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Name: DaVinci Ristorante
Address: 180 High St SE, Salem, OR, 97301
Telephone: (503) 399-1413
Price range: Under $11
Rating: 3.75

DaVinci Ristorante

180 High St SE, Salem, OR, 97301

(503) 399-1413
Store is closed

DaVinci Ristorante Menu

Starters

Blue Cheese Crusted Scallops

Antipasti Plate

Pan Fried Tiger Prawns

Escargot

Skillet Roasted Prawns

Blue Cheese Crusted Scallops

Antipasti Plate

Pan Fried Tiger Prawns

Escargot

Skillet Roasted Prawns
Salads

Tomato Caprese

Toasted Bread Salad

Dungeness Crab Salad

Pear Salad

Caesar Salad

Tomato Caprese

Toasted Bread Salad

Dungeness Crab Salad

Pear Salad

Caesar Salad
Entree

Porci Sacchetti

Angel hair pasta with Prawn

Gnocchi with Duck

Pappardelle Pasta with Smoked Chicken

Rigate Pasta with Andouille Sausage

Cheese Ravioli

Steak Pizza

Mediterranean Wood Fire Pizza

Maine Scallops, Mushrooms and Truffles

Seafood Fettuccine

Pancetta Wrapped Maine Scallops

Salmon

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Pork Tenderloin

Beef Tips

Misty Isle Farms Flat Iron Steak

Misty Isle Farms Filet Mignon

Porci Sacchetti

Angel hair pasta with Prawn

Gnocchi with Duck

Pappardelle Pasta with Smoked Chicken

Rigate Pasta with Andouille Sausage

Cheese Ravioli

Steak Pizza

Mediterranean Wood Fire Pizza

Maine Scallops, Mushrooms and Truffles

Seafood Fettuccine

Pancetta Wrapped Maine Scallops

Salmon

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Pork Tenderloin

Beef Tips

Misty Isle Farms Flat Iron Steak

Misty Isle Farms Filet Mignon

Healthy Meal suggestions for DaVinci Ristorante

Starters

Blue Cheese Crusted Scallops [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Antipasti Plate [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Pan Fried Tiger Prawns [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Escargot [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Skillet Roasted Prawns [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Blue Cheese Crusted Scallops [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Antipasti Plate [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Pan Fried Tiger Prawns [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Escargot [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Skillet Roasted Prawns [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]
Salads

Tomato Caprese [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Toasted Bread Salad [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Dungeness Crab Salad [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Pear Salad [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Caesar Salad [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Tomato Caprese [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Toasted Bread Salad [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Dungeness Crab Salad [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Pear Salad [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Caesar Salad [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]
Entree

Porci Sacchetti [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Angel hair pasta with Prawn [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Gnocchi with Duck [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Pappardelle Pasta with Smoked Chicken [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Rigate Pasta with Andouille Sausage [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Cheese Ravioli [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Steak Pizza [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Mediterranean Wood Fire Pizza [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Maine Scallops, Mushrooms and Truffles [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Seafood Fettuccine [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Pancetta Wrapped Maine Scallops [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Salmon [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Pork Tenderloin [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Beef Tips [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Misty Isle Farms Flat Iron Steak [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Misty Isle Farms Filet Mignon [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Porci Sacchetti [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Angel hair pasta with Prawn [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Gnocchi with Duck [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Pappardelle Pasta with Smoked Chicken [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Rigate Pasta with Andouille Sausage [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Cheese Ravioli [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Steak Pizza [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Mediterranean Wood Fire Pizza [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Maine Scallops, Mushrooms and Truffles [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Seafood Fettuccine [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Pancetta Wrapped Maine Scallops [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Salmon [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Pork Tenderloin [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Beef Tips [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Misty Isle Farms Flat Iron Steak [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Misty Isle Farms Filet Mignon [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

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Write An Anonymous Review

Jenny B.

So far, Davinci's is my favorite restaurant in Salem. I've been twice, and have had delightful meals each time. The atmosphere is really nice, with a bar, wood fired oven, and lounge area downstairs, and a dining room upstairs. When I went last thursday, they had a live jazz trio over by the door, which sounded fantastic, and made the atmosphere all the better. The menu has some really tasty offerings. The list of entrees is small, and there's a section of "small plate pastas," which I was curious about. Upon asking the waiter, he said that the portions are about half a normal entree, but it's common for them to double the size of the pasta to make it a full serving. With that knowledge about the pastas, my friend and I each ordered a salad, shared an appetizer, and each ordered a small pasta. It was a really nice amount of food, yet we didn't feel overly stuffed. Their entree offerings are great, the rack of lamb is generous, and the steak is some of the most flavorful meat I've tasted in a long time. The wine list is quite large, with some nice selections. I had stayed away from Davinci's for a long time, since I had heard terrible things about the service. I was quite surprised, then, when I found great service there each time I've been. I have nothing but good things to say about Davinci's. It's a wonderful restaurant, with creative, tasty food, a great atmosphere, and helpful, pleasant service.
(5)
Elizabeth E.

The moment you walk in, you feel as though you're not in Salem but in a hip urban center. The atmosphere is chic without being pretentious. This is an Italian restaurant with a great selection of food and wine---and the back corner of the first floor feels much like a cozy wine bar. The food is more expensive, but if you are there during "Happy Hour" the appetizers are half off or more and are delicious. The menu also featured a Thursday night Wine Tasting where for a fixed price ($15-$25) you can taste a flight of wines and the accompany meats, cheeses and olives. The service was also excellent: extremely friendly and attentive. I can't wait to go back.
(5)
Owanda G.

Located next to the Elsinore Theatre, this Italian restaurant is a popular place for intimate or romantic dinners among the locals. Tastefully decorated, Davinc's is divided into two sections with a nice bar/louge downstairs and the restaurant located upstairs. They encourage reservations and try to accomodate any special needs. Though their prices are a bit on the expensive side and the portions small by American standards, they offer a wonderful selection of wine and their food is excellent. I wouldn't eat here every night (because it would put a big dent in my bank account and definitely expand my waistline!), but it's great for a special occasion. Definitely worth checking out!
(4)
Adam T.

As a special occasion restaurant, I was there last for a business gathering. Their flat bread is always a pleaser, but my dinner itself was on the dry side. The presentation is nice, but the a la carte menu makes it a bit expensive for what you get.
(3)
Mike C.

Pricey for the quality of food... $9 Kale Caesar was overdressed, smothered in dressing, croutons were bread crumbs... Small Spaghetti was ok, watery sauce and meatball mystery meat was gross... Over cooked and, very gamey. Not sure if I'd give them a 2nd go around. Ambiance was noisy with live piano music - advertised jazz music but was more along the lines of canned over embellished and frilly elevator music. Not bad - but not Jazz. Pity it was hyped up quite a bit. Oh and server made excuses for not bringing things that were asked for instead of just apologizing for being busy...e.g., Forgot to bring 2nd glass of wine and when asked again he explained he was waiting for our entrees to arrive.... Really?
(2)
Fredrick D.

This place is expensive, but I cannot say I have ever been disappointed. Best Italian in the city that I have found. Probably my favorite Salem fine dining spot...
(4)
Kat H.

Our daughter graduated from Willamette University this past weekend, and we decided to make reservations at DaVinci to celebrate. We had late reservations - 8:30 PM - so we missed the typical crowd, which was nice. The restaurant is beautiful with a large, open floor plan. We liked the dimmed lighting, and there was plenty of room to manuever around tables. Our server was great and checked on us often, and was very knowledgable about the menu items. The food was very, very good. There was a special menu on Sunday due to the graduation, but the selections offered were still varied. We started out sharing some appetizers - the lobster caprese (which was excellent!) - it's the perfect bite of creamy burrata, meaty lobster, and fresh herbs. We also shared the prosciutto-wrapped melon. The slices of watermelon were very large, the prosciutto was delicious, and the balsamic drizzle added a nice flavor profile. Our third shared appetizer was the bacon-wrapped prawns. These were equally delicious; I just wish there were more! The girls had the seafood fettucini which they both thoroughly enjoyed. There was plenty of shrimp, the sauce was creamy, and the pasta was a perfect al dente. I had the pistachio-crusted halibut over mashed potatoes. The crust was crispy and the fish was flaky. The potatoes were great, as well! My husband had the filet and he cleaned his entire plate. For dessert, we had gelato and the chocolate mousse covered in hard chocolate. Deliciously light and fluffy so as not to overwhelm, it was a great ending to an overall delicious meal. A similar-quality meal in the Bay Area would have cost us at least $100 more, so we found it to be a great value, given the ambience, service, and high-quality of food. We would definitely eat here again should we return to Salem!
(5)
John T.

Aside from the food and service this place is great. Very nice surroundings. Had halibut cheeks smothered in garnish,hard to taste the fish but maybe that was by design. The pasta and meatballs were just ok,but for $20 expect more. Served a flatbread cold and tasteless.
(2)
Kristi N.

We have family in Salem and have struggled to find good restaurants that accommodate diabetic and dairy menu issues. Turns out, we didn't even need modifications. While the menu might seem confusing at first, trying to understand the combination of flavors beyond Italian, it all comes together in the end. The calamari stir fry was wonderful and tender (just ordered sauce on the side), the heirloom tomato salad was gorgeous, my husband got the caprase salad with those same tomatoes but a homemade mozzarella that was so creamy and delicious and I had the beet salad with that same mozz... amazing! My three other diners had the veal and all were very happy with it, and I had the special of the night, the Lamb Rack from Anderson Farms and it was perfect, you have to like rosemary as it was quite strong, but I was happy with it. My husband and I had a glass of wine, and were very happy with our choices of a Syrah. While we dined, a gentleman in the bar played the piano. We were sitting in the back of the private dining room area so the volume was good, if we would have been closer, I think it would have been too loud for our elderly parents. The ambiance is very nice, dark woods and rustic. This is a nice place for a special occasion meal. We will be back!
(4)
Lewis M.

Let me tell you, every town I go to there is a go-to restaurant that I take a date and for me, this is the spot for me in Salem. I am an absolute Italian food fanatic and this place hits the spot. Everything is on point. The presentation, location, atmosphere, service, decor, oh yeah, and the food every bit as good as New York. Classy enough for any date, nice and intimate but please don't bring your little kids. This is more romantic date night than family night. The owners won't tell you they mind but others like me will. Great place!!!!
(5)
Riya K.

bad customer service, the bartender Cody is very rude. He shouted at me and my friends for not tipping him 20%. I will never go back and will never recommend this restaurant to any one.
(1)
Gil G.

What a great place. Service right from the start was outstanding and memorable. The food was outstanding. Each person in our grouped raved. The portions were plentiful. We enjoyed a great wine from their diverse selections. Tends toward the pricey side, but I can see why the locals consider it as one of the best restaurants in Salem.
(5)
Shannon K.

I still love this place sooooooo much! The hangar steak and camizole are such treats in this city so devoid of quality food.
(5)
Adam B.

Had the filet and it had the right consistency but not a lot of flavor. Tiramisu was fantastic.
(4)
Kami K.

