Steininger's

Excellent food and the best chocolates ,chutney and chocolate sauce delicious!!! Cute little gem

Nice little cafe in downtown Salem. It was full at lunchtime when we went so there was a wait for a table. They don't like for you to wait inside so we were firmly directed outside where some of us found Adirondack chairs to sit in. Good thing we were the only ones waiting. After about 20 minutes we were seated at a table near the candy case. A seat of temptation if ever there was one.

Tried the Wurst Sampler and the wursts were good, especially the knockwurst. The sauerkraut and mustard went well with them. The side of potatoes were ok. I didn't detect much bacon and onion influence on their taste. Maybe I was just overwhelmed with the flavor of the wursts.

Service once we were seated was excellent.

We did not resist the candy case temptation and took home a selection for later. They were quite good, especially the ones with dark chocolate.

If you look up "quaint" in the dictionary, you'll probably find a picture of the interior of Steininger's. I don't believe it's changed much since my first visit here some 15 years ago - same wall and floor decor. The draws here are their confections, their breads, and their homemade soups. I've had some problems with service being a bit inconsistent (such as today's visit), but the quality of the food here will keep me coming back.

Today 2 of us came in for lunch, and we each ordered the soup-and-half-a-sandwich deal. The soups change daily and are given to you hand-written on a piece of scrap paper. Today they got our order only 50% right. My soup, a broccoli, spinach, leek soup was delicious, with a rich stock. The other soup was a bowl of something not ordered, but we kept it anyway. It was also delicious, just not what we ordered. For the half-sandwich, it was my turn. I ordered a turkey sandwich - there are 2 of them on the menu, and the waitress even double checked to make sure she put in the right one. I ordered the one on whole wheat bread, but I got the other one, which came out on a flaky croissant. Again, it was delicious, just not what I ordered.

I wasn't going to order dessert, but I tried to succumb when I saw that besides their homemade confections, they also serve chocolate cheesecake made by the nuns at New Skete, topped with their own homemade raspberry sauce. Yet another disappointment, they were out of it.

So today's overall visit was not up to par, though the food (even if they didn't get it quite right), was.

Excellent Lunch cafe with a German flair! Homemade soups, excellent croissant sandwiches! Plus more traditional German fare. Beer, Wine and good coffee. Oh and the desserts?!

Cute and quaint little cafe. They have the best desserts, make sure to try the raspberry linderhoff...so good! For a smaller cafe they have a fairly large menu, although prices could be a little lower

Tucked on the sleepy Main Street of a Revolutionary War-era upstate New York town, Steininger's is a quaint and genteel stop for a friendly, home-cooked meal.

The real prize on the menu is the array of homemade soups, featuring satisfying, comfort-producing combinations like cream of potato and turnip and white bean and barley. I've tried no fewer than 10 soups at Steininger's over the decade or so that I've been going, usually once or twice each time good fortune brings me to my favorite corner of New York State.

My latest visit also featured a spectacular, interesting and geographically incongruous salad, labeled the "Dixie Chicken." Though I fortunately didn't spot any rebel flags in the area, I counted no less than ten different ingredients, including blueberries, grapes, cranberries, roasted pecans, tomatoes, mixed greens, celery, radishes, a deliciously seasoned and grilled chicken breast...and a lovely, edible purple peony. The Maple Mustard dressing brought it all together for a fantastic and unabashedly healthy meal.

No trip to Steininger's would be complete without a sample of their fine homemade chocolates, which are lined up in a tempting formation at the front of the dining room.

Wonderful lunch. Soups in particular were excellent and the staff members were friendly, helpful , and attentive. And then there are the desserts; be sure to save room.

The service was awesome! Fresh salad for me and my hubby enjoyed a Indian inspired chicken. The chocolate was delish!

Steininger's is a wonderful place. The owner/chef really cares about what he makes and serves. Fresh ingredients, great flavor, and care are found in every dish. The daily soup/ sandwich specials are great. We have ordered soup to go after sampling ours at lunch. Mr. Steininger is a European trained chocolatier. The selections in the display are sumptuous. Take some home. We don't get to Salem often, but when we do we try hard to make time to stop.

Had a great, fresh lunch on our way to a hike. The staff was friendly, the prices were modest, and the food was delicious. We had a roast turkey on rye and a tarragon apple turkey sandwich on croissant. They were both delicious and the bread was fresh baked. We finished with a seasonal pumpkin sundae which was also great. We didn't try the soup because I originally planned to take out, but will come back next time to try!