A&J King Artisan Bakers — Restaurant in Salem

After outgrowing its original location on Central Street in Salem, A&J King opened a new, flagship location on Boston Street in Salem. Both locations offer wonderful baked goods, with everything made on the premises. The original Central Street location is downtown and easily accessible by foot from other popular tourist museums, restaurants, bars, and so on, and parking for that location is either metered street parking or in a nearby garage. The Boston Street location is in a more suburban setting with its own, free parking immediately outside the building.

Despite going to A&J King many times, I've never explored parts of their menu such as their sandwiches. Rather, I've always gone for the breads and desserts, and I've never been disappointed with what I've bought there. The owners, Andy & Jackie King, are serious bakers who wrote their own book about artisan baking (Baking by Hand, 2013), and their products are from the finest baking traditions of Europe and America. The products do not contain preservatives so don't expect the baked goods to last for more than a few days unfrozen. For the best selection, go earlier in the day. As closing time approaches, the pickings can get slim at busy times like weekends and holidays and during Salem's peak tourist season of the summer...

Went here last weekend and the coffee tasted great! The bakery looked good too, but we weren't there to try the baked goods. I have heard from fellow Peabody residents that the baked goods are great.

Two suggestions for management/owner though, and they don't change my opinion on the place because it was great! When we went for our first time, it was a bit confusing on where to order since there is a coffee counter and a separate baked goods counter. A sign for "order here" would be very beneficial. We stood in the center of the shop for a good 3 minutes before making the determination that there is no cash register at the coffee counter. The other suggestion... Take down names or give order numbers for the coffee orders. After we ordered our coffee, we sat down at the window to wait for them to be ready. A person came in 5 minutes after we ordered and sat at the coffee bar... The barista put down our "to-go" coffees in front of the guy at the bar instead of saying a name or order number... he just assumed it was the guy sitting at the coffee bar, even though that guy had just showed up.

Other than the two confusions, this place is great! We will...

We’re new to the area and have been enjoying establishing our morning coffee, breakfast, and walk routines. Both A&J locations have been standout favorites — the food and drinks are excellent!

The only challenge we’ve encountered is that dogs aren’t allowed inside, even just to step in briefly for a to-go order. We completely understand and respect the health regulations around that. However, neither location currently has a safe spot outside to tie a leash while placing or picking up an order.

We’ve noticed the water bowl by the door, which is a nice touch and suggests a dog-friendly spirit — but it’s usually empty and full of dried dirt, so likely not getting much use.

We’d love to suggest a small improvement: adding a designated, safe tie-up spot near the entrance. It would make a huge difference for dog owners like us and turn AJ into a truly perfect stop on our morning routine.

Thanks so much for...