Always the best! We enjoyed the pancetta wrapped shrimp in a lemon cream sauce...wow! The decadent caprese salad with burrata and heirloom tomatoes, basil and balsamic glaze....perfect...every time! Then we shared the fettuccine with prawns in cream sauce....LOVE! Everything they do is flawless!
(5)
Jo L.

Disappointed! Food was not good this time! Under seasoned! Undercooked steak! Egg for duck fries was even undercooked! Ahi tuna and avocado appetizer was dry! This place used to be great! New chef or old chef no longer cares about quality! Just makes me sad!
(1)
Erin H.

I have to knock them way down after my last visit. Very underwhelmed and disappointed, both in service and food. First, my friend and I were seated underneath the stairs. Man, what a terrible place to be sat. I felt like we were being hidden away from the rest of the patrons. Not an intimate place at all--the tables were so close together that whispering was pointless. Second, they've drastically cut back their happy hour. They now offer it only from 4:30pm to 6:00pm. 1. 5 hours? Unreal. Additionally, we inquired about the appetizer menu (as my friend and I love to try lots of dishes over the course of an evening) and were directed to the antipasti. Having dined here many times, I know they have an extensive app menu regardless of the time. We tried to roll with the punches and we ordered just two antipasti items: the duck confit fries w/caviar and the beet salad. Salad was good. Fries were DISGUSTING and ridiculously expensive. Third, our dinners were overpriced and not so delicious. I ordered the gnocchi and it was so gluey it stuck to the roof of my mouth. It was also terribly bitter and when I pointed this out to my waitress, she just shrugged. So much for service. Lastly, the bartender was STILL serving tables as well as acting as the sole drink mixer in the house. Why can't this place add another wait person to the ground floor? We waited over 30 minutes for a drink refill! It's going to be a long while before I forget this last experience. I've decided that Davinci's is really nothing but a fake fancy establishment. Before, I was able to look past their false advertising on the menu (subbing bacon for panceta, for instance) because we really enjoyed their happy hour and prices were fair. If I'm paying full (over)price I expect the quality to match.
(2)
Roger S.

always to Salem classic wonderful Italian food. great wine selection in a wonderful bar. true classic Italiano food. this beauty counts in an aesthetic way for a restaurant this one has it all
(5)
MIchael P.

Very good service upstairs. Had a black spaghetti with burrata caprese salad. The pasta was infused rather than in a squid ink sauce which is what I thought-even though it clearly didn't say sauce. I was very pleased with the dish. A nice portion with prawns and scallops and more. I certainly would repeat that. The salad was equally satisfying. I hadn't been there in a while and actually walked out before being seated since we were enthusiastically ignored. 100% change of experience. Thank you.
(4)
Callie W.

I have only been in a couple of times but thus far have been impressed. The pizzas are absolutely delicious and very reasonably priced. The bar area filled up quickly during happy hour but we still received great service from the bartender. The last time I was there we arrived 15 minutes prior to opening and waited several minutes with staff periodically glancing at us before their pizza maker hastily told us they were not open. More readily visible hours outside could have easily solved this issue.
(4)
Joel M.

I believe you made a mistake on my bill. See, this receipt must have come from some better restaurant worth the total listed due, because there's no way it came from this well-that-was-okay-but-I-see-no-reason-to-return Olive Garden with embarrassing pretension. Meh.
(3)
Anna R.

I can't comment on the quality of dining experience, because Davinci's apparently did not want our business. They advertise a happy hour starting at 4:30. We arrived early so stood outside reading the menu posted on the window (which also says happy hour starts at 4:30). We tried the door at 4:30 and it was still locked, with the staff inside - the hostess clearly saw us and ignored us. We waited ten more minutes outside, with the staff still ignoring us. They didn't even bother to come to the door to say "Oh, sorry, we don't open til 5" or anything like that. Another couple arrived as well, tried the door, and commented to us that they had just called the restaurant and talked to the hostess so they did not understand why the staff didn't open the restaurant. We all left and went to a restaurant down the street that actually wanted our money.
(1)
Aimee W.

Awesome atmosphere and great service! Our waiter was very helpful; helping us choose a cocktail and an appetizer. Most of our food was absolutely amazing (the spaghetti and meat balls wasn't my favorite but that is a personal preference I'm sure). My new favorite restaurant!! I will not go to Salem unless I have time to stop here.
(5)
Kailey A.

I refuse to go to this restaurant because of how rude the owner is, I don't want to financially support someone like him. I would rather fuel a business backed by a respectable person. There are many other places to spend your hard earned money. Heard him treat some workers so poorly that they had to kick him out of the (unnamed) eatablishment, not only verbal abuse but looked like it was going to get aggressive (thankfully, they kicked him out before it got physical). I would urge you to NOT pay his restraunt a visit.
(1)
Bryan J.

I've been here a number of times and have always enjoyed the food. The service is sort of hit or miss. Music can be a bit loud due to the size of the venue. They do an excellent job catering to large groups.
(4)
Kristina M.

Love the ambience at this place! The artwork, decorations, piano playing - just a fabulous find in a small town! Had the veal scallopini and it was tasty. A friend got the fish special (I think it was halibut) and said it was a little dry but overall it was good. Definitely would return here.
(4)
Donna A.

Hubby took me here for my birthday. The place is decorated nicely and has a warm ambiance about it. As other reviewers have said, I agree about the piano being too loud. We were seated on the second floor which was a little quieter, but if we had sat downstairs, we would probably have had a hard time hearing each other talk. Moving on to the food, I had the spicy giant prawns with seasonal ingredients and the hubby had the lobster risotto so we could try both. They were both very delicious! The cream sauce of the risotto was not overly creamy and had a fresh lemony taste to add a little acidity that really made it pop. The spicy giant prawns were seasoned perfectly not too spicy but just enough zing. Definitely will come back again and try the other entrees!
(4)
Justin W.

This is the best restaurant in Salem bar none. Food is fresh and quality, not quantity like Olive Garden all you fatties... I've been reading many of the reviews, poor service and terrible food etc, we all have our opinion. For the woman named Kym C who has 837 something yelp reviews, get a life! They probably put you under the stairs because you had yelp written on your for head(and you're ugly). The staff here is rich with wine knowledge, almost to rich for the like of you Salem folk ha. No they don't serve Boones for HH you tasteless individual. Bartender is a rock star, a complete magician/ underpaid therapist, serving staff has been there 14 years. Kitchen, same minus a dishwasher or 2. This establishment is a family, all the necessary ingredients to say, go F yourself if you don't like it and I love that about it. Hey wine lovers, Mo the owner has the best wine list you can comprehend, beats all of Portland OR restaurants. Trust me, it's a lock. Hey foodies, get ready to have your pallet rocked and hate all marginal restaurants for the rest of your existence. DaVincis is the best!
(5)
Krysten L.

The locals mention it off hand b/ c they are afraid to refer you to a high end joint- high end it is but with the clout to support- Staff rocked from the starter martinis to the appetizers. Wait staff was helpful in determining seating- you choose... Appetizers were recommended dinner was amazing well prepared- ambiance for the whole evening was fabulous!
(5)
R T.

Okay, so I'm kind of a foodie. I live in Portland--I mean, c'mon, there's a great restaurant on every corner in this city! So when I wanted to take my mother out to dinner for her birthday, but we were meeting in Salem, I had my doubts. Davinci's put them to rest! The service was great, the dinner was delicious, and we had a perfect birthday dinner (she had lamb and I had pasta tossed in truffle oil, as I recall). I'll be back if I'm in the neighborhood!
(5)
Diane B.

Okay so I'll start by confessing it was a weird night. We just dropped my son off at college and we are officially empty nesters. So I started with a great martini. I loved the vibe in this place. gorgeous exposed brick, piano player (albeit TOO LOUD) and an interesting menu. We both started with the "tomato stack" which had wonderful heirloom tomatoes, roasted fresh corn, basil, blue cheese, and balsamic syrup. Sorry I didn't remember to take the pic until I unstacked the salad. It could have used less corn (although it was deliciously fresh, it overpowered) and a little more balsamic and blue cheese. I had the scallops, which were very fresh and perfectly cooked, but completely submerged in a sautÃ© of corn, peas, carrots and celery. Now I love my veg, but this was too much and overly sweet. Don't know if it was natural veg sweetness or added sugar, but it was just too much. I confess that the combo of corn, peas and carrots always reminds me of "Veg-all", and it's hard for me to enjoy, even when it's fresh. My husband had the slow cooked pork stew which was very tasty, although oddly included penne pasta. I think this chef could be so good if he/she had the proper guidance. I would definitely come back, and within the somewhat limited universe of Salem restaurants, it's up there. Service was friendly and pretty prompt, but twice the server offered fresh ground pepper, and after we said yes, never showed up to provide it. I must confess, I would rather restaurants would just have a pepper grinder on the table and let me grind my own at my leisure. Food: 30/40 service: 17/20 intang/atm: 18/20 value: 17/20 Overall" 82/100
(4)
Keri J.

Very disappointed after hearing many people rant and rave about this place. Our server mixed up the daily special so when my order arrived, it was very wrong and had ingredients in it that I really don't like. I tried to stay quiet about it but after the second bite, I knew I couldn't enjoy finishing the meal. Our server was apologetic about the mix up and brought me a different meal but it took an extra 30 minutes to come out and by that time, everyone else was done eating. I wasn't too thrilled about my second meal either. I would not recommend to anyone- wasn't worth it.
(2)
Laura S.

Our original plans for a fancy dinner in Portland on Saturday got turned into a last minute scramble for Friday in Salem when my sister got a call saying she would be working on said Saturday. As I quickly ran through my short list of "fancy" Salem restaurants, DaVinci's came up. I have eaten here a handful of times over the last 15 years, though none even remotely recently. My father mentioned that last year's office Christmas party had been hosted here and that he had been impressed, that was good enough for me. I called the day of and asked the reservation to be made for 5:30pm. I was accommodated by a friendly, if hurried and slightly distracted, male host at the other end of the line. My boyfriend and I arrived just a little past our scheduled time, fortunately my mother and sister were already seated. We skirted the elderly pianist, which is great in theory, but was awfully loud in such an intimate restaurant. Past the full to capacity bar area and little tables, up to the second floor seating area we went, where the sound of the piano was muted and conversations could be easily heard. This made me very happy. The lovely dÃ©cor, great warm lighting, and comfortable seats also made smile. A waiter came by for drink orders as soon as we had sat down, and I knew I wanted the raspberry Italian cream soda. The table had already received its first course of flat bread and dipping oil. Both my mother and sister absolutely loved it, which is rather unusual. I nibbled on a small wedge while waiting for my order of honeycomb and ricotta cheese appetizer. The appetizer itself was outstanding, such a wonderful combination I would never have imagined. I begged the rest of the table to share my remarkable find, and was met with unanimous agreement - this was awesome. Both my sister and I ordered the filet mignon accompanied by mashed potatoes, green beans (with the hard stem pieces not trimmed off, yuk!), and mushrooms. The steaks were cooked to our liking and the rest of the meal was great, minus the stems on the green beans. My mother had the scallops, of which there were only 3 (that would be THREE) scallops on the entire plate. Now she said those 3 scallops were fantastic, but wished there had been about 5 more. Having decided the pasta with lamb was the most appealing thing on the menu, my boyfriend finished his whole plate and loved it. I had grabbed a small bite when offered, and it was good, but I liked my filet more. Dessert was the only real snag of the evening. For some reason after placing the order, it took nearly 20 minutes for our plates to arrive. This put a slight cramp on plans for later in the evening, but we managed. After all, fashionably late is a good thing, right? Luckily coffees had arrived without delay so we had plenty of caffeine to keep us awake. My crÃ¨me brulee was delicious and I managed bites of my mom's blackberry pastry and sister's tiramisu - both were equally mouthwatering. Very pleased with dinner overall, just a couple of things could have been a bit better.
(4)
Missy W.

