I just returned a few weeks ago from the Bay Area where I spent some time and energy searching for the perfect vegan banh mi. Every one was delicious with a couple of superior ones. Back in Salem, I'm still hungry for banh mi, but was having trouble finding a vegan one without going to Portland. And then I saw there was a vegan option at Better than Mama's! I just brought home their version and eagerly began to eat it. At least for a few seconds. First of all, the bread is all wrong. It's huge and fluffy and totally overwhelms the rest of the sandwich. I quickly removed the top piece of bread and concentrated on eating the rest without too much spillage. While the pickled carrots and daikon were good, the jalepenos were also wrong. They were sliced in thick rounds instead of thin strips that are able to give one a spicy bite to a mouthful instead of an overwhelming overly spicy pain. There was a side of herbed pita, but when I tried on it just tasted like a piece of grease. The bright spot was the edamame hummus I got as a side. So yummy! Also, the interior is pleasant, clean and bright, and the servers were friendly. read more

I have eaten at Better than Mama's a few times, finally decided to give it a review. The food is consistently great! Perfect little place to stop for lunch if you're tired of the same old thing. They have unique options, fast service and a seating area. read more

Better Than Mama's - Sandwiches Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Dined in at lunch, and they were out of poutine, so I got a 1/2 order of totchos. Also, the chicken wrap. I REALLY liked the chicken wrap, but felt that it was too small for the price, particularly when you just get the sandwich. The totcho's were just ok. Maybe I should have gotten a friend egg? I think the place is fine if you're already in the area, but definitely not worth trying to find parking around Broadway Commons. read more

The first week I discovered this place I ate there 3 times... I couldn't stay away! Everything I've ordered has been absolutely amazing. I'm one of those people who likes to order random things at new places to take a chance and maybe find something good... well at this place, IM A WINNER EVERY TIME!!!! One of my favorites is their breakfast burrito. (I get it with a chicken tender as the meat instead of pork) It's wrapped in a magical creation that looks like a tortilla but tastes like a fresh home made biscuit!!! My mouth couldn't believe my eyes! They actually open early enough to grab breakfast and still have a decent work day. (Unlike these Mexican joints that don't don't open until 9am) A fella's got to get his burrito BEFORE 9AM!!!! Go to Better than Mammas. You'll probably love it. If you don't, you may want to check yourself into a hospital under the name "Debbie Downer" or "Negative Nancy". Ps. Get the curly steak fries with chipotle Areole sauce! They are amazing! It tastes like Venti's sweet potato fries had a baby with a sac of jojo's from your favorite gas station and BAM!!!! read more

Okay, so if any of you have followed me, you know I don't give 5 stars much, but this little cafe' wins 5 PLUS stars in my book. So Better Than Mama's has been a staple at the Salem Saturday Market for a few years. When my partner and I moved to Salem, we discovered them at that market. Their home made dips and chips were something we HAD to get every Saturday. If they weren't at the Market, our weekend wasn't complete. This summer they informed us that they were opening their own little restaurant in the former location of the Froyo in Broadway Commons. We waited with heady anticipation until today when they opened their doors to the public for their Grand Opening. We arrived within minutes of their opening the doors and we were NOT the first ones in line. We were second, but still, it would have been awesome to be the first customer. But I digress...being fans of their chips and dips it was great to see them using those same dips as spreads on their sandwiches and wraps. I had their B.L.A.T (Bacon, Arugula, Avocado, and Tomato) Sandwich. For a $1.50 extra I added fresh pita chips and a side of the Bacon and Caramelized Onion Dip. My partner opted for the Korean Steak in a wrap. Both our lunches were delectable. I spent the first five minutes devouring their newest chips: White Truffle potato chips! They are open 7 days a week opening at 11 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and close at 3 p.m. on Sundays. The menu will satisfy just about everyone and the prices, well it would be a bargain at twice what they charge! And if you are needing that fix of BTM salsas and dips, they have them available for purchase. Go to Better Than Mama's. It may be better than everyone's Mama's...and you don't have to wash the dishes after! read more

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Omg!!!!! This was the best lunch choice. I got the totachos with chicken from then my coworkers got BLAT with fries and my other coworker got the grilled cheese with bacon. We are all stuffed and very happy I will definitely go back and order food or when Covid clears I will be in to the restaurant. My only regret was not ordering more of the siracha sauce it is amazing. We all give them a a five star rating food was that good. Highly recommend by all of us. read more

