Murphy’s

Lunchtime on a beautiful, late spring, Saturday afternoon. Outdoor patio with old bar building backdrop was appealing. Seating fast, service friendly and efficient, manager solicitous. Nothing like many of the previous reviews
Pub fare with an incredible amount of sandwiches, salads, pizzas, Mexican selections, Shepherds pie, pulled pork, burgers and a beer menu including many local special brews and a few Bud like selections, getting harder to find. Exactally what we were looking for.
I had a simple grilled chicken sandwich with boardwalk type fries, spouse had a burger, cooked just right. We were both happy.
Looking inside, it was quite dark on this bright day but the old wood bar was appealing… for another time. There was plenty of room for serious Friday night celebration.
I could see starting an evening here though it did seem we old folk might be out of place later on. Next time in Salem.
I respond it is quiet but remember I was there st 2:00 Pm
I say it is good for kids but probably best in afternoon or early evening

Sketch town after 10:00PM. The dance floor opens upstairs and my group watched as all the diners our age or older filtered out and the place became bro central. Complete with a guy sitting next to us on the patio boldly stating «Yeah, no lie if anyone steps on my shoes tonight they’re gonna have a broken [expletive]ing face. These are my prized Nikes man.» Curiosity killed this cat and I glanced at the shoes in question… jet black and about 3 years out of date. Time to leave… check please!

Friendly and attentive employees. Food hot. Fish and chips was hot and flakey. Overall the food was very good.
They brought our food a little too quick after the appetizer. I would come back.

Corner sports bar with tourist appeal. I had the chili, friend had the fish and chips. Only complaint was the chili was a bit watery, though tasty enough. It was very meaty. We also has chips and salsa (appetizers are half price on Wednesdays-​everyday has some special) and they were served warmed and salted.
Waiter was the barman as this was midweek and early (6 or so). Friendly, courteous, and patient. (Basically irrelevant, but he was also a rather good looker.)

Terrible. I’ve lived in Salem for five years and I’d been to Murphy’s once before during dinner time. We were the only customers in the building and it took almost an hour for our food to arrive. Our waitress spent the entire time focused on flirting with the bartender and other than the peace and quiet that accompanies an empty restaurant, it was a very poor experience. Being that it was a couple years ago though, I thought we’d give it another shot.
I’ve always wondered why Murphy’s is empty every single time I walk past it– day, night, weekdays, or weekends. The only time I ever see a good amount of business going on is October, and now I’m pretty sure that’s because everywhere else is so crowded that customers don’t have a choice but to go there. I worked in the restaurant business for six years and have been in customer service for fifteen. This was hands down some of the worst service I’ve ever experienced. To start, we had four people and a dog. We were seated at a patio table next to another table with the dog. Because the other dog kept going for mine, we asked to move to another table that was empty. We were told no because it was «reserved for a larger group.» Wouldn’t you know the «larger group» sat not even a minute later and it had– you guessed it– also four people.
When our waitress finally arrived, I asked her whether the beef stew had peas in it. She made it clear that she was very annoyed and exasperated with questions and responded, «Um, I don’t know… I think so… yes, it has peas.» Well I find it interesting that a second ago you didn’t know and now you’re adamant that you do. More likely, you’re too lazy to go walk to the kitchen and ask.
When it came time to order, my mother ordered a simple chicken sandwich and asked for no mayo. The waitress cut her off before she’d finished speaking with a very rude «No substitutions.» My mom very politely said that she didn’t want to substitute anything, she just didn’t want the mayo. The waitress shook her head and repeated it again. By then, I was extremely annoyed with the service and said, «I don’t think you’re listening. She doesn’t want anything in place of it. She just doesn’t want the mayo.» The waitress then became visibly flustered and said, «I meant no substitutions and no modifications.» I then asked what they do if someone has an allergy, such as to eggs and can’t eat mayo. She responded, «then you’ll have to order something else off the menu.»
I finally asked to speak with a manager and it’s not even worth taking the time to write it out, but suffice it to say that his attitude was just as bad. Murphy’s staff, from the host to the general manager, is not only rude, but exudes an attitude that THEY are doing YOU a favor by serving you. Not only will I never eat there again, but I will do my best to steer people away from this place every time I am asked for recommendations in the future.

21 plus only, even for general seating. Very rude and poor atmosphere, would not go again.

This place was just okay… The staff was kinda slow and the atmosphere wasn’t the best. We had to wait a long time for the check. I had the fish and chips which were very good, but my husband has the lobster roll and he hated it. Very small and $ 18. The fries were not good either. I would not recommend or go here again. Good location being right in Salem, but that might be why they don’t try as hard.

Looks can definitely be deceiving. What looked to be just a cool spot to grab a quick beer turned out to also serve some seriously amazing fish and chips. We were later told that they use only fresh haddock that is caught each morning and nothing is ever frozen. Light breading and not overly greasy at all. I chose to sub onion rings which were also fresh and not greasy. Service was incredible and overall the experience was worth writing about!

