Went to dinner with our kids who say this is there go to place. I see why, very friendly staff. They even moved us because they had a large (loud) group up front. And then they allowed us to sit window side outside of the open kitchen. We all had different dishes but I will focus on mine, the pepper steak. I ordered it medium and it was perfect. It was very tender and tasty. The vegetables and mashed on the side were also delicious. Next time we are in town this is a strong option for us.
(5)
Samantha H.
Went to Orupa on an impromptu visit with some friends and really enjoyed myself! This was not my first time here and I intend to return in the future. The staff was very nice and we sat on the rooftop which was scenic and relaxing. Although this place has a reputation for being over-priced, I disagree. There is a great happy hour and outside of the happy hour the food is well worth the price. It is similarly priced to other nicer restaurants in Salem. I suggest sitting on the rooftop, the chop salad, and the pomaberry martini.
(5)
Mister S.
If this was the last place in Salem open on the weekend I would try another's bar in another city. While their drinks were OK the service was very lacking in knowledge of the menu, attention to customer needs, and cleanliness. I ordered one of their margarita pizzas and I would compare it to A frozen pizza from Safeway, only with nicer garnishment
(1)
Jon H.
Don't waste your money! We went for a date nite and regret we did. Both entrees failed to impress, infact they failed in general. Looks are very deceiving! You know when you have to put a mile high presentation on EVERYTHING maybe your compensating for something?one dish bland and unmemorable for price. Ahi tuna- dry and shredded like dry chicken breast! HORRIBLE Flavor meh. Should have sent it back, but seriously I'm not a complainer. Created yelp solely to rate this restaurant:( We did have the " pleasure" of watching whom I imagine the mngr/owner? behind the bar flirting and showing off his bar tricks with the female customers and new wait staff--- whom he could have spent time more wisely actually training as the obviously new staff bumbled rudely over our service. Thought we would try to drown our sorrows with dessert --- the most horrible travesty of tiramisu I have ever seen. It was runny like soup! *sigh* not even in the ball park! Don't bother one or two tries, we have wasted date nite 1 year apart and no change with 2nd visit a even more a total travesty! Can't be a coincidence!?
(1)
Matt L.
I have never been impressed with this place. It has many good reviews and I honestly don't know how. Aside from a good wine list, the food is very average. I ordered both the meat and cheese plates and both were the worst I've ever had. The cheese plate was literally cantaloupe and apples with a hunk of blue cheese. I've had a steak that was mediocre at best. Only redeeming factor is they carry Orin swifts wines. There are 2-300+ restaurants in portland that have much better food quality for half the price.
(1)
Holly E.
Sitting on the rooftop would have been great, but wasn't offered to us. Only found out about it when offered to others! Service (aside from that) okay. Food okay. All wine kept upright at room temp (warm). Interior (seeing how didn't get to see rooftop) pretty beat up and worn looking. Won't be back.
(2)
Timothy R.
On a recent family outing, we were looking for a classy restaurant experience. I believe we found it at Orupa. Granted, it's not cheap. But then again, many of the finer things in life are not. Many of the family members opted for different incarnations of the daily special. Mine was the Red Snapper with Crab Salsa. It was a hefty chunk of flaky white fish covered in crab salsa over a bed of mashed potatoes. The sauce was excellent. I would have liked a little more crab but all in all a nice dish. I had a sample of the Ahi Tuna and the Hangar Steak with Shitake Mushrooms. Both were exceptional. Real winners. The Ahi was perfectly done and seasoned well. The Steak was covered in a pepper brandy sauce. I would definitely try either again. We washed it down with a nice Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley (who knew Californians could make a great Pinot!) and a Napa Valley Cabernet. To top it off, the service was outstanding. It was a very pleasant evening. Great food, wine, and company. What more could you ask for.
(5)
Adam V.
My partner and I started coming here by the coupon route. Buy one get one entree kind of thing. Let me deconstruct their food: - Meat: I've had steak and chicken here, and both were pretty stellar. Moist and flavorful, cooking meat is definitely one of their strong suits. - Starch: Blegh. Mashed potatoes DEFINITELY taste like they came from a box. Also, the chef gets really fussy when you try to choose the starch, which is BS in my mind. - Drinks: Good, but nothing to call home about. You could get the same quality of drinks at Venti's at a cheaper price. I want to like this place enough to be a regular, but its prices are not backed up by good enough food or drinks. I may even pay a little more to just feel fancy, but somehow they fail on that point too.
(3)
Trevor E.
Get the Orupa burger! It is a burger with flair! Great taste and the homemade bun is perfect. Fries are excellent too. Service is on point and they are pros!
(5)
C F.
Excellent food and service. My husband and I enjoyed a date night away from the kids. We will be back!
(5)
Jean D.
Salem's good restaurants are few and far between, with way too many national chains overshadowing the creative local establishments. Fine dining suffers most of all, so thank goodness for Orupa. Casual enough to be comfortable, yet with a menu sophisticated enough to be called fine dining. Whilst I'll always have a first impression of a restaurant, and the quality of its food, I prefer to go back again to confirm, or revise, my opinion. For all the right reasons I've been back to Orupa more times than I can count! Yes, I think it's one of Salem's top restaurants. Just try the crisp asparagus salad at lunch, or their simply irresistible and totally delicious fries. I've only ever had one lunch I wasn't 100% enjoying, and that was because I'd ordered fish that came with light lemon sauce and rice pilaf, and I really wanted those chubby meatballs and tendrils of spaghetti on my friends plate!( more jealousy on my part than a fault of my fish!) I've also taken business associates to Orupa and Orupa's food, wines, cocktails and service have contributed to some successful business lunches and dinners. The pricing is reasonable, it rarely takes long to be seated. Parking is available. See you there!!
(5)
Jeff H.
Finally stopped in here with a friend on a Monday night for dinner. I...did not have a grand experience, though I'm hoping that's something of an anomaly. I want to try again, and perhaps will, as some of my distaste was my own fault, but others seemed to be the restaurants. When I arrived, my friend had already been seated. At a booth in the middle of the traffic aisle leading to the bathroom, and right next to the kitchen, directly in the setting sun without the shades drawn. What a horrid seat. I could have asked to move...but honestly, why sit us there when the rest of the restaurant was not crowded and had better options? The waiter was new. Very new. He stumbled over most of the menu, did not have great answers to questions, would forget certain bits, and had to redetermine again and again what we ordered. He was not a -bad- waiter, though, as he went out of his way to make sure our order was right...you could just tell he was nervous about being in an upscale restaurant as a waiter and knew what was expected. I don't hold it against him, but perhaps Orupa should have taken time to train him better, or hire a more seasoned waiter to present the more classy image that they're going for. Anyhow, Monday had an incredible deal. Burger and Brew for $10. I was going to go with the pasta, but I couldn't pass that up. Considering most of their drinks go for $10 and up, and the burger itself was about that amount, it seemed well worth it. The burger was just a burger with condiments and havarti cheese, along with a side of pommes frites. The beer was somewhat warmish though, I will say. Therein lies the downfall, though. I have never had havarti cheese, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I did not like it. That's not the restaurants fault, though, so I'm not dinging it for that. The pommes frites (i.e. french fries) though were very, very well made and nicely done. Our whole bill together came out to $30, thanks to the extra drink my friend had. It was a great deal, honestly, and the food wasn't bad, quality-wise, I just find it hard to rate food based on how much of it I ate, which wasn't very much. I intend to go back...and get the pasta and wine instead. I have the feeling that this is a restaurant that has certain things it does well...and does those very well. I want to give it another shot, sometime in the future.
(2)
Aaron W.
Finally decided to give this place another go about a week or so back. At around noon, the place wasn't crowded, but business lunches seemed the "in" thing around here. The inside is lovely, perfect for such a situation. The menu looked pretty good (one page, with an array of options), but I was interested in their BLT wrap special ($10.95), which used prosciutto, Romaine lettuce, and their housemade naan (instead of a tortilla). The prosciutto was an absolute winner, and I thought the lightly toasted naan worked very well here. I also had their soup of the day, a sauerkraut chowder-like dish that had a lovely, controlled tang. The shredded sauerkraut maintained the slightest crunchiness. Great stuff. Panda cartwheels for the prosciutto! My friend enjoyed Orupa's take on French Onion Soup. A soothing broth, not overly powerful, but nice flavor. The bread inside the soup had softened, enabling that starch to be cut with a spoon. The stringy melted cheese was panda-dancing good. Our basket of bread was excellent: light, with subtle herb qualities. We had a very pleasant, attentive server. Orupa definitely got back in my good graces here. We'll be back for more!
(4)
Sally D.
Orupa has always been a favorite of mine, however I hadn't been there in quite a while. On our recent visit, I was so disappointed with the service and meal. My husband ordered the hanger steak special and his meal was good, although not very hot. I ordered the lobster ravioli and shrimp special. My meal came out cold!! It took a long time for the waiter to come back (we were on the roof top) to replace my meal. When he brought back a new dish, it was warmer than the first, but still not hot. I ate it anyway, but told the waiter that it still wasn't hot. The bread was stale and dry, I've always enjoyed their fresh bread. This was not up to Orupa's previous standards. I don't know if Hans still owns Orupa, but I know this was not his standard from Old Europe Inn or our previous visits to Orupa. The roof top area is a great place to enjoy the nice weather. That was the best part of the visit. There was no compensation for a lousy meal - not even a glass of wine removed from our bill (which was quite high). I hope this was a fluke and not the new norm for Orupa.
(3)
John B.
Received poor service during happy hour. Got my beer order wrong--twice. Food wasn't very good either. The margarita pizza came with smoked mozzarella...although the menu makes no mention of the pungent cheese. I'll be back for dinner someday...but you lost me on happy hour.
(3)
Karen S.
