Taproot Cafe & Lounge

My new favorite restaurant in town. Not a real extensive selection of entrees (my only real complaint), but what they have is really good. We ordered the avocado milkshake (I know, weird), and it was creamy and delicious. Really tasty tapas; the fried avocados were perfectly breaded and very tasty, the sriracha wings were full of flavor and my personal favorite, the poutine is made with local Tillamook cheese and was a great import from Canadian menus and the tots were delicious. The staff was very friendly and there is a nice laid back atmosphere. All in all, an overall great experience. I will definitely come back.

Had drinks and snacks here with the hubby and one of my favorite youngsters last night. We came for hubby’s bday back in November and it was ok. We rarely go out to eat, so when the youngster suggested it I agreed to try again.
I had a Utopia martini, very fresh tasting. The sip of the Hot Valley Margarita I tried was overpowered by the salt rim. I would have gone with sugar on a spicy fruit combo.
The real stars of the night were the Brussels sprouts with thick cut bacon and the Hot and Sticky wings. Had 2 orders of each to share at the table. Delicious! Also I was happy to note that minors are allowed until 8, as I have a vegetarian teenager and there’s a lot of vegetarian /​vegan options. Also? Gluten free desserts! I was too full to have any last night, so I’ll go back again to try those.
My only real complaint was that our server was new and appeared a little overwhelmed. I think we asked about 4 times for some extra mustard. The owner took our 2^nd order and forgot an item, but it was a relaxed night so we didn’t worry about the random timing of the food.

Amazing food organic! Home made best menu!!! Amazing salsa blows and drinks the owner really did an amazing job with the art work and desighn of the place ! What a vision and dream to come true

This is one of my favorite spots in downtown Salem. The food is amazing; they have a wide variety but I love their bowls. The desert bowl with quinoa and chicken is my favorite; healthy, fresh, beautiful and delicious! You can tell the food is made with love. My server Tyler was super friendly, attentive and nice. The atmosphere, food and staff make this place is a must go (and return)!

Best Ambiance of any bar in Salem hands down. Haven’t had one item on the menu I didn’t like. My new regular place!

Very relaxing atmosphere, cool décor, and delicious food! Wife and I got out of there with 3 tapas and a beer for only $ 18 at happy hour. Cheap, but classy date night! They boast several Salem breweries on their taps, so I love the local support. The only thing that could improve this place more is a few more taps to satisfy our Oregonian need for more craft beer choices. On this night, there were only IPAs and stouts, which I love, but nothing appealed to my wife’s lighter tastes.

The inside of this place is amazingly detailed.
The fresh juice was also incredible.
The service was pretty good, I think since its a bar you can’t really expect the same service you would get at a only restaurant type place. so I would say it was good. The food was healhty, and interesting. Not bad. just different. All in all I would say it was a pleasant experience, not somewhere I would visit often but not somewhere I would avoid either. Worth checking out if anything just to try the fresh juice.

I love the vibe her. Lots of sports for conversation. Places to sit if you want to have dinner, or just share drinks with friends. They have shuffleboard, and a really beautiful bar. Very affordable, and the best brussel sprouts I’ve probably ever had.

Make sure you introduce yourself to Christopher, the owner, and get some of his story, his vision for the place, the multiple meanings behind the name, and the details of the wood bars, and more.
Oh, and don’t forget the fabulous food!!! Feel free to ask any of the staff the list of ingredients in the various dishes and you’ll be amazed that they actually know. Btw, the to-​die-​for hot and sticky wings are based on fish sauce with red pepper and honey and the dry rub jerk wings have cumin, cardamom, and nutmeg. My 12 year old complain described the tots as «melt in your mouth» good. The grilled cheese is a delectable combination of goat and cheddar cheeses on Good Seed bread. And, the kickstarter smoothie is a «grow on you» mixture of carrot, apple, and ginger.
Be sure to walk all the way into the back to see the vastly different elements of this fabulous place. Go for the happy hour from 3 – 6 for a slight discount on some of the items. My only complaint was the time I came in the evening and the acoustics hurt my ears, it was so loud. But, even then, it was a happy, friendly loud…:-)

Really like this new spot! Very welcoming as you come in with nifty décor and unique lighting. Really like the wood bar as you come in, although the 2 bars are a little misleading initially. Maybe only as no one was at either when we arrived. We came early for dinner around 5 on a Thursday.
It was a quiet vibe with good music. I liked the menu options, my husband would have preferred a burger to the 6 or so sandwiches offered. However, we settled on splitting several things: ½ order of hot and sticky wings (4), the Willamette (PB&J with bacon) with a side of Brussels sprouts and the poutine («gravy fries «with cheese curds). Each of us ordered a beer. Great how they offer Salem brews!
We didn’t much care for the wings, they seemed a little off but had pretty good flavor. My husband thought they seemed a little fishy, maybe they do indeed have fish sauce I thought. The Willamette was great, we were both very pleased with that sandwich. I loved on the sprouts and we couldn’t take a breath from the poutine. Really good gravy, nice crunchy fries and liked the cheese curds of course!
I’m sure we will return! Give this place a try for sure!
I hope they invent a burger with peanut butter, that would rock my socks off! I also hope that add like 2 dinner specials a night!

