Eat Like a Local at Derby & Daniels

SPONSORED CONTENT | Written by Taylor Dunn, Trade House | Photographed by Jess Shada

Walk down Derby Street toward the Salem waterfront, and you’ll eventually reach the corner of Derby and Daniels, where Trade House and Mercy Tavern sit across from one another. Spend a little time here, and you’ll quickly see that this is more than another collection of Salem restaurants. It’s a neighborhood, and one with really good food.

Mercy Tavern has the kind of local following that can put a line down Daniels Street. Inside, the menu leans into New England and international comfort food, with burgers, steak tips, fish and chips, tacos, ribs, and plenty to share. Mercy has also long been part of Salem’s live music scene, with music at least two nights a week, so dinner can easily roll into drinks, music, and dancing.

Across the street, look through the large windows at Trade House, and you may catch a birthday dinner in full swing, a family gathered around a long table, or friends meeting up after work.

The food at Trade House is a little harder to categorize, and that’s part of the point. There are burgers and fries, but also the crowd-favorite short rib over whipped potatoes, pork belly steamed buns, steak frites, tuna tartare, fresh pasta, and plenty of vegetarian and vegan dishes. Most sandwiches and tacos land under $20, while many full entrées are in the $20s, making it possible to find something a little more elevated without necessarily turning dinner into a splurge.

Then there are the weekly specials. They change every Thursday and have included everything from ramen and enchiladas to seared scallops and lobster Thermidor. You never quite know what will show up on the menu next, and plenty of locals know to check Instagram on Thursdays to see what dropped that week.

The friendly competition doesn’t end with the food. Both restaurants put plenty of thought into their bars, with curated cocktail menus that change with the seasons and give regulars on either side of the street something new to debate. Ask around the neighborhood, and you’ll probably find some loyalty about which side makes the better drink.

When the weather is warm, the neighborhood moves outside. The restaurants’ patios face one another, creating a lively pocket of outdoor dining in Salem. As the sun goes down, the dueling patios cast a glow down toward the wharf. You’ll find water bowls for dogs scattered outside neighborhood businesses, too, a small sign that plenty of the regular foot traffic here comes with four legs.

And the corner doesn’t exist on its own. Stop into The Chocolate Pantry for something sweet or start your day with a coffee at The Wolf Next Door. The businesses here know their neighbors, recommend one another, and share many of the same regulars.

That’s part of the fun of exploring beyond Salem’s busiest blocks. Derby Street leads to some of the city’s best-known historic sites, including Pickering Wharf, the Custom House, and The House of the Seven Gables, but it’s also a street where people live, work, walk their dogs, celebrate birthdays, and meet friends for dinner.

So, if you’re deciding where to eat in Salem or simply looking to explore more of the city, keep walking toward the waterfront. Around Derby and Daniels, you’ll find a little corner of Salem going about its evening, and there’s always room for a few more.

It’s a little neighborhood corner with a lot of Salem packed into it.