Bertini’s Restaurant

This place has charm, and you can tell it’s a family business the second you walk in. The food is OK, but could use some updating. By far the gem of the menu is the pizza. The pasta dishes are all good, but could use some newer flavors and takes. The beer selection is average, but there is a wide variety of liquors. If they would do a little updating (cuisine and décor) they could easily be 4.5 stars.

This is my favorite restaurant I come here every birthday and special occasion. The food is so delicious and real homemade. The women here are so kind and give you that «mom» vibe. I recommend the baked haddock with the salad and a side of ziti. YUM!

The food was mediocre at best and had virtually no taste. Service wasn’t bad except for the waitress that spilled croutons on the tray and then picked them up with her hand and placed them back onto the salad. Unless you haven’t eaten in days I would skip this place and try elsewhere.

I can only speak about the spaghetti sauce, meatballs, and the chicken and broccoli and it was the worst food I have had in a while. Folks seemed to go with fried fish dinners and the pizza so maybe we ordered wrong. The service was friendly and adequate. Im trying to figure out how anyone could give this place 3 stars let alone 4… and 5 stars?!? The meatballs tasted horrible. The tomato sauce tasted metallic. The chicken and broccoli sauce tasted like a melted stick of butter

I LOVE the fishermans platter! Better
than the Causeway! And no flys! No
ridiculous line to wait in!

We had a fantastic meal, the food was delicious! But better then the food was how we were welcomed and treated like old fiends! Everyone in the restaurant is happy to see you and glad you came. The staff is so friendly! I will most definitely come again :)

When here with my husband for a nice Italian style dinner. This place was horrible! The food was so disgusting I couldn’t even bother to finish my plate. It seems like they must be going out of business. No one else was in the restaurant the staff was rude people or screaming in the bar and it wasn’t even a game night. Never going back! And there was a butter wrapper in the folds of the terrible eggplant parm I ordered!

Bertini’s is located on the level end of Canal street. From the outside this place sort of looks like a dump. Inside those door are the hidden gem of Salem. Outstanding and authentic Italian food. The portions are perfect, the sauce tastes like grandma has been simmering it all day Sunday. The food isn’t greasy. I feel like the theme song from Cheers should be playing when you walk in. The place in always full of locals from the families with kids to the elderly crowd. The price is beyond reasonable. I’m a huge fan. I can’t wait to go back. I am a solid fan. Bertini’s is molto buono!!!

I went to Bertini’s with my fiancée recently and we were very impressed. My fiancée got the baked haddock and it was very good. I ended up getting a combo meal. I got steak tips with fried scallops, it came with fries and a side salad and was only around $ 18 for my meal. Compared to the prices in Boston for the same meal it was very reasonably priced. Also, because of my love for pizza, I got a pizza to go. We ended up going with the BLT pizza because I was very curious about it and it was surprisingly awesome. I will definitely be going back again. Aside from it being reasonably priced and the fact that drinks were priced well, the service was great and you can’t go wrong with eating at a family run business. This place has been in business since the 50’s and the owners seem to be there every day and even the owners son works there. (He’s the one that recommended the BLT pizza.)
Overall a great experience and I recommend people to go there. The average cost of a meal is around $ 10 – 15. You can’t go wrong with with that.

I absolutely love Bertini’s I have been going there all my life and I’ve lived in Salem all my life and hands-​down they have the best pizza

I’ve been here a couple of times, now. The servers are quick and attentive. The restaurant itself is a little tightly packed, though not completely unreasonable. The food is edible, but could be a little better. Tonight, I got the teriyaki steak tips and feta on tossed salad. Everything was perfectly fine except for the salad dressing. It was supposed to be Italian dressing, but even after stirring it up a bit, it tasted very bland. A bit disappointing, since the whole point of dressing is to add flavor to things like lettuce that don’t have much flavor of their own to begin with. I certainly won’t say that I’ll never come back, but there are other restaurants that I like going to better.

I have lived in Salem for almost 7 years. In the same condo. About a ½ mile from here. Finally made it there last night. It ok. I still have other faves in Salem for Italian but this is an ok stand by. I don’t think we will go back to seek it out. I got the eggplant parm chicken parm combo that was a special last night. Came with my choice of pasta and a salad. Salad was ok. Blue cheese dressing I got wasn’t to bleu cheesy. The bread was not warm. The sauce on the parm’s and pasta seemed to be a tad bit thick and not fresh… and kind of bland. But the chicken parm and eggplant parm was good. Decent portions for the amount you pay.
Wont’ seek this out in the future as a «go to» place but if we want to avoid downtown salem in October then maybe.

