Fall In Love With These Salem-Area Sweet Spots

Calling all lovebirds — it’s the month for romance and the Salem region is definitely feeling the mood. Whether you’re looking to treat your sweet to artisan chocolates, passionfruit boba tea, sugar-free cupcakes, or a giant glazed doughnut for two, this roundup of sinfully delicious goodies will make their knees buckle.

2/6/2024

Wabi Sabi Tea

LET YOUR SWEETHEART EAT CAKE

Author Gerry Frank opened his German-style Konditorei — or cake shop —in 1982 and since then, both the shop’s fluffy cakes, and Gerry Frank himself, have become a Salem legend. Frank sold the eatery in 2017 at the age of 94, but the new owners have been baking at Konditorei for decades, so the eatery’s famous cake and pastry traditions proudly live on. Treat your sweetheart, or yourself, to the five-layer blackout chocolate cake or order half a buttercream-frosted champagne cake and ask for two forks.

YUMMY TEA DRINKS FOR YOUR SWEET

If your sweetheart is into tea, they’ll love everything on the menu at southeast Salem’s Wabi Sabi Tea. You’ll find no powders or artificial anything here — each of the insanely creative and colorful tea concoctions is made with natural ingredients and is downright delicious. The strawberry oolong tea with sea-salt cheese cream is a dream, the matcha with mango jelly is swoonworthy, and boba fans will fall hard for the tiger sugar milk tea with hemp. Herbal wellness elixirs and beet-root lattes round out the menu, so come thirsty.

NOTHING SAYS ‘I LOVE YOU’ LIKE A GIANT DONUT

Dough Hook Bake Shop gives you the perfect excuse to laze around in bed with your valentine and eat donuts. This tucked-away gem in northeast Salem makes seriously addictive donuts, churro crocronuts (fried croissants), and other pastries inspired by both local ingredients and the owner’s Mexican heritage. Show up early (they open weekdays at 6:30 a.m.) and grab an assorted box of pink hibiscus, double chocolate, and crème brulee donuts — or call ahead and order one giant-sized donut, up to 14 inches, to share.

Related Blogs

The Beer Here: Celebrate Oregon Craft Beer Month with These Salem Area Breweries

From veteran breweries to upstart pubs in big cities and small towns alike, there’s never been a better time to be a craft beer fan in Oregon. And given that February is Oregon Craft Beer Month, we wanted to shine a spotlight on some of the breweries that make the Salem area so special. So whether you’re celebrating Oregon Craft Beer Month or are looking for refreshing beers all year long, here’s a look at nine game-changing breweries in Salem and the Mid-Willamette Valley.

Learn More