The drive the outskirts of Salem is absolutely worth visiting this place. We hadn't been back since it used to be a coffee shop and little market. It was good then, but it's great now. The minute you walk on you are warmly created. The place is clean and the food smells great. We came with both a gluten and dairy allergy and the staff was incredibly helpful. They were out of a couple of items , but offered ideas of how to help accommodate our needs. We came for drinks, appetizers and dinner. We had mules, margaritas and whiskey sours; all delicious. The pork nachos with their pickled onions and jalapeños were delicious too. The wedge salad and salad bowls are huge. This is the only place I'd order a salad because it looks and tastes amazing. Burgers and fries are fantastic. They have gluten free fries (however I think they're cooked in the same oil as the other fries, just double check) and they're fantastic! The dessert menu has gluten free options too, but we will have to try on our next trip to Oregon. read more

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We had a tasty meal here. My cocktail included an ice cube made of guava juice, so the drink didn't get watery. The restaurant gives onion dip with chips at each table ... yum. I had Chicken Paillard (grilled with cannellini beans & pistachio pesto) & my husband had Chicken Milanese (fried with a smoky tomato sauce - Southern flavors). Both were delicious. read more

Lively Station - Sweet Escape cocktail - Specialty Food Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Hmm, this is a tough review as we expected a better experience. A friendly hostess brought us to a table in a dining room with what seemed like a number of large tables. It was empty except for onbe party, and the vibe seemed off to me, so we asked to sit outside, where most of the diners were. We had a very friendly waitress, and the menu just resonated with me, I wanted to try most of it! We chose several dishes, but the problem was that food just didn't come out of the kitchen. Maybe 45 minutes or so before our first app arrived? That is just too long. Cocktails were good, but also took a real long time to arrive. As far as the food, the best thing we had were the squash blossom tacos. Creative take and delicious. The coconut curry chicken was disappointing all around, the rice was sticky and not the basmati variety which we would have expected and the curry itself was bland and somewhat tasteless. Cheddar puffs seemed like they would be a hit, but were just not to our liking at all and we did not finish them. So initially seeing the menu, we wanted to try it all, but our sample of the food we did try was mediocre at best, with only one plate being something we would try again. Perhaps the restaurant was overwhelmed and understaffed that day, we did not see many diners at all, but the bar was very busy. Considering all the great reviews here, we were hoping for a better experience. We might try again when returning to Salem, but this would not be a high priority given the other places we tried in town. read more

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What a great time our clinic staff had for our Christmas office dinner. We are very appreciative that they were able to accommodate our party last minute as our original plan didn't work out. We were greeted by our host and shown to a private set up for us. Warm music playing, a pretty mural and tasteful decor made for a cozy space to have dinner.The service was wonderful, kind and helpful as we had some dietary restrictions that were navigated safely. The ahi bites appetizers were fantastic, as well as the Harissa Carrots. Our party enjoyed Chicken Milanese, Campfire Mac and cheese, Porcini and truffle ravioli, and a chocolate waffle ala mode was the finishing touch on a lovely dinner. We will be back and we definitely recommend this place for your private dinners as well as just for a warm elevated space with good food. read more

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What a special summer treat. The lavender latte and lavender lemon cake were both delicious. Wonderful service! read more

Lively Station - Specialty Food Near Me - Salem, Oregon

I have been here twice in the last week. The quality of food was outstanding. I was very impressed by the quality and quantity of food for the price. Lively has one of the top burgers in town. The side salad was incredible. I consume at least 4 burgers per week from a variety of restaurants in Salem/Keizer. When I say they have one of the best burgers you can take my recommendation to the bank. Of course chefs can change so I'll share an image to protect my reputation. The burger in my attached image is the Pub burger. read more

Lively Station - Bacon burger with strawberry salad. LOOK AT ALL THAT BACON!!! This burger is exceptional. - Specialty Food Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Wonderful Brussel sprouts appetizer Loved our burgers! Excellent service. Great relaxed atmosphere read more

