The Easy Otter opening in downtown Salem in early May at the former Icarus Wings and Things

Em Chan, Salem Statesman Journal
Updated ·2 min read
Lindsay Pilapil, owner of The Easy Otter, holds one of her waffle pressed panini at the Thursday Market in West Salem in June 2020.
Lindsay Pilapil, owner of The Easy Otter, holds one of her waffle pressed panini at the Thursday Market in West Salem in June 2020.

Southern-inspired restaurant The Easy Otter is opening May 9 in downtown Salem in the former Icarus Wings and Things location.

Owner Lindsay Pilapil, who originally planned to open the restaurant in south Salem's brewery district, said the transition and move to downtown has been fast.

Construction was taking a long time, she didn't meet her fundraising goal and her landlord gave her the option of getting out of the lease to save costs, Pilapil said.

She said she wasn't sure what she was going to do next.

Then Jonathan Jones, co-owner of Icarus, told her they were closing and the space would be available, her interest piqued, and "everything else fell into place," Pilapil said.

The restaurant will serve Southern foods like beignets among spins on breakfast classics like biscuits and gravy.

Pilapil began The Easy Otter as a stand at the Saturday Market, then moved into a food truck that was at Beehive Station.

Opening details for The Easy Otter restaurant in Salem

The Easy Otter will have a soft opening on May 6, with counter service. The grand opening will be May 9, with event details to come.

Pilapil said her goal is to transition into a full-service restaurant once the momentum for the restaurant is in place.

She was set to get the keys to the space shortly after Icarus closed on April 8, and will be refreshing the interior and working on an online ordering and pick-up system to keep costs down and not have to hire delivery drivers.

The interior will be "Southern-antiquey vibes if designed by Wes Anderson," Pilapil said. She will be pulling from her own collection of otter artwork to decorate the restaurant, she said.

To keep up with grand opening details, follow the Facebook and Instagram page, @easyotter.

Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at echan@gannett.com and follow her on X @catchuptoemily.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: The Easy Otter opening in downtown Salem in early May