We stopped in for Cocktails after watching our daughter perform with her theater group at the Elsinore. Its been a while since I've had a real good cocktail. The bartender, whose name I didn't' catch, makes some amazing cocktails. I I hadn't been to Da Vinci's in years and decided to review their menu while sipping my cocktail. The menu looked very enticing and both my husband and I thought their prices had gone down since our previous visit several years back. We were very impressed and plan to return soon for dinner and more delicious cocktails.
(5)
Julie W.

Rolled in to Davinci's last night around 8pm not knowing what to expect. The mood was set with the beautiful sounds of the piano, intimate wine bar, exposed brick, and romantic lighting. It's now my new favorite place to dine out in Salem. Our waiter Matthew was experienced, attentive, and genuine. At our request, Matthew suggested a great Walla Walla red wine, which was spot on. The warm bread and oil dipping bowl was sort of a cheesy pizza that was cooked in their wood fired pizza oven. Double yum. Our appetizer was the asparagus hazelnut gremolata. This dish came with a perfectly cooked egg on top. So far so delicious! The homemade pasta dishes we ordered was perfection. Ordered the carbonara special and the crab asparagus ravioli. Generous servings so we have some leftovers today for lunch. Thank you Matthew and Davinci's for the wonderful atmosphere and dining experience.
(5)
Jeremy K.

Classy venue, soothing live piano, elegant atmosphere, severely disappointing food. Waited almost an hour for a plate of chicken Milanese and some classic Spaghetti and Meatballs. Both were completely mediocre in every respect; even more so considering the $52 ticket for just that + a garden salad. I thank'd the waiter when he provided service. His response was 'Yeah.' Real classy. Definitely not going to ever return here. Gave it two stars instead of one for the music and nice atmosphere. Unfortunately, those two facets are trivial when compared to the primary purpose that one visits a restaurant: the food.
(2)
Don S.

Okay, the glory has departed! This used to be an okay place to eat, considering.its Salem. No more! I ordered salmon and it was perhaps the fishiest mess I've ever attempted eating. The weirdest thing was it was about 3 ounces of fish!! I only ate a bite and "threw the rest back". I asked for a small side of pasta and they brought a mediocre bowl of it that was big enough to feed two armies. My friends ordered spaghetti and the raviolis and both said they were poor choices. I don't believe there are good choices at Davincis anymore. Try the tapas place two doors down at Andaluz.....Delectable! Here's hoping that Davincis goes the way of most crappy Salem restaurants. Not a moment too soon.
(1)
Scott P.

We were in town for business but, alas, it was our wedding anniversary. We wanted a nice place which was not over the top but provided an above average to excellent dining experience. We picked Davinci's and am glad we did. We had reservations on a Saturday night for 7:15pm but probably didn't need them. We had a nice table in the wine cellar area and was served by Matt who seems like the wine guy/bartender. We each had one of their signature dishes, the seafood pasta and the filet Mignon. Both were excellent. We brought our own wine (a very special bottle we had in our cellar) and it was great. We had Oregon pinot noir glasses for our wine and Matt knew his stuff which made the corkage a good deal. The dessert we had was out of this world. Chocolate pate. Do yourself a favor and get this. It was literally one of the best desserts I have ever had! Ok so why 4 stars instead of 5? The other staff. One waiter was apparently in over his head with a table upstairs and would run down to our area for wine. Literally run. He was verbally frustrated with our waiter and and it was very very distracting, particularly having someone speed walking (like a kid at a swim pool) behind you all the time. Also, there was no host/hostess. When we arrived on time for our reservation, a waiter from another section ran back and set a table in the back before seating us. In general, it seemed like they were understaffed and unfortunately it showed. While it was distracting, it did not take away from the great food and wonderful atmosphere.
(4)
Marie S.

The food was over-priced, food was not good and service was marginal. The crab and artichoke ravioli tasted like the crab was canned and had few artichokes if any inside. The salad was not that great for the price.
(1)
Michelle Y.

it was crazy busy when we got there for our reservation. after a little confusion we were seated and the waiter told us if "we wanted to get to the show we needed to order" - apparently bb king was playing at the theater next door - once we established that we were just there for a nice dinner & in no hurry we were able to slowly enjoy our meal - which. was. fabulous! mussels! yum. steak tartare! w/ pistashios? wonderful. squid ink pasta! delicious. sea bass special! marvelous. added bonus? it's a really bitchin' space.
(4)
Linda F.

By far the BEST Italian restaurant in Salem. Love the ambiance, the smell and the food!! One of my faves!
(5)
Kim J.

Right off the bat I want to explain that the FOOD and the WAITSTAFF get 4-stars of "Yay! I'm a fan."! The rest of our experience would get 2-stars of "Meh. I've experienced better." or worse, if we could separate it out. Here's why: We dined for the first time last Saturday (July 20th) at Davinci's. We arrived at 8pm with a reservation but likely did not need one. We were greeted and seated by the owner/general manager. The place was moderately busy but not slammed. The interior is beautiful and the piano music was a great touch! Once upstairs, we instantly noticed that the only two waitstaff were working very quickly, which did not make sense right away for how many tables were still open. I have a background in the service industry so knew that buying them some time would be helpful. To do this, we let our server know right away that we were not in a hurry and to not worry about getting to us. I went down to the bar to order our glasses of wine - with my servers permission & knowledge - to save them time and give us something to drink while deciding on an appetizer and our entrees. Once our server (Jessica- who was fantastic!) made it to us, we were ready to order and she let us in on what was going on. Apparently, the busser had just decided to walk out in the middle of his shift, therefore the servers were working double time doing their normal job, plus his, which easily explained them hustling around. We ordered the ahi tuna appetizer, which was the best ahi we have ever had! So delicious! I had the Hanger Steak cooked medium rare and it was amazingly tender, juicy, cooked to perfection and a fantastic flavor profile with the potato and veg! My boyfriend had the spicy pork stew. Large pieces of pasta along with generous hunks of meat in a light broth. He was quite pleased with his dish (mine was better though!). For dessert we enjoyed the creme brulee. It was flavorful with a perfect consistency, shallow serving dish and generous brulee. Completely worth the calories! The only disappointing aspect of our experience was watching the lack of support our waitstaff was receiving from the gm/owner. I saw him upstairs only one time the entire two hours we were there dining. I never saw him bus a table, I saw him run food twice, and then I discovered that the servers had actually gotten into trouble for me getting our wine. Very unimpressive. When a restaurant gets busy or unplanned for things happen like a busser walking out or a cook leaving mid-shift, that is when management is supposed to kick into high gear of helpfulness! It was very obvious that our servers were frazzled and doing their best to keep everything moving along. I didn't witness the gm/owner reset tables or make the servers life easier. It's the simple things a manager can do like taking drinks orders or getting the appetizers going that save servers time and allow them to get caught up. Not to mention being nice to their staff when clearly everyone is stressed! I am not sure that we will go back. The food was amazing with a clearly talent chef and kitchen staff along with the servers who were really fabulous but wow, do I have a hard time supporting owners who treat their employees like that! I know from my past work experience that an unhelpful manager or owner who is on premise when the wheels are coming off, can only making everything more difficult for efficient, talented staff members. I am not sure I can support that. I hope that he is able to see where his actions can make or break everyone's - staff included - experience. For his sake, I really hope that was just a one-time kind of situation because good staff is hard to find and I know that those servers have been there a long time. Replacing veteran servers is incredibly difficult and I hope he's able to modify the management style and allow his staff and excellent food shine by him being helpful, supportive, and positive whenever possible.
(4)
Medusa O.

Food was great, but overpriced. It was a very busy night, but still, very slow service.
(3)
Caitlin H.

Was overall very disappointed with our experience here. We went for a nice date night and when we plan these we plan to spend a decent amount to eat well-because it's fun. Again, sad we spent what we did at this place. I had seafood fettuccine alfredo. There were three giant shrimps and three large scallops. Shrimps were way overcooked and rubbery, and the scallops were way undercooked, not only gross, but not safe. The sauce was essentially watery butter and it was topped with big chunks of a plain old tomato. By far the worst Italian dish I've ever had. Husband had a mushroom risotto-it wasn't outright bad, but it wasn't at all impressive. Good though, was my cocktail. Pomegranate lemon drop. It was great! So I had two. And the husband enjoyed his dessert. If I ever go here again (not by my choice) I'll enjoy a cocktail or two and appetizers or dessert. My main disappointment here is that this place has some of the best reviews in Salem... yikes.
(1)
Corinne N.

Great filet, and even better service. This is a great place and if ever back through Salem will happily stop in.
(5)
Tiffany V.

Birthday Dinner Attempt #1: The Old Spaghetti Warehouse - Closed for good! The place was completely emptied out Birthday Dinner Attempt #2: Best Little Roadhouse - Sat down and realized the menu was all meats and the most limited options for non meat eaters I've ever seen. Birthday Dinner Attempt #3: Willamette Noodle Company - Got out of car, headed towards restaurant and realized it wasn't much of a restaurant. Was about to settle for it (hey third times the charm right?) but date refused Birthday Dinner Attempt #4: Davincis - FINALLY =D This place is beautiful! This place was pretty packed for a Wednesday night. We got seated upstairs right by the stairs. Try to avoid getting a table there though! It felt like a fucking earthquake every time someone went down the stairs. Their complimentary bread was the most unique I've ever seen. It was all in pizza form and you get to see a guy making it downstairs! They gave us some infused olive oil and vinegar to dip it in. Mmmm. The menu looked amazing and I had a really hard time figuring out what to order since everything sounded so good! I ordered Maine Scallops Mushrooms & Truffle and my date ordered Black Tailed Tiger Prawn Porcini with mushroom stuffed sacchetti, sun-dried tomato, Andouille sausage, spicy smoked chili cream sauce. We joked around trying to guess what "sacchetti" was since he refused to ask our waiter. It ended up being what my date deemed as "little food sacks". His dish was soooooooo good! Super flavorful and I kept spreading the sauce on the bread. The scallops in my dish were cooked perfectly but the pasta itself was a little bland. We didn't get dessert since we were going to Konditorei after. I got the full size pasta which I couldn't even come close to finishing but I can't imagine how small the half size must be since the full size didn't look that big to begin with. Service was okay. The waiter was nice but he took forever to come take our order!!! We seriously waited for forever and he was clearly paying more attention to the table next to us. I would still come back though.
(3)
Bruce J.