Very accommodating to our large group. The service was excellent. The food was perfect. Everyone was happy definitely would love to go back. Take some guest with us. read more

Perfect lunch or dinnner spot after a flight! We stopped in after flying into PDX, wanting to get out of the city for a meal before driving to our final destination. It was such an adorable spot! In addition to the restaurant, they seemed to have a great bar and bottle selection. I would love to come back and try the cocktails sometime. We started with the cheddar puffs which were surprisingly good. They were not like a cheese curd, but sort of like a fried soft cheese. The Caesar chicken wrap was also great, but the steak sandwich with sweet potatoes was simply amazing! Perfectly cooked steak. Service was also very fast, and staff were wonderful. I would come back all the time if I lived here!! read more

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This place is such a gem! They have a sweet little gift shop, a lovely outdoor patio and a delightful service team. The food was so creative and delicious and quite possibly the best beet and barley salad I've ever consumed. The only thing I'll note is that their water has a funky taste.. as does their soda water. Wouldn't recommend those- but the food was so good it didn't really end up mattering to me read more

Lively Station - Fish tacos and birria nachos - Specialty Food Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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I visited with a large party for an early dinner reservation. The only negative thing was that our server came to take drink orders but we didn't have a drink menu. She listed a few beers but didn't mention the cocktails so we had to insist on seeing the menu.... I'm glad because they have a great cocktail menu! So many fun options. Almost everyone at the table got a cocktail. I really enjoyed mine. I had the pot roast, which was very good. My husband also enjoyed his Brie burger and fries. Most of us enjoyed our meals but note the steak frites doesn't come with the really good twisty fries, just regular string fries. I would go back! read more

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We walked in after reading the great reviews and were instantly told that we'd be sat outside on the patio due to having a professionally trained medic alert service dog, in vest, with us, on a rainy, 45* winter day. After telling her this violated the ADA, the hostess said she'd "ask her boss." Upon returning we were told he instructed her to "sit us away from everyone else so it wouldn't disrupt other people." Despite how good the food may have been, we chose to leave before ever ordering as it was clear we weren't welcome. The manager made it clear: if you have any different needs, you are not welcome in his establishment. Shame on this business for being exclusionary! read more

Lively Station - Front of business - Specialty Food Near Me - Salem, Oregon

This place always delivers excellence. Every time my wife and I go here we are satisfied. Great food, great drinks, and great staff.

Oh my gosh!!! Amazing restaurant!!! Good food, nice ambience, great customer service and such a nice owner!!! She happened to also be the owner of my air bb and can I just say we are SO thankful for the owners. Amazing people and amazing food!!! Don't miss out on this gem. read more

Lively Station - Beer salad with chicken and Brie burger - Specialty Food Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Food was great as was the service and ambiance. Freindly staff, clean quiet place. Be great for a date with your special someone. Beautiful place. read more

Jess and her wonderful crew catered a wedding rehearsal mix and mingle for us at the Salt Creek Cider House. Guests were amazed at the assortment of foods and how tasty all the selections were. The thai chicken meatballs were a crowd favorite. The kids said the mac and cheese was the best! Jess was amazing. It was such a great celebration. Guests said it was such a nique evening. Lively Station knocked it out of the park! One of our favorites when we visit Salem. read more

Lively Station - Some fabulous desserts after a wonderful selection of appetizers - ahi bites, charcuterie boards, sliders, meatballs, salad, mac & cheese - Specialty Food Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Always fabulous. Service is great. Creative cocktails. Excellent food. Love sitting in the bar. read more

Delicious! Everyone was friendly, and the food was great. I ordered the Steak Argentine Bocadillo from the brunch with the Strawberry Fields as a side salad. I can't imagine a more perfect post-hike lunch. Portions were generous, and the steak was perfectly tender. read more

Lively Station - Delicious and creative food options! - Specialty Food Near Me - Salem, Oregon

The food truck has been at Topwire this summer and if you want to taste the best burger you'll ever have you should go try it. I get it on butter lettuce and the fries are skinny and seasoned to melt in your mouth!!! I don't even eat fries and I can't control myself. The guys working the truck are amazing and so friendly!! So grab a large iced tea and go have lunch or dinner read more

