A & J King Artisan Bakers

I come here for a cup of morning joe at least once or twice a month. The trip frequently includes a walnut sticky bun, as it did today. If you ever enjoyed cinnamon sugar on toast as a kid then this pastry is for you. The olive bread has large slices of kalamata olives throughout. I always have them slice the bread for me. Dipped in a little olive oil you can literally make a meal out of this bread, especially on the day you bring it home fresh from the oven. This is a café/​bakery not to be missed.

Sticky buns, almond croissants and lattes: the perfect weekend. Why does all my restaurant money end up getting spent here?

This is a Salem staple. The quality can’t get any better than A&J. You are guaranteed quality with flavor. The staff are always helpful and efficient. If you need help with any of your holiday baking this is the place to go!

Great place with lovely atmosphere. Everything is baked on the premises and delicious. Can say the chocolate croissants were good (but have had better), ham and cheese croissant very popular as were the lattes and a great Irish breakfast tea. They also sell loaves of bread and the garlic boule was quite good.

If you’re looking for a nice place for a quick breakfast or afternoon pick-​me-​up, A&J is a good option tucked in a quiet street right in the heart of Salem. They have a lovely assortment of other small business sweet treats, in addition to their own menu of breads, sweets, and hot drinks. I’ve tried both the almond croissant and frosted cinnamon bun and both were very tasty. Where their pastries shine is really in the texture, fluffiness, and flavor of any of their «bready» products. I like their hot chocolate too, although be warned if you prefer your chocolate sweet. Their version is more bitter chocolate-​like, but still a nice warm treat.

Being a relatively new resident to the North Shore, A&J King has become one of my FAVORITE places in this area. I take all of my guests for treats and bread, and many of them swing by on their way out of the area to pick up some deliciousness to bring home.
In addition to their incredible tasting baked goods, they are also very reasonably priced. You won’t want to miss this bakery!

The closest you will get to real French baking anywhere on the North shore of Boston. Superb croissants and brioche and the Vietnamese ham sandwich is wonderful. One of the best things about living in Salem!
Also — try their iced coffee latte — MUCH nicer than Starbucks!

Great soy latte and the place smelled amazing!!! Other people with me tried different baked goods and were super impressed! I will for sure come back again next time I’m in Salem!

I am in love with the smell of the place when you walk through the door. Great service and delicious bread. Can’t go wrong!

Best bread outside of Boston. I feel like grandma rolled out the dough and then lovingly carried it to the town center ovens for perfectly cooked mouth watering little buns from heaven.

Four and a half stars. It’s always a good sign when you swear out loud upon entering the establishment because it smells SO DAMN GOOD in there. A & J King’s carbs are glorious, drinks are okay, and they’re in tune with seasonal options. They even had batches of pizza dough for sale. The only reason I can think of to pick another bakery is if you’re in a hurry and want a shorter line. Slightly limited seating inside for how busy they get, but enough benches in the surrounding neighborhood to not complain.
I liked that the chai latte tended to the not sweet side, which made it a good pairing with the sweeter pastries. The apple cider cupcake was super moist, and had a liberal swirl of rich caramel buttercream mounded on top. Squash croissant was savory and delicious– fewer flaky layers than a traditional croissant, toasted walnut pieces, a subtle incorporation of blue cheese in the middle like a danish. Ciabatta was plush on the inside, with a moderately thick crust. Future hit list: caramel bourbon pecan bread pudding, spiked bourbon pecan pie, olive bread, garlic sourdough, coconut almond macaroon, asiago chile bread, french ham sandwich.

Reliably good bakery across the board. The lemon Danishes are not to be missed. Perfect mix of tart/​sweet & chewy/​crispy.

They offer some really interesting breads and great desserts. Some tend to be on the heavy side. The beverages are top quality and staff is artsy, engaged, and friendly. I’d love it if they added soup to menu!

What a gem! Great European feel, tasty and all quality done coffees, teas, sweets & the breads, best fresh baked breads in town! A must and they always have something special and new. Worth bookmarking and making a regular daily stop to literally uplift your spirits! Super friendly & knowledgable staff! Great window settings & overall atmosphere. Awaiting some pecan pie!

Garlic Sourdough was just ok. It wasn’t very sour at all and it was very crusty. (I’m sure many people love it, but I prefer a softer and more sour bread). Bread pudding was also just ok. The almond croissant was delicious however! Iced coffee was a medium kind of roast (darker than Duncan donuts, thank goodness, but not as strong as Peet’s).
Atmosphere is great. Nice people. Not many places to sit, but there bar-​like seating along the window.

This place was recommended to me when I was visiting Salem, so I thought I would grab breakfast here. They only have baked goods for breakfast so I got a muffin. It was okay, but nothing special and a little dry. I had left an airbnb the day before and the muffin my host baked was 10x better. The coffee was also just okay. The other baked goods and breads looked really good so maybe other things are better. The sandwiches sounded good, but they weren’t serving them until 11am. On the plus side, this place wasn’t crowded at all on a Sunday morning.

Delicious! As always, I have to review about the chocolate chip cookie because it’s not an easy task to make a cookie this delicious. Big, chewy, super chunky, and overall scrumptious. Not overly sweet but not savory either. As a bonus, I love the atmosphere and there are so many baked goods to choose from. Extensive drink choices & friendly workers. Worth a stop for some sweet fuel while checking out the outside market area in Salem.

place is a high-​end bakery with an amazing variance and range of international loafs
super pricey but at least you get what you pay for
I got a croissant and iced coffee and it came out to 6 bucks
I heard the sandwiches are amazing and will be ordering one in the future

In one word: Brilliant!
Their pickles should be bottled and sold worldwide! They are that great!!! They do sell them for .50 each. I’m there next time I go in.
Smoked salmon sandwich using the most moist whole wheat bread. Fresh delicious ingredients in sandwich!
Perfect full-​bodied coffee, best in Salem center neighborhood I was told by locals. Compare to an aged fine wine, but coffee instead. That is how high the quality is.
I have bought the coffee in packages 3 times already, and serve it to guests, of which some are very fussy, and they love it!
I am sold on this restaurant/​bakery!
Kudos to the entire staff!!!

My mother and I stayed in Salem Massachusetts for the weekend. We’ve always been interested in the history. While on the Salem night tour we passed a street that smelled so delicious our stomach Gurgled so loud… I followed my noise to the decadent smell of bread and croissant and wonderful pastries…
A & J KING BAKERY aaaahhhh you don’t know how much of a fat ass me and my mother are… uuuuugggghhhh!
I have to admit that this bakery was kool, the employees are very nice and work really fast. If your ever in Salem I would recommend this bakery for breakfast or lunch.