We took our family there (16 of us) before we headed back home after christmas. We called in advance and they reserved a table for us and even called in an extra person . I loved that each one of our smaller families could order our own food and we didn't have to split the check, etc. And they brought us out a tray of complimentary desserts. Customer service was excellent. The food options were unique. I had a delicious sandwhich. Please note, breakfast is not serviced after 11am. However, consistent with their excellent customer service, they made my super picky daughter scrambled eggs anyways. The choices are unique but I loved that. And the lemonade floats are amazing. I also ended up getting a side of the Wasabi salsa togo. Overall, I wish I lived closer because we would frequent this place. But next time we visit my father in law, I know where I am going for lunch. read more

Yes!!! Finally food in the Broadway coffee building. Oh and it's not just "food" it's really great food! I had their steak tacos and loved them. I would always go to Marcos place down the street for tacos. Not only is the location choice, but the tacos are so much better than Marcos place! The steak is actual steak, not fatty pieces of cheap over cooked beef like most taco stands. Their ingredients are choice and high quality. So excited for this place!! read more

I had the farmers market sandwich and it had amazing flavors! I would absolutely try everything on the menu. Additionally, very friendly staff. read more

I eat here all the time. Fresh salads every day. I feel.good after I eat the food, and their fries and fry sauce is exceptional. One time my food took long to make, and they gave me double the fries! read more

Big portions, they make their own pita chips and sauces, large sandwiches, soups, salads, big burritos, and super friendly staff. I love this place and I'm a repeat customer. They really take the time to please the customer and made extra sure I was satisfied with my food. Freshly made food yum! read more

I showed up at 6:45 hoping they didn't hate me for ordering a sandwich with only 15min left. I got it to go so I didn't dirty any tables at closing. The guy at the counter was super nice. Fortunately I looked at the menu on yelp and was ready to go. I ordered the Korean cheesesteak. It was very good. Great flavor. It was not spicy. It had bell peppers, provolone, kimchi, and steak with Korean bbq sauce. The bread was really good as was the flavor of the sandwich. Will definitely be back. read more

Better Than Mama's - Korean cheesesteak - Sandwiches Near Me - Salem, Oregon

My Korean BBQ wrap was AWESOME! Homemade chips, excellent. Boyfriend's 7-layer sandwich/wrap was gooey. 'Sorry, we are out of that' or 'oh, we serve that different than on the menu' are two of the things I really don't like hearing. I heard both! read more

I had a sandwich from here. It was good, they do different spreads which I think they do exceptionally well. Wish they had more vegetarian options read more

This place is so unique. The menu has so much to offer! So far, everything I've tried was delicious. The Banh Mi sandwich was definitely my favorite. It was so fresh and delicious. I had a taste of the Southwest Mac & Cheese and it was very flavorful. The Totchos were super crispy and the fried egg was a perfect addition. Their chips and salsa/dip are also great! My favorite is the Chipotle Ranch Cheese Dip. You should definitely check this place out. There is so much to choose from and the staff are so welcoming and friendly. read more

Awesome location! Simple menu. I love that there's soo many gluten free options! The Totchos are the bomb. So is the B.L.A.T. with the gluten free pub style bun. Every time I come here, the service is so amazing. I highly recommend this place! read more

Better Than Mama's - B.L.A.T with a gluten free bun.... SOOO good!! - Sandwiches Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Decided to grab lunch here since I was working in the cafe on the other side of the building--glad I did! I ordered the Farmer's Market sandwich with their in house made pita chips and dressing and it was phenomenal! Although the wrap appeared to be small, it definitely ended up being more filling than I thought it would have. The tortilla is made in house, or at least it tastes that way. They also locally source most of their ingredients which I think is great. I'll definitely stop here again next time I'm in Salem. Thanks for a great meal! read more

Goodness gracious- so delicious and very reasonable for the amazing quality you're getting. The atmosphere is relaxed, clean establishment, friendly staff and the most important part- THE FOOD! It was first time coming by and I'm so happy I did. I got the BOSS steak sandwich and it was so fresh and yummy- heavy veggies so if you like meat the way I do get that extra meat option, if you don't like a lot of meat or any meat at all the sandwich still wouldve been great. I'll be back to try more of them. As of right now this is my favorite quick stop for sandwiches in Salem! read more