We were lucky to have gotten into this place at the last minute for a group of us. Small limited seating. The food was excellent. Argentinian steak bocadillo, steak frites, crispy brussels, burgers, Korean pork belly, beet and barley salad, mac and cheese, gnocchi, and salads. We had a good sampling of a lot of items. Service was spot on. Cute place with a little store area featuring local goods, refrigerator full of cold beverages, and outdoor seating. And the bourbon selection was excellent with a pretty decent list of wines, hard liquors, and beers for a place this size. Highly recommend this place. read more

Great ambiance and delicious food. Cocktails are well thought out, imaginative and delicious. Fantastic service. Definitely will come back the next time we are in Salem! read more

Lively Station - Briar chop: Bone in Pork Chop, blackberry merlot gastrique, cider roasted root vegetables and parsnip purée - Specialty Food Near Me - Salem, Oregon

The drinks were great, and the bartenders were super nice. They were open to giving out recommendations on what to try. The brussel sprouts were one of the best I've had and the cheesecake is a must! (I had the lemon raspberry) read more

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I went there for breakfast a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. I had a breakfast taco. I liked it so much that my husband and I went back for our 42 anniversary tonight. It was disappointing to say the least. The battered fish in my fish tacos tasted a little burnt, and my husband's ribeye steak was way too salty. We were seated in a room that didn't have very good atmosphere and the table beside us was so noisy we couldn't even hear each other. We had a Marion Berry pie ice cream sandwich for desert which was also very disappointing. Probably won't be going back again. read more

I've given this place a few tries. I know Covid had an effect on all things, but it's been years and we should get back to normal. The whole experience was not good. The smell of the toilets when you first walk in the door. We were seated right away with reservations. No one showed up for a good 15 minutes to take our drink order. It took another 15 minutes to get 4 glasses of wine, 1 coke and 1 margarita. $37 for a steak that had breakfast sausage gravy on it and 1/4 of it was fat and gristle. $32 for a French chicken stew that was 1 leg and thigh, bone in and skin on, with some strange pale sausage. Very disappointing. The nachos were served cold. Dinner took two hours. Sorry Lively Station, but I will not be coming back. read more

I attended an event at the Lively Station over the weekend and had a very nice experience. In case you haven't been there before, they have a private room off of their patio that seats 12 people comfortably. Being that the holiday season is in full swing, it was very festive with the decorations. The ambiance and serve were fantastic. I had the fish tacos, which were Guinness battered cod, crema amarilla, calabrian salsa, radicchio slaw, corn flour tortilla, micro cilantro, which were simply delicious. They have a good variety of dishes on their menu, including vegan. read more

This was my second time at Lively Station and I enjoyed it far more than my first visit. My main concern last time was that I felt like there were very few vegetarian options. This time we went for brunch and I had a hard time deciding because there were lots of things that sounded good! I chose the Florence, which is burrata, cherry tomatoes, avocado, balsamic glaze, micro basil and black truffle salt on grilled baguette. It was delicious. I ordered poached eggs on the side and ate them with the main. It was super fresh and so tasty. I also ordered a cardamom rose gin cocktail, which wasn't that great. That said, it wasn't anything on the bartender Darryl, because the other folks in my party basically asked him to make something off menu for them and their cocktails were amazing. Next time I know to do the same. The place is cute and rustic, with a nice view. Darryl provided excellent customer service and took care of us all so well. read more

Lively Station - Florence - Specialty Food Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Food, drinks, and service were amazing! Squash blossom tacos and green bean special were our favorites.

