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    The Derby Restaurant & Bar

    3.5 (284 reviews)

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    THE DERBY RESTAURANT & BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Touristy
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - The Derby Restaurant & Bar

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    Lucy C.

    The food, I have mixed reviews the devil eggs amazing so good we got second order. The angry shrimp not so good, I love spicy food to the point my mouth is numb but these things, you couldn't even eat, think this is the first time that didn't eat more then a bit of what I ordered. You couldn't taste the shrimp. The bartender Bianca was great she was friendly and helpful. The drinks were great. The place was quiet being it was a Monday but I was sad to hear they will be closing.

    Kelley B.

    Great little spot in Salem, we just stopped in a for a couple of drinks. Our server was very helpful and friendly!

    Southwest Salad w/ Grilled Chicken.
    Jennifer M.

    AWESOME ATMOSPHERE! Service was great! The guy at the Front door "checking everyone in" was a great distraction from the line of people all waiting to get a table. Food was fantastic. Ordered the Southwest Salad w/ grilled chicken and a grilled chicken breast w/ crinkle cut fries. Hubby said the salad had a great meld of flavor. He loved the Citrus Vinaigrette Dressing too. I had to special request a grilled chicken breast as one thing we found in Salem is it's difficult to find "healthier" food options. A lot of fried food Everywhere. The grilled chicken was a winner! Glad we stopped!

    Pork belly tacos -- very small
    Matt P.

    This restaurant has since closed, but I visited in September 2025. I am a foodie, so there is rarely a time where I go to a restaurant without viewing their menu beforehand to check out the options. The Derby looked like it had some really interesting and tasty options based on their menu that I read online. Given its location in downtown Salem, The Derby is at the hub of all of the action going on during the extremely busy fall season where hundreds of thousands of people flock to the city. I checked it out on a Saturday morning around 11:30 AM and was able to get a seat at the bar. The rest of the restaurant was starting to fill up. I was surprised when they brought me a limited fall menu, a paired back version of their full, normal menu for the rest of the year. Now I wasn't shocked at this, it makes sense that restaurants in Salem have to scale back their options when serving such a mass quantity of people around Halloween. I just wished The Derby had updated their online menu, like so many other restaurants in Salem do. This limited menu was exactly that: limited. I can always find something to eat anywhere, no matter the cuisine type, but I was struggling here. I got a pumpkin beer and the pork belly tacos for $14. I was surprised at how quickly the tacos were brought out but when I saw them, it made sense why. These were two tiny tacos, maybe 2 to 3 bites each. I expected at least a little more volume for the price. The pork belly was crispy and they had good flavor but I couldn't help but feel cheated and sorry for the rest of the people coming into the restaurant who would spend their hard earned money visiting Salem only to probably get other menu items that were scaled down in size. Needless to sayit left a bad impression on me and I vowed not to visit again until I could confirm that they had their full yearly menu back. Unfortunately, it looks like the restaurant has now closed so I won't get that chance.

    Alyssa G.

    Nice large bar/restaurant in the area to watch sports games and listen to live music. Came here the other night with my husband and we had a great time. They have a fantastic craft beer selection on tap and our bartender Zach was wonderful. We already went out to eat before coming here so we didn't not get to eat anything here except for this amazing brownie peanut butter pie thing with ice cream. It was Soooooooooo good to the point where I will be dreaming of this dessert for years to come.

    Jenny R.

    This spot is effortlessly cool--like the kind of place you stumble into once and immediately want to bring all your friends back to. The vibe is casual but stylish, the kind of energy where the food is fun but the flavors are serious. Let's start with the deviled eggs. They're tasty, rich, and a little extra on the filling--but somehow that ends up being part of the charm. It's one of those things where you think, maybe this is too much... until you catch yourself scooping up the leftovers with your finger like you're at a family cookout. No shame. They're that good. The salad was surprisingly fresh and flavorful too--not just filler, but a real dish with intention. And then there's the drink. The star of the show. Served in a hippo statue that's so cool, they actually hold your credit card as collateral until you return it. (Yes, it's that iconic.) Sipping out of it feels like you're part of an inside joke you didn't even know you wanted to be in on. The service? Warm, attentive, and super friendly. The whole place has a family-run feel with just enough edge to keep it exciting. It's the kind of spot where you feel taken care of but still a little bit cooler just for being there. Definitely a place I'd go back to--next time with more people, more plates, and maybe... just maybe... enough self-control to not finger-swipe the deviled eggs (but no promises).

    Bar area
    Steve F.

    Fun place to watch a game and have a beer if your visiting Salem. Especially anytime around October!

    Aja and our chaperones.
    Mark C.

    If you're ever in Salem, do yourself a favor and visit The Derby Restaurant--it's an absolute gem! We brought a group of 21 (yes, 21!), including 3 adults and 18 energetic 8th graders, and had the best experience thanks to our incredible server, Aja. She was nothing short of amazing--organized, patient, and on top of every single detail, making sure everyone felt taken care of. The food? Phenomenal. Every single kid raved about their meal, which is no small feat with that many middle schoolers. And for the adults, the beer recommendation was spot-on--just what we needed after a long day of chaperoning! We're already planning to come back next year. Whether you're a local or just passing through, The Derby is a must. And if you're lucky enough to be served by Aja, you're in for a top-tier ambiance experience.