One of the nicer places to dine in Salem. The food and the service were very good.
(4)
Jacylin C.
Food was great along with decor. Top it off we had a coupon that saved us a lot of money. Awesome spot.
(4)
Roger S.
this restaurant has been in town for quite a few years, its previous incarnation was the old European inn. it's a beautiful little restaurant with a patio on the roof. definitely one of the better restaurants in Salem Oregon, and its price point is right on. quite a few specials each day. I have quite a few friends who enjoy this place as well as I do. the chef is a stickler and everything he serves his ultra-fresh and local. this is a very fine representation of what Northwest food should be like, without having to drive to Portland to do it. Bon Appetit.
(4)
Nicole Y.
I've driven past this place all the time and wanted to try it and finally came with my dad when he was in town. Right when we entered it was such a nice ambience we were greeted and seated immediately. The service was great throughout the entire night from the start of the meal to the end. The food was AMAZING especially with an emphasis on the presentation. I had the ahi tuna special and my dad had the pork chop special and both were fantastic especially the sauce with the ahi tuna. My drink the Martini special was delicious as well. Next time I come I definitely want to sit on the roof top terrace and this is definitely a place I would come back to.
(5)
Amanda M.
Sat on the rooftop, which is by far the best seats in Salem on a sunny day. I highly recommend the paparass (sp?) a flat bread topped w/olives, peppers & a balsamic vinegar sauce served on a cutting board. I had the asparagus chicken salad which lived up to its name. My husband on the other hand ordered the seared ahi tuna, it looked a little gray on the outside, to me grey does not equate to seared. My husband, gracious as he is, did not complain and ate it anyways. Overall the experience was good,I however would not order a tuna special again.
(3)
Rachel B.
Great menu, great service. its overall a really quiet and tasty place to bring a date. its more of an upscale feeling, so if you want something casual, this isnt quite the place, at least not for me. the food is good. Take your gal there for a classy night out. and get her flowers too. :) but for an everyday date place, choose elsewhere. this place is just not so casual.
(4)
Cheryl N.
Went here with the fam last Saturday night to celebrate my grandma's 87th birthday. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu items and answered all of our many questions. We munched on yummy bread and sipped on Sangria and chatted for a bit until our food came. I got the Pasta Carbonara which was lightly seasoned with olive oil and other herbs and spices with pieces of ham, salami, and prosciutto. Please do not order this meal without the meat, it would be an injustice. The spiciness of the meat really added flavor to the pasta. There were 6 of us in our party and everyone ordered something different and loved it all. I snagged one od my brother's fries and will definitely be ordering those next time. I was a little disappointed that we spent so much money there and they didn't even bring out a little treat for my grandma's birthday. Also, the server indicated that their website is outdated because they lost the domain and are unable to update it...slightly annoying because I was craving the prosciutto, asparagus, and goat cheese appetizer they showed online. However, I do plan to go back. Next time I go it will probably be during happy hour from 4 to 6 where apps are 1/2 price at the bar!
(4)
Mike B.
Once again ORUPA delivers. We went there last Thursday for a spur of the moment dinner and made reservations on the way. Upon arrival we were seated and the bartender immediately came to the table to explain the drink and dinner specials for the evening. All sounded wonderful. I started with the Blood Orange Martini and finished with the Black Currant Martini! Our meals were wonderfully prepared and presented. Dessert was in our future and the freshly baked chocolate chip cookie in a cast iron pan with ice cream was delectable! Fine Dining has a home in Salem and it's name is Orupa!
(5)
Kristy F.
The chop chop salad was good, nicely flavored, with well cooked asparagus. But for my personal taste, it would've been better with arugula. Frankly I'd prefer any salad with arugula, so it's not really a critique. The lamb dish was delicious, with really good flavor paired with the perfect, soft, parmigiana sprinkled bread (and I am not a bread eater). I sopped that bread in the dishes juices, cleaning the plate... yummers! I don't really like balls of meat, so that wasn't my favorite part of the dish, but they even were good. The fresh zucchini and peppers were wonderful. The naan bread dish was meh, but I liked the peppers in it, such an interesting addition, I haven't seen them used before---nice flavor. The bread used wasn't really naanish and I'd prefer a more traditional garlic naan. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't bother to order it again. I had the carbonara pasta. The flavor of the pasta suace was really good, but the bucatini pasta noodle was the wrong noodle choice. It was just off. You can tell the chef knows what he is doing, the combinations can just perfected better. Overall it was a good meal, with some great points. With some tweaks, it could really be fantastic. However, my favorite part, which I was leery of at first, was the desert. I had an excellent server, so attentive and kind. He barely blinked when I ordered enough for three, even though I was alone. But when I went to order desert, I was bummed they didn't have the carrot cake---like listed in their online menu. So I thought I'd settle for the apple strudel. When I ordered it (and this took guts) the waiter, seeing I had already boxed up most of what I'd ordered, asked me if I lived far from there. I thought he was hesitant about the ice cream. But he surprised me and suggested I get the dessert to go, uncooked. Uhhhh, I was not enthused. But he stuck to his guns and told me it wasn't good not eaten immediately, saying it would get sodden and mushy. He gave me patient instructions on how to cook it, including a piece of parchment paper to ensure it 'popped and puffed' correctly. I took it home, eventually got hungry again and followed his instructions. Voila: perfection. I'm not a huge dessert fan and normally skip it. But because of this brave waiter, it's one of the best ones I've ever had. I'm so impressed by him. I eat out a lot, and really love food---so his care turned a good meal, into a memory, a lovely one at that. He even chased after me to return my card. It is rare that someone eating alone, is given such consistent, attentive service, throughout the meal. And that alone, even without the really yummy food that was present, would make me recommend this highly. Fellow restaurateurs will appreciate this, so please support a place that hires and keeps (he's been on staff for years, I've seen him before) employees like that, who care most about the quality of the experience, not the sale. Ps:it was the bald waiter---and unlike previous reviews (I saw on urban spoon about him), I was alone and probably looked like a low $ sale, but he was attentive, respectful and kind. It makes me think some people are hard to please and just want to be negative. Servers aren't slaves, they're not lower than us just because we are paying them. If you get 'bad' service, they may just be just responding to your negative attitude. They're judging us too. It doesn't hurt to be a thoughtful human, no matter if you're getting paid or not. The saying goes"your attitude dictates my response". If you consistently get bad service where you go, look at the common denominator: you.
(4)
Joy J.
We went a few times prior to this review. I think we were more desperate for decent food in Salem as recent transplants from Denver and were taste-blind our first meal at Orupa. We enjoyed our first visit and had even recommended the place (in passing) to colleagues. The second went drastically downhill from there. The calamari fritters were as tender as could be (though completely unseasoned and therefore just as bland as wallpaper paste) but the sauce had all spice removed so it was just a hot (temperature) tomato mush. The margherita pizza was a joke. The dough might have been store-bought and there were four slices of tomato on the cheese but the only hint of basil was the small sprig of fresh basil stuck onto the center of the "pizza." I can't imagine how or why someone considering themselves to be a chef would use a store-bought cheese blend (with yellow cheese in it, no less) on something supposedly European, specifically Italian. I asked for a salad with some arugula (not "a-roo-gyou-la" as our waitress repeatedly called it) and some grilled chicken. The chicken was outright inedible - dry and rubbery (quite an accomplishment, in the worst possible way) and gristly, served at room temperature. I'm pretty sure the grill marks were painted on during the manufacturing process. My husband's lobster ravioli was so inedible he couldn't do more than two bites. I'm fairly sure that the actual chef quit and the food being served is prepared by the janitor. To call it gross and revolting would just scratch the surface. Under no circumstance will we ever, ever return to Orupa.
(1)
Ashley B.
In town visiting family and we decided to try out this place as they have a great reputation around town. The food was very, very disappointing. We ordered the: Chicken Oscar- supposedly a bone-in chicken breast with a Brie and crab topping. The chicken was not bone-in, they were two once-frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts. The sauce was okay, the crab was okay. There was no Brie to speak of on the plate.. In fact instead there was a bleu cheese with a startlingly intense bite to it, which caused me to not want another bite. The mashed potatoes were inedible as they were without a doubt the same taste and consistency as potatoes from a box. Fettuccine Gamberi- decent, but nothing to write home about. Akin to a lean cuisine entree. Very small prawns. Prawn Scampi- by far the worst dish. The rice was over cooked. The seasoning is completely out of whack. It honestly tasted like they dumped some grocery store pre-mixed seasoning packets in, and too many at that. It literally came with three prawns. Three. Mind you, this entree was upwards of $20. Mac and cheese- best dish on the table. Not life changing, but edible. Other notes: The bread had great texture, but the flavor was unsatisfactory. For a supposedly fine dining experience (as indicated by the prices), I would expect much more in terms of decor. It was very tacky, with cheap fraying leather black and red chairs, walls littered with bargain-bin art, and my least favorite, plastic salt and pepper grinders that they had undoubtedly bought from Safeway and taken the labels off of. The service was decent... Waters were filled and plates were cleared. However certain things would've been appreciated, like being told in advance that the hot chocolate strudel takes 15 minutes to cook rather than when we were ordering dessert. The dessert was the best feature of the meal. I enjoyed the pot de creme and the tiramisu. I personally was not wowed by the hot chocolate strudel but others at the table enjoyed it. All in all, it was a high price to pay for an extremely unsatisfying meal. It is rare for me to truly feel so disappointed by overall food quality and taste-- usually I can find something to appreciate. The fact that the dishes not only were not as described on the menu, but were completely off in flavor profile, makes me wonder who is cooking back there. I expected much more of this place.
Great customer service! The waiter we had was super knowledgeable about wines and made some great recommendations and was very personable!
(5)
P H.
