Came here excited for the happy hour, leaving unimpressed. Cool basement bar, great music, cool location, but service gets Minus 2 stars, funny thing is I applied here a few months ago and did not get the job, let me tell you I would be 10 times better than this apathetic bartender who is either stoned or depressed, or both. Happy hour is: only option is one drink called the Rosemary vanilla lemonade. sounds gross. $6 instead of $8. (Sarcastic 'wow') & I DID NOT come here to eat but they have $6. Bbq pizza, Hawaiian sliders, burger and Bree, and bbq tots. Will never come back until they get a more diverse selection for 'happy hour'. Not very happy right now Overall, Upsetting. read more

Venti's Cafe + Basement Bar - Thin lime slice, drink is lukewarm and can't taste the alcohol. - New American Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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We stopped in after being told the world beat festival was for ages 21 and up on Friday. We were disappointed and hungry. Well what a delight this place was. The young woman taking our order was patient and kind and very personable with my 10 yr old son who is a burger critique. The portions were good as well. My Thai salad bowl could have used more of the greens to help with the kick, but the service was so good it didn't impact my review. It was an amazing dish regardless. They also took the time to compliment my son's manners. We will be back. read more

Venti's Cafe + Basement Bar - Thai chicken bowl with noodles. - New American Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Love this place. I had the Steak aoili or however you spell it. I really did enjoy it along with the spicy tots!!! Omg I want like a bucket of spicy tots! Pure genius! read more

We love this establishment! Walk up ordering, which I personally love. Friendly staff, but not over the top. Quality food and ingredients. Always consistently prepared meals. Lots of gluten free and vegan options. Fair prices. I like the bar downstairs. It's cozy and darkly lit. Plenty of seating at tables or at the bar. Happy hour prices are awesome just FYI. What sold me about this place: the other day we went in and ordered a teriyaki bowl w/ beef. They brought it out and we started to eat it. Tasty as expected. About 5 minutes later, a gentleman brought out another bowl and said that they had accidentally made the one we were eating w/ chicken instead of beef, apologized, and left us the new bowl. I honestly didn't even notice that it was chicken, I was probably just hungry, but I was pleasantly surprised by the courtesy and kind gesture. I think most places would have cut their losses and said oops, moving on, but they did not. A testament to their customer service. My favorite dish: I always get the Moroccan Chicken Pita w/ spicy tots, never a bad choice. read more

I've been here a ton of times, not sure why I never checked in or reviewed. I've tried several different things on the menu, but I seem to always come back to the spicy mac. We really enjoy sitting downstairs. My only complaint is the too-fancy soda brand. Not a fan. read more

Food was super fresh tasting. I got Thai peanut veggies over the rice and felt I got something really healthy but really delish! My boyfriend got the Cajun tofu quesadilla. I tried a bite and thought it was one of the best quesadillas I've had. My boyfriend gave it a 9/10. He did wish they had sour cream available but it was amazing none the less. We will come here again. I tried the other Ventis location once and didn't like the food nearly as much... and my boyfriend felt the same. Not sure what makes this location better! read more

Venti's Cafe + Basement Bar - Thai peanut veggies over basmati rice - New American Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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This was one of my favorite places to eat until tonight. I will no longer be going here again. I went out with six of my friends tonight and got drinks and dinner. The customer service was terrible. The waiter brought our chips and spilled them on the floor and into my purse. All he had to say was sorry. Didn't offer to replace half the chips he spilt. When our drinks came he spilt our drinks on two of my friends coats. I am extremely disappointed in this gentleman's attitude through this whole experience. read more

My husband, daughter and I recently went to Venti's on Commercial and we ended up leaving before we were served because no one bothered to greet us or tell us we will be right with you. The woman at the cash register was in a serious conversation with another woman and didn't acknowledge us even after waiting for over 5 minutes! There we're plenty of tables open and when I stepped in closer to her, she finally said I will help you. She walked away and didn't come back so we walked right out of there! Only one other time in my life have I had such terrible service! We were all very surprised and disappointed because we had really enjoyed the food and customer service in the past! read more