Funny we tried to come here from dinner our first night in Salem but it was closed (Sunday). Second day we came back and had dessert at the bar. Loved the vibe when we walked in. Bar top is beautiful. Artwork amazing. Wished we had come here for dinner but I expect to be in Salem 2-5 times a year so odds are I'll be back. I was kinda shocked with the differing levels of dress other people had. Suites / sport coats to my right, faded jeans and T-shirts to our right; all at the bar. Those things are out of my control and for the most part the establishments. There was also a VERY loud, assuming drunk, guest over in the restaurant portion; opposite the bar and passed the piano. Dessert was excellent. Since college I've had this love of coffee and ice cream. Here they served espresso & gelato. My friend had tiramisu. Presentation was wonderful. Things were just done right. Thinking I need to come back for dinner some time when I'm in Salem.
(4)
Alison B.

I am visiting salem from out of town and so far i have not been impressed with the food options. I ordered the seafood pasta and it was great! Huge scallops and shrimp and homemade pasta. Will definitely come back next time I am in town.
(4)
Lisa M.

Very good food. Service was a little slow, but passable.
(4)
K E.

My daughter is a freshman at Willamette University. My husband and I have taken her here three or four times for happy hour beverages and snacks, and once for dinner. They have a great happy hour menu and we have loved bringing her. She drinks a $5 italian soda. We always sit in a little room on the main level. So, why the one star? Yesterday, we show up at 5:00 for happy hour and are pleased to see lots of open tables in "our" little room. But, the waiter won't let us sit in there! He says we have to go upstairs and order from the dinner menu, not the happy hour menu. The happy hour menu is limited to age 21 and over. Since when, we ask. Is this a new policy? He insists it has always been the policy that the happy hour menu is only for over age 21.
(1)
Shane D.

In my opinion, this is not inly the best Italian food in Salem, it's the most authentic style as well. The other thing that I like about this place is that it's ambience is not as stuffy or formal as other Italian places. It's more rustic with lots of red brick, a wood oven for pizzas, etc. It's even located inside a old historical building. This reminds me more of places I visited when in Italy, and makes the whole experience better. The service is very good, an the prices are fair too. Not cheap, but less expensive than a couple other snooty italian places nearby that we've tried. But as I said at the beginning, it's really about the food. The pasta tastes like it's fresh made, not store bought, the sauces are insanely addictive, and the desserts make you plan your meal around them. Top notch choice for a small town like Salem.
(4)
Mike B.

Stopped in last weekend for a snack and a bottle of wine. My partner and I got there about an hour before closing so we ordered a bottle of white wine and a small margahrita pizza. The waiter was fabulous and friendly pouring our wine and visiting with us for several minutes. I am a great fan of this place and will return often, even if just to sit at their bar and visit!
(5)
Luffy S.

The prisoner 2010 is very good! 11/22/2011 Food 4 Value 4 Service 4 Atmosphere 4
(4)
AP A.

Easily the best restaurant we ate at when we visited Salem. And thank goodness, one of the few places open past 9 pm. We sat outside on a Saturday night. Not a busy downtown area, no one ever walked by us. That was really nice and relaxing (esp bc it sounded loud inside). The bartender was our waiter and despite his dual roles, we were never wanting. He helped us pick a local bottle of wine, which we loved. We had the risotto. Risotto with peas and asparagus? Weird sounding, flippin' amazing tasting. We had the lamb penne, too, which was also good. Cold smoked chocolate for dessert was amazing, too. Amazing food, great service, we were SO glad we stumbled upon this place. So so glad!
(5)
Natalie C.

My husband & I were looking for a place to celebrate our anniversary. After reading all reviews, we picked this place. It was great choice. Love the desing of this restaurant & live music (@5pm!) & amazing food & excellent service! It was a great time! Thank you, Yelp!
(5)
Natalie W.

Excellent atmosphere, excellent wine, excellent food. This place has it all!
(5)
Joe M.

My wife and I ate here to celebrate Valentine's Day, a week later. The food, decor and service are all outstanding. The restaurant has several different sections. A wine bar, a cozy dining room near the back surrounded by wines and another dining room near the front. There is also an upstairs dining area, and a jazz band that plays on weekends next to the wine bar. The menu says it "reflects our commitment to using seasonal organic meats & produce that are available from our local farmers". We had the Pear Salad, the Roasted Beet Napolean Salad, the Misty Isle Filet Mignon and the Rack of Lamb. We tried several wines from the wines by the glass list; our favorite was The Prisoner, by Orin Swift, but we also enjoyed a couple of Aussie Shiraz's. All the wines - and food - were outstanding. Our waiter, Jonathan, was also outstanding. At one point, we expressed some curiosity about a menu item that involved hedgehog mushrooms, which we'd never heard of. Jonathan went back to get clarification from the chef, and on his way back, searched for and found a photo of hedgehog mushrooms on his iPhone that he showed us. I've uploaded photos of several aspects of our dining experience.
(5)
Kate W.

We are new to Salem and went to DaVinci's for a birthday celebration recently. Great experience overall! The flatbread and dipping oil pre-meal are a nice guestire but not neccessary. The bread itself was a but dry but the oil was tasty. For entrees we enjoyed the porkchop that was to die for. Perfectly cooked with flavorful sauce. Also opted for the decadent Seafood fettuccine. The sauce was heavy but typical for this dish. The seafood used in this dish was fresh and cooked well. We will go back to DaVinci's in the future.
(4)
Brandon S.

Everyone in our group was very pleased with their meal. Nice atmosphere, friendly service.
(4)
Nicole E.

Happy hour menu has great prices. I have heard the food here was special.....Great wines and great service. But food was no good. WORST crab cake I've ever had (mushy and flavorless) and my friends pizza was cold and burnt.
(2)
Brent K.

Food delicious as usual. Teri really enjoyed their house red. A sangiovese I believe. Only two beers on tap. Still good. I've got to stop eyeballing other peoples food. So much great looking food was coming out to the tables. It's an expensive place but if you hit it at happy hour it's very affordable and you will not be disappointed.
(4)
Gary R.

Nice atmosphere, good food - I'm a pasta fanatic ... but can't usually eat all that is served. Davinci's offers a smaller version of each pasta, which is a terrific feature. The piano player (this was during the second week of October 2012) is mediocre and detracted greatly from the experience. Get a new piano player.
(3)
Betsy H.

I just called to try to order a gift certificate to be mailed to a friend. The man on the phone repeatedly told me that they don't do that anymore because it's a "hassle" for them. I work in the restaurant business myself and was really frustrated to hear this man constantly stress what a "hassle" it is for them to deal with gift certificates. They won't mail anything and they won't email anything to me that I can send because it's a "hassle." Not a good way to do business at all. A truly frustrating encounter that makes me question how their customer service may suffer because they find other services to be mere "hassles."
(1)
Curtis H.

Great atmosphere. Food was very good and service was excellent. Menu was slightly limited but the quality made up for the lack of choices.
(4)
Corley P.

The food was fantastic. Started off with the Burrata cheese appetizer. Burrata has a creamy center which was fabulous. Then, we had the Tomato Stack, which was an explosion of complementary tastes. The scallops were in a very rich, strongly flavored sauce which was yummy. The pork chop was my least favorite - I didn't think the corn-based sauce complemented it as well as I had hoped. Service was fantastic. We got some great guidance on local wines to try. When we tried to order a bottle of our favorite, it turned out they had poured the last of it in our glasses already. So, they substitued a more expensive (and even nicer) bottle at the same price. Definitely worth going to.
(5)
Kristy F.

My favorite Italian restaurant in Salem. I have been here countless times often for special occasions (they always do make me feel special). It takes me back to my time in Italy. Their menu is seasonal, if small, but always on point. The atmosphere is cozy, romantic and takes you to Italy. The artwork is gorgeous, the bar is beautiful and the piano adds to the experience. The only downfall is the office like tile drywall square ceilings, but even that is easy to overlook. The bathrooms are hard to get to, and require a code to enter---which is difficult. The complimentary flat bread is delicious with the oil and balsamic vinegar provided. I also enjoy their appetizer bread selections too, the cheeses are great. I almost always get their Caprese salad, which is delicious with the freshest mozzarella I've had outside the old country and local plump tomatoes. I also almost always get the scallop appetizer, and the scallops are huge and fresh, cooked to perfection. I've also really enjoyed their escargots every time I've had it here. It is served in a painter's pallet style dish, and dripping in butter and cheese. I was not a fan of snails prior to this, but Davinci's converted me. I've since tried escargot and have been disappointed at other restaurants, especially with the consistency of the snails. I like to eat in the traditional style, with the appetizer, salad (insalate), pasta course (primo), the meat course (secondi) and dessert. And of course wine, and Davinci's has a great selection. The pasta is fresh, handmade and has quality ingredients. I've tried several, but the papardelle is my favorite. There are half portions, which are small, but the perfect size for me, especially when I want to try everything. The meat choices are unique, tender and flavorful, I love the steak and pork chop. They are always cooked to perfection. I love their creme brulee and they do it right. It's my favorite dessert, but this is the only place in town that makes it well. All the dishes are presented so beautifully, like you would see on a tv show. I am impressed. You don't expect to actually get this in Salem. The service is great. My old cheerleadering coach, Kathy works (worked) there. I came in by myself the night before my deployment to Iraq, to do a proper send off. I ordered my normal meal, with my wine. I got to talking with her, because I was seated at the bar and she was the bartender.I hadn't seen her for 8 years. At the end of the great meal, I asked for the bill. Kathy told me that she appreciated my service and she had paid for the whole meal. I know that I knew her before, but I think she would have done that for anyone. It made my last night so special, and it touched my heart. Best customer experience ever!
(5)
Peter H.

My wife claims this is her favorite place to go to dinner in the world. I have to say it's pretty darn good. However, I spent about $85 dollars on dinner/appetizer drinks... not bad, but spending that much, and having burnt meat was a big let down. I didn't have the heart to tell the waiter that my $25 dollar cut was ruined... mostly because I had a meeting to get too that night, and couldn't afford the time it would take to get a replacement, but for a place this nice which has been ranked in the top 40 in the country it was a bummer. Everything else was great, wine, salad, bread... But I was pretty bummed, mostly because it was my bday too. :(
(4)
Jeff A.

At one time this was the go-to place for a full fledged fine dining EXPERIENCE, oh how times have changed. My most recent visit included a rude gal bartender with the mouth of a sailor, curse at employees and customers. Ignoring that, the food was overcooked and over priced. This saddens me, I waited for three visits to post this hoping it wasn't a trend. Looks as though this attitude is here to stay :( won't be back
(1)
Tina A.

I returned here again with family to celebrate my dad's birthday. He's become a regular here, and because of it, the owner treats him like royalty. Good food, great customer service.
(5)
James B.

World class Italian. Kind people and great for a good night out on the town :-)
(5)
Kyle R.

synopsis? very good food. high prices. don't sit near the bar if you want attentive service. also, happy hour you MUST sit downstairs, due to some odd loophole. very diverse menu and all good quality. got very busy at 6-something on a saturday night, so you may want to do a reservation on a peak hour/night. and no, you don't have to dress up to go here, although a lot of people did. but it's not stuck up, so don't worry about that. would i go back? probably, but not a lot of vegetarian stuff. although i imagine you could request meat free dishes...although with such high rates, i imagine it's not worth pay meat prices for meatless prices. anyway, if you haven't gone, go....just be prepared for high prices and a large bill.
(4)
Josh W.

