Bambolina Restaurant

Our group went here last week and had the most wonderful meal. I ordered the mushroom forest pizza and at first bite the freshness of the ingredients is apparent. Our waiter was beyond nice and very outgoing. Between the quality of food and a very creative menu this is a must visit restraunt in Salem.

I love this artisanal pizza! I usually get the mushroom and kale one but they are all amazing. The warm olives as an appetizer is a must get if you like olives. Another one of my favorite apps is the Serrano peppers with almonds.

Direct from airport and immediate sight seeing in Salem, and food of choice is Bambolina… Excellent!!! Comparing the olives to Napa’s fried olives, Bambolina has the best OLIVES! I don’t know about the wood fired pizza, the taste is nothing but amazing. Impeccable service! The art décor, comfy feeling and very posh modern just love it!!!

Our pizzas were soggy in the middle, so the toppings kept falling off. Our kids split a margherita and one of the slices had no cheese at all. We also had the farmers market and mushroom. I didn’t feel like we got enough food for the money. Our waitress was nice, if a little pushy. The décor was strange: a huge pair of female legs splayed across a wall, nude but for a leg garter. We won’t be back.

More of nun-​bread pizza but not bad. the crust was burnt every time we ordered a pizza but then again as the crust/​dough is hard to perfect. It’s a cute venue and affordable

Wow! Amazing pizza — I highly recommend the cauliflower and truffled egg pizza. I took home the pizza for the next day and it was just as good.
The one thing I was a little disappointed about was the prosciutto. It tasted old to me? Odd because everything else was so fresh! Also, with the charcuterie I think there should be bread given instead of «crutons».
If you’re looking for amazing fresh food I would def go here.

Meh. The pizza was good, especially the crust. The service was slow and uninspired, although certainly not rude. Frustratingly they insisted on keeping the front door open even though it was a cold night, because they said the restaurant heats up too much due to the pizza oven. It meant we had to eat with our jackets on. Too common an experience in New England restaurants if you ask me.

Went here for dinner with my mother and her boyfriend. We started with the grilled Caesar and they had the kale and sausage soup. The Caesar was absolutely delicious!!! I would order that over and over and never get sick of it, make sure you try some! The sausage and kale soup was also delicious. The sausage was like little meatballs and the broth was super flavorful. For dinner we had the Margherita and the soppresata pizzas. They were also both great! I love Neapolitan pizza. This was pretty close to the pizza in Naples (not better, but for the states you can’t go wrong with bambolina!) then for dessert we had the lemon dessert. It was the most heavenly custard with whipped cream and little jello bites. Beautiful presentation! Our waiter told us it was just sugar, heavy cream, and lemon juice! who know those three simple ingredients could be so delicious. We will definitely be back! Highly recommend!

Stopped in while visiting Salem with the family. Very friendly staff and perfect location for visiting museums and other sites.
Good was excellent and pizzas were unique with great flavored. Had the Heirloom Tomatoes as appetizer and that was probably highlight of the meal. Highly recommended.

What a great surprise! The place isn’t much to look at but the service was attentive and informative.
We had the Grilled Caesar which was great but with the addition of the Octopus tentacle ($ 4) was spectacular. The Octopus was as tender as I have had.
The daily special was a rack of lamb served with pea greens and braised carrots. Once again the meat was incredible and so tender; comparable to some of the best lamb I have eaten in fine dining restaurants at a fraction of the price.
We added the forest mushroom pizza, it is a pizza restaurant after all. I was really good but was only half eaten because the lamb was so good. Pizza for breakfast is a fine thing!
Wonderful meal, I will recommend it to all my friends.

This place was just so-​so. The pizza was definitely over priced and the taste was just subpar. The bottom of the pizza was overdone and the crust was bland.
We also had an awkward moment after the waitress offered us olives while we waited for our pizza. The olives we’re good, but then we saw them on the bill. I just thought it was odd to offer something (almost like when places offer you bread) and not be clear about an upcharge. We didn’t say anything and paid up, but as someone who has worked as a server too, this was just a no-​no.