Great location (Downtown) Very Spacious. Excellent Wifi. Less Congestion. Comfortable Seating. Excellent if you are planning to work or read or have deep conversations which require some privacy. I had Kombucha and Hummus/Pita.Kombucha was average (I don't recommend since it didnt have the sparkling effect once it is poured into cup). Hummus/Pita was delicious. read more

Excellent menu selection! Quality foods! I had the beer cheese soup and a steak pita sandwich with house cooked truffle chips. Staff is friendly, clean restaurant, food was fast and definitely fresh. U can tell this place takes pride in the healthy menu and eclectic selections. Every sauce I had and bite I took was bursting with flavor! read more

Venti's Cafe + Basement Bar - New American Near Me - Salem, Oregon

I have always like ventis but especially lately been loving their teriyaki chicken and yakisoba bowl. I ask for extra spice and it comes out great everytime. My husband likes their morrocan chicken bowl and the yogurt sauce is great. Hoping to branch out in their menu but I'm a creature of habit and found something I really enjoy. Simple and fresh ingredients, great for when we have our two tiny tag-a-longs, their kids meals are balanced and delicious. read more

This place is amazing! Plenty of vegan options for me! My two favorites are the vegan nachos and the Korean Tempe bowl. So delicious the basement bar has awesome drinks as well, I love the lavender lemon drop! Be careful, it's so yummy and it will sneak up on you. Excellent service and food every time. read more

Great vegan options for salem! I go to this place whenever I am in the area. There's so many options to choose from and they even have the vegan options on a separate menu making it easy to browse! I've tried a handful of items and have never been disappointed, it's a great place to bring friends of all diets, there's options for all! I will say the one thing I didn't love is the spicy tots, I love tots and spice but the way they make them here is not my fav, instead of using a powder sauce they drizzle hot sauce over them.. which to me just results in a soggy tot, but now that I know I just remember to get the regular tots and a fun dipping sauce, so I can't ding them on that because that's purely preference! read more

I was very bothered by something that happened Thursday night at the downtown location. I came in with about 10 coworkers to the basement bar, our CEO paid for our food and we all paid for our drinks. All but 5 of us left because one coworker was still waiting for his food. When the server brought his food he took out his card to pay and said that our boss had already paid for the food. She then proceeded to inform us that he only tipped her $14 on a $140 check. A coworker ended up giving her a $10 and she said "thank you! I just applied for a house!" I have worked as a server, a cook, a barista... I understand the importance of tips to supplement salary and bad tipping is a HUGE soft spot for me. BUT it is extremely unprofessional and tacky 1. To Call someone's boss out to their employees like we have control over how he tips or knowledge of how he tips and 2. To have even accepted that $10 was even more tacky. I was so embarrassed for my boss and for my coworkers for being put in the position that this server put us in. I don't know how great her service was but if it was anything like her manners she likely deserved the 10% tip.. if that. A tip is earned, I understood that as a server and held myself to a standard so I didn't have a doubt in my mind that if I got a bad tip it was for any reason except the person being cheap or perhaps a cultural difference. I know I for one won't be returning because that was one of the most despicable displays. read more

Today's choice was nacho with pork carnitas, man the portions was enough for two and the queso was excellent. The service was good, they got my daughters order wrong but fixed it without any hesitation, thank you. It is a great place to eat and will return. read more

Stopped here on the way back from a roadtrip with some friends, the customer service and vegan options here can not be topped. The food was immaculate, seriously the best place we ate at while in Oregon. ~chefs kiss~ read more

David in the basement bar is my favorite thing about this place! I'm from PDX and I come here just to see him. He's so personable and makes your drinks just right. He's always asking for feedback to make sure he's making everything just right for you. Highly recommend the basement bar for anyone looking for a cute, cozy, hipster-esk place to chill and have some good drinks & food! read more

Best place to find craft beers and a variety of food! There's something for everyone on the menu!