Such a cute little place, almost a "cabin in the woods" vibe, right on the outskirts of South Salem. We went on a Saturday at 10:00am and it wasn't busy at all. The brunch menu is small but there's plenty of yummy options. We split the BFF toast which was delicious. I had the fry bread breakfast tacos, also a great choice. I'd love to go back and try out dinner! read more

Lively Station - Fry Bread Tacos, BFF Toast, Waffle Eggs Benedict - Specialty Food Near Me - Salem, Oregon

We thought, how lovely would it be to try Lively for brunch!Welll, the inability to seat a party of 2, at 11:15am, when the dining room had only 2 tables in use is awful, to have a kitchen that can only accomodate cooking for 2 tables at a time is pretty weak. 4 staff on site, not one with a smile to a waiting customer. We were asked to wait about 10 mins, waited 20, just ignored after that. They seem to cater more to the bar and since we dont like bar atmosphere, I guess we only matter when they feel like it. Lots of business at the coffee bar - all to the bar. My husband is usually soft spoken, and is a generous tipper, he could not hold back and got a bit loud. We will never return to this establishment. Be sure to read reviews, we didnt, being ignored seems to be a recurring theme. read more

This little spot is rustic and charming, and the service and food was excellent. We went for breakfast and had a lovely drink and great meal. I will plan to go back and try some of the other offerings and hope to make it for lunch as well. read more

Great service & amazing food! The Ahi bites are delicious but you can't go wrong with the Ruben or Rigatoni ala vodka! 10/10 recommend - favorite restaurant in Salem! read more

Lively Station - Ruben - Specialty Food Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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I am so glad I finally decided to try this place! I have lived less than 10 minutes away on and off for most of my life, and in that time have seen the different businesses come and go at this location. I was curious to try this new place. I made an order for pick-up on their website. It was easy to navigate and to customize my order. I chose the Station SmashBurger with a side of Sidewinder Fries. I also got a Grainy Day Bowl and a Triple Layer Brownie for dessert. While I was waiting for my order, I checked out the other things for sale. They have a nice collection of gourmet snacks and foods, and it seems locally or regionally sourced for the most part. They also had a selection of grab and go cold drinks, salads and entrees to reheat. Their beer selection seemed locally focused and carefully curated. They also have baked goods and coffee on offer. Since my wait was a tad longer than expected (only by about 10 minutes) the friendly person at the front counter offered a complimentary bakery item. I thought this was more than generous. I picked out a maple bacon scone and soon afterwards, my order appeared. Service was very friendly! The burger was wonderful! I haven't had many smashed burgers before, but this one had good beefy flavor that was intensified by the increased contact with the heat source. The edges were browned and delicious and the cheese melted into the patties delectably! The bun was nice and soft, the caramelized onions and house-made pickles both very tasty. And the burger sauce was a perfect addition, as was the lettuce. I ordered my burger without the tomato. A very satisfying burger. The Sidewinder Fries were large, spiral-cut chunks of potato with a fantastic seasoning mix that really brought out the rich potato flavor. The fries were perfectly cooked and there was lots of them! The Grainy Day bowl was super tasty as well. It was a mixture of quinoa and farro with pickled onion, roasted squash, red pepper, artichoke hearts, kale and spinach. All this was tossed in a delicious salsa that was seasoned perfectly! This entrée portion was enough for a side at dinner and for lunch the next day. I ordered this without the goat cheese; I appreciate the order customization. I was so full I didn't try my baked items until the next day. The maple bacon scone was rich, bacon-y and very moist. And the brownie was great with the three layers, each a different texture. Both were different and delicious! I am really happy this place is here and I am eager to try more of their menu! read more

Lively Station - The Station SmashBurger with Sidewinder Fries. - Specialty Food Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Have been following the build and opening of this quaint out of town establishment located near Illahe Hills off of River Rd. Was excited to just have a full service coffee bar in the neighborhood, that have since added a decent lunch menu. We have been really enjoying their Cornflake Crusted Chicken Sliders, served with House pickles, Sriracha mayo & butter lettuce Choice of side: house-made Sweet Potato Chips, Sidewinder Fries OR Side Salad. I particularly like the sidewinder fries, good flavor and have been cooked to perfection each time I have ordered. My wife prefers the chips, which are also quite tasty. They have outdoor seating available, with plans to offer indoor seating when the restrictions are lifted. Besides the coffee bar, and tasty menu offerings, they also offer wine and some cold grab and go items. Highly recommend you check out this place when you want something tasty. read more

