Gayle’s Italian Market

Please note Gayles has closed. Hopefully a new proprietor soon– the location can’t be beat. Salem deserves to have a great place in this venue.

I think this business has closed down, the windows are covered with paper. From what I hear someone else might take over. The owner of the building will still live above it. Bad business choice by her and husband. When you spend over a million you need to get it right. A Real fool I think, plus they spent well over million. Leave it that!!!¡¡!¡!%%&&$$$$$%

Pizza would have been great… If it had been hot. By the time they called my name, it had cooled off quite a bit which was disappointing considering the restaurant was not busy. The ingredients were definitely fresh, but if I pay $ 9.95 for a pizza and the restaurant is less than a quarter-​full I expect my pizza to be at least somewhat fresh out of the oven. Still, it was decent and I’d like to try some of their other menu items.

Love it! The food is fresh, the atmospher is on point and the staff are friendly. I had a glass of wine after dinner and watched open mic night downstairs. Its a romantic, cozy and lively place to hang out! The upstairs is great for lunch and getting all your specialty Italian grocery items. And side note the owner eats there also! Between Gayles Italian Market and Little Cannoli accross the street I am one donna estremamente felice!!!

Stopped in for dinner. I had the calzone and my wife the pizza. They both came to the table (5 mins apart) on the cool side. I like my pizza hot. That being said, they were both good. My problem is with the staff. The dining room was practically empty and the staff sat around in a circle up front. The waiter didn’t come to the table to refill drinks or ask if they could get us anything else. Service was terrible. But I would probably try it again.

had lunch on a sun afternoon, pretty empty but staff nice & pizza came out fast. had the veggie heaven which was good, nice hand tossed crust & the artichoke was yummy! would definitely come here again.
talked w/​sarah here a bit about their meats & cheeses. she was very friendly, knowledgable & super helpful. thx!

I’m actually quite disappointed in the food I purchased from Gayles. I came in on my lunch during a week day, I ordered a sandwich with some soup. 25 mins later my food was brought up to the counter. The sandwich was extremely dry, it has no flavor to it and while the soup tastes good, it was barley Luke warm. It’s disappointing because as someone who works downtown and gets asked more times in a day then I can count on two hands «where is a good place to get a fast bite to eat» I no longer feel that I can recommend Gayles– having not had a good experience there, I wouldn’t recommend others to stop by either.

If I could give zero stars I would. The food is only mediocre and the soup was cold when the lady the behind the counter finally called my name. I only came to this place because I was referred by a friend, we are no longer friends I will never return to this place idk how people go here and put up with the customer service.

BEST FOOD IN SALEM!!! By far. Today my wife and my daughter dropped by just walking through downtown Salem and the outside looks really nice so we decided to stop in. (And I’m so so so so happy we did!!)I moved recently from Los Angeles and since then I’ve been very much missing some place just like this. It is exactly what SALEM needs. I highly recommend a vegetarian pizza it was amazing. Everything we had was delicious the caprese salad and the macaroons… But the pizza was to die for it was amazing I am going to come back to this place over and over and over again. Also the young girl at the counter with the brown hair who helped us was very helpful very nice the whole experience was perfect. I can’t wait to go back!

My sister alerted me to this new entrant in the Salem food scene and we decided to check it out for brunch today. I have to say, as a market, it’s lacking in some areas, but as a restaurant/​deli, it’s an excellent addition to Salem’s downtown area!
We elected to split a meat and potato frittata and an antipasto plate. The first thing you will notice is that the frittata is portioned in the case rather than being made to order, which seemed a little iffy, but the way the elected to heat the frittata back up created a nice crust instead of nuking it and making it warm and soggy. Next, the balance of ingredients and eggs was perfect, with enough substance to make a delightful split entrée along with the antipasto plate.
On the antipasto plate, I was pleased with the cornichons, the olives, the marinated artichoke hearts, etc. The salami choice was a bit generic, but will please casual antipasto fans. I would’ve preferred more interesting meat choices like finocchiona and other great salumi choices, but for a quick plate, it was really good.
We also elected to have mimosas and I’ve got to tell you, they do not skimp on the prosecco! There was no question that this was a wine-​based breakfast drink! I would’ve preferred fresh-​squeezed, but that really requires more volume than I think they have just now.
The space and the décor is very pleasant and open. The tile and the wood and the exposed fixtures, some with Edison-​style lamps, sets a very urbane tone and the stock, though spare, is spot-​on. We didn’t check out the seating upstairs, electing to eat at one of the tables immediately to the West of the kitchen. The chairs and tables are pleasant and I don’t think the space will give anyone pause.
Truly, Salem is finally beginning to gentrify in an epicurean manner. I’m spoiled because I’m from Portland and have access to many options, but Gayle’s is one of the first places in Salem that truly begins to feel urbane and like it’s finally getting some of the same options that are somewhat ubiquitous in Portland. If you like Italian-​style options and a really great space, you should do yourself a favor and check it out.
Also, Unilocal says that Gayle’s isn’t open on Sunday, but that’s not accurate, so go check it out!