Had dinner there on Sat. night. Charcuterie plate was mostly pepperonie - yuk- but the small picked peppers were good. Then the carbonara- was terrible with mostly julienned pepperoni!, a tiny bit of prosciutto, with a bit of very dry tasteless pasta. They made it again for me but it was truly terrible- I don't think there was a drop of butter or egg in it....very amateurish....I should have sent it back and not paid for it. BUT the pork chop with port sauce and mashed potatoes my husband had, was great. I've had lunch here before and salad was good....IF I eat there again I will ask a lot more questions about my choices.
I went here knowing that they were only rated at 3 1/2 stars. Usually I obey that red flag, but I was in town for an event at the Riverfront Park and wanted to keep my dinner within walking distance. I figured it was worth a shot because the menu looked appetizing online. The place was dead at 6 on a Saturday. That should have been the next red flag, but I still proceeded. The interior had nice modern decor, with the exception of the awful booth upholstery that looked like it was recycled from a bowling alley out of the 80's. They had some sleep smooth jazz playing...just not my thang. My waiter seemed friendly enough at the start. Clearly though, service was not his forte. After he took my order, he seated a table of 4 ladies and managed to bring them all drinks before me. I know I was only a lonely table of one that day, but still...not okay. It took him about 15 minutes to get my drink to me. I ordered a Asian Mojito, which came in a pint glass...thought it was my lucky day, but it was extremely weak for a delayed $9 mixed drink. Portions on the appetizers, "To Share," plates were smaller than expected, especially at $9 and $8 a piece. The steak skewers included 2 skewers that were about 5" long, extremely fatty and rather disappointing. The foccacia bread was nice, but came in a tiny personal pizza sized pan, probably in the 5" diameter range..still a bit pricey for bread. It took some time to get the check and even more time for him to take my payment. His bus boy, who was very friendly, wound up seeing the look of frustration on my face and took my payment. Typically, even if the food is bleh and the service is okay, I still leave at least a 20% tip. This was the first time I ever left a crappy tip, something like 15%. I felt guilty, but not as guilty as I did for awful service and mediocre food experience.
(1)
Missy W.
My stars would not be given to the downstairs service staff or the atmosphere as I didn't think our food was really good at all and the cocktails were overpriced and really weak. We went for dinner downstairs and it wasn't memorable. The portions were tiny and not filling at all. I'm not looking to get stuffed when I go out, but I should want to eat anything else when I leave a place. What my 3 stars are for is the rooftop bar experience my husband and I were invited to join after dinner! Since we spent over $100, the waiter said we could join upstairs for the fourth of July fireworks viewing. This was awesome! We enjoyed some l've music, delicisou sangria and tasted some appetizers. The food was so much better than what we had just spent for dinner downstairs. I would do the rooftop party again!
(3)
Sara M.
Someone needs to take this place a little more seriously; this place is delicious. I used to live in Salem, and I know all about the food options is this town. There are hardly any places worth eating at in sleepy Salem. Orupa is a must try if you are anywhere near this area. I just recently had the opportunity to take my beautiful Maid of Honor out for a special dinner and we chose Orupa. We shared the baked brie and crab appetizer, which was delicious. She ordered the Salmon pasta and I had one of the specials. The special was a lightly breaded cod filet, served on a bed of lobster stuffed ravioli. The fish had the most perfect layer of breading on it. It was so light and fluffy. The ravioli was average; if the ravioli came out amazing, I would of given this place five stars. We shared a dessert and I believe it was Pot De Crème. It was so thick and rich. The dark chocolate flavor was deep and complex but never over-powering. The Chefs at Orupa know how to let the flavors of food speak for themselves. The dishes are not over sauced or seasoned. That means you can really taste the flavor of your actual food. It is a shame that Salemites seem to love places like Olive Garden and Applebee's. They need to take advantage of the few delicious places that are located in the town.
(4)
Michelle L.
Wanted to celebrate with friends but upon entering Orupa the fact that we were there for happy hour made seating an issue. Took way too long to get drinks-although the blood orange martini was fabulous. Server was not friendly and basically ignored us while he filled drink orders for 2 other tables, answered the phone and talked to another customer about a reservation - all while we waited for our drinks. Why advertise happy hour if you are not happy to serve folks?
(1)
Vanesa D.
I arrived at Orupa with high hopes that I would get a unique meal from a unique Salem restaurant. The lack of culture in Salem is at times oppressing, having lived in Honolulu and NYC. Unfortunately I was greeted by the scent of fish as soon as we walked in. It was enough for us to immediately look at each other, thinking, "fish!?". Fish should never. ever. smell. If it smells then its gone bad. I predicted the fish would be on special- wasn't disappointed. Of course. Fish is always on special when its gone bad. The first pasta dish on the menu is "Mac n Cheese"..ok I'd expect such a place to at least attempt to cover up what the item really is with a little more sophisticated name. We had the mushroom gratin- saturated with flavor. Nothing we couldn't concoct at home. The lamb shank was a nice sized serving but again, too saucy. Meat was perfectly cooked though, I will say that. Won't be back. I was shocked to see that Chuck B. gave it 5-stars. He's got the most discriminating taste in town, so I'm left wondering if perhaps I just came on a bad night. The service is IMPECCABLE. I think with a few menu changes and a willingness to cut losses when the fish goes bad it could be great.
(2)
Travis R.
Met another couple for dinner here the other night. The servers were friendly and seated us promptly. They had a decent martini selection, and offered pendelton and other whiskeys straight for decent prices. Wine selection was good, wife chose a Malbec that didn't disappoint. I ordered the lamb shank special, but unfortunately they were out. So I opted for the lamb burger instead. It came with pommes frites for a side. Oooh lala. I called them fries and didn't receive a reprimand. The lamb burger was alright. Fries were good. Nothing really to complain about. Prices are a little high, but it's what you would expect from a restaurant of this caliber. I will probably come back again. One complaint, outside parking in front of the restaurant there is about 8 spaces with signs stating "PARKING FOR FUEL EFFICIENT VEHICLES ONLY." No electric plug ins, no tow away signs, No Prius only directions. Fuel efficient only huh? Well, when my car is parked, it is nothing but fuel efficient. How convenient.
(4)
Alex B.
This place is a couple of blocks from the core of downtown, across the street from city hall and the library. It has a nice modern atmosphere and good food, but like its predecessor the Old Europe Inn (same owner, different location), it still suffers from somewhat slow service. Although we were seated quickly, and got our water and bread filled and our order taken within a reasonable amount of time, our food took a while. My meatball sandwich (which was fine) sat on the kitchen counter for about 10 minutes before my partner's food was ready, and once both showed up I had to get mine reheated (which was done very quickly). From our view of the kitchen it seemed like there may have been some confusion about orders; we saw a couple of items go back, and a bit of animated discussion between the waitstaff and the chef.
(3)
Alex S.
Reason for 4 out of 5 stars... My beer was not cold. The asparagus salad was amazing. Good Bread. Great Service.
(4)
Billie C.
Beautiful place inside but that doesn't excuse the poor service. When I see a waitress eat her lunch off the serving shelf right next to my table you lose my business. The waitstaff are really young and you can tell they don't care. I did see an older gal walking around and I assume she might be an owner. She needs to get a handle on the waitstaff. I might have to give it one more try though.
(3)
Kathy E.
I must say the bartender is one of Salem's best. His manhattans are made with chinatto d'erbetti from Cana's Feast- they are quite good. I seem to judge my bartenders by their manhattans!
(4)
Terry R.
Not sure what happen but I ordered the carbanara and it came with sliced up salami and pepperoni???? wasn't what the menu said... Burgers looked excellent and so did the cod.
(2)
Kathy J.
I wasn't sure what to expect given the "office building" location, but I was delighted! The service was outstanding, the presentation of food was fun and most importantly the food itself was fantastic! The only thing keeping it from a 5 in my book is the location but we will certainly be back!
(4)
Julianna H.
My horrible experience is far too long to type out. I will give the bullet points -brought me wrong steak ( wrong sauce and stuffed) - server tried to cover up for the kitchen mistake - brought husband wrong steak (was suppose to be stuffed) - screwed up 2nd steak. Brought back my re fired steak in less than 5 min. I ordered med (only because of my pregnant status) my thick ny then bled all over my plate the second I cut into it. Literally a pool of blood on my plate.. Now my sides are swimming in blood too. By this point we had been their way too long and were about to miss our movie. I will NOT go here again. If you can't properly cook a steak you do not deserve my business. Four steaks cooked wrong in one visit is crazy. Also a very rookie staff. Please servers I know what is a FOH mistake and a BOH mistake. Don't lie to me
(1)
Karie A.
This was my first visit to Orupa and I was so impressed! The atmosphere is very modern and comfortable, the employees were very kind and attentive to our needs. The appetizer was beautiful and so delicious! I ordered the asparagus and chicken salad made with fresh spinach leaves for the main entree. The Balsamic Vinaigrette was perfect, not over powering at all. My friend ordered the Chicken l'Indiana, which I have decided to get on my next trip because it was amazing. From the tender, juicy chicken to the mango curry sauce and veggies. Every bit was tasty and not a drop was left on our plates. The service was fast and efficient, and the bartender made our drinks just right. I will be going the next time I am Salem, and I strongly recommend this chic restaurant!
(5)
Todd H.