Bertini’s is old-​school. And I say that in the best way. It’s a divey-​looking place with a separate lounge and other than the flat screen TV it looks like a throwback to the fifties. Most of the wait staff has been there forever and even if you only go there yearly they remember you (or fake it well).
Sadly for us, even though we live close by we usually forget about it. But every time we go (today included) we get the basics, served well: pasta dishes with a good, hearty Italian-​American style red sauce, big meatballs that soak up the sauce and good stuff, chicken that’s fork-​cuttable, and a nice carafe of cheap house red wine. Sure, the bread is meh, but it’s good for sauce dipping, and they broil it into tasty garlic bread. Salads are basic iceberg, but done well and with a nice house dressing.
Will Food Network show up at Bertini’s with a camera crew? Nope. But several generations of Salem residents have, and will continue to do so — and they’ll go back home afterwards full, happy, and without too much damage to their wallets.

I have to confess that I live down the street from Bertini’s, grew up a few miles from Bertini’s and one of my early memories is of eating spumoni at formica-​topped tables at Bertini’s.
Now, decades later, I continue to eat at Bertini’s because my now elderly parents like it, and because it’s kind of grown on me. It has a comfortable family feel to it. What others have written in their reviews about the age demographic is true: it is a haven for older adults who probably took their kids (me) here when they were young parents. Similar to this is the demographic at Dube’s over on Jefferson Ave., which served young families of the once predominantly Canadian-​French populace of the Castle Hill neighborhood, and now is serving lunch to those now-​elderly folks and sometimes their adult children and their grandchildren before 4 o’clock mass at Ste. Anne’s.
If you’re there at the right time, Mrs. Bertini will be there. She will walk around to the tables and booths and greet diners, whether they are regulars or first-​timers. Mr. Bertini will occasionally come out front to chat. Steve, Debbie and the other waitstaff will chat with diners too, especially elderly solo diners who welcome the attention. It just doesn’t get more mom-​and-​pop than that.
The food is very much in the New England tradition of the 1950s and 60s, with the Italian-​American angle. Steaks, pasta dishes, seafood casserole, crabcakes and baked beans on Fridays, fresh-​made onion rings, thin-​crust pizza in one size (medium) with a choice of toppings. The dessert list always includes a decadent brownie sundae, and usually lemon merengue pie, cheesecake, and apple crisp. The décor and atmosphere are casual andpleasant. Darkened interior, upholstered booth seating and round tables with solid wooden chairs, carpeted floor in the dining room. The refurbishing they did last year is quite nice and gives the place a touch of updated class.
The luncheon menu changes daily, and is cheaper than the dinner offerings though the lunch portions are suitable and filling. Lunch entrees start at around $ 6.95, and you can get a nice entrée with salad and vegetable, plus bread and butter, for under $ 9.
The lounge on the other side of the building is a full bar, sports and news on the overhead TVs, and old wooden floors. If the serving staff from the restaurant side see a restaurant-​regular sitting on the lounge side, they’ll stop by to say howdy.
The only reason I don’t give Bertini’s 5 stars is that I wish they would have some fresh locally made pastries on their dessert menu. The cheesecakes and pies are frozen commercial fare, though not bad, but they aren’t complimentary to the homey goodness of their fresh fish, homemade meatballs and their other family fare.
You don’t go to Bertini’s to eat a meal in a hurry, you go to chill and pretend you’re a middle-​class family in the 60s going out for pizza, meatballs, pasta and spumoni.

Bertini’s is a family favorite. They actually recently remodeled the inside making it seem much more modern. A much needed change. However, the menu is also in need of a makeover. The last two times I have eaten at Bertini’s, I have been terribly disappointed. The eggplant parm sandwich was rubbery. The chicken parm… about the same.
The restaurant’s saving grace is the dessert… specifically the spumoni. This dessert won me over when my grandfather forced me to try it. It is so good that it helps me forget that I disliked my meal.
This restaurant is typically an ideal spot for older folks and young families. Overall, this is one of those places I only go to at the request of my family.

Bertini’s might be one of my favorite restaurants to go to in Salem — not because it’s great food, great service, or a great atmosphere but because it’s a family-​run mom & pop shop. As a small business owner I give this restaurant a lot of credit. They have been in business since the 50’s and do they do everything right, no – but who does?
First of all, they just got a major renovation and updated much of the dining room (which was needed). It looks very nice. They have daily specials and a wide variety of italian-​based meals on their menu.
It’s a great place to go if you want dinner but you aren’t starving and you don’t want to spend a ton. I often go and get a house salad ($ 2.95) and 2 giant meatballs (~$ 3.00). My husband enjoys the pizza the most. I did stray a bit a few nights ago — I got the mixed grill which was one of the specials. It was three steak tips, an italian sausage and a piece of chicken with sweet potato fries for $ 13.00. Hubs had the Chicken Parm and we were happy. Is it the best food we’ve ever had — no. But, it’s not fast food, it’s not a big box chain like Applebees and in my opinion it is not over priced.
It’s a good LOCAL business!

