The Rumpled Queen — Restaurant in Salem

Where do I start, the atmosphere not only inside but outside was fantastic and felt very vintage and unique and beautiful I can not describe how much thought and effort was put into decorating this place it’s just beautiful…walking in your greeted with a beautiful floor tile design and a soft green glow coming from the bar and then the antiques around you complementing each other. Moving outside we have intricate waterfalls made of stone and sculptures and it sounds amazing while sitting outside, the service was amazing and our server was very kind and polite and patient she never once made us feel rushed or uncomfortable even though they were closing soon she was always coming to us with a smile. The menu is so thoughtful and it was hard to choose what to get but I decided on the Korean wings and fries and my boyfriend got the home made bratwurst and mashed potatoes, the food came out quick which made us very skeptical on the quality, the food looked and smelled DELICIOUS!! The wings were well covered with sauce and very crispy the fries were not as crispy as I’d like but once again they had like an hour to close when we walked in so I’m not holding that against them, and reading other reviews of people saying their fries were burnt i understand them being skeptical on how long to cook them, none the less still delicious! The sauce with them was very flavorful and kind of tasted like onion but I loved it! The brat and mash was very good as well, the brat was a but bland but the texture was amazing and you could tell it was home made and the mash was a 10/10 and trust me my boyfriend is picky with his mash and this had him basically licking his plate. They also support other local businesses and offer Kast Iron Soda on their menu, which is a plus one for me! For dessert we got their lemon cheese cake and that….that was PHENOMENAL!! Very lemony and sweet and not to mention the presentation was beautiful, I’m a huge believer of if your meal looks good you’ll enjoy it more and this restaurant takes that seriously….seriously. All in all I 100% recommend coming here. I did see other people saying their fries portions aren’t big enough which I don’t think I agree with them, to me the quality over quantity matters more and this place has true quality, I loved my time here. And now onto prices…YES ITS A LITTLE EXPENSIVE but this is real quality food people this is literally amazing and beautiful and food you can tell love was put into it. Hats off to the chef because you are amazing you are loved. Anyways I’m done rambling if you need a review and a reason to come here to try it just come try it. You will...

I posted a review of The Rumpled Queen after only two visits and then I edited it after 4 visits. I’m now 6 visits + some cinnamon rolls in and I’m taking down my original review and replacing it with this one because I feel like I have figured out what I really want to say about Annie Gano and The Rumpled Queen. Of course this is just my opinion. 😊

So here’s what I want to say…. It breaks my heart when I see any review less than 5 stars because what I’ve come to see is that those reviewers don’t understand something that I’ve come to understand. I mean I saw one reviewer give a 2 star rating to The Queen who also then gave 5 stars to a pizza shop. Hmm… that just didn’t make sense to me but I wasn’t sure why it bothered me. Until now. I’ve figured it out. Now I think I get it but The Queen can let me know if I’m wrong. 😊

See, here’s the thing. The Rumpled Queen is NOT a restaurant. Nope. Not at all. It’s a HOME. Imagine that your mom, grandma, aunt, THE QUEEN invited you to dinner in their home. We’re not talking Bob Evans, Applebees, or The Golden Coral here. Those are merely restaurants. We’re talking a most special invite to dinner with a most favorite person in their home that will be prepared with their own hands.

Knowing that your Mom, grandma, aunt, or queen prepares everything fresh from scratch can you imagine your anticipation knowing you will love whatever gets placed before you and you're thinking "Gee, I hope she makes …..this, or that or…. I can’t wait to see what’s for dessert….. I know it will be amazing." When you arrive at mom, grandma or the queen’s house you know that whatever has been prepared will be spectacular. But then OMG there are multiple choices!! After you've chosen from a list of appetizers, you’re then presented with 10 or so main course options that your mom, aunt, grandma, or Queen is ready and willing to prepare for you. And then there's a half dozen or so desserts to experience. Will you seriously refer to all that as a limited menu? Will you seriously think of offering a mere 2 stars?

I dunno. I just feel so at home when I walk in there knowing that this isn’t a restaurant. It’s so much more than that. It’s a warm hug from your most favorite person in the world. It's not just dinner. It's an EXPERIENCE. Nothing less than 5 stars will do. I feel I’ve come home every time I walk through The Queen’s doors. If you are looking for a restaurant The Rumpled Queen might not be for you but if you want to go home then this place .... this experience is...

Honest Review from Working Class: (Not Family or Friend) This place is ok.

Ordered a mocktail and had to send it back, the blackberry splash tasted like perfume - no hint of blackberry whatsoever. I had my husband try as well and same reaction.

Ordered crudite' and was very disappointed, odd choice of a veggie platter, its cute but not practical for two people. No crackers for hummus, just some standard veggies.

2 orders of steaks, $35 a plate. The 4oz 1x1 pieces of flank steak tasted ok, not a good portion whatsoever for the price. And having to cut the tough (ordered medium rare) steak with butter knives was very difficult. The fries came WAY burnt and had to be sent back, the ones they brought out the second time were far better. Definitely not true Belgian style beef fries but they were ok.

The dipping sauces like garlic aoili and hollandaise were fantastic but that is the only thing I would say is wonderful.

The servings are definitely portioned to entise you to get dessert otherwise you will leave hungry. The 87 year old man next to us said he was gonna stop at mcdonalds after, at that age you don't eat much food in one sitting so that's pretty sad for a 100lb gentleman.

The music is 2 decibels too high so it's VERY loud in here. The seating - having to sit in a U shape where everyone is staring at everyone at all times is a very uncomfortable atmosphere, not to mention the wrap around table/booth setup each table is 2 feet from the other, so you are RIGHT on top of the person next to you.

Maybe it's for the more well-to-do folk who just come for the wine and pastries and a light dinner - but if so it certainly won't last long in town sadly. We were excited to try a more higher end place in town but were very disappointed. Might try again in a year if they are...