Preview: Venti’s Beer Vault now open in downtown Salem

Venti’s unique menu has kept Salem happily fed since 1996 by featuring foods for every palette and diet. Whether you’re feeding your family or your boss it’s a place where everyone can find something they’ll want to eat—or drink, because at its core, Venti’s is for beer lovers. Offering an extensive and rotating taplist of Northwest favorites and up-and-coming new brews, Venti’s has long established itself as a hophead’s paradise. And now Venti’s is giving the 21-and-over crowd a new place to enjoy their craft beers: The Beer Vault.

Suited to a late-night pint or a happy hour meet-up, the Vault is a comfortable and upscale setting in the fully renovated, re-imagined downtown basement bar. The padded booths, wooden bar, and stone walls are cozy and inviting. While the Art Deco wallpaper and colorful marbled tabletops offer a subtly glam invitation to make a night of it. You can (and should) invite your friends or significant other to a dressier version of the classic Venti’s vibe. Have a lot of friends? A smaller room off the main dining area will provide enough seating and privacy for larger parties.

But the updated space is more than wallpaper and tabletops. Venti’s Beer Vault also features 16 exclusive taps that are distinct from what’s on offer upstairs. The beer varieties and flavor profiles will vary, offering both the usual suspects like ales, and some slightly more adventurous options like sours and barleywines. You’ll have access to the full Venti’s menu, along with a few Vault-only items. Wine drinkers, don’t fret. You can order that too.

The new space nails the balance between chill and special, giving its customers a speak-easy vibe that still hits all the notes of a great PNW pub. It is sure to become a welcome addition to the downtown Salem bar scene, where late-night options are a bit slim.

Venti’s will always be a family-friendly place, but the Beer Vault looks like it will be a special hideaway for adults to tuck into a booth and enjoy a great craft beer under the subtle glow of library lights.

Updated October 15, 2022 —
NOW OPEN!
Venti’s Beer Vault
325 Court St NE

This story originally ran in Press Play Salem issue 14 (Summer 2022)