My wife and I are coming out to Salem for three days for a wedding, and then off to Portland for a five day beercation. I saw that there is a Portland thread with a lot of great info, but I was wondering if there are some can't miss beer/food spots to visit in the Salem area? Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
Block 15 is in Corvallis, which isn't very far from Salem (roughly 40 minutes south on I-5). You definitely need to visit.
To be totally honest, none of the breweries in Salem are must hit places. They make some solid beer, but nothing you need to go out of the way for. Depending on where you are staying in Salem, b2 taphouse and Westside Taphouse are both places that have solid to really good taplists (plus they both have their lists on their websites). I definitely agree with the above comment on Block 15. Make the drive if you can, and if it were me, go to the brewery and taproom and not the restaurant. More relaxed and usually less crowded. And if you are hungry for some banh mi in Corvallis, hit up Baguette for a quick sandwich, so damn cheap and tasty. As for food, the only place that I would say is a MUST visit is Word of Mouth for breakfast. Most likely there will be a wait, but it will be worth it. Fantastic breakfast place, and also open for lunches.
"Can't miss" would be a stretch, but if you're going to be in Salem for a couple of days, I'd recommend visiting b2 and maybe Venti's. Santiam has some interesting stuff from time to time, though most of their stuff can be found pretty easily in the PDX area at various tap houses. Still, if I were going to be in Salem for three days, I'd probably include a visit to Santiam during my stay. In terms of B15, I'm going to respectfully disagree with distantmantra. Personally, I find their core line-up of beers to be pretty mundane, and the "special release" line-up can be hit or miss. It used to be that the primary reason to head on down to the brewery/brewpub (other than for their special release events, which are invariably awesome), was to obtain Sticky Hands DIPA. However, increasingly, this beer can be found in PDX without too much difficulty (both in cans and on tap). The food there, IMHO, is decent, but overpriced. I wouldn't head out there expecting to have a great culinary experience. As Dismantra indicated, it's a bit of hike to get down to the Brewpub, so at the very least I'd double check the on-line tap list in advance. Currently, the taproom line-up appears to be considerably superior to what I see pouring at the downtown restaurant, at least IMHO. Point being that the two places don't always pour the same beers on tap, so definitely check the website before heading down (if you decide to head on down). You're going to be in PDX for 5 days, so I wouldn't worry too much if you can't find a lot to do in the Salem area. Needless to say, you'll have way more options than any human can reasonably exploit, during your visit up there. Have fun!
b2 is definitely the place to go in Salem. Consistently the best tap list in town, and Bryan (owner) is able to pull a lot of stuff that other places around town don't get. The location is a little weird to find, but google maps should get you there pretty easily. Beyond that, Westside Taphouse, Capital Taproom, and Archive Coffee & Bar will be your best bets. For an under-the-radar spot, check out f/Stop Fitzgerald's. It's a converted house with a nice patio and about 10 beers on tap. As far as breweries go, I'd recommend Vagabond if you need to hit one. They have a nice space and are probably making the most consistent beers in town. Santiam is ok if you're more into British styles. They did have a gin barrel aged peach "lambic" on tap recently that a lot of people praised, though I had it last year and thought it was pretty mediocre. I cannot in good conscience recommend Gilgamesh under any circumstances. If you're looking for a place with food & beer, b2 always has a food cart parked outside, and most are pretty good. Archive has a good, but limited, menu (and great cocktails). Table 508 has good food and usually a good taplist. I haven't eaten at Union Barrel, but they supposedly have good food, plus a solid beer list and a lot of whiskey. Word of Mouth is, IMO, a perfectly acceptable breakfast place, but nothing worth waiting an hour for. Kitchen on Court street is a good alternative if you don't want to wait forever. Hit me up if you need a local guide!
P.S. @John_M mentioned Venti's, but I can't personally recommend it any longer, especially with b2 a mile or two down the street. The beer selection has really suffered since their original "Beer Czar" went to Santiam full time. Lots of mediocre stuff on tap there most of the time these days.
That's right, I forgot you had mentioned that he left a while back. Shows how long it's been since I was last there. :-)
@PaulyB33 you've been chosen to play the NW forum's favorite game: What Would You Order? Take a look at the current B2 taplist and tell us what you'd pick and why you chose it. There are lots of right answers and we promise to not haze you too hard if you pick one of the wrong answers.
Like others said b2..is a good bet. Westside Taproom also. Growl Movement is ok but not much exciting. Santiam I really like..then I do love me a cask ale. But whenever I go in at weekends its always busy but mainly non beer geeks. Vanguard does some good stuff and its a huge space with entertainment at weekend..also a huge Timbers fan hang out on matchdays. Salem Ale Works is a tiny wet place but do some good beers. If you basically want to hang out IN a brewery that's the place. I'm camping this week so not in town..would love to show you the good places. Salem is no Portland..not even Hood River...but its 10 times better than 5 year ago
Wow, thank you guys!! I really appreciate your help!! We will have limited time away from family the first 3 days, so knowing a few places to hit is a huge plus. I would definitely go with sticky hands. I love all types of IPA's and that beer gets a lot buzz. Very excited to give it a try.
