Au Gratin — Restaurant in Salem

We visited on a Friday in mid-June 2025 for lunch around 1ish.

There is public parking lot and street parking. We walked here from a lot. There were very few on street ones. There was also a outside seating area in front of the restaurant that may have been parking at one point. It was pretty busy with people coming and going but there was no real wait. Food was prepared pretty fast. Staff was super nice as we order to-go stuff from the bar/counter area. There wasn't much room inside the restaurant so we told her we'd wait outside to not crowd it up more.

We ordered: Prime Rib panini (delicious) Mushroom panini (delicious) Chix BLT (delicious) Au gratin (super good and cheese was very hot) Cheese fries (meh but youngest wanted it. would not get again) Potato salad was very good with toppings.

All sandwiches came out so hot, hard to hold. All the food was super fresh and burning our fingers. I would stay way from cheese fries. They were very meh for the price. There was limited outside seating but we decided that was the best option for us. Table outside wasn't the cleanest but I don't know if they normally serve outside. It's just informal seating outside the shop. We went to the restaurant next door while we were waiting (MELT Ice Cream) and the server came out and got us in the store next door when our kids told them we were in there. That was nice.

Overall it was a nice restaurant and we would definitely come back here if we were in town and recommend to others. Every panini we...

Ah yes, the true Salem experience: mediocre lunch at premium prices, capped off with the honor of paying $1.67 for plastic utensils. What a privilege! I can only assume the utensils are hand-carved from ancient relics, or perhaps blessed by a local witch — otherwise, I’m not sure how anyone justifies that price tag without laughing.

It’s comforting to know that in this economy, there’s still a place bold enough to monetize basic human needs like eating food with a fork. Add that to the already inflated prices, and you’ve got a restaurant that’s less about hospitality and more about daylight robbery with a side of attitude.

Clearly, they’re not interested in return customers — especially if you’re a tourist. If you’re from out of town, don’t worry: there are plenty of other places in Salem where you’re not charged a utensil tax for daring to order lunch to go. Go literally anywhere else and keep your dignity...

We ordered delivery on Friday and I have to say we were skeptical. However this little place made the most perfect sandwiches for my daughter in law and myself. She had the Tuscan sandwich with Prosciutto de Parma, burrata, confit tomato, basil pesto, pickled red onion, and balsamic glaze. It was piled high, and the sandwich was huge and nicely toasted. I had the portobello melt with roasted portobello, leek, garlic aioli, gruyère, parmesan sauce, truffle on a GF wrap which was also toasted, and the cheese was perfectly melted. It was also piled high. Both were super delicious and I must say we've found our new favorite sandwich place! My granddaughter had the mac n cheese. She wasn't impressed...