Gulu-Gulu Cafe
Gulu-Gulu Café
247 Essex Street
978.740.8882
A hip big city feel nestled in an artsy down town space.
You really can’t get more down town than Gulu-Gulu Cafe. Situated on the corner of Washington and Essex behind the Samantha statue since August, G2C has become a hot spot for the 20 & 30 something crowd. Their winning combination of a massive beer menu, constantly changing art shows, live music and light fare brings a cool energetic vibe unique to Salem restaurants and bars.
Food menu is limited but tasty. Deserts, coffee’s and cordials are available to those who aren’t counting calories. Service can be spotty at times. Don’t expect a quick in and out experience here, take your time and soak in the atmosphere. This cafe gets slammed on the weekends with their night staff being more attentive and less frazzled than the day staff.
Their location, huge glass windows, inviting interior and outside seating (during the good weather) bring in a diverse crowd. Don’t be surprised to see punk rockers and local artists hanging out with your grandma.
Food: B
Beer Selection: A+
Atmosphere: A
Service: C
Overall: B+
THIS IS A GREAT PLACE…
IF YOU HAVE BEEN TO NEW YORK CITY OR AMSTERDAM….IF YOU LIKE LIVE MUSIC & A LITTLE BIT OF PUNK….AMAZING COFFEE & A FOOD MENU THAT IS UNLIKE THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR “OVERPRICED LOWER CRUST PIZZA:”
I couldn’t agree with you more.
I do love certain things about Gulu Gulu, like the space itself, the great beer, and the nice set-up for live music. But I need to give up on daytime visits because the service could send me over the edge. We stopped in the other day and it was ridiculous. And it wasn’t even that crowded. People who came in forty minutes after us got their food sooner … and we’d ordered simple, slap-it-on-a-dish stuff like a cheese plate. Of course the food delivered to the other tables looked suspiciously like our order …
I don’t know if the problem is the kitchen or the servers, but it wouldn’t hurt for management to try and raise their game just a little. My favorite memory from another visit? We couldn’t get our bill because our server seemed to have decided it was time to have a smoke and a conversation outside and apparently just abandoned all her tables.
Since my April comment about the great space but crappy service (on more than one previous occasion), I’ve been back a few more times (most recently last week). What a difference! On each recent visit we got better-than-good service; friendly, timely, responsive. Good suggestions on what beer we might enjoy. Every aspect was really enjoyable. Kudos to Gulu Gulu.