Great new place with an awesome atmosphere, and rock’n staff that are quick and attentive. Everyone should feel at home here and have a great time, relax, socialize, play games; so many ways to have good times here. They have this drink that I really liked called a shrub with some different flavors, and some amazing wings too. Everyone was so friendly and inviting. Get over here already, you’ll love it!

Had a great experience here! They had unique food and drink options that were very tasty and healthy — paleo smoothie, brussels sprouts and bacon and best of all sipping vinegars! Will definitely go back.

Try the deep fried Brussels. They are yummy. Service was great. The place has a nice rustic Lumbersexual feel to it. Great local brews.

We’ve been here twice, once for lunch, once for dinner. It doesn’t look that interesting from the outside, but the décor inside is new, very cool and the place is huge. The space starts with a table and booth area, then there are two bars on either side, then restrooms, then more bar seating, and finally a smaller space with comfy couches and a cool wall-​mounted fish tank.
The menu is short, imaginative, but a bit light on protein. The grilled PB&J is really good, so was the tempura avocado with tasty dipping sauce. We wanted to try the wings but they were out! For our main course we all had various bowls which also were quite good. I’ve had the desert bowl with quinoa, brown rice, various veggies, chicken, and a good sauce that reminded me somewhat of hummus; the second time I had the philospher’s bowl which was also quite good.
Although the servers showed up fairly quickly for taking our order and bringing drinks, getting our food took too long both times even though they didn’t look busy. The first time it was a little slow but tolerable; the second time it took even longer — our food showed up just before I was about to complain.

I really enjoyed my experience here! The décor is all very nice, and after chatting with the owner, I discovered that a ton of it was designed and made by him and his friends.
The food was awesomeeeee. I got the Spicy Bowl and it was amazing. The chicken was PERFECT and all the items in the bowl complimented each other well.
I will be going back whenever I can!

Probably the most interesting décor in Salem. Place is laid back and has a lot of places to hangout. Food is amazing! Had the Willamette, and was an awesome take on a classic PB&J. Staff is great, and drinks are well made. Very excited to have a place like this right in downtown Salem!

Pros: New, clean, and original décor. Loved the handpainted booths and ceiling fan. Friendly staff and glad to see new restaurant additions to downtown Salem. Interesting tapas-​style menu. Affordable. Eclectic crowd. Vegetarian and Paleo options.
Food ordered: Brussel Sprouts (excellent), Grilled PB&J (exactly what we expected and a nice spin on the classic), Desert Bowl (okay — not to our personal taste but nice presentation), Cheese Curds (if you like mushroom gravy you’ll like this fry plate).

Great spot for hanging out, and enjoying good beer and food. Definitely have to recommend all the tapas! Brussels sprouts and bacon = deliciousness. Love the Davocados and can’t get enough of the jerk wings! Lastly, can’t go wrong with the poutine!

Looking for a new hangout spot in downtown Salem? Want something different that fascinates your taste buds but isn’t too heavy on your wallet? Look no further than Taproot! This unique location boasts unique flavors while providing an inviting atmosphere for people of all ages. I recommend sipping on a Lotus while enjoying some Davocados and a savory rice bowl.

I’m excited this place is in Salem! Beautiful ambiance with artsy flourishes and a lot of attention to detail: beautiful wooden slab tables and bar, paintings in the backs of the booths, comfy chairs in the back library nook, soft and welcoming lighting.
I had the Mint to Be smoothie, and would never have thought to add avocadoes, blueberries, and mint together, but it was delicious. Also had the Desert Bowl with quinoa, black beans, bell pepper, yam, and avocado. Each ingredient was cooked to its own perfect level of yumminess, and the spices were really good. It was cool to eat food in a bar that was actually healthy! (We did also order the spicy wings and poutine, don’t get me wrong — also delicious).
They didn’t yet have the cocktail menu up but I’m excited to see what signature drinks they’ll have. This place rocks!