I grew up going to this place and have always enjoyed it. They have a wide variety of Italian dishes and the place has a pretty classic old restaurant feel and look.
My favorite appetizer is the huge cheese and cracker platter. They also have a huge variety of pasta dishes and great pizza.
Definitely more family friendly then some other places in the area and a true blast to the past with it’s old décor and structure. This is a Salem standby and one one of the oldest restaurants in the city.

i didn’t know bertini’s existed until i moved to salem, even though i’ve spent almost every weekend for the past 4 years hanging out here. it was like a little hidden italian gem. i’m glad i moved across the train tracks from this place. i think bertini’s extreme italian comfort food and i were meant to be. we should probably make out.
when you walk in, you immediately feel a warmth (especially when it’s 20 degrees outside. har har). it’s very rustic inside due to the brick walls, patterned wallpaper, and the sorta-​paisley-​but-​not-​really curtains. it’s a sasstastic mix of rustic and dive. what a delight.
the hostesses and waitstaff are all very family-​oriented, smallish town-​esque. i think that’s what a restaurant like this needs. they’re all friendly and attentive, and i overheard a few people talking with the other diners like they were old friends. they probably were. rad.
we started with the zucchini sticks and the scallops wrapped in bacon (a special). the zucchini sticks were a bit of a miracle… the fried breading was crispy and flavorful and didn’t immediately crumble and slide off the actual zucchini. my first bite of zucchini did actually come out of the crispy batter casing, but that’s because i’m a baby and it was too hot so i didn’t bite down very hard. that’s my bad. i was impressed with the seasoning of the batter and definitely enjoyed the sticks. the marinara sauce was super delicious, too, and i wish i’d ordered an extra bucket of it to take home. i’d cover anything in that stuff.
the bacon-​wrapped scallops were very good to me, and i don’t like scallops. the bacon wasn’t super greasy; it was actually sort of dry without being crispy and crumbly. it worked very well for the dish. i don’t eat scallops often because i don’t like the consistency and i’ve had bad experiences with them being an off flavor, but these ones were good.
i ordered the chicken and broccoli (in a garlic butter sauce) over ziti. i know that sounds like a basic, unadventurous item but i can get anything from the menu at my boyfriend’s mom’s house (his family is off-​the-​boat italian) so i just go with what i love. so eat it! when the dish was put in front of me i was a bit nervous that they brought me the chicken broccoli alfredo instead, as it was covered in white, but that was just the parmesan cheese that well-​coated everything. they obviously mixed it in and then put it on my plate, as opposed to just grating/​shaking some on top. it made for great taste and consistency.
all ingredients were cooked perfectly, as long as you don’t expect your pasta to be al dente. the garlic butter sauce wasn’t overly garlic, but it wasn’t underly garlic either. underly.
my boyfriend got the chicken pizzaiola. it was basically chicken parm, but the chicken wasn’t breaded and fried. i was under the impression that chicken pizzaiola was basically all the ingredients of tomato sauce, just in chunk form instead of sauce form. regardless of what chicken pizzaiola (or pizziola, depending where you look) is meant to be, this was pretty good. i only had a couple bites but the tomato sauce was decent. it was a bit to sweet/​basil-​y for me, but i tend to only like fresh basil and not dried basil (well well, excuse YOU, rach. la dee da). so yeah, it wasn’t my favorite type of sauce but i’d say it was very traditional, and in being so was very good.
the pizzaiola was covered (but not smothered) in cheese, and my boyfriend pushed some of it to the side. we LOVE cheese but not of the seven-​gallons-​of-​melted-​mozzarella variety. the dish was definitely good but i’m not sure i’m going to recommend it to everyone. i’m curious as to what their chicken parm entails. maybe next time i’ll get that to compare.
the prices ranged from around $ 5 for apps and $ 10-​$ 14 for entrees. you get a lot of food (enough to take home) so i’d say it’s worth the price. i’d definitely recommend bertini’s for some good, downhome italian if you’re in the salem area. go to my boyfriend’s mom’s house in gloucester if you want to go super tasty and authentic.
p. s. kristan o. was right about the sub roll and cold butter. the bread felt very dry to the touch so i didn’t bother eating any, and i’m a bread whore.

Y’know I’d really love to give this place a good review. I’ve been going there for years, shit, my parents went on their first date there back in the late 50’s. It’s very Salem. But I can’t, the service just SUCKS and I’m the most patient guy ever and that’s coming from my WIFE! I like the pizza and they really do have a great fried clam plate but they’re understaffed and they know it but adding more staff would mean less money for the servers and probably not make it worth their time because the average age of the patrons is about 72 which means the average tip is probably about 6% but the other customers end up suffering. They do have 2 hostesses on on the weekends and I’m wondering if it would be possible if they could at least take a drink order after they’ve sat you.
Somehow I doubt it.

Wasn’t very impressed. Felt like I was in a retirement home.
Food is pricey and not that memorable.
I had the meatball sandwich w/​provolone. It was decent but gave me very bad acid indigestion afterward! It was served with onion rings, kinda strange.
They served us a sub roll and cold butter before our food arrived.
Come on, put a little effort into it!!!