The service at this bar was sexist and unreasonable. If you you are a female in your 20s DO NOT GO. The bartenders upstairs will treat you like you are a college student no matter if you are 18 or 28. They will not serve you what you ask for because they are untrained and under educated in their field… My friends and I approached the bartender asking for a common shot that they did not know how to make, so we altered our order; 5 minutes after, they were finally made, the manager took them away before we could take them because they were made «improperly» and «too strong» for females… They did not even have the courtesy to explain their reasoning even after giving our patronage prior to the shot order. I do not recommend this bar for anyone. They are very undertrained and disrespectful.

The server was rude, the food mediocre, and the beer selection sadly lacking. I wish I had spent my only meal in Salem somewhere else.

We were in Salem for the day. There were many great looking restaurants but we choose this one! They offer outdoor dining but we opted to sit inside because it was a hot and sunny day. However, inside was warm and there were many flies. Appetizers and Chowder were average fare. Burgers were frozen and char broiled. Fries were cold and the Steak Tip Hoagie sounded awesome but it was all grizzle and fat. Service was ok. Restrooms were not clean.

Whenever I walk through the iron gate. I know we are going to have a good dinner. Good specials on certain nights and they never make a bad drink. We normally get the Lobster and several rounds. Very clean and well managed bar.

We got seated and waited 15 minutes for a server to come before we decided to leave. Walked out without anyone noticing or saying anything to us. Don’t bother.

I absolutely love this place from the always cute waitresses to the always upbeat bartenders (looking at you Kevin and Jamie)! Everytime I go here I have a good time whether it’s pigging out on wings or singing karaōke. Good food great staff and an outdoor patio, need I say more.

Thursday special is a burger, fries and a pitcher of any draft for only ten bucks. Seriously? I frequent on Salem visits and always feel at home.

So after spending the afternoon exploring Salem, we decided it was time to hit the bar!
We where passing by and end up stopping at Murphys. Didn’t really know what to expect, but hey we had a lot of fun! The beers where reasonably priced and there was a pretty solid DJ for a Saturday night. Fair warning, it is one of those rowdy local spots, but who doesn’t love a rowdy night out once a a while!
That being said my friends and I had a blast, would definitely recommend for a fun Saturday night out.

Murphy’s was recommended to us by our tour guide, Jeff. It is right up against the old graveyard and it’s retaining wall is part of the restaurant. We had Matt for a server and he was excellent. My boyfriend got the lobster (for $ 12!) and I had the beef stew. Both were delicious. Murphy’s was a great find and we will definitely be back!

The place gets a 4 for their awesome burger but a 5 for their even more awesome Thursday (every other Thursday to be fair) comedy show.
The Murphy burger has a crapload of stuff on it… onions… lettuce… stufff… bacon… AND BBQ sauce. GEt it. It’s good… and on Thursdays it comes with a 32 oz pitcher of your favorite beer… for Ten Freakin’ Bucks!
Then on Thursday at 7:30pm they do this FREE comedy show (upstairs — which turns out is just a few tables short of being the best comedy venue in the Boston area). 7 comics and a host blast out 10 minute sets… comedians come from all over NEw England… to perform… and to watch and laugh along. Full bar and food service upstairs too!
GO THERE NOW!
The upstairs also hosts DJs/​dancing and bands… an outdoor patio is pretty simple and cool.

I’m not a local but I imagine that the main draw to this place is the Beer, the first time I happened upon this place there was a Bar crawl happening and the place was full. I also hear that Halloween in this town is pretty cool!
This time a round a weekday in the afternoon during the summer holiday not so much. The food was satisfying, didn’t look very appetizing but hunger made me try it… not the best I’ve ever had but good.
The server was nice to us though.

As a local, I could potentially go the way of the witch and be stoned, drowned, or burned at the stake for even suggesting that Murphy’s is «A-​OK». But let’s be real here, people. Murphy’s is everybody’s drunken guilty pleasure and no one wants to admit it.
Truly, Murphy’s is sort of a wanna-​be nightclub in a location where we have exactly zero nightclubs, so it draws a crowd that wants to drink cheap well drinks and dance to house or mainstream rap (do they even have mainstream rap anymore? or do we call it hip hop now exclusively? am I that old?). Most of the clientele in this place are on the younger side, having just crossed that pale-​ale-​golden threshold into legal adulthood.
But sometimes, a few of us who are a tad (A TAD, I SAID) older like to come here to dance in a loud room where you can’t hear anyone talk, you can only laugh and pretend that your sweet white girl moves are way better than they actually are.
Murphy’s sometimes does a fun event for Halloween or another holiday, and you can do «VIP» to some extent on the 3^rd floor, which overlooks the dance floor. Bars upstairs and downstairs make it convenient, and the split floors mean multiple music styles. Bathrooms are dingy but usable. Drinks are decent and not too expensive. The fact that there’s a cover is a bit annoying given the location, but again — it’s basically a monopoly, so they can get away with it.
Come here with the ladies after you’ve already had a few and you’ll probably have a great night.