.

Address: 65 Washington Street, Salem, MA 01970

Why they made the list

• Chef Aaron Chambers previously worked in Daniel Boulud’s restaurants, Boston magazine reports.
• A monthly supper club is a four-course shared meal sold in portions for two or four.
• Tables can be booked through Resy or OpenTable, or by phone.
• The drinks list includes French cider and Calvados.

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Dube’s Seafood

Fried seafood has come out of the kitchen at Dube’s since 1961, by the restaurant’s own count. The dining room is on Jefferson Avenue in South Salem, a drive from the downtown attractions, and the crowd is mostly local. Fried clams or scallops with french fries, coleslaw and tartar sauce are $30.95, haddock or flounder is $24.75, and the Fisherman’s Platter of clams, shrimp, haddock and flounder is $31.75. Onion rings, billed as famous on the menu, come in three sizes from $7 to $11. Splitting a plate costs an extra $1, and the menu states that Visa and MasterCard are accepted.

Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Address: 317 Jefferson Avenue, Salem, MA 01970

Why they made the list

• Boston magazine’s October 2026 Salem guide sends readers here for fried oysters, scallops and clams.
• Any two-way combination of fried seafood can be requested.
• Broiled haddock at $27.95 and baked stuffed haddock at $18.75 are on the menu for anyone skipping the fryer.
• A haddock sandwich with American cheese, lettuce and tomato is $15.75.

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Finz Seafood & Grill

Pickering Wharf is where to eat seafood near the water, and Finz is the long-running choice there, with a raw bar, a sushi bar and lunch and dinner every day. The lobster roll comes cold with celery and mayonnaise or warm in butter on a brioche roll, at market price. Clam chowder with bacon and roasted corn is $11 a cup and $18 a bowl, the fish and chip sandwich is $25, and Baja tacos with fried local fish are $19. Grilled fish is ordered by choosing the fish and then one of six rubs or sauces. Oysters are shucked to order and sold singly, by the half dozen or by the dozen.

Hours: Sunday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Address: 86 Wharf Street, Pickering Wharf, Salem, MA 01970

Why they made the list

• The restaurant’s website marks more than 20 years in Salem.
• A private event space looks over Salem Harbor.
• Gluten-free bread is available for any sandwich for $2.
• Sea Level Oyster Bar, at 94 Wharf Street, is an affiliated restaurant.

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Howling Wolf Taqueria

Burritos are the draw at this Mexican cantina on Lafayette Street. Boston magazine’s Salem guide singles out the signature Howling Wolf, a knife-and-fork burrito of shredded beef, beans and salsa that arrives in a pool of chili sauce, along with chimichangas and avocado fries. The restaurant’s own description covers tacos, burritos and enchiladas, plus a bar stocked with tequila and mezcal for margaritas and palomas. Evenings fill up on game nights: trivia runs Mondays at 7 and 8 p.m., and music bingo starts Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Online ordering is available for anyone who would rather carry dinner home.

Hours: Sunday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Address: 76 Lafayette Street, Salem, MA 01970

Why they made the list

• Tortillas are made from scratch, according to Boston magazine.
• The company runs a second cantina in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
• The kitchen is open until 10 p.m. or later every night of the week.

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Ledger Restaurant & Bar

Ledger fills the former Salem Savings Bank on Washington Street, a building the restaurant dates to about 1818. Chef and owner Matt O’Neil and executive chef Daniel Gursha cook what they call progressive New England food, built on 19th-century dishes and techniques. The dinner menu posted for fall 2026 has popovers with beef drippings and spiced apple butter for $13, clam chowder for $18, a double burger for $25 and flat iron steak frites for $45. Sunday is the only day with brunch, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Boston magazine recommends the rotating doughnuts. A parking map is posted on the restaurant’s website.

Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 5 to 10 p.m.; Sunday brunch 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday, and closed Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2026.

Address: 125 Washington Street, Salem, MA 01970

Why they made the list

• Gursha was a 2022 James Beard Foundation nominee for Best Chef: Northeast, according to the restaurant.
• Pastas on the fall 2026 menu are $36 and $38, and main plates run from $25 to $45.
• Parties of six or more have a 20 percent gratuity added automatically.
• A kids menu is posted with the dinner and brunch menus.

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Red’s Sandwich Shop

Breakfast and lunch are the whole business at Red’s, a Central Street diner that has fed Salem since 1945, by the shop’s account. The building is the old London Coffee House, which the shop dates to about 1698 and describes as a meeting place for Patriots before the Revolution. Order the homemade corned beef hash with two eggs, home fries and toast, or pancakes made from scratch. The omelet list runs from plain cheese to the Caveman, packed with ham, bacon, sausage, kielbasa and steak. Coffee refills are free with a meal. Go early on weekends, because the doors close at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Hours: Monday to Saturday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sunday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Address: 15 Central Street, Salem, MA 01970

Why they made the list

• Five kinds of eggs Benedict are on the breakfast menu, including one built on corned beef hash.
• Lunch adds made-to-order pasta dishes such as chicken piccata, served with garlic bread.
• Catering and online ordering are available through the shop’s website.

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Settler

Small plates with Mediterranean flavors come first at Settler, the Lynde Street restaurant and wine bar that Aaron and Shanna Chambers opened in 2020, according to Boston magazine. The posted menu, which the restaurant says changes often, has crispy herb falafel with labneh-harissa aioli for $14, whipped ricotta with honey and grilled sourdough for $17 and spiced beef kofta for $19. Mains run from ricotta cavatelli at $34 to a New York strip at $56. Drinks are limited to wine, beer, ports and amaros, plus an espresso martini. Boston magazine notes that October is prix fixe only, at $78 a person, so plan around that month for a la carte ordering.

Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 5 to 9:30 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday, and closed Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2026.

Address: 2 Lynde Street, Salem, MA 01970

Why they made the list

• Wines by the glass on the posted list are $15 to $18, most of them from Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy and France.
• Most dishes are marked as gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan or dairy-free, or can be modified.
• Reservations are taken online, and a monthly supper club has a waitlist.

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Turner’s Seafood

Lyceum Hall on Church Street opened as a lecture hall in January 1831, and Alexander Graham Bell gave the first public exhibition of the telephone there on February 12, 1877, according to the History of Massachusetts Blog. Turner’s Seafood has run the dining room since 2013. Boston magazine’s October 2026 Salem guide calls the restaurant family-run and names the finnan haddie, house-smoked haddock in a pearl onion au gratin sauce, as the dish to order, along with Gloucester hake marsala. The Turner family also sells fish wholesale, and the same guide says takeout orders can include swordfish and scallops on ice to cook at home.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 43 Church Street, Salem, MA 01970

Why they made the list

• The building served as offices after an 1897 renovation and later housed other restaurants before Turner’s moved in.
• Speakers at the Lyceum included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Clara Barton and John Quincy Adams, the History of Massachusetts Blog reports.
• Brunch is served at the Salem restaurant, according to the company’s website.

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See a place we missed or a detail that has changed? Send us a correction.