I stopped into this McMenamin's location, the Boon's Treasury, for lunch. Â Once again, this is another McMenamin's location that was refurbished from another use for the building and made into its own. Â As always, kudos for McMenamin's for that. Â I'm also a fan of the kitschy way they design their interiors as well.
As for the food, I found it to be very tasty. Â I tried the spinach and artichoke dip for an appetizer, of which I am a fan of. Â I also had the Communication Breakdown Burger, which features cheese, mushrooms, onions and peppers, as well as the burger. Â Being able to order a small garden salad as my side was also a plus. Â I'd come here again.
I hate playing the race card but SERIOUSLY, I felt like me and my friend got treated like 2nd class citizens because we were not white. It felt like everyone else got better service.
The story begins like this, my friend wanted to treat me to dinner so we choose boon's. I knew the parking was going to be an issue. There is 8 parking spots and parking on a busy sidewalk. We walked from the marion parkade. (3 blocks)
Upon arriving at the front door, we were not greeted by anyone or took care by any wait staff. (At this point the restaurant had 5 people that were just enjoying their meals) . I had to ask if we should seat ourselves or not. I mean if it is going to be a seat yourself restaurant, at least put a sign out.
Fast forward, we sat at a table with nothing, yes not even menus for 7 minutes. A guy comes by, drops off menus, and ask us what to drink. I told him water. Â Today was freaking hot, I just wanted some ice water to cool down. The ice water came like another 15 minutes. Â We then got order, and it took like 20 minutes. Some lady drop off our food. Then the waitress/waiter never came back for a hour plus. Â Our water was never refill.
Please correct me if I am wrong. I saw the wait staff bring the tabs to people's table. My friend had to go up and wait in front of the bar to pay our bill. It probably took us another 10 minutes to get our bill. The waitress/waiter was just busy making drinks.....OK....
This place is either
a) understaff
b) hires mediocre staff
c) just lacks of potential
Random info:
- Since this place is in a 'historic' building, the location itself is not disable friendly. To access bathrooms, you have to go up 4 steps of stairs. The bathrooms were narrow too.
This is my unpleasant experience at Boon's.
Saw Left Coast Country here a few weeks ago. This is a typical McMenamins type of place with all the wacky trinkets and art on the wall. The place was of a decent size but filled with everyone and thier dog in there that night. LCC always fills the place.
We got here in time for the show and met a friend here. We had some of the tator tots but were already full from ordering some from another Mc Menamins. I loved this little place and hope I rememeber to return when I'm in Salem again. I don't know that we will, don't frequent that area much but it's always great to go in and see a new one of these and what they have done with the place. Overall a nice place to visit and have drinks / dinner
The location of McMenamin's Boons Treasury is not exactly ideal. Â The parking lot is very small and street parking is a little nerve racking, as it is on two rather busy streets. Â Once you get past that situation and on to the actual pub, it gets better. Â
The old building has a lot of character. Â Brick, stone, and timber make for a really nice cozy feeling. Â I prefer when I can snatch up a booth, though sitting outside in the summer is also great if it's warm enough. Â Live bands play on certain nights, but the inside can become so loud that you have to sit outside if you want to have any chance at conversation at all.
I love the stuffed burger-of-the-day, which rotates every so often. Â The best one being a bleu cheese and bacon burger that I had once a few years ago, and have not seen since (though I am not exactly a regular and just show up randomly every so often). Â I know I get into a war with some people over this: Â but I am NOT a fan of the natural style fries, I think they are tasteless and limp. Â So, I get the tater tots and shake some vinegar on them.
Table service is pretty reliable; I don't recall ever having a terrible wait for a drink refill or food request. Â I have seen a lot of the help come and go, so turnover appears to be pretty high. Â Not that I think that effects things one way or another, just a little something I've noticed over time.
A pretty good choice for grabbing a brew or two in Salem if you want to avoid a straight up bar or feel like you must order a meal by going to an actual restaurant. Â If you do go, and like light beers (my personal favorite) get the Kolsh, it is fantastic. Â Now if only they would serve it more than a couple months out of the year....
I just read some of the reviews below mine, and it seems like everyone dislikes the service. But my experience was just fine. Our waiter was friendly, and our service was good. I ordered the veggie sandwich. It was soooo good. I like the atmosphere of this McMenamin's. They all have a cool atmosphere, but this one is extra cool. Super rustic. There is also good live music on Friday nights.
Review Source:Came here with some relatives so we could have a place to chat and have some decent food. I always look forward to going to ANY McMenamins because I love their home brewed root beer. Well...wouldn't ya know it they no longer have their home brewed root beer!! I was crushed!! I hope that the other McMenamins have NOT also canned the home brewed root beer. I settled for water.
