Kushco Bistro

My husband and I came here after searching the area for vegan ice cream. It has a tofu base, which I was a little skeptical about as most vegan ice creams I’ve had are based on coconut, almond milk or cashew milk. It was so so creamy and delicious, definitely worth it!

The best sandwiches in Salem!!! Customers have the option of making their own sandwich and I had the turkey on a French roll and it was just perfect!

The bees knees! Really good froyo, and sandwiches that are to die for. Manager is really nice, and the staff is attentive. Would recommend.

2 Thumbs up, quick service, should have gone with Half Salad and half sandwich, the sandwich is huge and well «stuffed». I had the Patriot would was outstanding. The guys are super nice

It’s almost funny how only three people can be in this café and the staff still will completely forget your order. (To a point where they’ll just stand at the register awkwardly and ask if they can help you, when you just ordered with them at the same register 10 minutes prior and have been sitting in front of them waiting since then.) They definitely need to be more aware and offer better customer service, after all they’re almost always empty anyway.

Can only rate their frozen yogurt. They have one of those old fashioned machines that I remember from being a kid. They have a ton of mix-​in selections and offer various base options including non-​dairy (tofu). We tried a raspberry pistachio and Oreo peanut butter, both were good.

Kushco is a nice sandwich place in downtown Salem. It’s not fancy, but has a friendly and low key café vibe with decent prices and a nice selection of salads, sandwiches, and frozen treats! I really enjoyed the grilled chicken sandwich I ordered recently. It was filled with thick slices of real chicken and delicious sun-​dried tomato paste – all on fresh baked bread. My sandwich was really big enough for two people if you are having a side with it, and would certainly fill up a very hungry person.
Although the place may not appear busy inside, they definitely get an influx of carry-​out orders over the phone during the lunch time rush. I would definitely recommend calling your order ahead of time, so you don’t have to wait 25 minutes for a sandwich in person, like I did!

Beware! If you order the gyro sandwich it’s chicken. I don’t understand it either. It should be called a chicken sandwich. I have no idea why they call it a gyro sandwich

This place rocks! It’s the kind of meal that’s always very good/​pretty good BUT you’re always left wondering the same thing as after a $ 12 all you can eat sushi lunch buffet (Mikado in Beverly, ahem): «how do they sell THIS much food for so cheap?!» The sandwiches are humongous and under $ 10. Get the revolution and it comes with at least a quarter pound of bacon. And the bread is pretty solid too; it tastes fresh and homemade.
Don’t ask questions about how they make this much food so cheap. Just do like the parents at the mysterious sushi bar in Spirited Away and let yourself turn into a pig and eat the whole thing.

I’ve been given great reviews about Kushco from my mother. Decided to surprise her for lunch one afternoon, around 11:30am. I came in and was told to wait minute because the gentleman behind the counter was on the phone. I waited several and a little past half way of my wait time, another couple came in. He greeted them, got off the phone and took their order. I was infuriated. I was late for the lunch surprise (now cutting close 12), felt invisible, and was not apologized to. I confronted him and he said, «I know, sorry.»
Food was decent. Chicken not the best. Service lacked…

So glad we found this place we will definitely be back. Finding vegan/​vegetarian food is hard. This place has awesome wraps we both got the hummus and falafel wrap everything was super fresh and yummy. The wraps are huge! Can’t wait to try more of them. Everyone is super nice and the prices are great for what you get.

Our very first and lovely stop in Salem Massachusetts! Thank you for being open on News years day! Wonderful homemade soups and creative yummy sandwiches!

I really love this place. It’s small, only a few tables inside. Every time I’ve gone in the staff is warm and friendly (never experienced the stares or cold service I’ve seen in a couple reviews on here) They have so many sandwich options and everything I’ve tried has been delicious and fresh. If you’re looking for a hearty, warm sandwich, any of their Reuben type offerings are a great choice. One thing that I have to get every single time is the avgolemono (chicken lemon rice soup). You can tell it is homemade and I always crave it when I feel a cold coming on. I love that the rice is super cooked down, it has such a wonderful creamy texture and the chicken flavor with the lemon is just delicious. And I can’t forget to mention the soup is served with a couple slices of their buttery toasted bread. Perfect for dipping! It’s an awesome little spot in a sea of great (and not so great) restaurants in downtown Salem.

