
The Most Haunted Restaurants In Salem
Posted: 01.22.2025 | Updated: 01.22.2025
The Salem Witch Trials were among the greatest atrocities committed in American history. Between 1692 and 1693, at least 19 people were executed after being found guilty of witchcraft. Not long after the trials ended, it would become obvious to everyone that mass hysteria had caused unfounded accusations and senseless deaths.
The chaos and trauma of the Salem Witch Trials left a psychic scar on the city that can still be felt today. Salem Ghosts offers immersive ghost tours that give you an inside look at the city’s dark past.
What Are The Most Haunted Restaurants In Salem?
Many restaurants in Salem claim to be the most haunted spot in town. Some of the more popular haunts included Turner’s Seafood at Lyceum Hall, which was built on top of property owned by one of the alleged Salem witches. Rockafellas is home to decades of spirits unable to move on from the building. Then there’s Mercy Tavern, which was the site of countless kidnappings and deaths when the building was used as a brothel.
The complicated past lives of all these restaurants have caused them to have the reputation of being among Salem’s most haunted establishments. Have you ever dined at one of the haunted restaurants in Salem?
Turner’s Seafood at Lyceum Hall
Turner’s Seafood at Lyceum Hall has direct ties to the Salem Witch Trials. The building was built on the site of an apple orchard owned by Bridget Bishop, who was the first person executed during the witch trials. Ten of Bridget’s neighbors testified that she had bewitched them and their livestock.
One man even claimed he was attacked by a flying monkey that Bridget had sent. He allegedly saw Bridget flee the scene through her orchard. Bridget Bishop was found guilty of witchcraft and hanged on June 8, 1692.
Lyceum Hall was built in 1831 as a lecture hall. The building hosted notable figures, including Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Frederick Douglass. Alexander Graham Bell made the first long-distance phone call from Salem’s Lyceum Hall.

Shadow figures, disembodied voices, and objects moving are some of the paranormal phenomena reported at Lyceum Hall. Staff also feel like they’re being watched by an unseen force near the basement stairs. It seems that not much activity was reported until the building was first converted into a restaurant in 1989. It could be that some spirits were awakened when the building underwent major renovations.
Apparitions at the restaurant include a woman in white who haunts the main staircase. Another woman wearing a blue dress from the Victorian era has also been reported. Even the ghost of Bridget Bishop will make herself known on rare occasions. If she doesn’t fully manifest, staff and guests will sometimes smell the aroma of fresh apples. Hundreds of years later, the scent is a reminder of the land’s tragic past.
Rockafellas
Located on Essex Street in downtown Salem, the building now occupied by Rockafellas restaurant was originally a church. Constructed in 1826 by Salem’s First Church, it later changed hands to Daniel Low, who operated a successful jewelry store out of it for decades. The building was converted into a restaurant in 2003 and is known for great food and haunted happenings.
The Lady in Blue is said to be the unofficial mascot of Rockafellas. The Lady in Blue tragically died in the building after she told a sailor she was pregnant with his child, and he killed her.
Over the years, she has been seen in the bar area and in the basement near where the old jewelry vault is located. One of Rockafellas’ owners even claimed that the Lady in Blue appeared on his computer monitor. Two days later, the computer died. A painting of the Lady in Blue now hangs in the restaurant to honor her legacy.
A distinctly less friendly spirit who haunts Rockafellas is that of a minister nicknamed the Man in Black. The Man in Black gives off a negative and sometimes malevolent energy. The Man in Black will often mess with electronics, scowl, and shout at people.
Other spirits at Rockafellas include the ghost of Daniel Low, who died in the building in 1911. People sometimes see his spirit peering out of a second-story window. The spirits of enslaved people are also believed to haunt the tunnels underneath Rockafellas. The building was a stop on the Underground Railroad, but not all who passed through survived.
Additional paranormal phenomena include exploding glasses at the bar and disembodied cries coming from the basement.
Mercy Tavern
Although Salem is mainly known for its witch trials, the city was also a major seaport during and after the Revolutionary War. The seaport district was located along Derby Street, and one of the many buildings that popped up in the area was Mercy Tavern.
Formerly known as In a Pig’s Eye, the building became a brothel in the 1800s when the area turned into Salem’s redlight district. A dangerous place for women, the brothel also proved perilous for many men.
There was a tunnel system beneath Salem that was used for smuggling goods and people. Pirates would kidnap able-bodied sailors staying at the brothel and force them to serve on their ships. These men could end up going as far as China, which is where the term “Shanghaied” comes from.

Mercy Tavern is haunted by the ghosts of captains, sailors, and pirates who frequented the establishment when it was a brothel. Spirits are regularly seen in the bar area and sometimes walk through solid walls.
Disembodied voices are also heard by staff when the restaurant is closed. The tunnels underneath Mercy Tavern are also a hotbed of ghostly activity. The yells and screams of men can be heard coming from the tunnels, which were sealed off long ago. It could be that they lost their lives while being kidnapped and are unable to move on from their traumatic deaths.
Haunted Salem
As a city with a spooky reputation, Salem’s restaurants live up to its chilling past. Because of them, the stories of Bridget Bishop and so many others will never be lost to time.
Planning a trip to Salem? Be sure to check out one of the many haunted restaurants in Salem. Book a walking ghost tour with Salem Ghosts today to learn all about this ghostly city! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Massachusetts hauntings.
Sources:
- https://wokq.com/most-haunted-restaurant-massachusetts/
- https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/rockafellas-restaurant-salem-massachusetts/
- https://www.generatingmedia.com/blog/mercy-tavern-salem-ma
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