I only give this place a one star because the waitstaff was really good. But I didn't come to Orupa for great wait staff, I came here for great food. This was the worst meal that I have had in Salem, period. The menu suggests it's a high end restaurant, the food not quite up to task. Ordered the signature Orupa Burger. Now, since you put your name on a burger, this should be one of the best items on the menu. It had a pretzel bun, too sweet. They didn't let the meat rest so the bottom bun was soggy with meat juice.The burger didn't come with condiments. Had to ask for them. They didn't have mayo, just mustard and no ketchup was offered, either. I decided to have a salad instead of fries. Asked for blue cheese dressing. They only offer their oil-based dressing or Caesar. I chose Caesar. Greens were drowned with dressing that came out of a bottle. Horrible. If you offer only two different dressings for salad, they should be home made. It's not that difficult. Couldn't finish the burger or salad. The Orupa burger was definitely not worth the $11 price tag. The other meal was seared Ahi tuna, which was the special of the night. The tuna was OK, but it was frozen, not fresh. I am sure they could have purchased fresh fish that is in season from their supplier. The tuna came on a bed of risotto, which was too heavy for the fish. There was some sort of soy-based glaze that was too sweet for both the risotto and the fish. Once again, disappointment. Also ordered a house green salad that came out on a warm plate. The dressing was lacking acidity, too heavy on the olive oil, and nothing to balance it out. Somebody has to care what is coming out of the kitchen. The menu prices are not unreasonable, but only if you are putting out a quality product. Based on this first experience, I won't be coming back. The wine list should be blown up and started over. Wines by the glass offer no interesting options and no local options. You are in the middle of wine country, so support your locals. No beer list. Just draft options. The bar has an inviting look to it, but the cocktail menu was unimaginative. The atmosphere of Orupa looks high end. Neither the drinks nor the food are up to the task. McMenamins would have been a better option and that's not saying much, but at least I know what I am going to get. The only piece of the puzzle that works is the waitstaff. The owners have a lot of hard to work to do.
(1)
Jordan G.
Ate at Orupa Friday night for the first time with a friend and it was fantastic! We started with their Sangria, it was amazing not to sweet & perfect! We shared a couple different appetizers Naan & Smoked Salmon Hash, the Naan was to die for the flat bread was delicious and everything was so fresh tasty! We also had their house bread which I could have eaten the whole loaf it had a little bit of sweetness and I'm not exaggerating by saying its the best bread I have eaten, no butter needed! Then for my main course I had the Chicken l'Indiana and no joke I could eat that every day, the mango curry had the perfect amount of heat, the chicken was tender, the potatoes were awesome and all the veggies were so fresh & crisp, absolutely delicious! I looked forward to eating my leftovers the next day! My desert was chef pick, it was some sort of fresh fruit & custard parfait & even though I was already stuffed I just couldn't resist, It was delightful and the perfect way to end an excellent meal! On top of all the delicious food the atmosphere of the restaurant was wonderful perfect lighting, the decor was beautiful, the restaurant was extremely clean and the service was amazing, the servers we very prompt and pleasant! The whole experience was great and I can not wait to go back!
(5)
N N.
If you're the owner, please read this review. I was so pleased to drive by and see such a classy business in Salem. When we arrived, my first impressions of Orupa were positive and what I had imagined. However, within minutes, it was apparent that the staff were going to kill this business. On a Sunday evening, it was really slow for business, but we had to wait for 5-10 minutes while the staff did ???? They were no where to be found. The roof top seating appeared to be comfortable. However, our evening was distrupted by the staff's friends boozing it up and being loud and disrespectful. We were ignored, as the staff were more interested in their friends. The food was ok, not great. I'm bummed.....wish it would have been a better experience.
(2)
Peter J.
Great atmosphere and wonderful people. Food is outstanding, and look for the homemade white and red sangria. Top of my dining list in Salem
(4)
David H.
Let's see...dirty, sticky glassware, ordered salad that never arrived, server claims the restaurant ran out of bread, my scallops arrived to the table cold, another diner at our table had rancid ahi tuna. You could smell it was bad fish when it arrived at the table! The waitress spilled liquid from another diners plate on the shoes of one of our guests. We were at the table for a lengthy time because of the 20 minute wait to get a new dinner cooked for the rancid tuna diner. Everybody else at the table was done eating before the replacment meal arrived. Waitress asked us to leave the table because they had another party waiting. We were seated in the bar. To their credit, they comp'ed us a round of drinks and 2 desserts even though we did not ask them too, but that did not make up for the disaster. The only reason I am giving 2 stars instead of 1 is because the food was actually pretty good other than the tuna. Other diners at our table that had been to the restaurant previously said the food preparation was very inconsistant and unpredictable. We will not return.
(2)
Desiree H.
A friend and I went here and wanted to check it out being that it is fairly new to Salem. The bartender, Bruce was very courteous and suggested that we try out his signature martinis. I had the mango and my friend had the black currant. They were both wonderful. We shared a hummus dish with pita, tomatoes, and olives..it also was very good.
(4)
Vin T.
The atmosphere is ok, but the food is no better than you're get at Applebees. The prices were too high for the quality. I left underwhelmed and won't return.
(2)
Laura D.
I'm sad to see that Orupa's reviews aren't very high - I thought their food was absolutely delicious! I had the pork chop in BBQ sauce and my fiance had the fettucine gamberi (pasta with prawns and a slightly spicy cream sauce). Both were very flavorful and the little chocolate desserts we shared afterwards were also fantastic. I'd go back in a heartbeat if $60 fell from the sky. I'm very happy to see a new independent restaurant in Salem, even if it's above my price point, and I'm even happier that it's reliable and delicious.
(4)
Liz A.
This is a pretty good restaurant. Our waiter (Chad) was exceptional which made it even better. I went the day before Valentine's Day and I remember going to the family's old restaurant which had a more European feel, I really liked that place just because it had a unique cuisine that you couldn't find anywhere else in Salem, like escargot. What I enjoyed about this place was the atmosphere, it wasn't a very open atmosphere but not too cozy either, a comfortable feel. Their menu had a good selection, same with the wine and cocktail menus, the food was rich and delicious, beautifully presented with a lot of colors...and I absolutely LOVE the truffles on top of the potatoes, it was the perfect little extra flavor. You must try their dessert selection, one of my favorite desserts is fruit tarts...their version is quite interesting, it's not too powerful, it's very calm and settle, but the raspberry compote sauce was the little touch that it needed, and as usual, beautifully presented. Why did I give it only four stars? They need to have better lighting, it doesn't even have to be additional lights, simply candles on the tables in the evenings would give it that extra touch..and perhaps turn up the heat a little because it was rather chilly.
(4)
Tanna M.
Disappointed for the second time. First time appetizers in the bar area. Which is tiny at best but cute so I overlooked that. Place was practically empty but had to wait for a wine list. Again a minor flaw that can be overlooked. Lovely owner brought me the list after I requested it and visited for a few minutes. Once again I'm happy as I enjoy the conversation and a nice wine list. Friends arrive and we order happy hour appetizers. Here in lies the disappointment. Sliders are served med rare and cold, calamari is cold, vegetables tempura is cold. Strange thing once again is no one is here but they couldn't seem to get out a hot dish let alone ask us how it was. We decided to say nothing as we were hungry and had already waited. Thank God for good company! Last night was a party of six with reservations that could not be found. Luckily once again the staff worked hard to work through that little snafu. Once a table was found that was big enough for us we began our food adventure. Waitress was very sweet and started us off with drinks right away. Love the wine list and prices again and starting to get excited about the food as the menu looks fabulous. As we find out about the specials 4 out of 6 of us were so impressed with the sounds of the seafood ravioli we decide to partake. Disappointed to say the least. No real flavor and the tiniest portion I have ever seen! Where is the rest of my dinner is my thought! The other 2 ordered the hanger steak and spaghetti. The hanger steak was ok at best. A much larger portion but chewy. The seafood dishes and the hanger steak were all served warm not hot. The spaghetti was by far the best dish steamy hot with great flavor. 1 out of 6 not bad right!?!??! The place was packed by the time we finished. I do hope others had better luck then us. Will I try it again? I'm not sure the wine list and lovely staff can make up for all the other disappointments. Salem just doesn't have a lot to chose from.
(2)
Ame W.
I met some friends for happy hour and we were all so hungry we ended up staying for dinner. The service was good. We sat on the rooftop bar and the young kid that served us was polite. Unfortunately, he was not well informed about the menu. He rattled of the nights special that sounded great to me: sole and potatoes with a parmesan cream sauce for $20. I asked if it was gluten free and he said it was not but the chef had an alternative preparation for gluten free patrons. So I ordered it. My husband ordered the margarita pizza. My meal came out and was just dry fish and basically hasbrowns; no sauce at all and my husband's pizza had Sysco tomatoes that were barely even red and a very small amount of basil. HOW DISAPPOINTING. After drinks and dinner the meal cost over $150 and was not worth it. I will not return. I thought about calling the restaurant and complaining (since I did not want to do so in front of the company we shared) but figured any restaurant that was willing to send out a plain dish and charge that much for a "gluten free" alternative was not sensitive to this customer's dietary needs and I knew I would not return to give another chance. Sorry Orupa, but you missed the mark big time. Also the cocktails were skimpy on the alcohol.
(1)
Carissa B.
The food was ok, I found it to be a little bland. The wait staff seemed unorganized and not attentative enough. I understand it's a new place so I will give it another try as it settles in to the new location.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : No Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street, Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Romantic Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Dogs Allowed : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Blake H.
Went to dinner with our kids who say this is there go to place. I see why, very friendly staff. They even moved us because they had a large (loud) group up front. And then they allowed us to sit window side outside of the open kitchen. We all had different dishes but I will focus on mine, the pepper steak. I ordered it medium and it was perfect. It was very tender and tasty. The vegetables and mashed on the side were also delicious. Next time we are in town this is a strong option for us.
(5)Samantha H.
Went to Orupa on an impromptu visit with some friends and really enjoyed myself! This was not my first time here and I intend to return in the future. The staff was very nice and we sat on the rooftop which was scenic and relaxing. Although this place has a reputation for being over-priced, I disagree. There is a great happy hour and outside of the happy hour the food is well worth the price. It is similarly priced to other nicer restaurants in Salem. I suggest sitting on the rooftop, the chop salad, and the pomaberry martini.