So I wanted to buy lunch from another location (with a different kind of food), but it was closed due to computer issues. So, on the hunt for a different place to get lunch I decided to get it from here.
I ordered an HS5 (prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil), and a revolution (Turkey BLT with russian dressing.) Both are good sized (satisfying, and none left over), and reasonably priced for a small, made fresh location like this ($ 10 a sandwich)
It was lunch hour, and the tiny kitchen was not able to keep up the pace super well, but they apologized profusely for the long wait. This may have just been a hiccup, and with small kitchens I partially understand.
Sandwiches were good, but not the best I’ve ever had. Ingredients were fresh, but felt like they could be a little bit fresher (if that makes sense). Proportions were good too, but could be adjusted a little bit, (for instance the HS5 would be better with less prosciutto (as it makes it very salty) and the TBLT could use more BLT.
Focaccia is a lovely bread, but it is sliced too thin, with ingredients being moist, the thing starts to fall apart on you. Not great if you took it to go, and do not have a plate handy. Also, I would like them to have toppings at the counter (you can ask for mustard and such, but it would be nice to have it handy)
They also have the wonderful «Dirty’s» potato chips, which are delicious, and hard to find. They are only a buck for two oz, I recommend the funky fusion flavor.
Will return.

Kuscho is exceptionally, remarkably, frustratingly inconsistent. I’ve had everything from 2-​star to 5-​star experiences depending on… the lunar cycle? I have no idea. Sometimes I can’t even get someone to answer the phone to take an order. And they seem to regularly run out of supplies. I’ve received the same frozen yogurt order in everything from a styrofoam sandwich box to a paper drinking cup cover with aluminum foil to a proper container. And you can expect your order to be ready in 5 to 45 minutes? Again, I have no idea. You’re on your own.
I’m generally a fan of the place. Really. The sandwiches are often (but not always) excellent and the soups I’ve tried were good (though not excellent). Maybe I’ll give it another try during the next new moon.

Run, don’t walk to try it!
Huge portions, crazy fresh ingredients thoughtfully prepared makes for a delicious meal.

I went here for some frozen yogurt after dinner tonight and the woman behind the bar was incredibly helpful and nice.
I ordered a small chocolate froyo with cookie dough and brownie mixed in ($ 3 + 0.20/topping). They use a machine that literally blends all toppings into the froyo, creating froyo with awesome infused flavors.
A small is big! So much so that I wish they had a kiddie size because I was uncomfortably full afterward.
My first bite was full of chocolate chip pieces. I realized that when cookie dough is mixed in the dough blends seamlessly but the chips remain in small chunks. It tastes like chocolate chip ice cream. The flavor of the chocolate was subtly sweet and I really enjoyed it. However, I couldn’t really taste brownie or cookie dough.
My girlfriend ordered a vanilla with cookie dough and when I tasted hers I could definitely taste the cookie dough in comparison to mine. I’m not sure which masked the cookie dough more – the chocolate base or the brownie, but I would advise getting vanilla with cookie dough to make the flavor pop more.

Oh Kushco, what happened to you?
The past three times I’ve been here, the food has been very far from what it used to be. First, my favorite counter girl isn’t there anymore, which is sad, but I get it — hopefully she’s moved onto bigger and better things. But it would appear that since she left, the chicken is now chewy and fatty, the tomatoes on my most recent salad were nearly frozen, and this is just a minor pet peeve, but when I order a salad, I don’t want to have to chop the vegetables myself. Whole slices of tomato, cucumber, etc do not make for easy eating.
I don’t think I’ll be coming back any time soon… except for maybe a frozen yogurt. Those are delicious. And the portions are still very good, so two stars for those two things.
Sorry guys.

I’ve been back to Kuschco a number of times. I’ve tried the Boston College (twice), hot grilled chicken sandwich, and meatball sandwich. All have been really good. Well made, quite flavorful. I’m picky and have enjoyed everything I’ve had off their menu.
The fro yo is also pretty incredible.

Ordered delivery off of GrubHub.
1. Turkey and avocado sandwich with mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickles on french roll. SO delicious, 5 stars.
2. Delivery was a minimum of $ 10, so I got a chocolate froyo milkshake with rainbow sprinkles, cheesecake, brownies, and chocolate chip cookie dough bites in it. (I had the munchies, don’t judge). Really good but they didn’t secure it well enough for delivery and it comes with a skinny straw, so it’s difficult to drink. 5 stars taste, 3 stars for consuming difficulties.