One of the best restaurants in Salem. Nice atmosphere, great cocktails and wine list, and excellent steak.
(5)
Kathy E.

Hadn't been for a year or so. Menu and wines were outstanding. My hubby had the best carbonara ever- interesting presentation with an over-easy egg on top. Flatbreads were excellent, wines by glass always interesting, excellent service- not a single complaint. I can always depend on this place to deliver. I should come here more often!
(4)
debra b.

Salem? Is it really you? I grew up near Salem, then moved to San Francisco and got spoiled (and maybe a little snobby) on some of the food options there. To come back home and find DaVinci's right downtown was a bit of a surprise after growing up on Home Town Buffet and Applebee's. Amazinggg! I'd drive back from Portland to go here again. Atmosphere: cozy and interesting. A little loud on a Friday night due to live jazz in the front. Service: prompt, knowledgeable, and polite without being stuffy. I asked for a corner table on OpenTable Reservations and got it, no discussion needed when we arrived. Food: wow! Everything we had tasted fresh. My husband said the stacked tomato salad was the best salad he'd ever had. My lemon ravioli was really light and clean. Wine: good variety, I think all local. Pricing: very good for what you get.
(5)
Nicole S.

Love DaVinci's! Great bar and big drinks...what more can I say?!?
(4)
Melissa D.

Fantastic food, excellent service, great wine selection. Definitely recommend this place for an excellent, laid-back meal. The menu is limited, but good.
(5)
Krysten L.

The locals mention it off hand b/ c they are afraid to refer you to a high end joint- high end it is but with the clout to support- Staff rocked from the starter martinis to the appetizers. Wait staff was helpful in determining seating- you choose... Appetizers were recommended dinner was amazing well prepared- ambiance for the whole evening was fabulous!
(5)
R T.

Okay, so I'm kind of a foodie. I live in Portland--I mean, c'mon, there's a great restaurant on every corner in this city! So when I wanted to take my mother out to dinner for her birthday, but we were meeting in Salem, I had my doubts. Davinci's put them to rest! The service was great, the dinner was delicious, and we had a perfect birthday dinner (she had lamb and I had pasta tossed in truffle oil, as I recall). I'll be back if I'm in the neighborhood!
(5)
Anna R.

I can't comment on the quality of dining experience, because Davinci's apparently did not want our business. They advertise a happy hour starting at 4:30. We arrived early so stood outside reading the menu posted on the window (which also says happy hour starts at 4:30). We tried the door at 4:30 and it was still locked, with the staff inside - the hostess clearly saw us and ignored us. We waited ten more minutes outside, with the staff still ignoring us. They didn't even bother to come to the door to say "Oh, sorry, we don't open til 5" or anything like that. Another couple arrived as well, tried the door, and commented to us that they had just called the restaurant and talked to the hostess so they did not understand why the staff didn't open the restaurant. We all left and went to a restaurant down the street that actually wanted our money.
(1)
Aimee W.

Awesome atmosphere and great service! Our waiter was very helpful; helping us choose a cocktail and an appetizer. Most of our food was absolutely amazing (the spaghetti and meat balls wasn't my favorite but that is a personal preference I'm sure). My new favorite restaurant!! I will not go to Salem unless I have time to stop here.
(5)
Adam T.

As a special occasion restaurant, I was there last for a business gathering. Their flat bread is always a pleaser, but my dinner itself was on the dry side. The presentation is nice, but the a la carte menu makes it a bit expensive for what you get.
(3)
Mike C.

Pricey for the quality of food... $9 Kale Caesar was overdressed, smothered in dressing, croutons were bread crumbs... Small Spaghetti was ok, watery sauce and meatball mystery meat was gross... Over cooked and, very gamey. Not sure if I'd give them a 2nd go around. Ambiance was noisy with live piano music - advertised jazz music but was more along the lines of canned over embellished and frilly elevator music. Not bad - but not Jazz. Pity it was hyped up quite a bit. Oh and server made excuses for not bringing things that were asked for instead of just apologizing for being busy...e.g., Forgot to bring 2nd glass of wine and when asked again he explained he was waiting for our entrees to arrive.... Really?
(2)
Fredrick D.

This place is expensive, but I cannot say I have ever been disappointed. Best Italian in the city that I have found. Probably my favorite Salem fine dining spot...
(4)
Don S.

Okay, the glory has departed! This used to be an okay place to eat, considering.its Salem. No more! I ordered salmon and it was perhaps the fishiest mess I've ever attempted eating. The weirdest thing was it was about 3 ounces of fish!! I only ate a bite and "threw the rest back". I asked for a small side of pasta and they brought a mediocre bowl of it that was big enough to feed two armies. My friends ordered spaghetti and the raviolis and both said they were poor choices. I don't believe there are good choices at Davincis anymore. Try the tapas place two doors down at Andaluz.....Delectable! Here's hoping that Davincis goes the way of most crappy Salem restaurants. Not a moment too soon.
(1)
Scott P.

We were in town for business but, alas, it was our wedding anniversary. We wanted a nice place which was not over the top but provided an above average to excellent dining experience. We picked Davinci's and am glad we did. We had reservations on a Saturday night for 7:15pm but probably didn't need them. We had a nice table in the wine cellar area and was served by Matt who seems like the wine guy/bartender. We each had one of their signature dishes, the seafood pasta and the filet Mignon. Both were excellent. We brought our own wine (a very special bottle we had in our cellar) and it was great. We had Oregon pinot noir glasses for our wine and Matt knew his stuff which made the corkage a good deal. The dessert we had was out of this world. Chocolate pate. Do yourself a favor and get this. It was literally one of the best desserts I have ever had! Ok so why 4 stars instead of 5? The other staff. One waiter was apparently in over his head with a table upstairs and would run down to our area for wine. Literally run. He was verbally frustrated with our waiter and and it was very very distracting, particularly having someone speed walking (like a kid at a swim pool) behind you all the time. Also, there was no host/hostess. When we arrived on time for our reservation, a waiter from another section ran back and set a table in the back before seating us. In general, it seemed like they were understaffed and unfortunately it showed. While it was distracting, it did not take away from the great food and wonderful atmosphere.
(4)
Marie S.

The food was over-priced, food was not good and service was marginal. The crab and artichoke ravioli tasted like the crab was canned and had few artichokes if any inside. The salad was not that great for the price.
(1)
Kat H.

Our daughter graduated from Willamette University this past weekend, and we decided to make reservations at DaVinci to celebrate. We had late reservations - 8:30 PM - so we missed the typical crowd, which was nice. The restaurant is beautiful with a large, open floor plan. We liked the dimmed lighting, and there was plenty of room to manuever around tables. Our server was great and checked on us often, and was very knowledgable about the menu items. The food was very, very good. There was a special menu on Sunday due to the graduation, but the selections offered were still varied. We started out sharing some appetizers - the lobster caprese (which was excellent!) - it's the perfect bite of creamy burrata, meaty lobster, and fresh herbs. We also shared the prosciutto-wrapped melon. The slices of watermelon were very large, the prosciutto was delicious, and the balsamic drizzle added a nice flavor profile. Our third shared appetizer was the bacon-wrapped prawns. These were equally delicious; I just wish there were more! The girls had the seafood fettucini which they both thoroughly enjoyed. There was plenty of shrimp, the sauce was creamy, and the pasta was a perfect al dente. I had the pistachio-crusted halibut over mashed potatoes. The crust was crispy and the fish was flaky. The potatoes were great, as well! My husband had the filet and he cleaned his entire plate. For dessert, we had gelato and the chocolate mousse covered in hard chocolate. Deliciously light and fluffy so as not to overwhelm, it was a great ending to an overall delicious meal. A similar-quality meal in the Bay Area would have cost us at least $100 more, so we found it to be a great value, given the ambience, service, and high-quality of food. We would definitely eat here again should we return to Salem!
(5)
John T.

Aside from the food and service this place is great. Very nice surroundings. Had halibut cheeks smothered in garnish,hard to taste the fish but maybe that was by design. The pasta and meatballs were just ok,but for $20 expect more. Served a flatbread cold and tasteless.
(2)
Kristi N.

We have family in Salem and have struggled to find good restaurants that accommodate diabetic and dairy menu issues. Turns out, we didn't even need modifications. While the menu might seem confusing at first, trying to understand the combination of flavors beyond Italian, it all comes together in the end. The calamari stir fry was wonderful and tender (just ordered sauce on the side), the heirloom tomato salad was gorgeous, my husband got the caprase salad with those same tomatoes but a homemade mozzarella that was so creamy and delicious and I had the beet salad with that same mozz... amazing! My three other diners had the veal and all were very happy with it, and I had the special of the night, the Lamb Rack from Anderson Farms and it was perfect, you have to like rosemary as it was quite strong, but I was happy with it. My husband and I had a glass of wine, and were very happy with our choices of a Syrah. While we dined, a gentleman in the bar played the piano. We were sitting in the back of the private dining room area so the volume was good, if we would have been closer, I think it would have been too loud for our elderly parents. The ambiance is very nice, dark woods and rustic. This is a nice place for a special occasion meal. We will be back!
(4)
Lewis M.

Let me tell you, every town I go to there is a go-to restaurant that I take a date and for me, this is the spot for me in Salem. I am an absolute Italian food fanatic and this place hits the spot. Everything is on point. The presentation, location, atmosphere, service, decor, oh yeah, and the food every bit as good as New York. Classy enough for any date, nice and intimate but please don't bring your little kids. This is more romantic date night than family night. The owners won't tell you they mind but others like me will. Great place!!!!
(5)
Riya K.

bad customer service, the bartender Cody is very rude. He shouted at me and my friends for not tipping him 20%. I will never go back and will never recommend this restaurant to any one.
(1)
Gil G.

What a great place. Service right from the start was outstanding and memorable. The food was outstanding. Each person in our grouped raved. The portions were plentiful. We enjoyed a great wine from their diverse selections. Tends toward the pricey side, but I can see why the locals consider it as one of the best restaurants in Salem.
(5)
Shannon K.

I still love this place sooooooo much! The hangar steak and camizole are such treats in this city so devoid of quality food.
(5)
Adam B.

Had the filet and it had the right consistency but not a lot of flavor. Tiramisu was fantastic.
(4)
Kailey A.

I refuse to go to this restaurant because of how rude the owner is, I don't want to financially support someone like him. I would rather fuel a business backed by a respectable person. There are many other places to spend your hard earned money. Heard him treat some workers so poorly that they had to kick him out of the (unnamed) eatablishment, not only verbal abuse but looked like it was going to get aggressive (thankfully, they kicked him out before it got physical). I would urge you to NOT pay his restraunt a visit.
(1)
Bryan J.

I've been here a number of times and have always enjoyed the food. The service is sort of hit or miss. Music can be a bit loud due to the size of the venue. They do an excellent job catering to large groups.
(4)
Kami K.

