Manchester’s Best Restaurants: Where to Eat in New Hampshire’s Biggest City
By Eric Barton
For newcomers to New Hampshire, you should know every town has a long-simmering rivalry with the city across its border. Growing up about 20 miles and 14 Dunkin’s away in Nashua, you learn to scoff if someone mentions how Manchester is the far bigger city with far more restaurants and bars and an airport that’s an actual airport.
These days, luckily, both Manchester and Nashua have seen something of a renaissance in their food scenes, with inventive chefs sourcing locally and longtime favorite restaurants that are only getting better.
Here then are the 12 best restaurants in Manchester, New Hampshire’s biggest city and a place that’s very much having a culinary moment.
Campo Enoteca
1. Campo Enoteca
Downtown’s Campo Enoteca proves that Italian doesn’t need to mean chicken parm and red sauce. Here, it’s house-made bucatini and guanciale; beef osso bucco sourced from Little Brook Farm that's braised overnight; and and a pistachio basil pesto with tagliatelle and locally sourced cream. The wine list is all Italian, and the staff knows it inside and out—ask for a pairing, and you’ll feel like you’re at a trattoria in Rome.
2. The Foundry
Set in the old mill buildings on the Merrimack River, The Foundry has the kind of rustic-chic vibe that says, “Yes, we’re here to eat well, but let’s look good doing it.” Their seasonal menu always has something worth noting—try the duck breast if it’s on offer—and the craft cocktail list is no slouch either.
3. The Crown Tavern
This Hanover Street mainstay is where you go for comfort food that doesn’t bore you. Crown Tavern’s wood-fired pizzas are consistently great, but it’s the overpacked lobster roll that’s my favorite—exactly what you want on a (admittedly rare) warm New Hampshire night.
4. Firefly American Bistro & Bar
Firefly has been around for years, but it’s still one of the best for casual fine dining. The maple-glazed salmon is a crowd favorite, and their patio seating is perfect for summer evenings when you want to pretend New Hampshire winters don’t exist.
5. El Rincon Zacatecano Taqueria
For authentic Mexican, El Rincon Zacatecano is where it’s at. The street-style tacos and enchiladas bathed in a tangy salsa verde are reason enough to come, but it’s the margaritas served in spicy-rimmed glass goblets that’ll keep you here long after happy hour.
6. Hooked Seafood
Seafood in a landlocked city can be dicey, but Hooked makes it work. Fried clams served back in their shell with tartar and lemon are the fancified version of the ones you ate back in the day on Hampton Beach.
7. Stash Box
On Elm Street, Stash Box serves up comfort food in a chic space. The steak tartare looks big-city fancy with its egg yolk and toast points, and the seafood chowder pictured here benefits from a long-simmered stock and large chunks of scallops and fresh catch.
8. Thai Food Connection
A hole-in-the-wall spot on Elm Street, Thai Food Connection is where you’ll find the best green curry in town. It’s spicy, creamy, and loaded with fresh veggies—exactly what you want on a weeknight when cooking feels impossible.
9. Alas de Frida
While sister restaurant El Rincon delves into classic Mexican dishes, Alas de Frida blends traditional flavors into fusions like noodles with birria-style beef and the Gringo Tacos in a hard or soft shell. The Frida Kahlo theme both gives the place a cool vibe and serves as a nice background for your next margarita selfie.
10. Cotton Restaurant
In the Historic Millyard District, Cotton is known for its farm-to-table sourcing of ingredients. The martinis have been lauded as the best in New Hampshire, and the inviting atmosphere makes it a local favorite.
11. Diz’s Café
Comfort food is on special always at Diz's, which serves lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. There's a full breakfast on the weekends—think waffles with New Hampshire maple syrup pooling in the crannies and pancakes dotted with blueberries.
12. Restoration Café
Steps from Bronstein Park, Restoration Café is the kind of place where you go in for just a fresh-pressed juice and end up with a plate of waffles. Their chai pancakes, spiced just enough to make you question your loyalty to syrup, are reason alone to go. Add in the bright, minimalist order-at-the-counter vibe, and you have an ideal spot to spend the better part of a Sunday.
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