Really enjoyed the pork belly bowl! The restaurant had an eco-modern vibe about it. Great beer selection! Very innovative dishes. Since the restrooms on the main floor were occupied, we had to go to the restrooms in the basement where the bar was located. Dim lighting and blue lights that trimmed the bar area, and seemingly very happy customers. read more

Excellent food and atmosphere was very hip....I had the grilled cheese sandwich and tomato basil soup, very tasty.

Came here for the lentil mushroom burger - which was a solid effort with a perfect bun around a nicely seasoned patty. Fries were on point as well. But the kombucha float was amazing - a light, peach 'buch paired with vanilla ice cream. Extra points for packaging hearty amount of quality ice cream separately for takeout. Friendly waitstaff too. read more

Boooo! It used to be GREAT until it moved and became some trendy place where the owner is more interested in chatting with friends outside than treating customers nicely! I ordered my Yakisoba Chicken Wrap as I used to do when it was across the street, and the thing came out 1/2 the size as it used to be with hardly any chicken or veggies. I even paid an additional $1.50 for the veg! It was all noodle. Shameful. Just shameful. read more

I gave this place my obligatory two tries... This last visit I met with some friends in the basement and had just over an hour to grab a bite to eat. I took a seat with my girlfriend and asked for some menus. The bartender offered us a drink and then dissapeared for 15 minutes. When she came back we asked to order and it took her another 10 minutes to get back to us. So now we had 35 minutes to eat. We ordered a salad and a sandwhich and me being allergic to cheese and tomato asked for both to be left off. I probably should have followed my insticts to leave with the absentee service, but I figured 'How long can it take to make a salad and slap together a sandwhich?'. The answer to that, my friends, is 47 minutes and 13 seconds. I timed them. When my food was FINALLY brought down, there was tomato on my sandwhich and because I was gloriously late for another engagement, I asked the waitress who ran my food to me to box it up to go and to please remove the tomato as I ordered it without. I approached the bar with Credit Card in hand to expedite the checkout process and I got the nth degree about why I "sent my food back" and scolded, because against my even realising, I ordered no lettuce, not no tomato. Shame on me. Obviously my second nature "no cheese, no tomato" line (even when the dish probably will not have either anywhere near them) changed this time. I don't even remember if the food was all that good, which I think speaks for itself. read more

This place is completely over-rated and too expensive for what you get. Sure the ambiance is nice but the food is mediocre and lacking in quantity (at least the protein). I ordered the Thai chicken bowl and beef skewers to share and left wondering why I paid soo much for so little substance (although I didnt finish all the rice!). This is the type of place I would have expected to find in Eugene, with its granola, hippy vibe and over-hyped healthy offerings. Its not worth it; get a drink downstairs but save your money and go somewhere else for dinner. read more

