Anne LapourFork Forty is Salem’s first food hall, a one-stop shop for food, drink and (often) entertainment. Located downtown in the historic Gray-Belle building, it is home to six food court-style restaurants plus a bar.
The Grey-Belle building started as a Chinese laundry in the late 1800s that burned down and was rebuilt in 1907. It has housed a variety of eateries, but truly came back to life after an extensive renovation then reopened in 2020. Now, the revitalized locale includes the food hall plus five apartments on the second floor and two basement-level entertainment experiences: Exitus Escape Rooms and Wrecking Ballers. It’s also an award-winning building recognized for its historic restoration and diverse use.
Stop in at 440 State Street
11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday
11 to 3 p.m. Sunday (select spots)
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CHUBBY BAO HOUSE
Chubby Bao House is one of Fork Forty’s original stalls and a firm favorite. Joe and Sara Ngo started offering their Asian fusion cuisine at Beehive station in 2019 and moved their digs to Fork Forty when it opened in 2020. The expanded space has served them well, giving Salemites the opportunity to sample their unlikely flavor pairings, and of course…their bao, a fluffy bun eaten taco-style, and filled with a unique blend of both Asian and Mexican goodness.
For Joe, who was raised amidst Chinese culinary culture in Tuscon, Arizona, fusion has been a natural direction. He takes traditional Chinese dishes (like the signature bao) and infuses them with Mexican flavors, like chorizo and carne asada, which he picked up near the Sonoran desert. The result is unique comfort food with plenty of crowd-pleasers on the menu.
Though the menu has stayed mostly the same since the beginning, additions like the wings and the rotating bao keep customers coming back to try new flavor combinations. The special bao changes 6 times a year. So hurry back to Fork Forty to try whatever might be next. Or stick with a classic like the fried chicken bao, coated in a sweet and spicy sauce….one of the many sauces they make in-house. And if you think Jojo fries aren’t an obvious pairing for the bao, think again. They’re seriously flavorful, surprisingly crispy and perfect when dunked in the poblano sauce served alongside.
If you want to branch out from the bao, there are plenty of options to sample—both meat and veggie-driven, such as rice bowls and Japanese coleslaw. So come for the bao, stay for the rest, and you’ll be craving the combos in the weeks to come.
— Anne Lapour
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LA LUCCIOLA PIZZERIA
Who doesn’t like pizza? (You? Ok, well, that’s why there are five other food vendors at Fork Forty). For those who, like us, feel pizza is a perfect food—you know, the kind you can eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a late-night snack—you definitely want to stop in at La Lucciola.
Tender and light, La Lucciola hand-shaped pizza is made in classic Neapolitan style with dough made from double-zero imported Italian flour that is fermented for two days. This creates a unique flavor and chewy texture that compliments their refreshing, bright Alta Cucina “Naturale” tomato sauce. The high-quality ingredients allow for a deceptively simple creation with a perfect outer edge that you can watch toast in a 900-degree brick oven while you wait.
These perfect, balanced pies come in all the classic combinations. From minimalist margherita—starring fresh mozzarella, drizzled with olive oil and topped with basil—to cup and char pepperoni that curls as it toasts, creating a flavor-filled, crispy pocket.
Oh, and if you feel you need additional greens, you can always get a salad on the side. They’ve got those, too.
— Carlee Wright
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OJISAN’S RAMEN
Ojisan’s Ramen is the newest addition to Fork Forty’s offerings and is likely to become a fast favorite.
While Ojisan’s may be new to Salem, they originally opened in Eugene’s Whitaker district in 2020. The menu is a perfect fit for ForkForty, offering delicious bowls of steaming-hot goodness when you want something fast and wholesome during your lunch break. There’s something for all palettes, and a mix of main-course bowls and a la carte sides.
The ramen is obviously the hero of the menu, with plenty of options—both meat-based and vegan—to choose from. My family opted for a bit of everything, including a bowl of their vegetarian ramen, with yam noodles and topped with plenty of veggies and tofu. (There’s a fully vegan bowl as well.) But, we also went for the meat, and loved the tender, braised pork belly in the miso bowl. I can’t say enough for the super crispy pork cutlet, which I ordered atop a rice bowl and enjoyed for dinner one night and lunch the next day.
Ordering from Ojisan’s is an easy process, which can be done through their online platform. By the time you reached Fork Forty, your order will be packed up and ready to go. Hot and inviting when you arrive back home to dig in.
Of course, you may prefer to eat right there at ForkForty, and tuck into your ramen alongside a drink from The Best Goose, or dessert from Slick Licks. And maybe a bao on the side.
— Anne Lapour
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REX’S PREHISTORIC PATTIES
It’s hard not to smile when you walk up to Rex’s Prehistoric Patties. Cheerful colors and a giant T-Rex greet you. And the happy feels extend straight onto the menu, where comfort food is king, ready to satisfy both carnivores and herbivores.
Owner Buerge, one of the “biggest dinosaur nerds you’ll ever meet,” conceptualized the restaurant, and ultimately handed over the management and menu reins to Parker Black. Buerge said Parker gets “all the menu credit in the world.” Parker was eager to take over, said Buerge. “Literally could not tell him no…he’s worth his weight in gold and has truly made it his own.” The resulting menu is classic and crowd-pleasing. Though burger-centric, they offer plenty of options to switch things up. The basic burger patty is super well-seasoned; I’m still thinking about it a few weeks after my first bite. Should you have a heartier appetite, there’s always the “tyrant lizard king” burger, a double-cheeseburger that piles on the extras—egg, jalapeno, mushrooms and bacon. And the slightly more adventurous can dig into the “Peanut Butter and Dino,” Rex’s signature 6-oz patty sandwiched in a brioche bun, along with bacon coated in liquid smoke, American cheese, and…peanut butter. If this all sounds highly crave-able, it’s no accident. According to Buerge, “Most of Rex’s specials were tinkered on via hungry bartenders.”
