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    The Ugly Mug Diner

    4.0 (1.1k reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 2:00 pm

    The Ugly Mug Diner Photos

    THE UGLY MUG DINER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - The Ugly Mug Diner

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    Interior
    Courtney O.

    We checked out The Ugly Mug Diner for breakfast on our last day in Salem. We waited in line outside for about 15 minutes before they seated us. The inside is fairly small and it definitely lives up to that diner feel - with only a few tables and a counter area. We ordered the Breakfast Burrito, This Ain't No Chicken & Waffles and the Breakfast Poutine. For drinks, we ordered the Salted Caramel Mocha and the Apple Cider Mimosa. I really enjoyed my Breakfast Poutine - the gravy had nice flavor and it was loaded with cheese. My husband liked this Chicken and Waffles - he said the chicken was great, but unfortunately my friend said the Breakfast Burrito and salsa that came on the side lacked a lot of flavor. Staff were very friendly and welcoming and the food came out quick and hot though. Overall, I really liked The Ugly Mug Diner - the food was good overall and the ambiance felt cozy. I would definitely come back and try some other dishes next time I get the chance to visit! Check them out!

    Patrick W.

    Super cute breakfast place. We made it to Salem during the craziest time of all, Halloween. As we were looking for places to eat, we found this lovely place close to Essex street. The spot was cozy the moment we walked in. Highly decorative and friendly. Also the crab cake Benedict was spilling out with deliciousness. The sweet potatoes absolutely immaculate. And my wife and I agreed it was a super awesome experience overall. Come check it out next time!

    This Ain't No Chicken & Waffles, Huevos Rancheros
    Christina B.

    Cute local spot for breakfast in Salem! There was a line outside (it was a Saturday morning in November), but they kept it moving efficiently. Our service was friendly, and the food was about what you'd expect from a little diner! I feel like the interior could benefit from a little bit of an update, but it's a great place for a breakfast stop.

    Western Omelet with toast and homefries
    Kristi B.

    We had an exceptional experience at the Ugly Mug for a late breakfast on Saturday. While there is tons of street parking around, we actually found it easier to park in the parking garage behind the witches small area so that we could just freely walk around without having to worry about metered parking. My husband got the Western omelette and a pancake as well as two pieces of bacon. The food was delicious with the exception of the home fries. They tasted old and like they've been sitting for a while. I got the breakfast burrito and was very impressed with the flavor although the eggs could've used a little bit more seasoning. Overall, the location is quite busy, but the service was exceptional and probably one of the one spots during our vacation that we've had undeniably great hospitality.

    Steak & Eggs
    Erika V.

    I was in Salem some months back and one of my best friends found this spot with good reviews for breakfast so we walked in and luckily got a table right away. It was around 10.45am on a Friday and the place was pretty packed. I ordered some tea and my friends some coffee and juice, we were 4 people in total. For breakfast 3 of us ordered their Steak and Eggs which came with 2 eggs, marinated skirt steak, toast, and home fries. The steak was good, and the marinade they used really gave the steak a good flavor. It was a very fulfilling dish full of protein and carbs. My other friend ordered the Eggs Florentine with sauteed spinach and portobello mushrooms, she really enjoyed it. The ambiance is loud, it's a diner but decent and the food was greasy but yummy.

    Huevos Rancheros
    Krystyn P.

    Solid breakfast offerings... like the dishes other restaurants don't typically make but are classics. I watched my husband be genuinely elated to order toad in a hole- he hasn't seen toad in a hole for years on a menu. The inside has super creative decor and the wait staff is friendly and attentive. Definitely recommend but it's super popular- be prepared for a wait!

    Scotch Egg Breakfast and Corn Cakes with Candied Pecans
    Paul D.

    My wife and I tried The Ugly Mug Diner during our trip to Salem. It DID NOT disappoint. I had the scotch egg breakfast and a mocha latte both of which were great. My wife, who is vegan and gluten-free, had corn cakes with candied pecans which she said was awesome. We will return the next time we are visiting. The server was great. The whole dining room is decorated in breakfast decor. I love this place.

    Egg in a basket
    Marah H.

    I'm not sure why this place has such rave reviews. Aside from the stellar interior decor, some friends and I found this place to be mediocre at best. Bacon was overcooked, eggs were undercooked (runny & clear whites), and the home fries were awful. Service was kind and friendly but again, the food was not very good. The one thing I'd recommend is the sweet potato home fries, they're far better than the regular ones. Respectfully, I would not come here again.

    Wall
    Alice P.

