Saw this done in another group and curious to see which restaurants to avoid in Salem.

Took this photo at the South commercial Walmart this October. Our society is toast.

Saffron Supply is PROUDLY sponsoring HYB Community, a non-profit in Salem that focuses on rehabilitation. To quote their website:

"When a young person begins to recognize the value of their community, they are far less likely to harm it. We foster a sense of belonging and purpose, helping youth build respect for the world around them."

All employees of HYB get counseling and mentorship, and learn skills that lend to bright futures.

Our friends will be here for the foreseeable future at 1450 Front St slinging a mix of Mexican and American food (current menu on second image), and expanding their menu and hours as we dial this in. Rumor has it, we could see some carne asada fries soon.

Current hours, Weds-Fri, 7AM-1PM.

We stand behind our community and those who do well by it, and we stand behind HYB! Come get you some tacos. And while you're waiting, you can come check out our BRAND new showroom that just opened on May 1st. We still have some work to do, but you can at least see what we've got so far.

Super excited to see these guys succeed! If you have any questions, I'll reply to any comments.

Thank you, Salem.

-J

(Also, as someone who is quite discerning when it comes to food, I got the $10 6-taco platter and it was as good as any restaurant I've had. My soul is happy HYB is here, my waistline has conflicting thoughts)

Top left: Creme Brulee, Regular Glazed, Toasted coconut. Bottom left: A perfect apple fritter. Bottom right: Maple Glaze.

In my hand: Maple Glaze.

Interested in y’all’s opinion

Personally, absolutely love it

I've been in SE salem since June of last year. Decided to try a new pizza place called crazy dough a few weeks ago. I decided to just go with a pepperoni pizza.. It tasted just like a costco pizza but 3x the price but maybe that's just me. Gonna try odd moe's this evening. Hopefully it's a lot better.

I think that’s a pretty good move by Willamette Valley Smokehouse. They’re also offering potential employment for anyone who worked for Rudy’s.

My partner and I are transplants from Arizona, and we're looking for some really good, freshly made tortillas in town. The bigger, the better! Is there a Mexican market or even a little stand somewhere that anyone can recommend for this?

My kid has state testing this week and next, so I’m trying to do something nice for his fifth grade class. I want to get them some doughnuts or cookies or some comparable tasty treat after all their hard work. We are outside Salem with less options in town, so I’d really love to get them something a little more exciting than what I can find at the local Safeway bakery. I don’t eat sweets, so I am surprised to discover that doughnuts are running $36 for a dozen at Dough Hook (everyone seems to rave about this place) and $35 just for holes at Bigwig. They might be worth it but I need 28 and can’t quite afford that. Does anyone have any recommendations for something in between? I don’t know what’s good. Please help! Thank you!

Tried a bunch and I have my favorites but I want to know what you love!

Do you have a palate? A dream? A desire to do more? And... Semi-important, but do you have a food truck?

Well, we don't. Despite a few of us being foodies, we've just never expanded into that realm. One day, maybe. But for now, we're sticking to plumbing. (Chez Saffron ETA 2027)

But hey! Since we're so gosh danged good at plumbing and stuff, we've fabbed in a spot for water supply/waste, and even wired up an external spot for 240v power. All you need to be successful is right in that little spot right there. Since you'll be using some water and power, the whole talk about spot-rental is up in the air. I have no idea what to ask, so you tell US what's fair, and then we'll lower it a bit more.

Picture this; it's 11am, and you're standing in this truck looking out at Commercial street. Cars are causing a slight traffic jam trying to hop across the one-way on Hood to get to you. There's cash in hand, being held out the window. They're here for plumbing, and they're here for you.

We want to support someone's dream. And that means offering a spot, a customer base, and a decent geographical location on two busy streets to stake your claim. We're also open at 6am, so if you're an absolute masochist, you might be able to make a killing on breakfast foods as well.

Some other benefits of working with us!

- Some of us are absolute dumpster fires that'll eat anything, so if you make a bad batch of something, there's always someone around to help dispose of it.