— Anne Lapour
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SLICK LICKS
Another original to the Fork Forty lineup, Slick Lick’s is a genuine taste of childhood. Serving up soft serve ice cream (not frozen yogurt!), they use natural, quality ingredients in their rotating, seasonal flavors. The downtown favorite was purchased by Travis Noble in 2021, who states his goal was to keep, “this little funky soft serve ice cream shop alive and slinging out fun flavors and products to our community.”
The menu is endlessly adaptable. There are options to swirl, make a milkshake, freeze, or even create a “stacker”—a three-tiered treat of customizable flavor combos. They also carry quirky dessert tacos or nachos—sweet riffs on a familiar concept.
Flavors rotate monthly, with four vegan options and two dairy. Experimentation is important to Slick Licks, and Travis notes a keen interest in exposing Salem to diverse flavors; they’ve tried black sesame, Ube, Lilikoi, Horchata and Mangoneada, to name a few. But if the classics are your favorite, you’re not alone. Travis said Salem likes its vanilla and chocolate, flavors they always keep on the menu. And we’re apparently fans of pretty much anything with Oreos, which I can confirm, having tried (and loved) the “strawberry cookies and cream,” which has been “killing it” with the community.
Topping options and sauces are a happy addition, introducing even more decisions to an already tempting menu. My kids took full advantage, thoroughly enjoying their mini marshmallows and rainbow sprinkles, gleefully snatching the tiny toppings from their cups before I could snap a picture.
The Fork Forty community is an essential part of Slick Lick’s mission, providing a community of vendors who “lean on each other for advice, knowledge and creative ideas,” according to Travis, who said their fellow vendors happen to be great taste testers as well. “Community-wise, there’s not much like it downtown.”
— Anne Lapour
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SYRIAN KITCHEN RESTAURANT & CATERING
If you’ve visited the Salem Saturday Market in the past few years, you’ve probably passed by (or purchased from) the Syrian Kitchen. Noted for their delicious pistachio and almond baklava, they were a consistently popular culinary delight that joined Fork Forty in January 2022.
Joining Fork Forty gave the Syrian Kitchen a home where they could expand their menu to include savory bites of Middle Eastern comfort classics along-side their well-loved baklava.
Their creamy, smooth hummus pairs perfectly with the unique Syrian-style falafel that has a center hole, and is crispy, light and fluffy; or with their tender shawarma that is seasoned with such an aromatic spice blend it will warm you up the minute you smell it.
But it was the stuffed grape leaves that stole the show. So unsuspecting from the outside, those small grape-leaf wrapped packages of basmati rice pack quite the punch of flavor. A tangy, peppery mouthful. Dip them in the Syrian-style tzatziki and you’ve created a whole new experience. No matter what you order, The Syrian Kitchen is a culinary journey with significant portions, fair prices and ample variety.
— Carlee Wright
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THE BEST GOOSE
A great collection of food needs a great bar, and The Best Goose provides a hub for all the flavor-makers out front. Stationed in the back of Fork Forty with generous space and a welcoming vibe, this bar is a great place to land with food in hand from one of the other vendors.
Just as the food vendors carry something for everyone, The Best Goose caters to beer/wine drinkers and cocktail lovers alike. An extensive tap list covers all the classic beer profiles to complement Fork Forty’s food lineup, and the cocktail list includes mainstay favorites like the “Goose Juice,” a mix of house-infused raspberry vodka, peach schnapps and lemon juice, which the bartender describes as akin to “a raspberry lemon drop.” There’s also a rotating list of seasonal cocktails.
When they aren’t slinging amazing drinks, the bartenders at The Best Goose happily act as guinea pigs for things the Fork-Forty chefs are working on. “We’ve ended up developing various secret menus at a lot of the spots. Cooler still are those things that occasionally end up as specials or mainstays offered to the public,” Buerge said.
Choices abound at Fork Forty, including where you choose to sip your beverage. You can sidle up to the bar of course, but you can also take your drink anywhere within Fork Forty; on a pretty day, it’s common to see folks sitting outside with a beer, happily enjoying their bao or pizza with a pint. Note to parents: this means you can enjoy your drink outside the bar area while your kids munch their dino nuggets. Or, if you’d rather enjoy one of the low-top tables in the bar’s seating area with your kiddos, they’re welcome there too.
The Best Goose also plays host to many of the gatherings and parties that make Fork Forty more than just a collection of restaurants. Buerge said, “We host a ton of large groups (again, choice is our main weapon and groups love that), salsa dancing on Sundays and throw parties every other month.” If your trivia prowess is better than your dance moves, there’s trivia on Thursdays, often themed.
Ultimately, The Best Goose feels like a microcosm of the whole Fork Forty experience. Buerge says it’s more than simply a collection of restaurants. “Fork Forty feels like its own identity. You’re coming here to enjoy us, not just a specific kitchen.”
— Anne Lapour
This story originally ran in Press Play Salem issue 15 (Feb/Mar 2023)
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