Restaurants in New Hampshire
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A
Poco’s Bow Street Cantina
Southwestern dishes arrive with New England flair at this lively waterfront spot. Blackened red snapper, fish tacos and jerk chicken quesadillas are among the mouthwatering favorites.
reviewed
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B
Chiang Mai
For a break from seafood and New England fare, head to this simply furnished but locally popular Thai restaurant, which serves satisfying curries and noodle dishes.
reviewed
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Burdick Chocolate
Walpole, northwest of Keene along NH 12, is a New Hampshire gem. Locals descend from surrounding villages to dine at Burdick Chocolate. Originally a New York City chocolatier, Burdick moved the operation to this tiny New Hampshire village and opened a sophisticated café to showcase its desserts. Besides rich chocolaty indulgences, the lively bistro has a full menu of creative new American dishes, plus artisanal cheeses and top-notch wines.
reviewed
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Cold Mountain Cafe & Gallery
Hands down the best restaurant in the region, this casual café and gallery has an eclectic, changing menu, featuring gourmet sandwiches and salads at lunch and rich bouillabaisse, seafood curry and rack of lamb at dinner. Everything is prepared with the utmost care and nicely presented, but the atmosphere is very relaxed. Be prepared to wait for your table (outside, since the place is cozy). There’s live music from time to time.
reviewed
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White Mountain Cider Co
If you are packing a picnic for your day hike, stop at this country store. Besides cider, you’ll find gourmet coffee, cider doughnuts, apple pie and a whole range of specialty New England products. Next door is a more formal restaurant that’s open for dinner (mains from $18 to $28), serving expertly prepared cuisine (pan-seared sea-scallops, butternut risotto, roasted haddock) in an elegant 1890s farmhouse.
reviewed
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Mame’s
Tucked inside an 1825 brick mansion on one of Meredith’s back streets, Mame’s serves a broad selection of seafood and classic American fare among its pine-floored, antique-filled dining rooms. Roast prime rib, baked scallops and lobster crab cakes are top dinner choices, while sandwiches, salads and flat-bread pizzas round out the lunch menu. Mame’s also serves a decadent Sunday brunch.
reviewed
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Met
Just north of Schouler Park, this small coffeehouse is the best place in town for a cup of coffee or a pastry. You can sink into a plush sofa, or grab a table out front in the summer and enjoy the passing people parade. Artwork (all for sale) decorates the walls and baristas play an eclectic mix of world tunes and jazz. High-speed internet connections and computers are also available.
reviewed
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Cafe Lafayette
Travel in the first-class dining car of the 1924 Pullman-Standard Victorian Coach Cafe Lafayette. The dining car has been completely and beautifully restored and decorated with dark wood, stained glass and brass fixtures. The train rides along a spur of the Boston and Maine railroad for two hours, while you indulge in a five-course meal.
reviewed
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Shannon Door
This long-running Irish pub (around since the 1950s) serves shepherd’s pie, but most of its menu is non-Gaelic in flavor: delicious thin-crust pizzas, steak au poivre (with pepper) and baked manicotti, to name a few options. It also has 14 beers on tap, a welcoming crowd and live entertainment (folk bands and such) Thursday through Sunday.
reviewed
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Polly’s Pancake Parlor
Attached to a 19th-century farmhouse 2 miles west of Franconia, this local institution offers pancakes, pancakes and more pancakes. They’re excellent, made with home-ground flour and topped with the farm’s own maple syrup, eggs and sausages. Polly’s cob-smoked bacon is excellent, and sandwiches and quiches are also available.
reviewed
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Abondante
This sweet-smelling bakery in the heart of Meredith has a tantalizing selection of pastries, cakes and pies, plus fresh salads and tasty sandwiches for lunch (try the grilled portobello panini). You can enjoy them on the patio. At dinnertime, the like-named restaurant in back (603-279-7177) serves classic Italian cuisine (mains $16 to $22).
reviewed
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Lindy’s Diner
- Keene, USA
- Restaurants › Diner
Just off Main St, Lindy’s is a jewel-box–sized diner serving a big menu of comfort food to the students and worker folk who flock here. In the summer you can enjoy steak sandwiches and country fried chicken at picnic tables out front, or grab a booth inside and peruse the choices on your private juke box.
