Garcia's Bistro - Salem — Restaurant in Salem

This is my second time coming here. It’s a nice addition of ethnic cuisine to the Salem area. Very reminiscent of California breakfast spots.

The American style food is good. It’s what you’d expect. The bacon is thicker and it’s the good bacon that you’d want. The breakfast sausage is also a step up from the traditional links.

The Mexican style breakfast options are also good. We’ve tried the omelet with chorizo and steak and chilaquiles.

The 3 star is because of the customer service that I received today. The waitress was very nice from start to end. However, I ordered my meal and it came with toast which I substituted for French Toast. I had a feeling and wondered if they charge me for an order of French toast but they didn’t say anything so I didn’t think so.

My husband actually ordered a side of French Toast. Now, most times if you substitute for a more ‘premium’ item, there is an up charge. I expected that much at most. When I got the bill, I saw I was charged almost $15 for my meal that I ordered plus the $4.13 for the side of French toast which is how much the side typically costs. Now, I did go to the waitress to ask why I’d be charged the full price when I substituted AND they didn’t even give me the bread that came with my meal. The guy answered that French toast is more work or wtv he said. But you still saved money but omitting my bread but then charged the same price.

I told the woman I expected an up charge but if they’re going to charge separate full prices for substitutions, they need to tell people in advance. Most restaurants do that. I feel it was sneaky to stick it on the bill and not tell me when I was ordering so I could decide if I wanted that charge or not. You say, “we don’t substitute. Are you okay paying the full price”? Then I can say no, let me change my order then. I would have changed my order. I already ordered one of the more expensive breakfasts and top of that that I received just 1 French toast lol. One piece of bread cut in half.

The point I wanted to make is I will pay it but in the future, just tell people in advance so that they know up front. Before I could even finish that, what I guess is the owner, yelled ‘just take it off’ with an attitude and I tried to say I’m going to pay it and he was like take it off. It was very rude. Not understanding of the customer at all. Not like I didn’t just spend $56 on breakfast for 2 people!

I wasn’t expecting that negative reaction. When leaving, no one said bye or have a nice day or thank you.

Regardless, I added $4 to the tip I planned to leave for the waitress because unfortunately she was caught in the middle and not at fault. But I feel disrespected and I feel like the owner didn’t care about us being repeat customers or even dissatisfied.

I would be willing to change my rating upon hearing from the restaurant, otherwise it will...

Listen, if you’re reading this review while sitting on I-81 debating whether to grab sad drive-thru food? don’t do it. Take the Salem exit (137), park that car, and march yourself into Garcia’s Bistro. Your stomach will thank you, your road trip crew will thank you, and frankly, your soul will thank you.

The tacos al pastor? Pure joy. Perfectly seasoned pork, a little kiss of pineapple, fresh onions and cilantro… basically, everything a taco should be but rarely is. The chilaquiles? They hit you with the crunch, the sauce, the cheese, and suddenly you’re wondering why you ever wasted your life eating nachos from a gas station. And here’s the kicker: it’s not just these two dishes. Everything on the menu tastes fresh, made with love, and cooked by people who actually care. You can feel it in every bite.

The service is as warm as the food, kind, helpful, and they’ll make you feel like you’re family even if you just wandered in off the highway in stretchy pants. There’s plenty of parking, super easy on and off from I-81, and it beats the pants off any chain within 100 miles.

So, whether you’re local to the Salem/Roanoke Valley or just passing through, do yourself a favor: support this gem. Skip the fast food, eat some of the best tacos in Virginia, and leave with zero regrets (except maybe that you didn’t...

We ate at Garcias tonight for the first time. My husband is typically very critical and hard to please when it comes to food and service. He has pretty high standards. With that said, he has had nothing but great things to say after eating dinner at Garcias tonight. I do believe this is his new favorite restaurant. The service was incredible. The servers had big friendly smiles on their faces the entire time. Our drinks stayed filled and our meal was served faster than we expected. I ordered the grilled onions and bourbon chicken. Wow! It had the best flavor of anything restaurant chicken ive tried. I was really blown away. The food was just amazing all the way around. The owner stopped and spoke with us. He told us a bit of his background as a chef and how chicken is prepared using his own recipe. Hes a very kind man and a fabulous chef. I can't not say enough good things about Garcias. We will most definitely be eating there again. If you have not eaten there yet I highly recommend you...