    The food and customer service is really good. Nice stop in Salem MA. Excellent people that work there!! Very focused on great customer service!!

    Tahs L.

    I actually really enjoyed this spot. The waffle was good and didn't taste like a gross box of mix. It was very sweet though (I got the Elvis waffle). The service was friendly and the space was a cute decorated vibe for sure.

    Carolina S.

    I love a no frills diner experience. We made our trip to Salem slightly post season and left NY at 7am. This put us in Salem a little before noon. My friend arrived a little earlier and was able to snag us a table right away. We finished parking and walked over. Immediately knew we had the coolest waitress! I noticed her "Leatheface" tattoo and I was sold! And then.....drum roll please, she showed me her leg! I am obsessed! Horror movie fanatic central, took me after we left to figure out it was from the tattoo artist I love, STEGA! She also gave us tons of great Salem tips! I truly felt so at home in Salem in this trip! I was in the mood for lunch! And the crab sandwich sounded perfect with some fries. And how could I resist a Nutella Latte. It was just what I wanted. I ordered my meal so fast that I didn't realize it came with bacon, had to pull that right out and my boyfriend was more than happy to assist. The food came out super fast and was the perfect base for running around Salem. I was tempted by the huevos rancheros and the eggs Benedict's. Until next time! And I hear there's pentagrams on the Gimme S'more! I'm here for all the gimmicks! No shame in my game!

    Great selection of collected coffee mugs
    Stepheni F.

    The atmosphere and decor is like walking in to a page from cloudy with a chance of meatballs! It is so thoughtful and imaginative. I was seated quickly at the counter. May quickly brought me water and took my order. Made suggestions and even described some of the options. When I asked for a substitution you kindly accosted and sent in my order. I ordered the hash Benny 2 ways with gravy instead of hollandaise. While I waited for my food May was attentive checking in to see if I needed more coffee or anything else. I ordered coffee, and an apple cider mimosa. Both were very good! The hash benny was great, I definitely preferred the corned beef over the sweet potato side. The gravy was very flavorful and the entire meal made for a great start to my day exploring Salem.

    Campfire Delight, Gimme S'mores & Nutella Latte
    Isabella C.

    Coffee was delicious and the inside vibe/decor was cool! Food was pricey for how average it was

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    10 months ago

    Food was great. Staff was very friendly, atmosphere was fun and clean. A little pricy. They charged $3 just to add pumpkin to my pancakes.

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    9 months ago

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    11 months ago

    This was a great restaurant and good food. I found the staff to be very friendly and helpful

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    1 year ago

    Food and service were very good. I like my pancakes light in color and they nailed the most delicious pancakes, eggs and bacon!

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    1 year ago

    Great breakfast! Johnny cakes were fun to try. Nice diner setting, nice people. Try them!

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    1 year ago

    Long waits. Good food. Service is below average, you are made to feel like it is a privilege to be there. Tends to be loud.

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    2 years ago

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    10 months ago

    Absolutely worth the hype. The Dueling Benedicts was beyond good. The latte and pumpkin spice latte also amazing.

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    3 years ago

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    David B.

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    2 years ago

    Great service and delicious food! A variety of choices and some fun new drinks to try.

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    Page 2 of 28

    Ask the Community - The Ugly Mug Diner

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    Salem's Retreat

    Salem's Retreat

    4.4
    (98 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    First things first I had no idea how to get to the parking lot in the back. If you don't go in…read morethrough the back you will awkwardly be standing at the front of the building waiting for someone to notice you because the hostess stand is in the back of the restaurant. Not very tourist friendly because we're all trying to figure out where we're going and looking at GPS and not even noticing that in dark letters on the sign it says there's a parking in the back that you don't notice until you've already found parking on a side street. Just a bit frustrating but not much to be done about it. I got a hot chocolate and it was fine, just a standard diner-like hot chocolate. Then the burrito came and although it was supposed to have cheese and chorizo in it, all I tasted was beans and pico de gallo. Barely tasted the eggs. It was HUGE also and the beans are filling so I couldn't finish it but I was just disappointed in the lack of balance in the flavors. I will say the apple cinnamon waffles were fantastic. The crumble on the top was my favorite part. I would just get that next time. I tried my mom's eggs benedict and did not like the hollandaise so I'm glad I didn't get that, I think the waffles might be their specialty.

