Thai Place
2 E India Square Mall
978.741.8008
It might not have the most visible profile but Salem Insiders know the Thai Place inside the Museum Place Mall serves up a tasty dish.

Luckily you don’t have to go deep into the mall to find this ethnic cuisine delight, just enter on the Church Street side by Cinema Salem.
Touting [...]

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Ristorante Gioia
140 Washington Street
978.744.7333
How can a fairly decent sized Italian restaurant be hidden away in down town Salem? By putting their entrance on a desolate side street.

Open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday I occasionally see people in Ristorante Gioia but its always empty when I go in. I felt like I was in [...]

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Leslie’s Retreat
96 North Street
978.744.9495
There is plenty of competition for breakfast in Salem, we went to Leslie’s Retreat so you don’t have to.
The first thing you notice about Leslie’s is that you just walked into a piece of history. Named after the famed Redcoat retreat of Colonel Alexander Leslie this rustic dining establishment looks [...]

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On this Cinco de Mayo I felt it only fitting to treat you to some true Mexican food in Salem.
Cilantro
282 Derby Street
978.745.9436
Take your existing notion of what a Mexican restaurant is and pitch it out the window. Cilantro is a great dining experience in a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Upon walking in to this Derby [...]

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Call this an editorial piece rather than an inside tip on the fair city of Salem.
Stupidity and being lackadaisical when operating a bar, club or restaurant will always come back to bite you in the ass. In the Salem newspaper the other day and all over the television today is a story about local restaurant [...]

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I realize that other blogs, the newspapers and banners around town have already conveyed this message but it bears repeating. This is Spring Restaurant Week in Salem, April 13th - April 17th, where for a mere $26.26 (Salem was founded in 1626 hence the weird price) you can get a three course [...]

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Recently we at TheSalemInsider.com have been receiving requests to review certain restaurants or businesses. Bands are starting to put us on their guest list to check out shows and invites are coming in for special events. We love it. Please keep it up and understand that we will give an honest evaluation [...]

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It seems that there is more competition in Salem for your night-out dollars. Many restaurants have added live music to their late night menu. And it’s getting increasingly more common to see lines of people waiting to get in to places at 11pm Thursday through Saturday nights.
Why is Salem a hot spot for nightlife?
Last [...]

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Nick’s Firehouse Coffee Shop
30 Church St
(978) 745-9432

The photo is a bit out of date but a new one is on the way @%*# digital camera
Calling themselves a “coffee shop” is an understatement. Nick’s serves up an affordable breakfast and lunch in a quaint atmosphere. The restaurant seats about 40 people but I’ve never [...]

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I, like many people who live in the greater Boston area, consider myself “Boston Irish”. My grandparents generation came over from Ireland and I grew up eating boiled dinner, bubble and squeak and fried tomatoes with my blood pudding. It should come as no surprise that I am all in favor of St. [...]

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