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Our favorite "local" Monday night go-to restaurant. The menu changes regularly, food delicious, they work with customers' food issues & the waitstaff is excellent! PS, we love Rob (the bartender) read more

Our first time at Lively Station was such a great experience! From the minute we walked in, we felt welcomed by a really sweet young lady who sat us at our table. The place is filled with just the right amount of cool decor especially in the bar area where we sat. The overall service was fantastic. As for the food, we thoroughly enjoyed everything we ordered. We tried a couple starters- cheese puffs & flatbread. The cheese puffs were like little clouds of fried goodness. So delicious!! The flatbread had toppings of kale, artichoke hearts, olives, mushrooms, red peppers and cheese. It was also just so good!! I got a recommendation from our server about what to have & was thrilled with my gnocchi. Every single bite of the dish made me happy. The hubs ordered the halibut & wasn't quite as happy since he said he would have liked it served a bit warmer with a touch more salt. He did say the flavor was spot on. We also had a glass of Winter Sangria- another winner & hubby enjoyed his wine as well. After filling ourselves with starters & mains, I still wanted to try dessert, so I got a Browned Butter Rice Krispie Treat & Hospitality Cookie to take home. While the cookie was really tasty, the big winner was the RKT. It was seriously the best RKT I had ever eaten! I know they can be made at home, but this was something special. I know the evening was a success when both of said we'd like to go back and try some more of Lively Station's menu offerings. Definitely a high Mangia Mamma recommendation!! read more

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We've been meaning to try this place forever and we're bummed we didn't try it sooner! This is such a cute place and the food was great. I'm still thinking about the fries - crispy on the outside and soft inside, seasoned really well. The cocktails were delicious and we appreciate when there are NA beer options as well. We will definitely be back. read more

Lively Station - Butterfly flower tea cocktail - Specialty Food Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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Waited forty minutes for a coffee at brunch, yesterday, New Year's Eve. We had reservations at 10:30am and finally got a pitifully small cup of coffee at 11:10am, ordered their Lively Station Macchiato" which was a short shot of rancid soured espresso with something sweet in it: it was undrinkable and the bartender was kind enough to remove it from our tab. Breakfast Burrito was unremarkable & average, and so was the fish cake Benedict. What was remarkable was the fruit salad: I thought it looked like golden kiwi but it was a regular kiwi that was completely rotten and disintegrating. With a brown over-ripe banana & some grapes. I wanted to go full on Gordon Ramsay and scream, "Are you trying to make people sick?!!" Because this is how you make people sick!! Check the Health Inspections and be forewarned. https://inspections.myhealthdepartment.com/or-marion-county/inspection/?inspectionID=3C68EA1B-E55D-48F1-9838-CD7C1C7C5E9C We so desperately wanted to like this place and it's always been hit or miss. Mostly miss. The owners seem nice, but it's apparent they have literally bitten off more than they can chew. Compared to other restaurants nearby? Lively Station is awfully disappointing. Keep an eye on their Health Inspections and know before you even think of going!! read more

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The area is so pretty, great natural light! Excellent Smash Burger with fresh ingredients and lovely sauces!!! We can't wait to go back! Excellent service and great coffee!! read more

Just finished another super meal. Has always been high on our list when we want to go out to eat.

Frankly it's the people here that make the difference. My wife and I come here to enjoy a Friday night together after a long week. Madison welcomes us with a smile and knows what we order. We throw her a curveball every once in a while just for fun! She is such a joyous person and makes our visit a delight. Not to be outdone by Tina, she is an amazing mixologist. And her new drink menu is THE BEST! she adds to the ambiance with amazing creativity and is arguably the best mixologist in town. We often enjoy her recommendations which never disappoint. Not to mention that she makes one heck an Old Fashioned. Everyone that works here shows care in what they do. Back of the house included. The food is always consistently delicious, creative and enjoyable. As regulars with many restaurant options in town, this is our favorite place to visit week after week. Thanks for all you do! read more