Always the best! We enjoyed the pancetta wrapped shrimp in a lemon cream sauce...wow! The decadent caprese salad with burrata and heirloom tomatoes, basil and balsamic glaze....perfect...every time! Then we shared the fettuccine with prawns in cream sauce....LOVE! Everything they do is flawless!
(5)
Kristina M.

Love the ambience at this place! The artwork, decorations, piano playing - just a fabulous find in a small town! Had the veal scallopini and it was tasty. A friend got the fish special (I think it was halibut) and said it was a little dry but overall it was good. Definitely would return here.
(4)
Jo L.

Disappointed! Food was not good this time! Under seasoned! Undercooked steak! Egg for duck fries was even undercooked! Ahi tuna and avocado appetizer was dry! This place used to be great! New chef or old chef no longer cares about quality! Just makes me sad!
(1)
Michelle Y.

it was crazy busy when we got there for our reservation. after a little confusion we were seated and the waiter told us if "we wanted to get to the show we needed to order" - apparently bb king was playing at the theater next door - once we established that we were just there for a nice dinner & in no hurry we were able to slowly enjoy our meal - which. was. fabulous! mussels! yum. steak tartare! w/ pistashios? wonderful. squid ink pasta! delicious. sea bass special! marvelous. added bonus? it's a really bitchin' space.
(4)
Callie W.

I have only been in a couple of times but thus far have been impressed. The pizzas are absolutely delicious and very reasonably priced. The bar area filled up quickly during happy hour but we still received great service from the bartender. The last time I was there we arrived 15 minutes prior to opening and waited several minutes with staff periodically glancing at us before their pizza maker hastily told us they were not open. More readily visible hours outside could have easily solved this issue.
(4)
Justin W.

This is the best restaurant in Salem bar none. Food is fresh and quality, not quantity like Olive Garden all you fatties... I've been reading many of the reviews, poor service and terrible food etc, we all have our opinion. For the woman named Kym C who has 837 something yelp reviews, get a life! They probably put you under the stairs because you had yelp written on your for head(and you're ugly). The staff here is rich with wine knowledge, almost to rich for the like of you Salem folk ha. No they don't serve Boones for HH you tasteless individual. Bartender is a rock star, a complete magician/ underpaid therapist, serving staff has been there 14 years. Kitchen, same minus a dishwasher or 2. This establishment is a family, all the necessary ingredients to say, go F yourself if you don't like it and I love that about it. Hey wine lovers, Mo the owner has the best wine list you can comprehend, beats all of Portland OR restaurants. Trust me, it's a lock. Hey foodies, get ready to have your pallet rocked and hate all marginal restaurants for the rest of your existence. DaVincis is the best!
(5)
Missy W.

We stopped in for Cocktails after watching our daughter perform with her theater group at the Elsinore. Its been a while since I've had a real good cocktail. The bartender, whose name I didn't' catch, makes some amazing cocktails. I I hadn't been to Da Vinci's in years and decided to review their menu while sipping my cocktail. The menu looked very enticing and both my husband and I thought their prices had gone down since our previous visit several years back. We were very impressed and plan to return soon for dinner and more delicious cocktails.
(5)
K E.

My daughter is a freshman at Willamette University. My husband and I have taken her here three or four times for happy hour beverages and snacks, and once for dinner. They have a great happy hour menu and we have loved bringing her. She drinks a $5 italian soda. We always sit in a little room on the main level. So, why the one star? Yesterday, we show up at 5:00 for happy hour and are pleased to see lots of open tables in "our" little room. But, the waiter won't let us sit in there! He says we have to go upstairs and order from the dinner menu, not the happy hour menu. The happy hour menu is limited to age 21 and over. Since when, we ask. Is this a new policy? He insists it has always been the policy that the happy hour menu is only for over age 21.
(1)
Erin H.

I have to knock them way down after my last visit. Very underwhelmed and disappointed, both in service and food. First, my friend and I were seated underneath the stairs. Man, what a terrible place to be sat. I felt like we were being hidden away from the rest of the patrons. Not an intimate place at all--the tables were so close together that whispering was pointless. Second, they've drastically cut back their happy hour. They now offer it only from 4:30pm to 6:00pm. 1. 5 hours? Unreal. Additionally, we inquired about the appetizer menu (as my friend and I love to try lots of dishes over the course of an evening) and were directed to the antipasti. Having dined here many times, I know they have an extensive app menu regardless of the time. We tried to roll with the punches and we ordered just two antipasti items: the duck confit fries w/caviar and the beet salad. Salad was good. Fries were DISGUSTING and ridiculously expensive. Third, our dinners were overpriced and not so delicious. I ordered the gnocchi and it was so gluey it stuck to the roof of my mouth. It was also terribly bitter and when I pointed this out to my waitress, she just shrugged. So much for service. Lastly, the bartender was STILL serving tables as well as acting as the sole drink mixer in the house. Why can't this place add another wait person to the ground floor? We waited over 30 minutes for a drink refill! It's going to be a long while before I forget this last experience. I've decided that Davinci's is really nothing but a fake fancy establishment. Before, I was able to look past their false advertising on the menu (subbing bacon for panceta, for instance) because we really enjoyed their happy hour and prices were fair. If I'm paying full (over)price I expect the quality to match.
(2)
Roger S.

always to Salem classic wonderful Italian food. great wine selection in a wonderful bar. true classic Italiano food. this beauty counts in an aesthetic way for a restaurant this one has it all
(5)
MIchael P.

Very good service upstairs. Had a black spaghetti with burrata caprese salad. The pasta was infused rather than in a squid ink sauce which is what I thought-even though it clearly didn't say sauce. I was very pleased with the dish. A nice portion with prawns and scallops and more. I certainly would repeat that. The salad was equally satisfying. I hadn't been there in a while and actually walked out before being seated since we were enthusiastically ignored. 100% change of experience. Thank you.
(4)
Donna A.

Hubby took me here for my birthday. The place is decorated nicely and has a warm ambiance about it. As other reviewers have said, I agree about the piano being too loud. We were seated on the second floor which was a little quieter, but if we had sat downstairs, we would probably have had a hard time hearing each other talk. Moving on to the food, I had the spicy giant prawns with seasonal ingredients and the hubby had the lobster risotto so we could try both. They were both very delicious! The cream sauce of the risotto was not overly creamy and had a fresh lemony taste to add a little acidity that really made it pop. The spicy giant prawns were seasoned perfectly not too spicy but just enough zing. Definitely will come back again and try the other entrees!
(4)
Diane B.

Okay so I'll start by confessing it was a weird night. We just dropped my son off at college and we are officially empty nesters. So I started with a great martini. I loved the vibe in this place. gorgeous exposed brick, piano player (albeit TOO LOUD) and an interesting menu. We both started with the "tomato stack" which had wonderful heirloom tomatoes, roasted fresh corn, basil, blue cheese, and balsamic syrup. Sorry I didn't remember to take the pic until I unstacked the salad. It could have used less corn (although it was deliciously fresh, it overpowered) and a little more balsamic and blue cheese. I had the scallops, which were very fresh and perfectly cooked, but completely submerged in a sautÃ© of corn, peas, carrots and celery. Now I love my veg, but this was too much and overly sweet. Don't know if it was natural veg sweetness or added sugar, but it was just too much. I confess that the combo of corn, peas and carrots always reminds me of "Veg-all", and it's hard for me to enjoy, even when it's fresh. My husband had the slow cooked pork stew which was very tasty, although oddly included penne pasta. I think this chef could be so good if he/she had the proper guidance. I would definitely come back, and within the somewhat limited universe of Salem restaurants, it's up there. Service was friendly and pretty prompt, but twice the server offered fresh ground pepper, and after we said yes, never showed up to provide it. I must confess, I would rather restaurants would just have a pepper grinder on the table and let me grind my own at my leisure. Food: 30/40 service: 17/20 intang/atm: 18/20 value: 17/20 Overall" 82/100
(4)
Keri J.

Very disappointed after hearing many people rant and rave about this place. Our server mixed up the daily special so when my order arrived, it was very wrong and had ingredients in it that I really don't like. I tried to stay quiet about it but after the second bite, I knew I couldn't enjoy finishing the meal. Our server was apologetic about the mix up and brought me a different meal but it took an extra 30 minutes to come out and by that time, everyone else was done eating. I wasn't too thrilled about my second meal either. I would not recommend to anyone- wasn't worth it.
(2)
Laura S.

Our original plans for a fancy dinner in Portland on Saturday got turned into a last minute scramble for Friday in Salem when my sister got a call saying she would be working on said Saturday. As I quickly ran through my short list of "fancy" Salem restaurants, DaVinci's came up. I have eaten here a handful of times over the last 15 years, though none even remotely recently. My father mentioned that last year's office Christmas party had been hosted here and that he had been impressed, that was good enough for me. I called the day of and asked the reservation to be made for 5:30pm. I was accommodated by a friendly, if hurried and slightly distracted, male host at the other end of the line. My boyfriend and I arrived just a little past our scheduled time, fortunately my mother and sister were already seated. We skirted the elderly pianist, which is great in theory, but was awfully loud in such an intimate restaurant. Past the full to capacity bar area and little tables, up to the second floor seating area we went, where the sound of the piano was muted and conversations could be easily heard. This made me very happy. The lovely dÃ©cor, great warm lighting, and comfortable seats also made smile. A waiter came by for drink orders as soon as we had sat down, and I knew I wanted the raspberry Italian cream soda. The table had already received its first course of flat bread and dipping oil. Both my mother and sister absolutely loved it, which is rather unusual. I nibbled on a small wedge while waiting for my order of honeycomb and ricotta cheese appetizer. The appetizer itself was outstanding, such a wonderful combination I would never have imagined. I begged the rest of the table to share my remarkable find, and was met with unanimous agreement - this was awesome. Both my sister and I ordered the filet mignon accompanied by mashed potatoes, green beans (with the hard stem pieces not trimmed off, yuk!), and mushrooms. The steaks were cooked to our liking and the rest of the meal was great, minus the stems on the green beans. My mother had the scallops, of which there were only 3 (that would be THREE) scallops on the entire plate. Now she said those 3 scallops were fantastic, but wished there had been about 5 more. Having decided the pasta with lamb was the most appealing thing on the menu, my boyfriend finished his whole plate and loved it. I had grabbed a small bite when offered, and it was good, but I liked my filet more. Dessert was the only real snag of the evening. For some reason after placing the order, it took nearly 20 minutes for our plates to arrive. This put a slight cramp on plans for later in the evening, but we managed. After all, fashionably late is a good thing, right? Luckily coffees had arrived without delay so we had plenty of caffeine to keep us awake. My crÃ¨me brulee was delicious and I managed bites of my mom's blackberry pastry and sister's tiramisu - both were equally mouthwatering. Very pleased with dinner overall, just a couple of things could have been a bit better.
(4)
Joel M.

I believe you made a mistake on my bill. See, this receipt must have come from some better restaurant worth the total listed due, because there's no way it came from this well-that-was-okay-but-I-see-no-reason-to-return Olive Garden with embarrassing pretension. Meh.
(3)
Julie W.