I will say that the service was prompt and attentive. The industrial décor is different and done fairly nicely. We had a lamb pie pizza that was awful, a sausage pizza that was enjoyable and an appetizer of assorted meats and vegetables that was at least interesting.
We expected crisp thin crust pizza and we’re disappointed by the soggy, sparsely covered pies that were served. There are much better choices for pizza and dining out in Salem. We will not return.

What a great night, food was great. Pizza was amazing and all the other diners were joining in conversation together to discuss what they had and how much they loved it.
Be back soon!

Finally made it to Bambolina for dinner with Andrew and our two friends. We arrived at about 8:45 on a Friday evening, and I think we were late enough to miss the dinner crowd, so we were seated immediately. We might have been a little tipsy, and our waitress was less than impressed. I think service suffered because of that, but I can at least acknowledge that we were probably louder than necessary.
Wine and beer options we selected were tasty, the bottle of red wine we had was nice. We started with the bresaola which was stunning, since it was served on a plank from a cider barrel. The beef was tasty, and paired perfectly with the arugula, figs and parmesan. This was a great option for sharing. We also had the zucchini ceviche which was super fresh and light. Another good option, especially for something light before having pizza.
For pizzas, we split the soppressata, clam chowder, and forest mushroom. All of them were absolutely phenomenal. We literally ate up every bite and probably could have had a 4^th but decided on dessert instead. Each pizza was about personal-​sized, and cut into 4 pieces. I liked that the pieces were really big. The clam chowder pizza was super memorable, and the mushroom pizza was so truffle-​y and fantastic. The soppressata was a classic, and made even more delicious with the addition of the chili oil that was served with the pizza.
Andrew had gone to the bathroom and I wanted to ask about getting a chocolate birthday dessert for him (I asked for anything with chocolate). It was right before closing time, so the waitress wasn’t thrilled but obliged. The dessert ended up being a chocolate pudding, but there was a weird gelatin on the top which we all agreed was a little strange. We also split 2 affogatos which were very good.
Overall, I’ll definitely be back to try even more of the delicious pizzas!

3 ½ stars for the food, 4 ½ stars for the service, turning this into a 4 star review. I dined at Bambolina for the second time, and found my experience much better than my first time dining, right after it opened. The atmosphere is nice– casual but modern. We didn’t have reservations, and it was pretty packed being a Friday night, but we were lucky to get a table without a wait. Our server was extremely kind and attentive, and this started us off with a positive experience. The drink menu is a mix of wines and beers (it did not appear that they have a full liquor license). I started with the Zucchini Ceviche ($ 9), which was similar to a salad. Zucchini ribbons were topped with lots of fresh herbs and tossed in a lemon vinaigrette and topped with ricotta salata. This appetizer was very light and refreshing. This is a large portion and could definitely be shared by two. As they are known for the wood-​fire pizza, we decided to try two different types. The Margherita Pizza ($ 13) was made with crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, pecorino cheese, EVOO and topped with sea salt. We asked for it a little on the crispier side, and it was great that way (we did have to send it back once bc it wasn’t crispy despite ordering it that way up front). The crushed tomato sauce was so tasty I could eat it with a spoon. We also ordered the Truffled Egg and Cauliflower Pizza ($ 16), which had roasted cauliflower, aged provolone, truffle oil, mascarpone and a poached egg. I recommend breaking the yolk and spreading it over the whole pizza. Overall, the flavors were good, but the toppings all together created a mushy and gooey consistency. I had been envisioning roasted cauliflower as being crispy but was a bit disappointed with this pizza. I think Bambolina’s is a place that would be fun to come to with friends and share different pizzas.