reviewed
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Acqua Bistro
One of the best restaurants in the region, Aqua Bistro serves a small but seductive menu of haute bistro fare, including pan-seared duck breast with tropical fruit salsa, ginger-crusted salmon and delightful thin-crust pizzas. Outdoor tables are beautifully set near the river’s edge. Sunday brunch is stellar.
reviewed
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C
Isis
Isis earns solid reviews for its excellent Sunday brunch (gingerbread pancakes, crabmeat Benedict, brie and portobello mushroom omelettes and other decadent fare). At other times, the stylish but minimalist dining room serves fresh eclectic food, including slow-roasted salmon and wild-mushroom ravioli.
reviewed
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D
Library
Within a palatial and opulent home built by a prominent judge in 1785, the Library is among New Hampshire’s top steakhouses, serving juicy prime rib and rack of lamb in a dapper wood-paneled dining room. There’s also a wood-paneled English pub where you can enjoy burgers and lighter fare.
reviewed
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E
Oar House
One of Portsmouth’s best seafood restaurants, this elegant place has a dark cozy interior with an inviting wine bar, as well as an outdoor deck (across the street) overlooking the harbor. Classic dishes like broiled haddock, sautéed scallops and baked stuffed lobster come expertly prepared.
reviewed
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Shalimar of India
Featuring exposed-brick walls and lantern-like ceiling lamps, this friendly Indian restaurant serves many traditional dishes. Aside from tandooris, kormas and curries, Shalimar has a children’s menu that radically redefines cuisine from the subcontinent: meatballs and chicken nuggets, anyone?
reviewed
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Fratello’s
Inside an uninspiring strip mall, this classic Italian restaurant features a lengthy menu of brick-oven pizzas, traditional pasta dishes and chicken, veal and seafood plates. The dining room is bright and welcoming, thanks to the wall of windows. The upstairs lounge has entertainment on weekends.
reviewed
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Thompson House Eatery
Casual but cool, the Thompson House is a local favorite for creative new American cuisine. The seasonal menu is big on organic locally grown produce, which is also for sale at the farm stand outside. Eat on the porch, with light filtering through the stained-glass windows, or at the friendly bar.
reviewed
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Luca’s
A handsome Mediterranean gem overlooking Central Sq, Luca’s serves excellent thin-crust pizzas, tasty salads and gourmet sandwiches at lunch, while dinner sees a tempting array of pastas, grilled fish and pan-seared beef tenderloin. There’s outdoor seating during the summer.
reviewed
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Lakehouse
Within the Inn at Church Landing, this classy restaurant is part of the statewide ‘Common Man’ family of restaurants. The wide-ranging menu focuses on seafood and steaks, usually prepared with some creative international twist. Enjoy your dinner on the breezy lakeside deck.
reviewed
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Cotton
For artfully prepared food in sophisticated surroundings, this elegant restaurant near the river and the Amoskeag mills wins hands down. Cotton serves wood-grilled salmon, wild-mushroom risotto, seafood pesto linguine and other upscale bistro fare alongside 40 wines by the glass.
reviewed
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Flatbread Company
A socially conscious pizzeria, Flatbread uses organic veggies and nitrate-free meats, and dishes up a portion of its profits to local environmental causes. The deliciously crispy pizzas are cooked in front of your eyes in a wood-fired clay oven built into the dining room.
reviewed
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Peg’s Restaurant
Locals flock to this no-frills eatery for hearty early breakfasts and late-lunch sandwiches such as roast turkey and meat loaf with gravy. Lunch specials, kids’ specials and the infamous ‘Hungry Man’s Special’ make everyone feel pretty special.
reviewed
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Molly’s
Wood-paneled walls, black-and-white photos and quirky decor form the backdrop to Molly’s tasty bistro fare. Fish and chips, wood-fired mac and cheese, burgers and salads are some of the ample offerings. Menus hidden inside old LP covers – a nice touch.
reviewed