Rolled in to Davinci's last night around 8pm not knowing what to expect. The mood was set with the beautiful sounds of the piano, intimate wine bar, exposed brick, and romantic lighting. It's now my new favorite place to dine out in Salem. Our waiter Matthew was experienced, attentive, and genuine. At our request, Matthew suggested a great Walla Walla red wine, which was spot on. The warm bread and oil dipping bowl was sort of a cheesy pizza that was cooked in their wood fired pizza oven. Double yum. Our appetizer was the asparagus hazelnut gremolata. This dish came with a perfectly cooked egg on top. So far so delicious! The homemade pasta dishes we ordered was perfection. Ordered the carbonara special and the crab asparagus ravioli. Generous servings so we have some leftovers today for lunch. Thank you Matthew and Davinci's for the wonderful atmosphere and dining experience.
(5)
Jeremy K.

Classy venue, soothing live piano, elegant atmosphere, severely disappointing food. Waited almost an hour for a plate of chicken Milanese and some classic Spaghetti and Meatballs. Both were completely mediocre in every respect; even more so considering the $52 ticket for just that + a garden salad. I thank'd the waiter when he provided service. His response was 'Yeah.' Real classy. Definitely not going to ever return here. Gave it two stars instead of one for the music and nice atmosphere. Unfortunately, those two facets are trivial when compared to the primary purpose that one visits a restaurant: the food.
(2)
Linda F.

By far the BEST Italian restaurant in Salem. Love the ambiance, the smell and the food!! One of my faves!
(5)
Kim J.

Right off the bat I want to explain that the FOOD and the WAITSTAFF get 4-stars of "Yay! I'm a fan."! The rest of our experience would get 2-stars of "Meh. I've experienced better." or worse, if we could separate it out. Here's why: We dined for the first time last Saturday (July 20th) at Davinci's. We arrived at 8pm with a reservation but likely did not need one. We were greeted and seated by the owner/general manager. The place was moderately busy but not slammed. The interior is beautiful and the piano music was a great touch! Once upstairs, we instantly noticed that the only two waitstaff were working very quickly, which did not make sense right away for how many tables were still open. I have a background in the service industry so knew that buying them some time would be helpful. To do this, we let our server know right away that we were not in a hurry and to not worry about getting to us. I went down to the bar to order our glasses of wine - with my servers permission & knowledge - to save them time and give us something to drink while deciding on an appetizer and our entrees. Once our server (Jessica- who was fantastic!) made it to us, we were ready to order and she let us in on what was going on. Apparently, the busser had just decided to walk out in the middle of his shift, therefore the servers were working double time doing their normal job, plus his, which easily explained them hustling around. We ordered the ahi tuna appetizer, which was the best ahi we have ever had! So delicious! I had the Hanger Steak cooked medium rare and it was amazingly tender, juicy, cooked to perfection and a fantastic flavor profile with the potato and veg! My boyfriend had the spicy pork stew. Large pieces of pasta along with generous hunks of meat in a light broth. He was quite pleased with his dish (mine was better though!). For dessert we enjoyed the creme brulee. It was flavorful with a perfect consistency, shallow serving dish and generous brulee. Completely worth the calories! The only disappointing aspect of our experience was watching the lack of support our waitstaff was receiving from the gm/owner. I saw him upstairs only one time the entire two hours we were there dining. I never saw him bus a table, I saw him run food twice, and then I discovered that the servers had actually gotten into trouble for me getting our wine. Very unimpressive. When a restaurant gets busy or unplanned for things happen like a busser walking out or a cook leaving mid-shift, that is when management is supposed to kick into high gear of helpfulness! It was very obvious that our servers were frazzled and doing their best to keep everything moving along. I didn't witness the gm/owner reset tables or make the servers life easier. It's the simple things a manager can do like taking drinks orders or getting the appetizers going that save servers time and allow them to get caught up. Not to mention being nice to their staff when clearly everyone is stressed! I am not sure that we will go back. The food was amazing with a clearly talent chef and kitchen staff along with the servers who were really fabulous but wow, do I have a hard time supporting owners who treat their employees like that! I know from my past work experience that an unhelpful manager or owner who is on premise when the wheels are coming off, can only making everything more difficult for efficient, talented staff members. I am not sure I can support that. I hope that he is able to see where his actions can make or break everyone's - staff included - experience. For his sake, I really hope that was just a one-time kind of situation because good staff is hard to find and I know that those servers have been there a long time. Replacing veteran servers is incredibly difficult and I hope he's able to modify the management style and allow his staff and excellent food shine by him being helpful, supportive, and positive whenever possible.
(4)
Medusa O.

Food was great, but overpriced. It was a very busy night, but still, very slow service.
(3)
Caitlin H.

Was overall very disappointed with our experience here. We went for a nice date night and when we plan these we plan to spend a decent amount to eat well-because it's fun. Again, sad we spent what we did at this place. I had seafood fettuccine alfredo. There were three giant shrimps and three large scallops. Shrimps were way overcooked and rubbery, and the scallops were way undercooked, not only gross, but not safe. The sauce was essentially watery butter and it was topped with big chunks of a plain old tomato. By far the worst Italian dish I've ever had. Husband had a mushroom risotto-it wasn't outright bad, but it wasn't at all impressive. Good though, was my cocktail. Pomegranate lemon drop. It was great! So I had two. And the husband enjoyed his dessert. If I ever go here again (not by my choice) I'll enjoy a cocktail or two and appetizers or dessert. My main disappointment here is that this place has some of the best reviews in Salem... yikes.
(1)
Corinne N.

Great filet, and even better service. This is a great place and if ever back through Salem will happily stop in.
(5)
Mike B.

Stopped in last weekend for a snack and a bottle of wine. My partner and I got there about an hour before closing so we ordered a bottle of white wine and a small margahrita pizza. The waiter was fabulous and friendly pouring our wine and visiting with us for several minutes. I am a great fan of this place and will return often, even if just to sit at their bar and visit!
(5)
Luffy S.

The prisoner 2010 is very good! 11/22/2011 Food 4 Value 4 Service 4 Atmosphere 4
(4)
Shane D.

In my opinion, this is not inly the best Italian food in Salem, it's the most authentic style as well. The other thing that I like about this place is that it's ambience is not as stuffy or formal as other Italian places. It's more rustic with lots of red brick, a wood oven for pizzas, etc. It's even located inside a old historical building. This reminds me more of places I visited when in Italy, and makes the whole experience better. The service is very good, an the prices are fair too. Not cheap, but less expensive than a couple other snooty italian places nearby that we've tried. But as I said at the beginning, it's really about the food. The pasta tastes like it's fresh made, not store bought, the sauces are insanely addictive, and the desserts make you plan your meal around them. Top notch choice for a small town like Salem.
(4)
AP A.

Easily the best restaurant we ate at when we visited Salem. And thank goodness, one of the few places open past 9 pm. We sat outside on a Saturday night. Not a busy downtown area, no one ever walked by us. That was really nice and relaxing (esp bc it sounded loud inside). The bartender was our waiter and despite his dual roles, we were never wanting. He helped us pick a local bottle of wine, which we loved. We had the risotto. Risotto with peas and asparagus? Weird sounding, flippin' amazing tasting. We had the lamb penne, too, which was also good. Cold smoked chocolate for dessert was amazing, too. Amazing food, great service, we were SO glad we stumbled upon this place. So so glad!
(5)
Natalie C.

My husband & I were looking for a place to celebrate our anniversary. After reading all reviews, we picked this place. It was great choice. Love the desing of this restaurant & live music (@5pm!) & amazing food & excellent service! It was a great time! Thank you, Yelp!
(5)
Natalie W.

Excellent atmosphere, excellent wine, excellent food. This place has it all!
(5)
Betsy H.

I just called to try to order a gift certificate to be mailed to a friend. The man on the phone repeatedly told me that they don't do that anymore because it's a "hassle" for them. I work in the restaurant business myself and was really frustrated to hear this man constantly stress what a "hassle" it is for them to deal with gift certificates. They won't mail anything and they won't email anything to me that I can send because it's a "hassle." Not a good way to do business at all. A truly frustrating encounter that makes me question how their customer service may suffer because they find other services to be mere "hassles."
(1)
Tiffany V.

Birthday Dinner Attempt #1: The Old Spaghetti Warehouse - Closed for good! The place was completely emptied out Birthday Dinner Attempt #2: Best Little Roadhouse - Sat down and realized the menu was all meats and the most limited options for non meat eaters I've ever seen. Birthday Dinner Attempt #3: Willamette Noodle Company - Got out of car, headed towards restaurant and realized it wasn't much of a restaurant. Was about to settle for it (hey third times the charm right?) but date refused Birthday Dinner Attempt #4: Davincis - FINALLY =D This place is beautiful! This place was pretty packed for a Wednesday night. We got seated upstairs right by the stairs. Try to avoid getting a table there though! It felt like a fucking earthquake every time someone went down the stairs. Their complimentary bread was the most unique I've ever seen. It was all in pizza form and you get to see a guy making it downstairs! They gave us some infused olive oil and vinegar to dip it in. Mmmm. The menu looked amazing and I had a really hard time figuring out what to order since everything sounded so good! I ordered Maine Scallops Mushrooms & Truffle and my date ordered Black Tailed Tiger Prawn Porcini with mushroom stuffed sacchetti, sun-dried tomato, Andouille sausage, spicy smoked chili cream sauce. We joked around trying to guess what "sacchetti" was since he refused to ask our waiter. It ended up being what my date deemed as "little food sacks". His dish was soooooooo good! Super flavorful and I kept spreading the sauce on the bread. The scallops in my dish were cooked perfectly but the pasta itself was a little bland. We didn't get dessert since we were going to Konditorei after. I got the full size pasta which I couldn't even come close to finishing but I can't imagine how small the half size must be since the full size didn't look that big to begin with. Service was okay. The waiter was nice but he took forever to come take our order!!! We seriously waited for forever and he was clearly paying more attention to the table next to us. I would still come back though.
(3)
Bruce J.

Funny we tried to come here from dinner our first night in Salem but it was closed (Sunday). Second day we came back and had dessert at the bar. Loved the vibe when we walked in. Bar top is beautiful. Artwork amazing. Wished we had come here for dinner but I expect to be in Salem 2-5 times a year so odds are I'll be back. I was kinda shocked with the differing levels of dress other people had. Suites / sport coats to my right, faded jeans and T-shirts to our right; all at the bar. Those things are out of my control and for the most part the establishments. There was also a VERY loud, assuming drunk, guest over in the restaurant portion; opposite the bar and passed the piano. Dessert was excellent. Since college I've had this love of coffee and ice cream. Here they served espresso & gelato. My friend had tiramisu. Presentation was wonderful. Things were just done right. Thinking I need to come back for dinner some time when I'm in Salem.
(4)
Alison B.

I am visiting salem from out of town and so far i have not been impressed with the food options. I ordered the seafood pasta and it was great! Huge scallops and shrimp and homemade pasta. Will definitely come back next time I am in town.
(4)
Lisa M.

Very good food. Service was a little slow, but passable.
(4)
Joe M.