I discovered Bambolina (in Italian — pretty girls!), named for both owners’ two daughters, on Unilocal and have been dying to check the place out, but due to the busy holiday season, it took us a few months to finally dine at this new «hot spot». I first discovered the art and trend of wood-​fired Neapolitan pizza while visiting my brother in NYC. He took me to a place outside of the city (The Parlor — Dobbs Ferry, NY) that was absolutely heavenly, and when Bambolina opened, I could not wait to try it out.
I was pleasantly surprised by not only the ambience (One of my major areas for critique) but also the food and drink offerings. The lighting was peaceful, with strung decorative lights hanging high into the ceiling and rafters. The interior was warm and inviting. When we arrived, they offered us the table of our choosing, and we selected the high-​top table close to the wood-​fired grill, but could have also chosen to sit at the high-​top bar overlooking the pizza oven, or at any of the tables dispersed throughout the restaurant. I was very pleased with our selection as we were able to dine across from one another, but still were able to watch the chefs hand craft pizza after pizza, salivating while awaiting our own.
We ordered a few appetizers. The roasted brussels sprouts with goat cheese were amazing. The grilled Caesar salad was one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced in my life. I can’t even put my finger on what made it so good– but it was. According to my husband, it was the butter-​soaked croutons that were char broiled. In any case– it tasted grilled and delicious.
We sampled the Sopresata pizza and it met all of our expectations. Savory, crunchy, chewy, but still light and delicious. The sauce was very flavorful, and made with only the finest natural ingredients. We also had a margherita (MY FAVORITE!) pizza. This met and exceeded expectations as well.
The service was quick, friendly, and knowledgable. My husband enjoyed craft brewed beer, while I took advantage of the prosecco offerings. I loved the «REVOLVER» gun on the tap– an indication of the «revolving» beer, that changes frequently.
The owner (there are two) came over to introduce himself. He was knowledgable, passionate, and down-​to-​earth. We appreciated his warmth and welcoming nature, happy to be meeting guests of his restaurant.
We also appreciated that the parking was easy to come by, unlike many of the restaurants with other locations throughout Salem.
The north shore is fortunate to have this gem… we will definitely be back soon!

Great place, nice clean open look.
Pizzas were excellent, fresh ingredients, flavorful, nice and thin and light. Had a margherita and a fennel sausage. All very good.
Limited/​focused menu on gourmet salads and pizzas.
Definitely recommended.

Where to start? This place is an experience. From the fire roasted olives and grilled Caesar salad, to the cappuccino, to the main event, the wood fired pizza, this place delivers excellence. The pizza is the best Napoli style pizza I’ve ever had. The grilled Caesar salad is the best Caesar salad I’ve ever had. Even the cappuccino ranks in the top few best I’ve had. All three were amazing. And the fire roasted olives were very good.
I can’t recommend this place enough. You really can’t go wrong eating, experiencing, here.

Very cool pizza restaurant on the Salem waterfront. The bare wood timber columns and beams along with the bare brick walls and iron pipe supports gave the place a very post-​industrial feel, which matched well with the wood fired pizza oven and free form crust of the pizza. The menu is small and should stay that way, so that they concentrate on the food that they do so well.
We wanted to try a variety, so we ordered a Forest Mushroom Pizza, Clam Chowder Pizza, Ragu alla Bolognese and the Grilled Caesar. The pizzas had very thin hand rolled crust in the middle with big rounded crust edges, which is typical when using very high temperature ovens and the pizza is barely in there for a minute and a half. This yields a smoky charred crust with good flavor. The menu said the clam chowder pizza had Yukon Gold potatoes, but ended up just being potato chips sprinkled on top. The Ragu alla Bolognese was orecchiette pasta with a braised short rib ragu and was mighty tasty!
The star, however, was the Grilled Caesar, which was a twist on a classic Caesar salad. Split and charred heart of romaine was dressed with freshly shaved parmesan, anchovies, giant croutons and topped with a perfectly poached egg. This was so good, we ordered a second one after all the pizzas and pasta were gone.
Keep that pizza oven hot and the 80’s tunes cranking, because we’ll be coming back!

Really a 2.5 star, due to good service. The staff was very friendly, attentive, & knowledgeable about the product. Kudos to them
The problem I have is basically value: the pizzas are very small (11 inch round). While my pie was fresh & good (but far from the best I’ve had), it hardly justified the $ 17.00 price tag. Crust is thin & light: it shouldn’t be hard for one person to finish off a pizza hear by themselves.
Also (I’m a thin crust fan) while the edges of the pie were starting to blacken, the center of the crust could have used a lot more crunch. It was a «pick it up & all the toppings slide off» pie. Dough was very soft away from the edges.
Other notes: good beer & wine selection; atmosphere was nothing fancy.
Overall, for the price you can find a much nicer pizza experience.