Perhaps it's because we're spoiled by some REALLY good restaurants in Eugene, but we feel strongly that this is not the place to visit if you're craving a really good meal or a strong pour. $16 for sliced steak on rice w a side of hummus that looked like refried beans. They were generous with the rice, but it was just plain and flavorless. It filled the void, I suppose. This entree should really have been $10/12 tops, but we were hungry, so we forked through most of it. Where I'm really having a hard time is with the chicken wings. $10 for 6 wings. 6 really small wings. Really really small wings. Out of the 6 wings, 5 were the little tips. 1 baby leg. Maybe they were actually quail wings...lol. Did I mention $10? Wish I'd remembered to take a picture of them. We loooovvvvee wings and we order them all the time. These? NEVER again. I was watching our waiter/bartender for some kind of embarrassment because he should have been. Even Buffalo Wild Wings charges less for wings than this place and BWW throws down a mean wing. So, we don't mind paying when we're actually getting something. The $8 slice of dark choc torte w raspberry sauce was devoured by my hubby. So, that's a plus. I had a happy hour Bloody Mary-- it was tasty, not strong and then a huckleberry something-or-other. Hubby had 2 vodka redbulls. We both "upgraded" to Montepulowa (sp). Our bill was over $70. The only consolation was that my hubby liked it downstairs and our bartender (Mike) was really nice. If you want some kick-ass food and a heavy-handed hand crafted libation, make the trip to Eugene and drop into Cafe 440. If you want a rice bowl w tons of flavor and twice the meat, head over to Maya Maya-- where we stopped in on our way up to PD a couple days ago and grabbed some take out. (Order the mixed grill plate (or whatever it's called. Delicious and money well spent there). Oh, we landed here at Venti's during happy hour and it was one of the lamest offering (of 4, I think) items. Tater tots may be the only bonus, but I still think they were $7. $7 for happy hour tater tots? Wow. I feel sorry for you, Salem. Why do you accept this drivel? We rarely complain and this is another example of how we use our voice... with our wallet. Our dinner in Portland last night was almost $300 and we will definitely go back to that establishment again and recommend it. Here? No way. If our bill had been $40, we still would have been disappointed. read more

I went here with some friends for my birthday a few weeks ago, and I honestly was not impressed. The atmosphere is fun, but it was really really loud - almost to where my friends and I had to yell at each other. I ordered the cajun cod salad, which tasted ok, but only came with two tiny pieces of fish... they looked more like fish sticks. I was really disappointed by this, since the salad was $12 and my friend had paid for my dinner! My friends' food did not look super appetizing, and one of my friends could not even finish her burger because it was so dry. The only reason I'm giving them more than 2 stars is because of their amazing sweet potato fries and their impressive beer selection. I was pleased to find a variety of beer styles, and they also had kombucha on tap! I don't think I'll be visiting Venti's again anytime soon. I was embarrassed that my friend had paid for such a lackluster dinner for me. read more

The Hipster place to eat. A bit overrated? More about image than scrumptious food? Appealing to the trendy, hipster, fresh, natural, healthy eater. A lot more appealing to the mind than to my taste buds, haha. The food "felt" good, but didn't meet my taste expectations. However, their chips and salsa were perfect! All other dishes I've tried weren't anything amazing... Hmm I may try again sometime and hope I find something tasty on their menu.... read more

I regularly come here for lunch during my work week. It's a little spendy for what you get, but the food is very clean and they have lunch specials if you come at the right time. People are very pleasant though and tend to remember me when I walk in. They do have plenty of vegan options too if you tend to stay away from animal products. Enjoy! read more

Venti's Cafe + Basement Bar - They haven't uploaded their new menu online or to yelp, so I took a photo for those who want to order to-go:) - New American Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Honestly, I'd give 'em 3.5 stars if I could - but I think the two previous reviews were a little harsh, even if understandable. Venti's used to be a grungy little hole-in-the-wall joint in the Reed Opera House. The cooking area was tiny and the staff were of the young, "alternative" variety. Since Venti's moved across Court Street, it's morphed into a hipper setting albeit one that seems to be in the midst of an identity crisis. It's still got a different vibe (which is a good thing for the rather homogenous Salem community) but like so many twenty-somethings, it seems torn between rebellious adolescence and serious adulthood. You still order your food at the counter, but now a server delivers it to your table (if they can locate you, that is). They've traded in the funky old ceramics for more sophisticated plateware. Fortunately, the same solid food choices can be found. A previous reviewer mentioned a Salem Monthly article describing the food as Japanese - it's not and, as far as I know, it doesn't claim to be. (Salem Monthly, by the way, sucks - as much as I'd love to have a decent local alt-weekly/monthly, it's just plain awful.) Fusion is probably a better description, but I honestly don't know if Venti's can be categorized as that or anything else. It is what it is. The food itself is good. I've enjoyed about a dozen meals there and I've never had a problem. Read the menu -- it's pretty straightforward (but remember it ain't Japanese). They've also got a nice, eclectic beer selection -- even at the old place when they only had two or three choices, they were always solid selections and decently priced. read more

