A plate of crisp garlic fries and a substantial burger can be a very welcome sight after a day on the trail, the ski slopes or the scenic roads around New Hampshire’s mountain country. This tavern makes a natural landing spot for that moment, with a relaxed pub menu built around satisfying American comfort food.
Inside, abundant wood paneling, low lighting and comfortable seating give the place the snug, familiar character people hope to find in a New England tavern. It has a bar area for a more casual stop and a separate restaurant setting when dinner calls for a table and a little more room to settle in.
The mood is easygoing enough for families, a group coming in from the mountains, or a low-key evening out. Conversation is generally comfortable, though the level of background noise can shift with the crowd.
Burgers, wings and the pleasures of a pub meal
Burgers are a dependable place to begin. They are substantial, fresh-tasting and cooked with the straightforward competence that matters when a burger is the whole point of the stop rather than an afterthought on a large menu.
For a starter or a shareable table order, the spicy maple wings bring together two flavors that can easily overwhelm each other: maple sweetness and heat. Here, the combination has enough kick to keep the wings from turning candy-sweet.
Garlic fries make a particularly good side when the table is in a sharing mood. Regular fries have their own appeal, arriving crisp and well seasoned rather than merely filling space beside a sandwich.
The menu ranges well beyond burgers and wings. French onion soup, salmon, shrimp scampi, steak tips, ribs, chicken fingers, steak wraps and fish and chips give a mixed group plenty of different directions to take.
Wraps and sandwiches with room to customize
The crispy buffalo chicken wrap is one of those pub dishes that works especially well after an active day: crunchy chicken, buffalo flavor and a format that is easy to pick up without much ceremony. It can also be put on a bun, a useful option for someone who wants the sandwich idea without the wrap.
Another buffalo chicken sandwich has been noted for its crisp breading, tender chicken and a hot sauce that stays balanced rather than taking over every bite. Sweet potato fries pair nicely with the chicken Caesar wrap when a standard side of fries is not calling your name.
Fish and chips can be ordered with onion rings instead of fries. The contrast is a good one: hot, tender fish alongside crisp rings with a little more crunch and heft.
A Caesar salad built for sharing
Not every post-hike meal needs to be fried, and the Caesar salad is more than a token green item on a pub menu. It comes in a notably generous portion that can work as a shared starter for the table.
Crisp greens, a balanced dressing and bold flavor keep it from fading into the background. Pair it with wings, split it before sandwiches arrive, or make it a lighter counterpoint to a plate of fries.
Beer, martinis and a little tavern playfulness
Beer has an expectedly strong place here, while cocktails such as martinis give the bar program a bit more range. That is useful when one person wants a pint and another is ready to linger over a drink before dinner.
The Black Bear Lager from North Brewing is a distinctive order, and it can be served with a Guinness float for a darker, creamier variation. It is a small flourish that suits the tavern setting without making the drink list overly complicated.
Some tables have Trivial Pursuit cards available, an old-fashioned bit of amusement that can keep a group occupied between rounds or while deciding on dessert. Drinks and dessert can comfortably stretch the meal past the main course.
A useful stop after Waterville and the mountains
The tavern fits neatly into a mountain-region day. People come through after hiking, skiing, sightseeing and driving the surrounding scenic routes, including trips connected with Waterville. The menu has the right sort of flexibility for that crowd: soup and salad for one person, fish and chips for another, a burger for someone who has been thinking about one since the chairlift.
Service is warm and helpful, with staff ready to offer menu suggestions and work with reasonable adjustments to an order. That approachable tone helps the bar side and restaurant side feel connected by the same unhurried hospitality.
There is a free parking lot with plenty of parking reported, which is welcome after a day spent moving from trailhead to overlook to ski area. During busy ski-trip periods, the dining room can fill up, so current availability and reservation procedures are worth confirming before heading over.