Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Concord's Best Restaurants and Food Secrets

Having dined out in Concord for many years we know as much as anybody regarding food in the Capital region. Yes, there are other lists but these seem to us to be more of a popularity contest. We have put together some of our favorites and a few surprises in the list below to help you cut through the baloney.

  1. Hamburger. Our pick is the Red Fox burger at Red Blazer shown above. With mushrooms, onions, cheese and bacon this looks as good as it tastes.
  2. Best overall restaurant. We still maintain that Angelina's tops all for their delicious Italian food.
  3. Mexican Food. From their garlic chicken nachos, taco salad and Amy's chimichanga our vote goes to Hermano's in downtown Concord. You may not be aware but their desserts are homemade and we have enjoyed them on a number of occasions.
  4. Japanese Food. Ichiban remains at the top with Moritomo a close second. See the comparison here.
  5. Breakfast. The Cornerview in Mckee Square. We enjoy the bagel melt.
  6. Value. The Beefside has the best prices on decent food. You can get a lobster roll for under $11 bucks.
  7. Italian Food. Angelina's.
  8. Food you never heard of: Bulgogi. On this one you will have to visit a small Korean market on Washington Street. Bulgogi is a Korean seasoned meat served over a bed of white rice. The meat is cooked on a small hot plate by one of the owners so please be patient and it is so worth the wait. The steak and cheese is also amazing.
  9. BLT. Go to Checkmate Pizza for their BLT. Made in one of their home made pitas with a heaping portion of bacon and slathered with plenty of mayonnaise this is spectacular.
  10. Lunch spot you didn't even know existed. At the state capital in the basement there is a cafeteria where they serve lunch. They are also open for breakfast and you can order breakfast for lunch if you have a craving for eggs and bacon.
  11. Calzone. The chicken parmesan and steak calzones at Dallas Pizza are the best. The owner is also very nice which is an added bonus.
  12. Ice Cream. Granite State Candy Shop, in addition to candy their ice cream is very good.
  13. Soft Serve. Lang's in Pembroke has the best in the Concord area.
  14. Sports Bar. Kimball's CAV'ern also in Pembroke. The servers here are kind and the food is what you would expect, greasy, fried and delicious.
  15. Seafood. You need to take a short drive east to Northwood where you will find Johnson's Seafood & Steak. Delicious fried everything and homemade desserts. Johnson's was updated inside recently and a new bar area was added.
  16. Pizza. Sal's, our favorite is the bacon chicken ranch.
  17. Bakery. The Crust and Crumb gets our vote. We have ordered a couple of cakes and they were fresh and scrumptious.
  18. Chain. We do not frequent chains but if I had to pick one it would be Longhorn. Their entrees are a good value and include salad and fresh bread. We recommend the Renegade steak that you can purchase in 6, 8 or 11 ounces. Another positive are the managers who are usually around making sure that customers are enjoying their meals.
  19. Chinese Food. Man Yee, Mckee Square. This is one of those quirky places that has outstanding Chinese Food. We recommend take out and enjoy their egg rolls, chicken and broccoli and chicken chow mien. They package it to stay hot for travel. In fact, after a 15 to 20 minute we still have to let the food cool off.
  20. Salad. Live Juice. A relatively new addition to downtown Concord offers salads made to order using quality fresh ingredients. There are also healthy smoothies if you prefer to drink your meal instead.
Wish list. Here are a few suggestions for additions to the Concord food scene.

  1. Something with small plates (tapas) would be great.
  2. A diner
  3. More new restaurants. How about a steakhouse?

So there you have it, some of our favorites that we hope will help you in your quest for the best food and restaurants in the Concord area. Please don't be shy, feel free to chime in whether you agree or disagree with our suggestions.

Addresses for restaurants are listed below:


Red Blazer
72 Manchester Street
Concord, NH 03301

Angelina's
11 Depot St #1
Concord, NH 03301


Hermano's
11 Hills Avenue,
Concord, NH 03301


Ichiban
118 Manchester Street
Concord, NH 03301


Moritomo
Fort Eddy Plaza
32 Fort Eddy Road
Concord, NH 03301


Cornerview
80 and 1/2 South Street
Concord, NH 03301


Beefside
106 Manchester Street
Concord, NH 03301


Food Basket, Korean Food
72 Washington St # A
Concord, NH 03301


Checkmate Pizza
41 Washington Street
Concord, NH 03301


State House Cafeteria
107 North Main Street
Concord, NH 03301


Dallas Pizza
156 N State Street
Concord, NH 03301


Granite State Candy
13 Warren Street
Concord, NH 03301
(ice cream available in season)


Lang's
510 Pembroke Street
Pembroke, NH 03275
(soft serve available in season)


Kimball's CAV'ern
351 Pembroke Street
Pembroke, NH 03275


Johnson's
1334 1st NH Turnpike (Route 4)
Northwood, NH 03261


Sal's
Capitol Shopping Center
80 Storrs Street
Concord, NH 03301


The Crust & Crumb
126 N Main Street
Concord, NH 03301


Longhorn
217 Loudon Road
Concord, NH 03301


Man Yee
79 South Street
Concord, NH 03301


Live Juice
5 S Main Street
Concord, NH 03301