    Menu
    Amanda G.

    This is the best location to watch sports. Hands down. Great sports bar and they have the best drink names that we had come across in Salem. I ordered the fish and chips and I felt it was a little bland but some of the other items like deviled eggs and fries were delicious. My favorite thing was the cider and they dipped the rim in a syrup with cinnamon and it was not only pretty but delicious. Stars because of the bland fish and chips. Everything else was superb.

    The Derby
    Lisa W.

    Well we were greeted by the amazing Doug! What a great personality. Plus he took time to great and serve customers. Zach was also super nice. The crinkle fries were the best I've ever had. The hamburger yum. Definitely recommend!

    Chicken pot pie
    Rachel M.

    We were in Salem on a day trip in November, and Salem was still pretty busy. This is your typical gastro pub with a wide selection of beers, upscale(ish) bar food, and oiled wood décor. They had a few added touches, though, like a vintage arcade game and a secret Silence of the Lambs decoration on the ceiling. See if you can find it if you go. Since we came after the Halloween rush, they were out of everything from all the pumpkin beers, pretzels, and pizzas...which is understandable, but items were still listed on the beer menus and specials on the wall. It was hard as a non-meat-eater to find something to eat, and the French onion soup was LOADED with meat. All in all I was pretty disappointed in the beer selection and food when we went. This is not to say I won't go back. Service was amazing. I think I just hit it at the wrong time.

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    1 year ago

    Burger and the sliders were delicious! Service was top notch and we really enjoyed the cocktail menu as well!

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    1 year ago

    Food was great and nice location. Was sad items on menu were not available as they were getting new menu. Service was great as well.

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    Ask the Community - The Derby Restaurant & Bar

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    We were in the area for the Salem Witch trials tours. We spotted this place to eat. The inside is…read moresuper cool and a great place to come have drinks and relax with an amazing meal. My wife ordered their award winning espresso martini. She said it was perfect! One of the best, so give it another award lol! The clam chowder is probably one of the best things on the menu!! The warm fresh bread is delicious!! The hamburgers are pretty good. And they have variety of fries (sweet potato as well). I recommend coming here. Chowder is a must!!

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    Champions Pub - Steak tips and onion rings: superb

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    I have read many good bings for Champion's steak tips. It is a local spot or bar…read more Beers on draft I ordered nice and cold. I ordered the steak tips and my only complaint if I was to have one was the limited options for the side. It was onion rings or rice . It came with a salad that was lame ... I'd drop the salad for a veggie or sauteed onions and grilled black green peppers . I ordered onion rings and excellent onion rings. I really wanted cream spinach, garlic spinach or mashed, or baked potato or corn , carrots anything? Grilled garlic green beans even better with my tips . Now, the steak tips are real deal tender , nice teriyaki I think was marinade . Huge portion in terms of lbs of steak tips . Nice char from grill on tips. All very good . Better to serve an option steak tips, grilled onions and grilled green peppers, mashed potato, grilled beans ,a single hot roll ... like a Santarpios option they offer peppers But, I get it... if it is working... why change... These tips are Massachusetts high ranking .

    i called in to order steak tips at 11:30 am to be ready at 1 pm on tuesday 8/25/26. the woman on…read morethe phone said they don't take advance orders because "we don't know how busy we'll be." so if you've ordered here before, you can't tell if it will take 20 minutes or an hour for your order. i tried to tell her, how am i supposed to know how long it will take? she said they don't know how busy they will be within the next hour. i said okay, i guess i'll call back in a bit, she goes, "alrighty." in what world is "alrighty" an appropriate response for your incompetence at your job? i called back 25 minutes later, and she told me they would be ready in 20 minutes. okay, so you can make them in 20 minutes, lie about how busy you are, but you can't schedule them to be ready for 1 pm when someone calls an hour and a half before? alrighty. this was a special treat for a friend who lives about an hour away now, and i got them their favorite steak tips as a birthday lunch. i was trying to prepare and keep them warm after for at least an hour, they couldn't have been less interested. i asked for no salad and double rice, which they've done before. the same woman claimed that's not possible and that i had to buy an extra side of rice as well for $2.50. so there were double portions of rice plus an extra container of rice that wasn't actually needed or asked for. it was $39 for steak tips with double rice. the staff here really have no idea what customer service is. you don't have to be the nicest person on the planet, but to be rude because you don't have a system to appropriately prepare for customers, as a very popular restaurant, is wild. do better. champions pub is famous all over the north shore for their best steak tips. they are pretty good, but i don't understand how they are "the best." they're pretty good, that's it. everyone who loves champions will yell from the high hills that champions has the best steak tips. they are more "alrighty." it is located in an old, tiny building, not a very welcoming entrance or experience. i've only ordered steak tips from here for takeout a handful of times for other people, and they seem pretty regularly disorganized. when i picked up, there were about a dozen people eating, so it wasn't overly busy, and the staff were just okay in person. i won't be ordering from here again; if anyone wants champions, they can deal with that headache themselves. ambiance: 1/5 food: 4/5 drinks: n/a service: 1.5/5 champions pub: 2/5

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    The Derby Restaurant & Bar - tradamerican - Updated September 2026

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