(5)Mister S.
If this was the last place in Salem open on the weekend I would try another's bar in another city. While their drinks were OK the service was very lacking in knowledge of the menu, attention to customer needs, and cleanliness. I ordered one of their margarita pizzas and I would compare it to A frozen pizza from Safeway, only with nicer garnishment
(1)Jon H.
Don't waste your money! We went for a date nite and regret we did. Both entrees failed to impress, infact they failed in general. Looks are very deceiving! You know when you have to put a mile high presentation on EVERYTHING maybe your compensating for something?one dish bland and unmemorable for price. Ahi tuna- dry and shredded like dry chicken breast! HORRIBLE Flavor meh. Should have sent it back, but seriously I'm not a complainer. Created yelp solely to rate this restaurant:( We did have the " pleasure" of watching whom I imagine the mngr/owner? behind the bar flirting and showing off his bar tricks with the female customers and new wait staff--- whom he could have spent time more wisely actually training as the obviously new staff bumbled rudely over our service. Thought we would try to drown our sorrows with dessert --- the most horrible travesty of tiramisu I have ever seen. It was runny like soup! *sigh* not even in the ball park! Don't bother one or two tries, we have wasted date nite 1 year apart and no change with 2nd visit a even more a total travesty! Can't be a coincidence!?
(1)Matt L.
I have never been impressed with this place. It has many good reviews and I honestly don't know how. Aside from a good wine list, the food is very average. I ordered both the meat and cheese plates and both were the worst I've ever had. The cheese plate was literally cantaloupe and apples with a hunk of blue cheese. I've had a steak that was mediocre at best. Only redeeming factor is they carry Orin swifts wines. There are 2-300+ restaurants in portland that have much better food quality for half the price.
(1)Holly E.
Sitting on the rooftop would have been great, but wasn't offered to us. Only found out about it when offered to others! Service (aside from that) okay. Food okay. All wine kept upright at room temp (warm). Interior (seeing how didn't get to see rooftop) pretty beat up and worn looking. Won't be back.
(2)Timothy R.
On a recent family outing, we were looking for a classy restaurant experience. I believe we found it at Orupa. Granted, it's not cheap. But then again, many of the finer things in life are not. Many of the family members opted for different incarnations of the daily special. Mine was the Red Snapper with Crab Salsa. It was a hefty chunk of flaky white fish covered in crab salsa over a bed of mashed potatoes. The sauce was excellent. I would have liked a little more crab but all in all a nice dish. I had a sample of the Ahi Tuna and the Hangar Steak with Shitake Mushrooms. Both were exceptional. Real winners. The Ahi was perfectly done and seasoned well. The Steak was covered in a pepper brandy sauce. I would definitely try either again. We washed it down with a nice Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley (who knew Californians could make a great Pinot!) and a Napa Valley Cabernet. To top it off, the service was outstanding. It was a very pleasant evening. Great food, wine, and company. What more could you ask for.
(5)Adam V.
My partner and I started coming here by the coupon route. Buy one get one entree kind of thing. Let me deconstruct their food: - Meat: I've had steak and chicken here, and both were pretty stellar. Moist and flavorful, cooking meat is definitely one of their strong suits. - Starch: Blegh. Mashed potatoes DEFINITELY taste like they came from a box. Also, the chef gets really fussy when you try to choose the starch, which is BS in my mind. - Drinks: Good, but nothing to call home about. You could get the same quality of drinks at Venti's at a cheaper price. I want to like this place enough to be a regular, but its prices are not backed up by good enough food or drinks. I may even pay a little more to just feel fancy, but somehow they fail on that point too.
(3)Trevor E.
Get the Orupa burger! It is a burger with flair! Great taste and the homemade bun is perfect. Fries are excellent too. Service is on point and they are pros!
(5)C F.
Excellent food and service. My husband and I enjoyed a date night away from the kids. We will be back!
(5)Jean D.
Salem's good restaurants are few and far between, with way too many national chains overshadowing the creative local establishments. Fine dining suffers most of all, so thank goodness for Orupa. Casual enough to be comfortable, yet with a menu sophisticated enough to be called fine dining. Whilst I'll always have a first impression of a restaurant, and the quality of its food, I prefer to go back again to confirm, or revise, my opinion. For all the right reasons I've been back to Orupa more times than I can count! Yes, I think it's one of Salem's top restaurants. Just try the crisp asparagus salad at lunch, or their simply irresistible and totally delicious fries. I've only ever had one lunch I wasn't 100% enjoying, and that was because I'd ordered fish that came with light lemon sauce and rice pilaf, and I really wanted those chubby meatballs and tendrils of spaghetti on my friends plate!( more jealousy on my part than a fault of my fish!) I've also taken business associates to Orupa and Orupa's food, wines, cocktails and service have contributed to some successful business lunches and dinners. The pricing is reasonable, it rarely takes long to be seated. Parking is available. See you there!!
(5)Jeff H.
Finally stopped in here with a friend on a Monday night for dinner. I...did not have a grand experience, though I'm hoping that's something of an anomaly. I want to try again, and perhaps will, as some of my distaste was my own fault, but others seemed to be the restaurants. When I arrived, my friend had already been seated. At a booth in the middle of the traffic aisle leading to the bathroom, and right next to the kitchen, directly in the setting sun without the shades drawn. What a horrid seat. I could have asked to move...but honestly, why sit us there when the rest of the restaurant was not crowded and had better options? The waiter was new. Very new. He stumbled over most of the menu, did not have great answers to questions, would forget certain bits, and had to redetermine again and again what we ordered. He was not a -bad- waiter, though, as he went out of his way to make sure our order was right...you could just tell he was nervous about being in an upscale restaurant as a waiter and knew what was expected. I don't hold it against him, but perhaps Orupa should have taken time to train him better, or hire a more seasoned waiter to present the more classy image that they're going for. Anyhow, Monday had an incredible deal. Burger and Brew for $10. I was going to go with the pasta, but I couldn't pass that up. Considering most of their drinks go for $10 and up, and the burger itself was about that amount, it seemed well worth it. The burger was just a burger with condiments and havarti cheese, along with a side of pommes frites. The beer was somewhat warmish though, I will say. Therein lies the downfall, though. I have never had havarti cheese, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I did not like it. That's not the restaurants fault, though, so I'm not dinging it for that. The pommes frites (i.e. french fries) though were very, very well made and nicely done. Our whole bill together came out to $30, thanks to the extra drink my friend had. It was a great deal, honestly, and the food wasn't bad, quality-wise, I just find it hard to rate food based on how much of it I ate, which wasn't very much. I intend to go back...and get the pasta and wine instead. I have the feeling that this is a restaurant that has certain things it does well...and does those very well. I want to give it another shot, sometime in the future.
(2)Aaron W.
Finally decided to give this place another go about a week or so back. At around noon, the place wasn't crowded, but business lunches seemed the "in" thing around here. The inside is lovely, perfect for such a situation. The menu looked pretty good (one page, with an array of options), but I was interested in their BLT wrap special ($10.95), which used prosciutto, Romaine lettuce, and their housemade naan (instead of a tortilla). The prosciutto was an absolute winner, and I thought the lightly toasted naan worked very well here. I also had their soup of the day, a sauerkraut chowder-like dish that had a lovely, controlled tang. The shredded sauerkraut maintained the slightest crunchiness. Great stuff. Panda cartwheels for the prosciutto! My friend enjoyed Orupa's take on French Onion Soup. A soothing broth, not overly powerful, but nice flavor. The bread inside the soup had softened, enabling that starch to be cut with a spoon. The stringy melted cheese was panda-dancing good. Our basket of bread was excellent: light, with subtle herb qualities. We had a very pleasant, attentive server. Orupa definitely got back in my good graces here. We'll be back for more!
(4)Sally D.
Orupa has always been a favorite of mine, however I hadn't been there in quite a while. On our recent visit, I was so disappointed with the service and meal. My husband ordered the hanger steak special and his meal was good, although not very hot. I ordered the lobster ravioli and shrimp special. My meal came out cold!! It took a long time for the waiter to come back (we were on the roof top) to replace my meal. When he brought back a new dish, it was warmer than the first, but still not hot. I ate it anyway, but told the waiter that it still wasn't hot. The bread was stale and dry, I've always enjoyed their fresh bread. This was not up to Orupa's previous standards. I don't know if Hans still owns Orupa, but I know this was not his standard from Old Europe Inn or our previous visits to Orupa. The roof top area is a great place to enjoy the nice weather. That was the best part of the visit. There was no compensation for a lousy meal - not even a glass of wine removed from our bill (which was quite high). I hope this was a fluke and not the new norm for Orupa.
(3)John B.
Received poor service during happy hour. Got my beer order wrong--twice. Food wasn't very good either. The margarita pizza came with smoked mozzarella...although the menu makes no mention of the pungent cheese. I'll be back for dinner someday...but you lost me on happy hour.
(3)Karen S.
One of the nicer places to dine in Salem. The food and the service were very good.
(4)Jacylin C.
Food was great along with decor. Top it off we had a coupon that saved us a lot of money. Awesome spot.
(4)Roger S.
this restaurant has been in town for quite a few years, its previous incarnation was the old European inn. it's a beautiful little restaurant with a patio on the roof. definitely one of the better restaurants in Salem Oregon, and its price point is right on. quite a few specials each day. I have quite a few friends who enjoy this place as well as I do. the chef is a stickler and everything he serves his ultra-fresh and local. this is a very fine representation of what Northwest food should be like, without having to drive to Portland to do it. Bon Appetit.
(4)Nicole Y.