We got here at about 7 PM and did not get our food until after 8 PM. Yup, over an HOUR wait. This was OK for us this time because we were happily catching up with our family, chatting away. I am wondering if the restaurant picked up on that we were not in any rush??
I ordered the roasted garlic burger. It was pretty good actually! Me being the garlic lover that I am, LOVED the big chunks of roasted garlic falling out of the burger. My fries were cold & burnt though, so I had to send them back to get new ones.
While we were there a band arrived and started to set up. Looked like they had a lot of different instruments. I would have liked to stay and listen to their music but after waiting over an hour for our food and hanging around yet another hour, I was ready for home. Maybe next time...
I love these old buildings that McMenamin's buys and restores. This one is particularly cool, especially on the inside. It's quaint and comfortable.
I ordered the French Quarter chicken sandwich and it was very tasty. It was a little bit spicy hot, but I would have rather it was a little spicier. Nonetheless, it was delicious. I ordered the sandwich with fries and they are really good too, but they weren't piping hot -- instead they were just warm. We wanted to order McMenamin's home-brewed root beer but, sadly, the waitress said they don't do that anymore. She wasn't sure if it was just at that location or all of McMenamin's. PLEASE tell me they still make their own root beer!
My wife will post her own review I'm sure. Her fries were cold and she sent them back to be reheated.
The waitress said she'd only been there for a couple of days, but she did a great job waiting and checking on us.
I would have given this visit 5 stars, but the wait for food was ridiculous. Fortunately we were with good company and enjoying ourselves chatting. The waitress said they were inundated with orders so it was taking longer than usual to get them out. However, I looked around and there were very few people there (a total of 6 or 7). Maybe they were all crammed in a back patio somewhere?
Gotta give them the fifth star today. I've found the food good at all the McMenamins locations I've tried. The service can be marginal and the order-it to eat-it time can be agonizingly long. (At Thompson's in particular) We had a server today, Lindsey, who could not have been better! I noticed a glaring hole in their menu line-up. She said: "I think we can build you one anyway." How refreshing!
My friends Bill and Marsha ordered the Captain Neon Burger (with Bleu Cheese Dressing and Bacon) and the Summer Pasta Salad (with Grilled Chicken Breast & Fresh Mozzarella) respectively. I had a Club Sandwich with a Garden Salad on the side. All the food was fresh and delicious, as expected. (I was a little surprised and disappointed that the Swiss cheese in my Sandwich was processed, however.)
I always find it a treat to enjoy a meal in a building steeped in Oregon's history. The old wood and brick interior hold, for me, the charm of a simpler time.
If you listen closely, you can almost hear the whispers of old John D. himself and the faint clink of heavy coins as he tallies the contents of the territory's coffers.
I had half a  turkey sandwich and their soup of the day (African Chicken Peanut). The soup was tomato-based and had nice flavor but I failed to get a peanut taste in there (or see any peanuts). The sandwich was good -- and I liked that they toasted the bread for me -- but I would have preferred the Swiss cheese melted on the turkey. The cranberry relish gave the sandwich a little sweetness and the red onion brought a pleasurable bite. I guess for me, in the end, I'm just not a pub person, so it's really three stars overall.
Review Source:YES! I finally get to write a review instead of read one! I happen to love this "place" I can't define it as a restaurant, pub, bar, home? If you ever have a free afternoon, Boons is the place to go and relax. Maybe live music will play? Maybe you'll meet a local regular just getting off work!
Although im not an expert on food, I have not been let down by my order. Just know what your walking into is my advice. I have always heard of people complain about the food here, YET my own mother wanted to come on Mother's Day because they serve up such good food such as buffalo burgers. My advice? Judge for yourself... If you dislike this "place" You'll most likely dislike myself as well
I've gotta say, the last three times I've eaten lunch at Boon's Treasury, I've been quite disappointed. I won't be eating there again. The food selection is small, the delivery slow, cleanliness questionhable, and what should be hot is often cold. It may be that I've mostly looked at Boon's as a lunch place, when I should think of it as a middlin' bar. Then again, Boon's may think itself a lunch spot, it which case, it needs to raise the bar or forget it. The staff is friendly, though.
Review Source:Boon's Treasury is our go-to place for dinner when we want great atmosphere, good food and friendly service.
The wait staff is always friendly and remembers regulars. Â
A good dinner to try is Maria's Masterpiece, which always satisfies! Â With some cajunized tots on the side and a little horseradish sauce for dipping, I've got one of my favorites of all time.
Same Ole McMenamins. Â Every pub is the same. Â Same ole tired menu. Â Same ole beer selections thats not too deep. Â Same ole NW Kitch ambiance. Â Having said that, its always a good spot to visit.
Surprisingly good burger for the center of the meatless scene. Â The one with blue cheese and bacon is killer.
