Pacific Standard’s Salem Sister Bar Holds Its Grand Opening This Week

The online menu advertises dishes like an Oregon bay shrimp roll, Northwest cioppino with fresh Dungeness crab legs and clams, and a Willamette Valley pork chop.

Pacific Standard Pacific Standard co-owner Benjamin “Banjo” Amberg. Photo by Rachelle Hacmac.
By Andi Prewitt

Approximately six months after two renowned Portland bartenders announced that they were bringing a little slice of the city to the state capital, their new venue is about to welcome the public.

Jeffrey Morgenthaler and Benjamin “Banjo” Amberg’s Salem spinoff of Pacific Standard will hold its grand opening from 6 to 11 pm Wednesday, June 14. The sister bar to the one at upscale hostel Kex on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is located inside the Holman Riverfront Park Hotel.

The Hilton property, located at 195 Commercial St. SE, is situated near several tourist and business destinations, like the Salem Convention Center and Riverfront City Park, which should draw business to both the hotel and the bar.

Located just off of the hotel lobby, the Salem Pacific Standard will offer customers an expanded menu—also designed by Amberg and Morgenthaler—with many of the popular dishes from the Portland location carrying over—think classic, upscale bar food with ingredients rooted in the West Coast. The current online menu advertises dishes like an Oregon bay shrimp roll, cedar-smoked Northwest cioppino with fresh Dungeness crab legs and clams, and a Willamette Valley pork chop served with garlic mashed potatoes and an apple-fennel slaw.

During its first week of service, Pacific Standard will be open 6-11 pm Sunday through Thursday and 6 pm to midnight Friday and Saturday. Once it has a few rounds of service under its belt, the bar will operate 11 am to 11 pm Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. So should you find yourself roaming the streets of the state capital looking for some solid food and drink, rest assured that Morgenthaler and Amberg have got your back.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.