Black Water Grill — Restaurant in Salem

Stopped for dinner on a Saturday evening at about 5:30, on our way back from Boston. To say we felt unwelcomed is an understatement. Hostess didn't even say hello, not so much as a smile. She ssumed we were attending a function in the lower level and was especially put out when I told her we didn't have a reservation (did not know what time we would be arriving). She seated us shortly in a room that had all the ambiance of a funeral home sitting room. Felt like we were being banished out of sight. Our server was polite, but, again, did not make us feel very welcomed. Never asked if we wanted appetizers. Had to ask her the price of the "specials" which is a BIG no-no. Never asked if we wanted to see the dessert menu. We had attended a formal affair in Boston and were looking forward to a great dinner. Very disappointed. We are affluent patrons who enjoy a fine dining experience and are not afraid to spend the money for that pleasure. This was our first time dining in the restaurant, though we have attended and hosted several events downstairs. The food was wonderful, but the entire experience was ruined by the staff. Sadly, not sure if we...

Food was good and we sat outside on deck for lunch time during the week. Staff seemed a little confused, someone in the group had called in food ahead which they could not handle, they had issues with figuring out what table to seat people at and then our waitress got the cocktails wrong. They did eventually get the call ahead order and seated us and the next people in line at a table but was just a little chaotic at first. And at least the next cocktail order was correct.

12/15/23 Went there for company holiday lunch, we had the downstairs back function room all to ourselves with a separate entrance. Food was good and plentiful, they put out take out containers for folks to take leftovers instead of throwing it out. It was a small gathering and Erin handled the bar and table service with ease and a smile. Decorations were festive and the table set up was perfect for company banter. First time we had a company lunch there and everyone is already raving about going...

Absolutely nothing unique or exciting. The waitress was rude and acted like she could have cared less if we were even there. Their lettuce wraps are a gross and weird mix of Mexican and Asian. The beet and goat cheese salad is a good size for the price, but unfortunately they wreck it by serving it with a cheap tasting overly vinegar balsamic. Its like they came up with the salad and were too lazy to make a dressing that would actually compliment it. When we left there were 2 drunk men standing right outside the door smoking, so you couldn't even leave without getting a mouth full of cigarette smoke, saying crude comments to women as they left the restaurant. My husband went to speak to the hostesses about it and they just acted like it was no big deal and said, "Sorry." That was it. No getting the manager and actually dealing with situation, just a "sorry". Like somehow that makes it all better. An absolute disappointing experience. We will...