Fries are so bad they should not be on the menu. Â So limp and spongy they need a prescription of Cialis. Â
Would have given it 3.5 stars if their IPA was worthy. Â I swore it was a ESB. Â Took too long for this McMenamins to recognize the need for double IPAs. Â And when they did, it must of been out of protest they made a mild one.
I believe that they must have only waitstaff filling this out if they have an average of 4 stars! This place sucks! The beer is expensive, the food just so-so and the waitstaff (when you can find one) seemed annoyed that you have chosen to: A) eat there B) want a table and C) have the audacity to speak directly to them.
The fact that I have been here more than once only helps to prove my mothers point that I crave emotionally abusive relationships.
I know that half-assed service is a hallmark of McMenamins pubs. I've been to McMenamins from Olympia to Ashland, and I've never managed to get in and out in under an hour. I've come to expect it. In fact, I sometimes enjoy the prospect of a nice slooooow meal with plenty of time for conversation before the meal arrives. I don't dock stars for slow. I also acknowledge the rumors that McMenamins is a lousy employer, so I'm predisposed to forgive occasional service slip-ups.
In short, it takes a lot for me to dock stars for service. Yes, Boon's Treasury is slow. That's to be expected. I certainly didn't expect the service to be as disastrous as it has been over my last three visits (yeah, you heard right - like I just had to make sure they weren't just having a bad night. Or two bad nights). Waitstaff forgot appetizers and bungled orders. One waitress incorrectly claimed that a certain menu item was on the Happy Hour menu and refused to serve it to us. The silverware arrived 10-15 minutes after our dinner. We had to snatch menus off of nearby empty tables. And so on and so forth.
If the service-superior Thompson House on Liberty didn't offer the exact same middling-to-decent bar fare and microbrews as Boon's Treasury, I'd have given this place an extra star. Fortunately we Salemites don't have to suffer gross incompetence in order to get our Hammerhead and Dungeonburgers... just the regular ol' mild McMenamins incompetence we Oregonians have grown to love.
This place is great for better than average bar food and good beer. I came here with a date during reverse happy hour since the kitchen at Word of Mouth closed before we got a chance to order food. I guess there aren't many options in Salem to get decent food and drink on a Thursday, so we Yelped and ended up here.
Nice suggestion Yelp! This place had a band playing classic rock when we walked through the door, which scored major points in my book as they were pretty good. Then we found it was reverse happy hour and everything was ridiculously cheap. It was almost impossible to choose between their two vegetarian options, but I went with the homemade veggie burger. I have to say that it was pretty glorious. Of course my judgement may have been clouded by their delicious beers as well.
Great place to kick it with friends or for a casual date. Plus they have tots! And you've gotta love a place with tots!
Two words. Â Happy. Â Hour. Â This is THE best place to go after work with friends and/or co-workers in Salem. Â The atmosphere is so laid back you don't feel bad about sitting around for a couple hours talking and eating their scrumptous fries. Â Their happy hour menu is priced very reasonably. Â One negative would be the parking. Â So carpool.
Review Source:This place is one of the best places around for getting a beer and having a good time. I've been enjoying boones since about 2000. And the fact that it has remained mostly unchanged during that time should tell you that this place has the recipe for success. Try multiple beers because they offer an assortment of excellent brews. Also, this is one of the few places in salem you can get a beer served on nitrogen. The pub style food is above par and the weekly specials are usually very good. If you're not in the mood to hangout you can always get your beer to go.
Review Source:Boon's Teasury has a beautiful bar, great service, and overall is at great atmosphere. Â Do yourself a favor: Â save ten bucks and eat somewhere else. Â I guess i can only speak for the burgers which was 'poor' at best. Â Go for drinks, great free music on the Friday I was there, and tables full of friendly folks. Â The place is cool in my book; with clean bathrooms, attentive staff, and plenty of parking to boot!
I'll be back (for drinking).
I can't help but rave about McMenamins. Â The McMenamins brothers opened their first pub in Portland many years ago and now they spread themselves out all over the pacific northwest. Â Their brews are excellent (the Terminator Stout is a favorite) and their food is better-than-average bar food.
Each pub is in an older/renovated building which means (1) each location has its own character and (2) the pubs help rejuvenate run-down buildings and bring more life to neighborhoods.
This location is cozy on the inside with both booth and table seating. Â Sometimes you'll even find live music. Â For warmer evenings there is also a nice quiet, secluded outdoor seating area which also manages to feel cozy and intimate. Â Tip: if you go during the fall, you must order sweet potatoe fries, they are simply amazing.
Great place to try out some of the local brew and grab some grub. Â McMenamins' Pubs are located in either old or historical buildings so each pub is unique. Â This one is an old house. They serve standard pub fare which is quite good. Â You can't go wrong with them if you're looking for a good drink and a nice meal.
Review Source:
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