    From the looks of things this is probably one of the better restaurants in Salem. Fully decked out…read morein Halloween swag, this old house, turned converted restaurant is a busy spot. The spaceci itself is tight, loolts of tables are squeezed in. Be ready to meet new people, lol. The staff was cordial and service was pretty quick. I looked at a lot of different plates when I came in and decided to stick to my regular diner choice, grilled cheese & fries. My friend was far more adventurous with the turkey sausage eggs Benedict. It was good, very much so met the standatd. My friend said her dish was weird, but edible,thought it would be better with turkey bacon. Note: there is a parking lot in the back of the building l.

    Photos
    Booth seating against the wall looking toward the front door. There are a row of tables to the right, and a bar to the far right.
    Booth seating against the wall looking toward the front door. There are a row of tables to the right, and a bar to the far right.
    Salem's Chicken Sandwich
    Salem's Chicken Sandwich
    Eggs Benedict three ways?!

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    Eggs Benedict three ways?!
    Hawthorne Hotel

    Hawthorne Hotel

    3.9
    (381 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    Great stay at the Hawthorne--had dinner in the tavern, great food and cocktails. Room was clean…read more They said it might be hot and they could bring a fan up but temperature was fine. Great location--right in the center. Two things of note--we stayed on the 6th floor, room 622. The 6th floor is the pet-friendly floor (we didn't have any pets), and my husband opened the door to get ice and there was a mini Doberman pinscher (cute!) desperate to get in our room. Then the owner came around the corner and could not figure out why he wanted to get in our room so bad. My husband went in search of the ice and saw the couple with the dog was staying in the room that would be exactly parallel to ours on the other side. I had a great sleep. Husband did as well except around 3 or so he was awoken to a hard poking several times on his shoulder. He said I was dead asleep and facing away so it was not me. We are both FAR from superstitious and don't believe in ghosts etc, so his mind went to someone broke in--but everything was locked up quite securely. He even checked under the bed! After the fact we found out about its ghost stories with specifically the 6th floor--specifically room 612. Again we were room 622, so does 612 (with the doggie) mirror ours? Other people have also mentioned getting poked as well, which we again didn't see about the hotel till after. So between the desperate dog and the poke, probably nothing--but most creeped out I've been in a while!! (Not so creeped out that we wouldn't go back!)

    When we were walking in Salem, we came across an elderly lady in a wheelchair and she was…read morecompletely lost finding this hotel. We all stop what we we were doing and walked safely to this hotel. I went to the front desk to let the lady working on July 9 around midnight about this guest being lost, and she was extremely rude, annoyed and told me that she the guest has been calling the hotel for three hours asking for help. The lady who is working, the Front Desk has short gray hair and was very rude and obviously did not care about a guest at this hotel. If a guest is lost, wouldn't it be the right thing to do by assisting them instead of complaining about a loss elderly guest who was a retired school teacher? When other people in the hotel were leaving, the same lady was talking to another lady about the guest and talking about how rude they were and how much they were drinking, though when I was there, I did not witness any of this. When I recommend going to this hotel based off of the people who represent this Brand, the answer is no.

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    Hawthorne Hotel
    Scraped paint
    Scraped paint
    Hawthorne Hotel

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    Fountain Place Restaurant

    Fountain Place Restaurant

    3.5
    (250 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $

    If you're navigating the beautiful chaos of "tourist trap central" while in Salem, MA, do yourself…read morea favor and skip the overhyped, crowded "Ugly Mug Diner" down the street. Fountain Place Restaurant is just a few blocks away and had zero line. It's definitely got the "tourist trap price" as we walked away spending a little over $100 for a breakfast for three after tax and tip--but honestly, for the quality, the location and speed of service, it felt worth the splurge. The food was well-seasoned and not super greasy (which is usually the typical "diner food" struggle). We went all in on a spread: the Big Breakfast with a pancake, a savory crepe, the hash grilled cheese, a blueberry muffin, and a side slice of French toast. Everything was so good that our group of three actually finished it all! Skip the french toast and go for the pancake. This spot has that classic, cozy vibe without the "greasy spoon" after-feel. If you want a delicious, reliable meal away from the massive lines, this is your spot!

    Great quaint breakfast spot. Popped in around11 on Saturday morning and kinda shocked they weren't…read morethat busy. Got sat right away and menus at the table to review. Coffee came out quick and nice taste. Ordered the two egg breakfast with con beef hash, crossing and fruit. Everything came out great. Eggs perfect over easy, corn beef hash nice and crispy, fruit was good and the croissant was amazing. Nice and crispy! Overall solid breakfast spot and I'd totally go back when in the area.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Fountain Place Restaurant
    Fountain Place Restaurant

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    The Ugly Mug Diner - breakfast_brunch - Updated July 2026

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