Their pita chips are so good! They're not the hard crunchy ones you expect. They're fried and crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. They're slightly sweet but seasoned with salt and herbs. I ordered the curly steak fries and my kids got the pita chips. It took some bargaining to trade them, and they were quite possessive over them. I'd go there just for the pita chips. The boys had the Korean Cheesesteak and liked it a lot. I had the teriyaki burger, which was decent. I think I'll try the Banh Mi next time. I do wish parking was a bit easier, we're not from the immediate area and it was interesting to figure out. It was also clean but felt more like a lobby than a restaurant. Those won't deter me from coming back though! read more

I stopped here for a quick bite to eat on my way up to Portland from Eugene. I just wanted a sandwich to hold me over and I am glad I chose this place after looking on Yelp. The shop is very casual and sits in a quiet part of town. It was pretty empty when we went it but we ordered a veggie sandwich with hummus and it came with chips and salsa. The chips were nice thick tortilla chips which I love. The veggies on the sandwich were very good as well. Whatever the marinade them in or cook them in, they were so tasty! The bread was a baguette but soft and warm. The hummus on the sandwich was also seasoned well and everything went together perfectly. The employees answered all of our questions and we left super happy and full. They also had salads and I think a burger on the menu. We parked for free on the street, right in front of the cafe but I am not sure if there is a parking lot. If I am ever near Salem and need a sandwich, I will be coming back! read more

Stopped by and got the chicken club and Mac n cheese. Both were very tasty and both had good flavor. Also picked up a side salad that had kale and cranberries, highly recommend. Our server was friendly and helpful. You won't be disappointed with this place! read more

Hi there salem oregon this place is very very good staff and food and place are professional and kind caring read more

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I really like this little place! The employees are the nicest I've ever met, and always have lots of good recommendations. The dips and salsas are obviously incredible and reasonably priced (if you've tried their samples at the Saturday Market, you know!). Their food offerings are interesting, not the same old stuff you see in every sandwich place. I had the B.O.S.S.: marinated flank steak, caramelized onions, roasted red pepper, arugula and onion dip. The combination of flavors was for the most part delicious, but I had a problem with the texture of the beef because I got too many fatty/gristly pieces. Still, it's flank steak so I was just unlucky in the amount of gristle I got. I'm looking forward to trying out the rest of their fare. read more

I will sit at study at Broadway Cafe and I've tried many things from here. Honestly it's always been underwhelming and I end up throwing most of it away. It's too bad because it seems to be really popular, I just can't seem to figure out why. read more

Friendly people, fresh food! Korean taco = excellent!! Tender BBQ Korean beef , topped with kimchi, onions, cilantro and queso fresco. Yum! A Korean taco with a kick!! Balsamic Caramelized Onion Dip with some homemade herb puffy 'chips' = delicious! (Sorry, I'm not sure what the 'chips' were actually called, but they were tasty!) read more

We tried Better Than Mama's when travelling through town, after reading reviews from others. My favorite part by far were the homemade pita chips. They were SO good! The dips we tried were pretty good also, and I thought they went best with veggies. My husband had a sandwich and soup, which he loved, and I had mac and cheese, which was just average. Atmosphere was nice and location was easy to get to. read more

Really tasty. Really nice service. It really is better than mamas. The fried pita chips and the bacon chipotle dipping sauce or the Flippin bomb and they do only give you one free refill on your diet Coke which I guess is something they do now? The hardest part the worst The worst thing about big mamas is freaking getting in the place the parking is in the back and you have to go through like some little side door to get to the restaurant because the main door is exit only in the front side is the street where there is no parking so if you're not already there getting there and parking in the back and then traveling over the river and through the woods to the front is kind of a pain in the butt ox but I guess that's a building there's nothing the restaurant can really do about it so I guess they still get five stars read more

Better Than Mama's - Menu - Sandwiches Near Me - Salem, Oregon

We just did a 4.5 mile hike at Silver Falls and we we're starving for some good sandwiches. We did the normal Google search for sandwich shops and this place came up. THIS PLACE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. The sandwiches are not your regular everyday sandwiches like Panera, Subway, etc. These are hearty, savory, and succulent sandwiches that can only be imagined were made by people who care about how their food is made. We ate a B.L.A.T. and a B.O.S.S. with a side of chips. THESE ARE NOT YOUR EVERYDAY DELI CHIPS. These are fried pita chips that have been blessed from high heaven as being the best goddamn side dish a sandwich could have with it. DONT LEAVE THIS PLACE UNTIL YOU EAT THEIR CHIPS! We will be back for sure the next Silver Falls hike we do! read more