I've driven past this place all the time and wanted to try it and finally came with my dad when he was in town. Right when we entered it was such a nice ambience we were greeted and seated immediately. The service was great throughout the entire night from the start of the meal to the end. The food was AMAZING especially with an emphasis on the presentation. I had the ahi tuna special and my dad had the pork chop special and both were fantastic especially the sauce with the ahi tuna. My drink the Martini special was delicious as well. Next time I come I definitely want to sit on the roof top terrace and this is definitely a place I would come back to.
(5)Amanda M.
Sat on the rooftop, which is by far the best seats in Salem on a sunny day. I highly recommend the paparass (sp?) a flat bread topped w/olives, peppers & a balsamic vinegar sauce served on a cutting board. I had the asparagus chicken salad which lived up to its name. My husband on the other hand ordered the seared ahi tuna, it looked a little gray on the outside, to me grey does not equate to seared. My husband, gracious as he is, did not complain and ate it anyways. Overall the experience was good,I however would not order a tuna special again.
(3)Rachel B.
Great menu, great service. its overall a really quiet and tasty place to bring a date. its more of an upscale feeling, so if you want something casual, this isnt quite the place, at least not for me. the food is good. Take your gal there for a classy night out. and get her flowers too. :) but for an everyday date place, choose elsewhere. this place is just not so casual.
(4)Cheryl N.
Went here with the fam last Saturday night to celebrate my grandma's 87th birthday. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu items and answered all of our many questions. We munched on yummy bread and sipped on Sangria and chatted for a bit until our food came. I got the Pasta Carbonara which was lightly seasoned with olive oil and other herbs and spices with pieces of ham, salami, and prosciutto. Please do not order this meal without the meat, it would be an injustice. The spiciness of the meat really added flavor to the pasta. There were 6 of us in our party and everyone ordered something different and loved it all. I snagged one od my brother's fries and will definitely be ordering those next time. I was a little disappointed that we spent so much money there and they didn't even bring out a little treat for my grandma's birthday. Also, the server indicated that their website is outdated because they lost the domain and are unable to update it...slightly annoying because I was craving the prosciutto, asparagus, and goat cheese appetizer they showed online. However, I do plan to go back. Next time I go it will probably be during happy hour from 4 to 6 where apps are 1/2 price at the bar!
(4)Mike B.
Once again ORUPA delivers. We went there last Thursday for a spur of the moment dinner and made reservations on the way. Upon arrival we were seated and the bartender immediately came to the table to explain the drink and dinner specials for the evening. All sounded wonderful. I started with the Blood Orange Martini and finished with the Black Currant Martini! Our meals were wonderfully prepared and presented. Dessert was in our future and the freshly baked chocolate chip cookie in a cast iron pan with ice cream was delectable! Fine Dining has a home in Salem and it's name is Orupa!
(5)Kristy F.
The chop chop salad was good, nicely flavored, with well cooked asparagus. But for my personal taste, it would've been better with arugula. Frankly I'd prefer any salad with arugula, so it's not really a critique. The lamb dish was delicious, with really good flavor paired with the perfect, soft, parmigiana sprinkled bread (and I am not a bread eater). I sopped that bread in the dishes juices, cleaning the plate... yummers! I don't really like balls of meat, so that wasn't my favorite part of the dish, but they even were good. The fresh zucchini and peppers were wonderful. The naan bread dish was meh, but I liked the peppers in it, such an interesting addition, I haven't seen them used before---nice flavor. The bread used wasn't really naanish and I'd prefer a more traditional garlic naan. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't bother to order it again. I had the carbonara pasta. The flavor of the pasta suace was really good, but the bucatini pasta noodle was the wrong noodle choice. It was just off. You can tell the chef knows what he is doing, the combinations can just perfected better. Overall it was a good meal, with some great points. With some tweaks, it could really be fantastic. However, my favorite part, which I was leery of at first, was the desert. I had an excellent server, so attentive and kind. He barely blinked when I ordered enough for three, even though I was alone. But when I went to order desert, I was bummed they didn't have the carrot cake---like listed in their online menu. So I thought I'd settle for the apple strudel. When I ordered it (and this took guts) the waiter, seeing I had already boxed up most of what I'd ordered, asked me if I lived far from there. I thought he was hesitant about the ice cream. But he surprised me and suggested I get the dessert to go, uncooked. Uhhhh, I was not enthused. But he stuck to his guns and told me it wasn't good not eaten immediately, saying it would get sodden and mushy. He gave me patient instructions on how to cook it, including a piece of parchment paper to ensure it 'popped and puffed' correctly. I took it home, eventually got hungry again and followed his instructions. Voila: perfection. I'm not a huge dessert fan and normally skip it. But because of this brave waiter, it's one of the best ones I've ever had. I'm so impressed by him. I eat out a lot, and really love food---so his care turned a good meal, into a memory, a lovely one at that. He even chased after me to return my card. It is rare that someone eating alone, is given such consistent, attentive service, throughout the meal. And that alone, even without the really yummy food that was present, would make me recommend this highly. Fellow restaurateurs will appreciate this, so please support a place that hires and keeps (he's been on staff for years, I've seen him before) employees like that, who care most about the quality of the experience, not the sale. Ps:it was the bald waiter---and unlike previous reviews (I saw on urban spoon about him), I was alone and probably looked like a low $ sale, but he was attentive, respectful and kind. It makes me think some people are hard to please and just want to be negative. Servers aren't slaves, they're not lower than us just because we are paying them. If you get 'bad' service, they may just be just responding to your negative attitude. They're judging us too. It doesn't hurt to be a thoughtful human, no matter if you're getting paid or not. The saying goes"your attitude dictates my response". If you consistently get bad service where you go, look at the common denominator: you.
(4)Joy J.
We went a few times prior to this review. I think we were more desperate for decent food in Salem as recent transplants from Denver and were taste-blind our first meal at Orupa. We enjoyed our first visit and had even recommended the place (in passing) to colleagues. The second went drastically downhill from there. The calamari fritters were as tender as could be (though completely unseasoned and therefore just as bland as wallpaper paste) but the sauce had all spice removed so it was just a hot (temperature) tomato mush. The margherita pizza was a joke. The dough might have been store-bought and there were four slices of tomato on the cheese but the only hint of basil was the small sprig of fresh basil stuck onto the center of the "pizza." I can't imagine how or why someone considering themselves to be a chef would use a store-bought cheese blend (with yellow cheese in it, no less) on something supposedly European, specifically Italian. I asked for a salad with some arugula (not "a-roo-gyou-la" as our waitress repeatedly called it) and some grilled chicken. The chicken was outright inedible - dry and rubbery (quite an accomplishment, in the worst possible way) and gristly, served at room temperature. I'm pretty sure the grill marks were painted on during the manufacturing process. My husband's lobster ravioli was so inedible he couldn't do more than two bites. I'm fairly sure that the actual chef quit and the food being served is prepared by the janitor. To call it gross and revolting would just scratch the surface. Under no circumstance will we ever, ever return to Orupa.
(1)Ashley B.
In town visiting family and we decided to try out this place as they have a great reputation around town. The food was very, very disappointing. We ordered the: Chicken Oscar- supposedly a bone-in chicken breast with a Brie and crab topping. The chicken was not bone-in, they were two once-frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts. The sauce was okay, the crab was okay. There was no Brie to speak of on the plate.. In fact instead there was a bleu cheese with a startlingly intense bite to it, which caused me to not want another bite. The mashed potatoes were inedible as they were without a doubt the same taste and consistency as potatoes from a box. Fettuccine Gamberi- decent, but nothing to write home about. Akin to a lean cuisine entree. Very small prawns. Prawn Scampi- by far the worst dish. The rice was over cooked. The seasoning is completely out of whack. It honestly tasted like they dumped some grocery store pre-mixed seasoning packets in, and too many at that. It literally came with three prawns. Three. Mind you, this entree was upwards of $20. Mac and cheese- best dish on the table. Not life changing, but edible. Other notes: The bread had great texture, but the flavor was unsatisfactory. For a supposedly fine dining experience (as indicated by the prices), I would expect much more in terms of decor. It was very tacky, with cheap fraying leather black and red chairs, walls littered with bargain-bin art, and my least favorite, plastic salt and pepper grinders that they had undoubtedly bought from Safeway and taken the labels off of. The service was decent... Waters were filled and plates were cleared. However certain things would've been appreciated, like being told in advance that the hot chocolate strudel takes 15 minutes to cook rather than when we were ordering dessert. The dessert was the best feature of the meal. I enjoyed the pot de creme and the tiramisu. I personally was not wowed by the hot chocolate strudel but others at the table enjoyed it. All in all, it was a high price to pay for an extremely unsatisfying meal. It is rare for me to truly feel so disappointed by overall food quality and taste-- usually I can find something to appreciate. The fact that the dishes not only were not as described on the menu, but were completely off in flavor profile, makes me wonder who is cooking back there. I expected much more of this place.
(2)Madison C.
Went to Orupa tonight with my husband for our date night dinner! It was pretty busy and loud with other big parties and our hostess offered to sit us in a room in the back where no one else was so we could have a more private dinner! Our appetizers, dinner, and dessert were fantastic! (I would recommend their crème brûlée!) Jack was our server and he was very professional and attentive to our needs! We will definitely ask for him to serve us on our next visit! The hostess mickaeyla was very sweet and even though she wasn't our server she took great care of us and engaged in conversation with us to show she cared and wanted us to feel welcome! I would tell anyone to come check out Orupa! It was one of the best dining experiences I have had in a long time!
(5)Sarah M.
Great customer service! The waiter we had was super knowledgeable about wines and made some great recommendations and was very personable!
(5)P H.
