Carlee Wright
You don’t order the Guinness Chocolate Cake at Wild Pear because you need dessert. You order it because you’re lucky.
While the restaurant has a chocolate cake on the menu (almost) every day, the Guinness Chocolate Cake is elusive. I called three days in a row once. A different chocolate cake each day, none of them Guinness. So when it finally appears in the case, you don’t hesitate. You don’t think about it. You say yes.
And then it arrives. With a tender crumb, the first forkful tells you this is no ordinary slice. It’s intentional. It’s dark and rich, but not sweet. The Guinness adds depth and comfort.
And then there’s the frosting. Tangy. Smooth. Generous, but not overpowering. It’s a partner. Together, cake and frosting feel balanced, yet a little indulgent.
It’s the sort of dessert that turns a casual lunch into a memory. The kind you think about later that night. The kind you text a friend about. The kind you go back for the next day…but it’s gone.
So if they have it, order it. Don’t assume it will be there tomorrow.
Wild Pear Restaurant
372 State St.
This story originally ran in Press Play Salem issue 27 (Spring 2026)
We run on coffee, curiosity, and community. Fuel our next story (and our next cup) by supporting Press Play Salem. 
buymeacoffee.com/pressplaysalem
Author: Carlee Wright
Carlee Wright is a community instigator with a grand love for Salem and notably fashionable shoes (Hello, John Fluevog!) who turns waste into wearable art in her "spare" time.
Tracy Torres
Jennifer Morris
