Flight Deck Restaurant & Lounge - Salem

I spontaneously decided to visit this place after errands one weekday. I arrived a little after 11am; I recommend arriving around then, as it got quite busy about 15 to 30 minutes later. The atmosphere is unique and cool, with big windows overlooking the Salem airport runway. There is a ton of cool model aircraft hanging from the ceiling. From the outside, the building reminds me of a baby Dulles International Airport. I love that mid-century modern style! The service was very friendly and the atmosphere comfortably relaxed. I think this place has a lot of regulars, but I felt very welcome as a newbie. I ordered a soft drink and took a look at the menu. It was quite large, with American diner type food predominating. I felt like getting something unique, so I picked the Off the Runway Melt with potato salad. This sandwich was different, but in a good way! It was pastrami, pepper jack cheese, coleslaw, and fries with mustard on grilled sourdough. It was better than it might sound, and all the disparate elements actually worked together nicely! The coleslaw lightened the sandwich and the fries provided some crunch. It was different but delicious and perfectly grilled. The potato salad was pretty good, creamy but a little strong on the onions for me. I got the peanut butter cheescake to go. I am not sure if they make their desserts or get them from another business. The cheesecake was just okay. This place has a great, unique atmosphere and view. The service is super friendly and the food is delicious, well-prepared diner fare. I am interested in trying more of their lunch offerings and also trying them for dinner. In other words, I will be back!

Have enjoyed occasionally dining at this unique location when we travel through Salem. Hadn't been in for a year or more so yesterday, decided to stop for an early dinner. The service was poor, food just barely so-so, and much to be desired for cleanliness. We won't bother stopping in again for a long, long time, if ever. Very disappointing, as we enjoy the wonderful view of the planes landing and taking off. Carol Allen

Always a great fly in destination. Great food, great service, model airplanes hanging from the ceiling, aircraft parking right outside the gate. Fantastic place to to come and eat. Even great for locals. Specials are always excellent can't recommend highly enough.

I love this place. It 's just...neat. The restaurant sits next to the Salem Airport, which is nothing to write home about, but is certainly an airport! There are huge windows overlooking the runways and, I noticed, there is access to the restaurant from the airplane parking areas. I took one of my sons here on a Daddy/Singleton Day (I have twins and we occasionally split up days with them so that they each get special attention from each parent) and it was fun to watch an airplane land, taxi into a parking space, and then the pilot and his wife walk down the runway and come into the restaurant. He 's never seen that at the Portland airport or any of the other commercial ones we 've flown out of, and it made it sort of an experience for him (he was eight at the time, so, you know, we make things fun). The food is your standard restaurant food. Burgers, chicken strips; diner type food. But what 's kind of cool is that each time we 've gone, I 've noticed they have specials that are off menu. With my son, he was in luck, because they had a fried chicken special. It was literally half a chicken, fried up. Breast, wing, thigh, leg. Along with a huge thing of mashed potatoes, a biscuit the size of my head, and some roasted vegetables. He wasn 't able to finish it, not even close, so I had some and it was excellent! Really, really well done; juicy inside, crispy breading. I had a double bacon cheeseburger and it was everything you 'd expect out of one. If I had any notes, it was that it seemed a little under-seasoned. But nothing that would make me send it back. Top that off that our wait staff, a young lady whose name escapes me right now, was super friendly and very responsive to my son. She listened, enraptured, as my son told her about seeing the musical Cats! and she suggested one of their specialty, non-alcoholic cocktails for him to try. All in all, this is a great, often overlooked place. Prices are reasonable, food is good and abundant, and the decor is suitable to an airport-overlooking lounge.

We just happened on this great place. So glad to know about it. The food was delicious! It was fun watching the planes and the atmosphere was great! We look forward to returning! Our waiter was professional and courteous. We got a Reuben, a bacon cheeseburger, ravioli's, onion rings and a chicken club and a piece of their raspberry cake. Everything tasted amazing!