Good food. Inside could use some help with decoration, but everything else was nice. I'd recommend the totchos. Very tasty. Also the fresh pita chips are surprisingly tasty. read more

Better than Mama's catered an event for 200 people for us and did an amazing job. Every detail was executed perfectly and the soup bar was a huge hit. Would highly recommend and we'll definitely use them again! The soups are delicious and having a fall soup bar was a great way to make our budget stretch but still have a beautiful, and tasty, event. read more

We gave this place a second chance and for some unknown reason I ordered the bahn mi sandwich again. It's really not good. My husbands food was just average. Too bad, it's a cute, clean little place. We just didn't like the food again. They really need to up their cooking skills. read more

Nice downtown eatery with friendly staff and tasty food. Had the Boss sandwich with tots which was quite good but I think was a little overpriced for the portion size, but that is just my opinion. My wife's Broadway Burger was good as well, but could have benefited from a fresh, rather than frozen patty and a better bun. Overall a nice experience. read more

I'm an UberEats driver and pick-up from them all the time. The yummy smell of the orders finaly got me through the door and yum! Totchos are on point! Lemonades are great too! read more

Better Than Mama's - Strawberry and mango lemonades and totchos - Sandwiches Near Me - Salem, Oregon

I am in No Way a Foodie but I do know good food. Today I had a meeting and I chose to try out Better Than Mama's for my lunch Meeting. It was clean and appealing to the eye. Good Menu board and friendly prompt service. Now to the food. I ordered the Chicken strip Basket with Curly Steak Fries and a Sprite. I was offered dipping sauce and chose Fry Sauce. I received 3 strips and a good portion of Fries. My total was $8 and some change. A reasonable portion and Price for Lunch. When my food was brought to my table the soda cup was wet and dripping soda and the straw wrapper was wet and pasted to the straw. The chicken was Deep fried but dry and rubbery as if it had been sitting for a while and just reheated in a microwave. It had no flavor and no crunch to it like there should be with a great chicken strip. The fries were hot, crunchy and not greasy at all. Just the way you want a good fry to be. They were in my opinion perfect! The Fry sauce was a bizarre mixture. Upon first taste it is super sweet then turns to spicy. It was actually stomach turning. So breaking down my review: Cleanliness - Great Staff friendliness - Good Food Quality - Very Poor read more

I got the Korean Cheese steak and French fries. The French fries are cooked just right, not too crunchy and not too soft. The Korean Cheese steak is delicious. The self service water is room temperature unfortunately. But you definitely get great food for the price. read more

Better Than Mama's - I got the Korean Cheese steak with French fries. The French fries are cooked just right. The Korean Cheese steak is delicious. - Sandwiches Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Visiting and came in due to the good reviews. The menu was good and the location was clean. The layout was a bit strange. We ordered the veg read more

Better than Mama's catered our daughter and new son in law's wedding for about 200 guests. We had the Mexican buffet. They were easy to work with, the price was reasonable, the servers were friendly and efficient and our guests were all happy with the food. They happily accommodated food issues. I highly recommend them for catered events. read more

Interesting place. My brother and I stopped for a late lunch. I had the B.O.S.S. and it wasn't bad but if it had the caramelized onions on it you couldn't taste them or see them. My brother had the B.L.A.T. and was very disappointing. It had very little bacon to call it what it was. The service left a lot to be desired. Once we got our food that was the last we saw of the server. I don't know if they were having a bad day or what but it will need to change dramatically for me to return. The only good things we had was the chipolata, ranch, bacon dip and hummus dip. read more

Yummy, fresh, good price, innovative and simple. Had sesame ginger chicken wrap, Caesar chicken wrap and California club sandwich + herb pita chips and mango lemonade. All delicious. read more

The pita chips and curly steak fries are life changing! The mac is also amazing. It's on my way home and ordering a bag of pita chips to take home after work is all too tempting. Also props for having proper fry sauce. read more