This place is delicious. The Beer is amazing, there is obviously a desire for the absolute top-notch as far as beer goes. The rotating breweries with all the different micros ensures something new and interesting to try nearly every single time you go in. Add that to the fact the food is good and nearly 100% organic and you have a great, clean, and healthy place to eat. My only gripe is in the salmon. It's farmed. Some people might not mind that, but to me (an Alaskan) eating farmed salmon is one of the seven deadly sins. In short, great beer, good food, don't get the salmon. read more

This bar has a great late-night vibe. We were amazed to find a place late at night that had great beer on tap and créme brûlée! The best surprise though was their sweet potato fries with drizzled honey and toasted coconut. I look forward to going again and sampling other dishes. If I have friends who have been here and not told me about it, they are no friends. Try the the créme brûlé paired with the coffee stout. I think you'll love it too! read more

Meh, I've experienced better. I love the atmosphere of Ventis especially downstairs...but the last few times I've been there I've either gotten something totally different than what I ordered or a $7 bowl of rice....with a tiny bit of chicken on top, were talking maybe six very small pieces on top. $7 for a bowl of rice? No thanks. read more

This is a staple of salem's northwest style cuisine. My wife and I love the falafel pita, rice bowls, and ALL of the sides are great. read more

Venti's Cafe + Basement Bar - Great new space! The chairs are excellent. - New American Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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Venti's basement taproom is pretty awesome. Been here a few times now with friends and have always had a good time. The beer does rotate quite a lot, but I'm usually able to find at least one light, not too bitter or hoppy beer. Last Friday a friend and I showed up, as I felt obligated to introduce him to the awesome that is Venti's basement. We started at the bar, and I tasted the selections till I settled on one that met my requirements. A seat happened to be free though, and we grabbed that right away. I love the atmosphere. It's pretty dark, usually good music playing on the system, and people watching is always a hit. One of these days I will actually arrive at dinner time, go in, and not head strait downstairs. I will eat a real meal in the restaurant portion and try some of the delicious food I hear about. read more

Loved the food and customer service, very calm and soothing environment and good music! I like how they have open mic and anyone can come up and preform but they also have good music playing so don't get scared of hearing unfriendly words for kids. Love and would definitely venture out to come back again. read more

Im so tired of this place leaving the sauces for their dishes off or not included with their takeout! This has happened several times before to me or friends and family of mine. The second time it happened to me, I checked the order for sauces and none of them were there. They then told me I had to ask for each dish's respective sauce! The sauce that COMES with the dish! Another time one of the employees was extremely rude and practically yelled at me. I'm over this place! The food is mediocre to begin with. When you add missing sauces and crappy attitudes, it adds up to not worth your time and money! read more

I have to write a review because I will NEVER a meal here EVER again! I think that they are an Asian fusion restaurant and as an Asian, I'm kind of offended. HONESTLY, it tasted like an Asian bowl microwave meal. I didn't even finish it. My rice too was undercooked. Okay, that is my scathing review of the upstairs. The downstairs is like the opposite of the upstairs. They have basement hip bar down to an art. It's nice and cozy and great ciders too. I love going at night. Also, they may suck at Asian fusion but they do have the BEST sweet potato fries EVER!!! And the sauce is to die for!! YUM I give the upstairs a 1 and I give the downstairs a 4 but over all I give it a 2. I've been there once to eat and once to drink and haven't been back. Personally, I think Salem doesn't have much to offer when it comes to bars (95% are sports bars) so when I found this little gem, it definitely stuck out. read more