Had dinner there on Sat. night. Charcuterie plate was mostly pepperonie - yuk- but the small picked peppers were good. Then the carbonara- was terrible with mostly julienned pepperoni!, a tiny bit of prosciutto, with a bit of very dry tasteless pasta. They made it again for me but it was truly terrible- I don't think there was a drop of butter or egg in it....very amateurish....I should have sent it back and not paid for it. BUT the pork chop with port sauce and mashed potatoes my husband had, was great. I've had lunch here before and salad was good....IF I eat there again I will ask a lot more questions about my choices.
(2)Kat J.
Love this place!! As soon as we walked in we were seated. Our waitress was wonderful and stayed on top of everything all night. The piano man was delightful with the songs he chose. The atmosphere was beautiful and the smell of fresh food from the kitchen was heavenly. We let our waitress know the several different allergies among our group and she went above and beyond to accommodate everyone. The food was delicious and had flawless presentation. The bread appetizer had oil and vinegar, and the drinks were well balanced and great! The top two on the drink menu are unforgettably good. Salads were well done and not too much or too little. Between the steak and Ahi that we ordered, the dinner was amazing! No complaints and every allergy was addressed flawlessly. To top it off the dessert was to die for! Beautiful and honestly the best creme bulé I've ever had. Perfectly melted on top and didn't leave you the feeling of too much. I'd definitely recommend it to friends, family and even a perfect stranger, it is that good. I typically have a high expectation for such places considering, and they exceeded mine. It was enjoyable, relaxing and wonderful!
(5)Dayna D.
I went here knowing that they were only rated at 3 1/2 stars. Usually I obey that red flag, but I was in town for an event at the Riverfront Park and wanted to keep my dinner within walking distance. I figured it was worth a shot because the menu looked appetizing online. The place was dead at 6 on a Saturday. That should have been the next red flag, but I still proceeded. The interior had nice modern decor, with the exception of the awful booth upholstery that looked like it was recycled from a bowling alley out of the 80's. They had some sleep smooth jazz playing...just not my thang. My waiter seemed friendly enough at the start. Clearly though, service was not his forte. After he took my order, he seated a table of 4 ladies and managed to bring them all drinks before me. I know I was only a lonely table of one that day, but still...not okay. It took him about 15 minutes to get my drink to me. I ordered a Asian Mojito, which came in a pint glass...thought it was my lucky day, but it was extremely weak for a delayed $9 mixed drink. Portions on the appetizers, "To Share," plates were smaller than expected, especially at $9 and $8 a piece. The steak skewers included 2 skewers that were about 5" long, extremely fatty and rather disappointing. The foccacia bread was nice, but came in a tiny personal pizza sized pan, probably in the 5" diameter range..still a bit pricey for bread. It took some time to get the check and even more time for him to take my payment. His bus boy, who was very friendly, wound up seeing the look of frustration on my face and took my payment. Typically, even if the food is bleh and the service is okay, I still leave at least a 20% tip. This was the first time I ever left a crappy tip, something like 15%. I felt guilty, but not as guilty as I did for awful service and mediocre food experience.
(1)Missy W.
My stars would not be given to the downstairs service staff or the atmosphere as I didn't think our food was really good at all and the cocktails were overpriced and really weak. We went for dinner downstairs and it wasn't memorable. The portions were tiny and not filling at all. I'm not looking to get stuffed when I go out, but I should want to eat anything else when I leave a place. What my 3 stars are for is the rooftop bar experience my husband and I were invited to join after dinner! Since we spent over $100, the waiter said we could join upstairs for the fourth of July fireworks viewing. This was awesome! We enjoyed some l've music, delicisou sangria and tasted some appetizers. The food was so much better than what we had just spent for dinner downstairs. I would do the rooftop party again!
(3)Sara M.
Someone needs to take this place a little more seriously; this place is delicious. I used to live in Salem, and I know all about the food options is this town. There are hardly any places worth eating at in sleepy Salem. Orupa is a must try if you are anywhere near this area. I just recently had the opportunity to take my beautiful Maid of Honor out for a special dinner and we chose Orupa. We shared the baked brie and crab appetizer, which was delicious. She ordered the Salmon pasta and I had one of the specials. The special was a lightly breaded cod filet, served on a bed of lobster stuffed ravioli. The fish had the most perfect layer of breading on it. It was so light and fluffy. The ravioli was average; if the ravioli came out amazing, I would of given this place five stars. We shared a dessert and I believe it was Pot De Crème. It was so thick and rich. The dark chocolate flavor was deep and complex but never over-powering. The Chefs at Orupa know how to let the flavors of food speak for themselves. The dishes are not over sauced or seasoned. That means you can really taste the flavor of your actual food. It is a shame that Salemites seem to love places like Olive Garden and Applebee's. They need to take advantage of the few delicious places that are located in the town.
(4)Michelle L.
Wanted to celebrate with friends but upon entering Orupa the fact that we were there for happy hour made seating an issue. Took way too long to get drinks-although the blood orange martini was fabulous. Server was not friendly and basically ignored us while he filled drink orders for 2 other tables, answered the phone and talked to another customer about a reservation - all while we waited for our drinks. Why advertise happy hour if you are not happy to serve folks?
(1)Vanesa D.
I arrived at Orupa with high hopes that I would get a unique meal from a unique Salem restaurant. The lack of culture in Salem is at times oppressing, having lived in Honolulu and NYC. Unfortunately I was greeted by the scent of fish as soon as we walked in. It was enough for us to immediately look at each other, thinking, "fish!?". Fish should never. ever. smell. If it smells then its gone bad. I predicted the fish would be on special- wasn't disappointed. Of course. Fish is always on special when its gone bad. The first pasta dish on the menu is "Mac n Cheese"..ok I'd expect such a place to at least attempt to cover up what the item really is with a little more sophisticated name. We had the mushroom gratin- saturated with flavor. Nothing we couldn't concoct at home. The lamb shank was a nice sized serving but again, too saucy. Meat was perfectly cooked though, I will say that. Won't be back. I was shocked to see that Chuck B. gave it 5-stars. He's got the most discriminating taste in town, so I'm left wondering if perhaps I just came on a bad night. The service is IMPECCABLE. I think with a few menu changes and a willingness to cut losses when the fish goes bad it could be great.
(2)Travis R.
Met another couple for dinner here the other night. The servers were friendly and seated us promptly. They had a decent martini selection, and offered pendelton and other whiskeys straight for decent prices. Wine selection was good, wife chose a Malbec that didn't disappoint. I ordered the lamb shank special, but unfortunately they were out. So I opted for the lamb burger instead. It came with pommes frites for a side. Oooh lala. I called them fries and didn't receive a reprimand. The lamb burger was alright. Fries were good. Nothing really to complain about. Prices are a little high, but it's what you would expect from a restaurant of this caliber. I will probably come back again. One complaint, outside parking in front of the restaurant there is about 8 spaces with signs stating "PARKING FOR FUEL EFFICIENT VEHICLES ONLY." No electric plug ins, no tow away signs, No Prius only directions. Fuel efficient only huh? Well, when my car is parked, it is nothing but fuel efficient. How convenient.
(4)Alex B.
This place is a couple of blocks from the core of downtown, across the street from city hall and the library. It has a nice modern atmosphere and good food, but like its predecessor the Old Europe Inn (same owner, different location), it still suffers from somewhat slow service. Although we were seated quickly, and got our water and bread filled and our order taken within a reasonable amount of time, our food took a while. My meatball sandwich (which was fine) sat on the kitchen counter for about 10 minutes before my partner's food was ready, and once both showed up I had to get mine reheated (which was done very quickly). From our view of the kitchen it seemed like there may have been some confusion about orders; we saw a couple of items go back, and a bit of animated discussion between the waitstaff and the chef.
(3)Alex S.
Reason for 4 out of 5 stars... My beer was not cold. The asparagus salad was amazing. Good Bread. Great Service.
(4)Billie C.
Beautiful place inside but that doesn't excuse the poor service. When I see a waitress eat her lunch off the serving shelf right next to my table you lose my business. The waitstaff are really young and you can tell they don't care. I did see an older gal walking around and I assume she might be an owner. She needs to get a handle on the waitstaff. I might have to give it one more try though.
(3)Kathy E.
I must say the bartender is one of Salem's best. His manhattans are made with chinatto d'erbetti from Cana's Feast- they are quite good. I seem to judge my bartenders by their manhattans!
(4)Terry R.
Not sure what happen but I ordered the carbanara and it came with sliced up salami and pepperoni???? wasn't what the menu said... Burgers looked excellent and so did the cod.
(2)Kathy J.
I wasn't sure what to expect given the "office building" location, but I was delighted! The service was outstanding, the presentation of food was fun and most importantly the food itself was fantastic! The only thing keeping it from a 5 in my book is the location but we will certainly be back!
(4)Julianna H.
My horrible experience is far too long to type out. I will give the bullet points -brought me wrong steak ( wrong sauce and stuffed) - server tried to cover up for the kitchen mistake - brought husband wrong steak (was suppose to be stuffed) - screwed up 2nd steak. Brought back my re fired steak in less than 5 min. I ordered med (only because of my pregnant status) my thick ny then bled all over my plate the second I cut into it. Literally a pool of blood on my plate.. Now my sides are swimming in blood too. By this point we had been their way too long and were about to miss our movie. I will NOT go here again. If you can't properly cook a steak you do not deserve my business. Four steaks cooked wrong in one visit is crazy. Also a very rookie staff. Please servers I know what is a FOH mistake and a BOH mistake. Don't lie to me
(1)Karie A.
This was my first visit to Orupa and I was so impressed! The atmosphere is very modern and comfortable, the employees were very kind and attentive to our needs. The appetizer was beautiful and so delicious! I ordered the asparagus and chicken salad made with fresh spinach leaves for the main entree. The Balsamic Vinaigrette was perfect, not over powering at all. My friend ordered the Chicken l'Indiana, which I have decided to get on my next trip because it was amazing. From the tender, juicy chicken to the mango curry sauce and veggies. Every bit was tasty and not a drop was left on our plates. The service was fast and efficient, and the bartender made our drinks just right. I will be going the next time I am Salem, and I strongly recommend this chic restaurant!