They have a great selection of affordable, (mostly) imported wine. We came in on a whim and tasted a few, all of which were under $ 15/​bottle. The person who helped us was friendly and seemed very knowledgable – he made some great suggestions based on how we responded to the wines we tasted. It’s also a cute place with a lot of character. Fun spot to eat and shop.

I can’t get over how adorable this place is. I love the authentic Italian food, delicious drinks, exceptional cheese selection, and great little pantry finds! I’m so glad I discovered this spot! I just wish they were open later!

That was some good Neapolitan pizza. After moving to Salem recently I was disappointed at the pizza selection, but then this place opened. Fresh and delicious and reasonably priced.

We were at a private event downstairs for a graduation party. What a beautiful place with so much character and charm. Great food and wine selections. Would highly recommend to host a private event here. Can’t wait to try their cheese and wine selections upstairs. Love their store concept. Jordan was the event coordinator and was extremely helpful and did a great job making sure everything was perfect for the party.

Very good Italian roast beef sandwich. The gentleman was very helpful with recommending wine styles we were looking for and his choices were right on the money. Prices are reasonable with lots of choices whether eat in or take out ingredients to prepare at home.

I’m not sure how this place has 3.5 starts. It’s wonderful. Their pizza is phenomenal and priced incredibly reasonable for the fresh ingredients and stone fired. It’s about $ 10 ish for 3 toppings and 10 inch pizza in their wood stove. Super quick to fire it up too. Their deli selection is also really well priced and they have a great selection of meats and cheeses. And the wine shop that is inside is also great! Everyone is SUPER nice and friendly. My dad and I stumbled upon this place and it’s just amazing. Ask them about the history of the building as well!
Seriously, this is definitely a place to go. And they have pizza specials on Thursday for a couple hours after 4 :)

Amazing. True Hospitality & Italian Food. Fabulous wine selection. Could go on and on. Thank you Gayle.

I loooove me some Italian food! I’ll probably be a regular here. Great selection of wines from Europe, South America, and a small selection from the U.S. I came in earlier today and leisurely walked up and down, and back and forth perusing every inch of their shelves and cases.
Their price point is a bit high; I’d suggest lowering it a bit, or offering more weekly specials to attract more shoppers into the store. Also, if they offer special dinners with wine pairings I’d be open to attending. Especially since Wild Pear right down the street has been closed for renovation. This would be an opportunity to showcase how authentic Italian food should be done, and also showcase products the store offers.
Great place to pick up some antipasto (cheese, charcuterie, olives). They offer varieties you just can’t pick up from Safeway or anywhere else in Salem. Wines too. The owner tries to offer wines you can’t get anywhere else locally.
One of these days I’ll have to pick up one of their ‘Box of the Month,’ a variety of 12 wines for $ 100. That averages to about $ 8 per bottle, and given the variety and quality it’s a great deal!

A good addition to downtown Salem, but still figuring out what it wants to be. The specialty pasta items look great, and the meat and fish counter look solid. The sandwich selection is limited, heavy on meat/​cheese combos, and a little high in price. I ordered the muffuletta, which was good, not great. The meats and cheese were fine, but the roll on which it was served was only slightly above average — not the hard exterior/​soft interior that is the hallmark of a great roll. The Italian wedding soup is superb!

This place is what my neighborhood in Forest Grove needs and Salem has been needing for years! A real Italian market and deli, the imported products and deli is just amazing, shopped around for two hours and then had a great sandwich at the deli counter. A little pricey but totally of the norm for a specialty market, I will be a repeat customer for sure. Love you Gayles!