Ritz Diner — Restaurant in Salem

Ok so I've lived in Salem my entire life and have always wanted to go in and try the food that ive heard was so delicious. Well I never went into the original Ritz diner because it was always packed. Well fast forward to the Ritz diner 2. I'm not sure if anyone working there are people form the 1st Ritz diner but here is how it went. I walked in and tables were full I asked the young lady working up front what the wait time was. She said about 15 minutes. I then asked if there was a wait list to sign up on and she said no. Ok no problem I'll wait and come back in. We waited about 20 minutes and then went in and sat at an empty table. Then the young girl then comes and says the table is reserved. I said you said the was no wait list, she was like no I said yes. The cook came out after 10 minutes and asked what the issue was and I explained what she had said when I first went in. He said we could stay at the table. We waited another 15 minutes for the young girl to take our order. My husband wanted the #3 that comes with pancakes and as she repeated the order she said the #1. We said no the #3 and she proceeded to say yes the #3 I just write it down that way. Anyways! He didn't get the #3 as he ordered she brought him the #1. Food was good but took a very long time. Which is understandable since there is only one person cooking. But this young lady overall just didn't seem very pleasant as if she didn't even want to be there. Unfortunately they didn't not gain another customer as we will never go...

Not that you need more reviews about this place, but I thought I’d share the details of my experience here. As a cook/chef with over 20 years of experience, I’d say this is an alright diner.

The food: I ordered an off-menu item (corned beef hash omelette) and it was actually delicious. The hash is homemade, and surprisingly savory. The meal was presented very well, and my only complaints were that there wasn’t enough and it was too good.

The service: Both employees (yeah - this place is that small) were extremely friendly. The server (Christie?) was helpful, proactive, and responsive. The cook was talkative and hard-working.

Atmosphere: Here’s where the stars start to come off. The place is tiny, but clean. When I say tiny, I mean it feels like sitting in your own dining room at home. I’m shocked that they are able to stay in business with so few tables. They must really detest loiterers. Also, there is a “Let’s go, Brandon” sticker on the wall above the cook’s window. I’m not a fan of Biden either, but this seems like a childish, unprofessional jab at our president, and is likely to chase a lot of potential customers away.

Finally, the prices: I was expecting to pay maybe $11-14 for a meal at a hole-in-the-wall place like this. All I had was an omelette, some home fries, 2 slices of toast, and a coffee. The bill came to $18.60 (+ tip). Needless to say, I was...

A classic diner, open for breakfast and lunch.

The Ritz is a small diner, with 3 booths (4-top), a 4-top table, 3 tables (2-top) and 9 seats at the bar.

Staff are all friendly and give a home-y feeling to the house.

I fret over menus that are too large, but the Ritz didn't give me any confusion or too many choices to make a quick decision.

I had CFS, eggs over medium, with sourdough toast.

My meal arrived right on time and everything was prepared as ordered. My first taste was the country gravy smothering my chicken fried steak. Gravy was savory and special, the base may have come to them prepared, but as served was definitely homemade by kitchen staff. Hashbrowns were crispy outside, fluffy inside, eggs were perfection. I was surprised by the toast, a slightly thicker cut than I expected, which I found pleasing. Coffee was hot, fresh, and neither too weak nor too strong.

When I visit again, I plan to either try the Black Angus Steak & Eggs, or a lunch special, today is Meatloaf with mash and green beans.

My only regret is that I passed by many times, wondering about the joint, without stopping to experience...