Celebratory brunch recs on the North Shore?
June 5, 2018 6:43 PM Subscribe
My husband and I are planning to do something worth celebrating this Friday! We're looking to grab brunch to do said celebrating somewhere in either Salem or Beverly, MA starting on the early side of the brunching hour - probably around 9:30 or 10AM. Any recommendations for a celebration-style place that might be open at that time?
Difficulty level: non-holiday, non-weekend brunching; one omnivore, one vegetarian who is allergic to peppers.
Also, any recommendations for how two quasi-locals might spend a few, rare, weekday hours semi-touristing around Beverly and/or Salem? We're not new to the area and have done a fair amount of the more overtly touristy stuff. I'd love to hear about anything that's not available/hard to catch/annoying to get to during busier times, but that would be open on an off-season Friday-day.
Difficulty level: non-holiday, non-weekend brunching; one omnivore, one vegetarian who is allergic to peppers.
Also, any recommendations for how two quasi-locals might spend a few, rare, weekday hours semi-touristing around Beverly and/or Salem? We're not new to the area and have done a fair amount of the more overtly touristy stuff. I'd love to hear about anything that's not available/hard to catch/annoying to get to during busier times, but that would be open on an off-season Friday-day.
Best answer: Salem Willows opens at 10 am.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:07 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:07 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Gulu-Gulu in Salem would be an excellent spot for food for those parameters.
As suggested above, the Willows is always an excellent choice.
posted by zizzle at 7:17 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
As suggested above, the Willows is always an excellent choice.
posted by zizzle at 7:17 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
The Hawthorne Hotel in Salem. Lovely atmosphere, a bit of old-fashioned genteel hotel grace, good food, occasion feel. And you can stroll on the Common afterward.
I've had some bad experiences at the Ugly Mug, would avoid.
posted by Miko at 7:19 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
I've had some bad experiences at the Ugly Mug, would avoid.
posted by Miko at 7:19 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Tartine in Beverly is great, one of the few places open for weekday breakfast that isn't just a coffeeshop or a diner; but if what you want is a the feel of a sit-down restaurant brunch available on a weekday, definitely the Hawthorne.
In terms of things to do, there's nothing I can think of that is unavailable during peak season, but there's definitely a different feel to just walking around town when it's not crowded.
posted by aimedwander at 7:45 AM on June 6, 2018
In terms of things to do, there's nothing I can think of that is unavailable during peak season, but there's definitely a different feel to just walking around town when it's not crowded.
posted by aimedwander at 7:45 AM on June 6, 2018
Best answer: One great thing about Salem in summer is the waterfront, which people don't get to enjoy as much in October when it's kind of raw. If it's nice, take a stroll down Derby Wharf to the lighthouse, visit the Customs House where Nathaniel Hawthorne worked and used the site as inspiration for the frame story in The Scarlet Letter, and take a National Park Service tour, or head to Winter Island Beach for a picnic by the water. If you like oysters and beer, Sea Level Oyster Bar has a terrific roof deck and great quality food and drink. If you go to the aforementioned Salem Willows Park, take a walk beyond the park area to the Victorian summer seaside neighborhood tucked away on the back of the point - great views of Marblehead and Mass Bay. And go to PEM and catch the T. C. Cannon show just before it closes!
posted by Miko at 9:29 AM on June 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Miko at 9:29 AM on June 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by bowbeacon at 6:46 PM on June 5, 2018