My wife and I ate here to celebrate Valentine's Day, a week later. The food, decor and service are all outstanding. The restaurant has several different sections. A wine bar, a cozy dining room near the back surrounded by wines and another dining room near the front. There is also an upstairs dining area, and a jazz band that plays on weekends next to the wine bar. The menu says it "reflects our commitment to using seasonal organic meats & produce that are available from our local farmers". We had the Pear Salad, the Roasted Beet Napolean Salad, the Misty Isle Filet Mignon and the Rack of Lamb. We tried several wines from the wines by the glass list; our favorite was The Prisoner, by Orin Swift, but we also enjoyed a couple of Aussie Shiraz's. All the wines - and food - were outstanding. Our waiter, Jonathan, was also outstanding. At one point, we expressed some curiosity about a menu item that involved hedgehog mushrooms, which we'd never heard of. Jonathan went back to get clarification from the chef, and on his way back, searched for and found a photo of hedgehog mushrooms on his iPhone that he showed us. I've uploaded photos of several aspects of our dining experience.
(5)
Kate W.

We are new to Salem and went to DaVinci's for a birthday celebration recently. Great experience overall! The flatbread and dipping oil pre-meal are a nice guestire but not neccessary. The bread itself was a but dry but the oil was tasty. For entrees we enjoyed the porkchop that was to die for. Perfectly cooked with flavorful sauce. Also opted for the decadent Seafood fettuccine. The sauce was heavy but typical for this dish. The seafood used in this dish was fresh and cooked well. We will go back to DaVinci's in the future.
(4)
Brandon S.

Everyone in our group was very pleased with their meal. Nice atmosphere, friendly service.
(4)
Nicole E.

Happy hour menu has great prices. I have heard the food here was special.....Great wines and great service. But food was no good. WORST crab cake I've ever had (mushy and flavorless) and my friends pizza was cold and burnt.
(2)
Brent K.

Food delicious as usual. Teri really enjoyed their house red. A sangiovese I believe. Only two beers on tap. Still good. I've got to stop eyeballing other peoples food. So much great looking food was coming out to the tables. It's an expensive place but if you hit it at happy hour it's very affordable and you will not be disappointed.
(4)
Gary R.

Nice atmosphere, good food - I'm a pasta fanatic ... but can't usually eat all that is served. Davinci's offers a smaller version of each pasta, which is a terrific feature. The piano player (this was during the second week of October 2012) is mediocre and detracted greatly from the experience. Get a new piano player.
(3)
Kathy E.

Hadn't been for a year or so. Menu and wines were outstanding. My hubby had the best carbonara ever- interesting presentation with an over-easy egg on top. Flatbreads were excellent, wines by glass always interesting, excellent service- not a single complaint. I can always depend on this place to deliver. I should come here more often!
(4)
debra b.

Salem? Is it really you? I grew up near Salem, then moved to San Francisco and got spoiled (and maybe a little snobby) on some of the food options there. To come back home and find DaVinci's right downtown was a bit of a surprise after growing up on Home Town Buffet and Applebee's. Amazinggg! I'd drive back from Portland to go here again. Atmosphere: cozy and interesting. A little loud on a Friday night due to live jazz in the front. Service: prompt, knowledgeable, and polite without being stuffy. I asked for a corner table on OpenTable Reservations and got it, no discussion needed when we arrived. Food: wow! Everything we had tasted fresh. My husband said the stacked tomato salad was the best salad he'd ever had. My lemon ravioli was really light and clean. Wine: good variety, I think all local. Pricing: very good for what you get.
(5)
Nicole S.

Love DaVinci's! Great bar and big drinks...what more can I say?!?
(4)
Melissa D.

Fantastic food, excellent service, great wine selection. Definitely recommend this place for an excellent, laid-back meal. The menu is limited, but good.
(5)
Jenny B.

So far, Davinci's is my favorite restaurant in Salem. I've been twice, and have had delightful meals each time. The atmosphere is really nice, with a bar, wood fired oven, and lounge area downstairs, and a dining room upstairs. When I went last thursday, they had a live jazz trio over by the door, which sounded fantastic, and made the atmosphere all the better. The menu has some really tasty offerings. The list of entrees is small, and there's a section of "small plate pastas," which I was curious about. Upon asking the waiter, he said that the portions are about half a normal entree, but it's common for them to double the size of the pasta to make it a full serving. With that knowledge about the pastas, my friend and I each ordered a salad, shared an appetizer, and each ordered a small pasta. It was a really nice amount of food, yet we didn't feel overly stuffed. Their entree offerings are great, the rack of lamb is generous, and the steak is some of the most flavorful meat I've tasted in a long time. The wine list is quite large, with some nice selections. I had stayed away from Davinci's for a long time, since I had heard terrible things about the service. I was quite surprised, then, when I found great service there each time I've been. I have nothing but good things to say about Davinci's. It's a wonderful restaurant, with creative, tasty food, a great atmosphere, and helpful, pleasant service.
(5)
Elizabeth E.

The moment you walk in, you feel as though you're not in Salem but in a hip urban center. The atmosphere is chic without being pretentious. This is an Italian restaurant with a great selection of food and wine---and the back corner of the first floor feels much like a cozy wine bar. The food is more expensive, but if you are there during "Happy Hour" the appetizers are half off or more and are delicious. The menu also featured a Thursday night Wine Tasting where for a fixed price ($15-$25) you can taste a flight of wines and the accompany meats, cheeses and olives. The service was also excellent: extremely friendly and attentive. I can't wait to go back.
(5)
Owanda G.

Located next to the Elsinore Theatre, this Italian restaurant is a popular place for intimate or romantic dinners among the locals. Tastefully decorated, Davinc's is divided into two sections with a nice bar/louge downstairs and the restaurant located upstairs. They encourage reservations and try to accomodate any special needs. Though their prices are a bit on the expensive side and the portions small by American standards, they offer a wonderful selection of wine and their food is excellent. I wouldn't eat here every night (because it would put a big dent in my bank account and definitely expand my waistline!), but it's great for a special occasion. Definitely worth checking out!
(4)
Curtis H.

Great atmosphere. Food was very good and service was excellent. Menu was slightly limited but the quality made up for the lack of choices.
(4)
Corley P.

The food was fantastic. Started off with the Burrata cheese appetizer. Burrata has a creamy center which was fabulous. Then, we had the Tomato Stack, which was an explosion of complementary tastes. The scallops were in a very rich, strongly flavored sauce which was yummy. The pork chop was my least favorite - I didn't think the corn-based sauce complemented it as well as I had hoped. Service was fantastic. We got some great guidance on local wines to try. When we tried to order a bottle of our favorite, it turned out they had poured the last of it in our glasses already. So, they substitued a more expensive (and even nicer) bottle at the same price. Definitely worth going to.
(5)
Jeff A.

At one time this was the go-to place for a full fledged fine dining EXPERIENCE, oh how times have changed. My most recent visit included a rude gal bartender with the mouth of a sailor, curse at employees and customers. Ignoring that, the food was overcooked and over priced. This saddens me, I waited for three visits to post this hoping it wasn't a trend. Looks as though this attitude is here to stay :( won't be back
(1)
Tina A.

I returned here again with family to celebrate my dad's birthday. He's become a regular here, and because of it, the owner treats him like royalty. Good food, great customer service.
(5)
James B.

World class Italian. Kind people and great for a good night out on the town :-)
(5)
Kyle R.

synopsis? very good food. high prices. don't sit near the bar if you want attentive service. also, happy hour you MUST sit downstairs, due to some odd loophole. very diverse menu and all good quality. got very busy at 6-something on a saturday night, so you may want to do a reservation on a peak hour/night. and no, you don't have to dress up to go here, although a lot of people did. but it's not stuck up, so don't worry about that. would i go back? probably, but not a lot of vegetarian stuff. although i imagine you could request meat free dishes...although with such high rates, i imagine it's not worth pay meat prices for meatless prices. anyway, if you haven't gone, go....just be prepared for high prices and a large bill.
(4)
Josh W.

One of the best restaurants in Salem. Nice atmosphere, great cocktails and wine list, and excellent steak.
(5)
Kristy F.

My favorite Italian restaurant in Salem. I have been here countless times often for special occasions (they always do make me feel special). It takes me back to my time in Italy. Their menu is seasonal, if small, but always on point. The atmosphere is cozy, romantic and takes you to Italy. The artwork is gorgeous, the bar is beautiful and the piano adds to the experience. The only downfall is the office like tile drywall square ceilings, but even that is easy to overlook. The bathrooms are hard to get to, and require a code to enter---which is difficult. The complimentary flat bread is delicious with the oil and balsamic vinegar provided. I also enjoy their appetizer bread selections too, the cheeses are great. I almost always get their Caprese salad, which is delicious with the freshest mozzarella I've had outside the old country and local plump tomatoes. I also almost always get the scallop appetizer, and the scallops are huge and fresh, cooked to perfection. I've also really enjoyed their escargots every time I've had it here. It is served in a painter's pallet style dish, and dripping in butter and cheese. I was not a fan of snails prior to this, but Davinci's converted me. I've since tried escargot and have been disappointed at other restaurants, especially with the consistency of the snails. I like to eat in the traditional style, with the appetizer, salad (insalate), pasta course (primo), the meat course (secondi) and dessert. And of course wine, and Davinci's has a great selection. The pasta is fresh, handmade and has quality ingredients. I've tried several, but the papardelle is my favorite. There are half portions, which are small, but the perfect size for me, especially when I want to try everything. The meat choices are unique, tender and flavorful, I love the steak and pork chop. They are always cooked to perfection. I love their creme brulee and they do it right. It's my favorite dessert, but this is the only place in town that makes it well. All the dishes are presented so beautifully, like you would see on a tv show. I am impressed. You don't expect to actually get this in Salem. The service is great. My old cheerleadering coach, Kathy works (worked) there. I came in by myself the night before my deployment to Iraq, to do a proper send off. I ordered my normal meal, with my wine. I got to talking with her, because I was seated at the bar and she was the bartender.I hadn't seen her for 8 years. At the end of the great meal, I asked for the bill. Kathy told me that she appreciated my service and she had paid for the whole meal. I know that I knew her before, but I think she would have done that for anyone. It made my last night so special, and it touched my heart. Best customer experience ever!
(5)
Peter H.

My wife claims this is her favorite place to go to dinner in the world. I have to say it's pretty darn good. However, I spent about $85 dollars on dinner/appetizer drinks... not bad, but spending that much, and having burnt meat was a big let down. I didn't have the heart to tell the waiter that my $25 dollar cut was ruined... mostly because I had a meeting to get too that night, and couldn't afford the time it would take to get a replacement, but for a place this nice which has been ranked in the top 40 in the country it was a bummer. Everything else was great, wine, salad, bread... But I was pretty bummed, mostly because it was my bday too. :(
(4)

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Address : 180 High St SE
Salem, OR, 97301
Phone (503) 399-1413
Website https://www.davincisofsalem.com
Click To Get Directions

Opening Hours

Mon :4:30 pm - 9:00pm

Specialities

Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Classy
Noise Level : Average
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : Full Bar
Happy Hour : Yes
Coat Check : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No

Claim Restaurant

Italian Cuisine

The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.

Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.

If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.

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DaVinci Ristorante

180 High St SE, Salem, OR, 97301

DaVinci Ristorante Menu

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Salads

Entree

Healthy Meal suggestions for DaVinci Ristorante

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