(5)Todd H.
I only give this place a one star because the waitstaff was really good. But I didn't come to Orupa for great wait staff, I came here for great food. This was the worst meal that I have had in Salem, period. The menu suggests it's a high end restaurant, the food not quite up to task. Ordered the signature Orupa Burger. Now, since you put your name on a burger, this should be one of the best items on the menu. It had a pretzel bun, too sweet. They didn't let the meat rest so the bottom bun was soggy with meat juice.The burger didn't come with condiments. Had to ask for them. They didn't have mayo, just mustard and no ketchup was offered, either. I decided to have a salad instead of fries. Asked for blue cheese dressing. They only offer their oil-based dressing or Caesar. I chose Caesar. Greens were drowned with dressing that came out of a bottle. Horrible. If you offer only two different dressings for salad, they should be home made. It's not that difficult. Couldn't finish the burger or salad. The Orupa burger was definitely not worth the $11 price tag. The other meal was seared Ahi tuna, which was the special of the night. The tuna was OK, but it was frozen, not fresh. I am sure they could have purchased fresh fish that is in season from their supplier. The tuna came on a bed of risotto, which was too heavy for the fish. There was some sort of soy-based glaze that was too sweet for both the risotto and the fish. Once again, disappointment. Also ordered a house green salad that came out on a warm plate. The dressing was lacking acidity, too heavy on the olive oil, and nothing to balance it out. Somebody has to care what is coming out of the kitchen. The menu prices are not unreasonable, but only if you are putting out a quality product. Based on this first experience, I won't be coming back. The wine list should be blown up and started over. Wines by the glass offer no interesting options and no local options. You are in the middle of wine country, so support your locals. No beer list. Just draft options. The bar has an inviting look to it, but the cocktail menu was unimaginative. The atmosphere of Orupa looks high end. Neither the drinks nor the food are up to the task. McMenamins would have been a better option and that's not saying much, but at least I know what I am going to get. The only piece of the puzzle that works is the waitstaff. The owners have a lot of hard to work to do.
(1)Jordan G.
Ate at Orupa Friday night for the first time with a friend and it was fantastic! We started with their Sangria, it was amazing not to sweet & perfect! We shared a couple different appetizers Naan & Smoked Salmon Hash, the Naan was to die for the flat bread was delicious and everything was so fresh tasty! We also had their house bread which I could have eaten the whole loaf it had a little bit of sweetness and I'm not exaggerating by saying its the best bread I have eaten, no butter needed! Then for my main course I had the Chicken l'Indiana and no joke I could eat that every day, the mango curry had the perfect amount of heat, the chicken was tender, the potatoes were awesome and all the veggies were so fresh & crisp, absolutely delicious! I looked forward to eating my leftovers the next day! My desert was chef pick, it was some sort of fresh fruit & custard parfait & even though I was already stuffed I just couldn't resist, It was delightful and the perfect way to end an excellent meal! On top of all the delicious food the atmosphere of the restaurant was wonderful perfect lighting, the decor was beautiful, the restaurant was extremely clean and the service was amazing, the servers we very prompt and pleasant! The whole experience was great and I can not wait to go back!
(5)N N.
If you're the owner, please read this review. I was so pleased to drive by and see such a classy business in Salem. When we arrived, my first impressions of Orupa were positive and what I had imagined. However, within minutes, it was apparent that the staff were going to kill this business. On a Sunday evening, it was really slow for business, but we had to wait for 5-10 minutes while the staff did ???? They were no where to be found. The roof top seating appeared to be comfortable. However, our evening was distrupted by the staff's friends boozing it up and being loud and disrespectful. We were ignored, as the staff were more interested in their friends. The food was ok, not great. I'm bummed.....wish it would have been a better experience.
(2)Peter J.
Great atmosphere and wonderful people. Food is outstanding, and look for the homemade white and red sangria. Top of my dining list in Salem
(4)David H.
Let's see...dirty, sticky glassware, ordered salad that never arrived, server claims the restaurant ran out of bread, my scallops arrived to the table cold, another diner at our table had rancid ahi tuna. You could smell it was bad fish when it arrived at the table! The waitress spilled liquid from another diners plate on the shoes of one of our guests. We were at the table for a lengthy time because of the 20 minute wait to get a new dinner cooked for the rancid tuna diner. Everybody else at the table was done eating before the replacment meal arrived. Waitress asked us to leave the table because they had another party waiting. We were seated in the bar. To their credit, they comp'ed us a round of drinks and 2 desserts even though we did not ask them too, but that did not make up for the disaster. The only reason I am giving 2 stars instead of 1 is because the food was actually pretty good other than the tuna. Other diners at our table that had been to the restaurant previously said the food preparation was very inconsistant and unpredictable. We will not return.
(2)Desiree H.
A friend and I went here and wanted to check it out being that it is fairly new to Salem. The bartender, Bruce was very courteous and suggested that we try out his signature martinis. I had the mango and my friend had the black currant. They were both wonderful. We shared a hummus dish with pita, tomatoes, and olives..it also was very good.
(4)Vin T.
The atmosphere is ok, but the food is no better than you're get at Applebees. The prices were too high for the quality. I left underwhelmed and won't return.
(2)Laura D.
I'm sad to see that Orupa's reviews aren't very high - I thought their food was absolutely delicious! I had the pork chop in BBQ sauce and my fiance had the fettucine gamberi (pasta with prawns and a slightly spicy cream sauce). Both were very flavorful and the little chocolate desserts we shared afterwards were also fantastic. I'd go back in a heartbeat if $60 fell from the sky. I'm very happy to see a new independent restaurant in Salem, even if it's above my price point, and I'm even happier that it's reliable and delicious.
(4)Liz A.
This is a pretty good restaurant. Our waiter (Chad) was exceptional which made it even better. I went the day before Valentine's Day and I remember going to the family's old restaurant which had a more European feel, I really liked that place just because it had a unique cuisine that you couldn't find anywhere else in Salem, like escargot. What I enjoyed about this place was the atmosphere, it wasn't a very open atmosphere but not too cozy either, a comfortable feel. Their menu had a good selection, same with the wine and cocktail menus, the food was rich and delicious, beautifully presented with a lot of colors...and I absolutely LOVE the truffles on top of the potatoes, it was the perfect little extra flavor. You must try their dessert selection, one of my favorite desserts is fruit tarts...their version is quite interesting, it's not too powerful, it's very calm and settle, but the raspberry compote sauce was the little touch that it needed, and as usual, beautifully presented. Why did I give it only four stars? They need to have better lighting, it doesn't even have to be additional lights, simply candles on the tables in the evenings would give it that extra touch..and perhaps turn up the heat a little because it was rather chilly.
(4)Tanna M.
Disappointed for the second time. First time appetizers in the bar area. Which is tiny at best but cute so I overlooked that. Place was practically empty but had to wait for a wine list. Again a minor flaw that can be overlooked. Lovely owner brought me the list after I requested it and visited for a few minutes. Once again I'm happy as I enjoy the conversation and a nice wine list. Friends arrive and we order happy hour appetizers. Here in lies the disappointment. Sliders are served med rare and cold, calamari is cold, vegetables tempura is cold. Strange thing once again is no one is here but they couldn't seem to get out a hot dish let alone ask us how it was. We decided to say nothing as we were hungry and had already waited. Thank God for good company! Last night was a party of six with reservations that could not be found. Luckily once again the staff worked hard to work through that little snafu. Once a table was found that was big enough for us we began our food adventure. Waitress was very sweet and started us off with drinks right away. Love the wine list and prices again and starting to get excited about the food as the menu looks fabulous. As we find out about the specials 4 out of 6 of us were so impressed with the sounds of the seafood ravioli we decide to partake. Disappointed to say the least. No real flavor and the tiniest portion I have ever seen! Where is the rest of my dinner is my thought! The other 2 ordered the hanger steak and spaghetti. The hanger steak was ok at best. A much larger portion but chewy. The seafood dishes and the hanger steak were all served warm not hot. The spaghetti was by far the best dish steamy hot with great flavor. 1 out of 6 not bad right!?!??! The place was packed by the time we finished. I do hope others had better luck then us. Will I try it again? I'm not sure the wine list and lovely staff can make up for all the other disappointments. Salem just doesn't have a lot to chose from.
(2)Ame W.
I met some friends for happy hour and we were all so hungry we ended up staying for dinner. The service was good. We sat on the rooftop bar and the young kid that served us was polite. Unfortunately, he was not well informed about the menu. He rattled of the nights special that sounded great to me: sole and potatoes with a parmesan cream sauce for $20. I asked if it was gluten free and he said it was not but the chef had an alternative preparation for gluten free patrons. So I ordered it. My husband ordered the margarita pizza. My meal came out and was just dry fish and basically hasbrowns; no sauce at all and my husband's pizza had Sysco tomatoes that were barely even red and a very small amount of basil. HOW DISAPPOINTING. After drinks and dinner the meal cost over $150 and was not worth it. I will not return. I thought about calling the restaurant and complaining (since I did not want to do so in front of the company we shared) but figured any restaurant that was willing to send out a plain dish and charge that much for a "gluten free" alternative was not sensitive to this customer's dietary needs and I knew I would not return to give another chance. Sorry Orupa, but you missed the mark big time. Also the cocktails were skimpy on the alcohol.
(1)Carissa B.
The food was ok, I found it to be a little bland. The wait staff seemed unorganized and not attentative enough. I understand it's a new place so I will give it another try as it settles in to the new location.
(3)