I love Venti's! I always get the Boulder bowl. it's so delicious. The food tastes so fresh and flavorful. They put ginger in it, which next time I'll ask for 1/2 what they usually put in, because it was too powerful. The staff is really friendly and the food gets out pretty quick. The cocktail menu is fun which is really important. :) read more

Now as any military man will tell you, the key to any successful operation is intelligence so I did a little online recon and found their website. The selections looked good, and reading their blog, I knew they took their cooking seriously. I pretty much had made my choice of what too order after reading the description of the Moroccan spiced beef. I love Moroccan food, so anything inspired by that cuisine has to be good by extension. So Sunday afternoon I headed down south, with just a little of the trepidation that goes with taking an online relationship into the real world. Lets just say my experiences, as I have written about before, have not been, well, lets call a spade a spade, good. I have encountered everything from blatant false advertising to ladies more in need of modern psycho-pharmaceuticals then myself, and that's saying something, but I had really enjoyed my text and IM conversations with Littleone, so I was willing to take the chance. We met in front of the restaurant, and I was pleasantly surprised. She is a tiny, full figured woman with an open face and an infectious grin and a barely suppressed energy that you just know at first meeting is going to be a challenge to keep up with. As usual, I hid my nervousness with an endless stream of one liners and banter, and to my shock and surprise, she not only kept up, but she got in a few good shots of her own. In no time, we were riffing like a long time comedy team, and cracking each other up to no end. This was going to be fun. Now of course, being the techno dweeb that I am, I must have forgotten to save the notes I took on our experience at Venti's, so you will bear with me, as I am doing all this from memory, and anyone who knows me can tell you, very little good ever comes from that. When it came time to order, you place your order at the counter and your food is delivered to your table, I went for the Moroccan beef while Littleone ordered a Teriyaki chicken bowl. A man in chef togs came out from the open, well appointed kitchen and asked if I would like to try a new dish, a cherry/orange chicken. New Dish? Oh Hell yes!!!! As I had all ready paid, I told the girl behind the counter and to not worry about the 85 cent difference in the price of my new selection. Littleone and I adjourned to a nearby booth and went about to getting to know each other, and in a short time our food was delivered. My first impression was WOW. The presentation was art full, not at all what I expected. The place looks like a typical rice bowl, quick food and my plate looked like it had come out of a four star, white tablecloth place. It only got better from there. As Tom, the chef, was explaining to me that I was the first paying customer to try the dish, I fell in love at first bite. The cherry/orange sauce was tart/sweet and complicated. It went perfectly over the chicken. I was in heaven. Tom explained to me that it was a reduction of cherry, orange juice, orange zest and balsamic vinegar. There may have been other ingredients, but again, damn this addled brain of mine. I told Tom that I had come in to try the Moroccan chicken, but was glad he had suggested the dish to me. Tom disappeared back into his domain and reappeared a few minutes latter with a full order of the Moroccan beef. Another incredibly presented dish, with the flavors of exotic spices tingling my tongue. Does it get any better then this? I had the opportunity to sit with Tom and talk about his background as a sous chef for a variety of prestigious area restaurants. I swear I took great notes, but my cell phone ate them. I will say that the food and service at Venti's was beyond reproach and they take their food seriously. If you are going to be taking in the night life in Salem, Venti's is a great place to start. read more

Venti's continues to frustrate me. The newest change is that they've gone away from the 'true pint' in a 20 oz glass (venti) and now offer a pint glass that, unless I missed my guess is closer to 12 oz. The 20 oz. glass is now called an 'Imperial Pint' and for that privilege you will get the same thing you've been getting for years but will pay more. Grumble. The food is continually mediocre, we ordered a mezza plate and it was depressing mix of wet carrots and cucumbers topped with a copious amount of very thick marinated onions. I love marinated onions but these were not worth eating, at least there were a lot of them. If it weren't for the rotating taps of hard to find beer I wouldn't return. read more