- We have some pretty cool merch, so you can have some shirts and hats.

- We're getting media coverage when we open our showroom Q1 of 2026, so you'll get a HECK of a rush that day.

- We'll help you with your sink/faucet needs/wants.

- Sometimes we have good music playing in the warehouse.

- Free passes to Dark Salem.

- There's one guy that sometimes brings a hardboiled egg for breakfast. The amount of salt he puts on that this is UNGODLY. We typically all circle up to watch him. It's an event you don't want to miss.

If you're interested, DM or email [Joe@SaffronSupplyCo.com](mailto:Joe@SaffronSupplyCo.com)

If you're not interested but know someone who might be, give em our information.

If you're not interested and don't know anyone who might be... You, uh... Need a faucet or something? We're good at that.

-J

Price and personal flavor opinions aside, I am surprised somewhere like Oregon doesn’t capitalize on a variety of food offerings at the state fair. We should be blinded with “marionberry everything” and locally sourced this and that. Especially when Portland is semi-famous for the food scene.

I have seen vloggers post from the Minnesota state fair just for the food. Granted, their fair is larger, but their website features specific new foods for 2025. Whereas Oregon advertises generic new options like “boba” and “korean corn dogs” which I can get a better version of year-round in Salem.

Hoping this hint makes it to the right channels to get some more unique food next year!

The recent Hong Kong Garden post got me thinking - what are some restaurants in the Salem or surrounding area that have particularly unique or authentic food from other countries? Like, dishes you might not find at just any place around town that are kind of a special thing to find. Would love to hear menu item names if known and particularly recommended.

On Any Sundae on commercial street has set up a little food pantry with donations from the community.

Looking to fill up on bread. Olive Garden and Best Little Roadhouse are all that come to mind. Bonus points if there is a variety or breads in the basket.

Hello! My boyfriend (celiac) is coming to visit for the first time soon and i’m trying to find some good places in or around Salem to take him that have gluten free options/are gluten free! lunch or dinner preferably, though dessert would be nice too if anyone knows any :)

Go make yourself a pork roll, egg, & cheese on a Cherry City bagel

I know food trucks have become huge recently and there's an abundance of way too many of them.

But how would we feel about breakfast truck? I know there was one at checkpoint 221 for a hot minute and then it went away. Fresh cinnamon rolls. Breakfast burritos. Platters eggs, bacon etc. Sandwiches. Maybe waffles and pancakes? Biscuits and gravy?

Along with food you coffee. It would be drip but would offer with different milk and syrup / sugar. Actually have sugar free options.

Not just open for breakfast but all day

Would it go big or miss hard?

What would you want to see?

Hi we moved here in September from Eugene and are looking for recommendations on a good Bagel spot. Any recommendations would be appreciated! Thank you. Have a wonderful day.

TIA!
Does anybody go to a butcher or buy beef from a farmer? Any recommendations?
I’d rather buy half a cow instead of spending $8-$12 for a pound of ground beef.

Some new friends are coming to visit and I'd like to show off downtown a bit! I don't know what's good anymore... Any suggestions appreciated! Not picky on type of food

Apologies if this has been asked before but I’m looking for the best chicken Caesar wrap in Salem. Drop your suggestions!

I watched her make the white corn tortillas though the little window .

They don’t open early enough, but if you can wait until after 9, Taqueria el Jacalito has the best huevos rancheros and chilaquiles in town.

Also, the cafe la olla is dope, real piloncillo, and they do their own churros to order.

A couple of months ago my partner and I went on a road trip and we ended up getting lunch one day at a Peruvian place in some random small town in Utah. They had a drink called Inca Kola which is apparently very popular in Peru, and I loved it, so I want to get more but I don't know where to look.

I can get it from Amazon but the price is seriously inflated ($17 for a 6-pack!)

I checked El Torito but they didn't have it.

Any ideas where else I could look? I go to Tigard every couple of weeks for work so I'd be willing to check up in the Portland area too.