What a great dinner experience at The Exeter Apothecary, downtown Exeter. Located in a beautifully…read morerestored building, this is much more than a great cocktail bar. Sitting above sister restaurant Vino e Vivo, chefs Nick and Paul bring elevated small and large plates to this casual setting. Cocktails were great, as you might expect. Head bartender Chris has a creative list of cocktails and I'm sure could mix up anything else you might desire. We tried several small and large plates. Really hard to call out a favorite as they were all good. The Parsnip soup was creamy, rich and delicious with several touches such as crisped rice and basil oil on top that really made this a standout. Beet tartare was great as well with rich delicious beet flavor and texture reminiscent of beef tartare. Don't miss the cornbread with pork belly butter! Service is warm and friendly and chef Nick ran many of the dishes to the tables and bar personally. You could see (and taste) the passion he has for food. Exeter has another gem with Exeter Apothecary !

Cocktail Lovers, this must be the place!…read more Calling all cocktail lovers, make Exeter Apothecary your next place to visit. Located right above the beautiful Vino E Vivo restaurant (see prior review), it's the new HIT spot in Exeter. Only about 20 minutes or so from Portsmouth but a fun spot for cocktails, wine and dessert. Ambiance is chill with comfy bar seats, side tables and bartenders that can shake, sitr and whip up almost any cocktail to your liking. We did share their Amaro Flip which was fabulous. I know we will be back for sure since they offer small plates and decadent desserts too. Cheers~

What a great surprise! We ordered several Hordeurves and dinner just to check out the menu. The…read morefood was outstanding. For instance, the "mozzarella sticks" were a gourmet version sitting in a sorry if pesto with a light breading and marinara sauce. They were fantastic! The atmosphere was warm and inviting. Could be your go-to local place or a nice dinner out venue. The staff were amazing. We would finish a dish and push it aside to continue enjoying our drinks and someone would come by and take them away and she wasn't our server. Nice teamwork atmosphere. Clean organized and food came out timely with a beautiful presentation. Please go and try this gem.

We went in on a Friday night for some drinks, the drinks were okay - service was alright, the host…read morewas more friendly than the bartender. I do love the way they redid the inside compared to the last two restaurants that were in there. We didn't try any food, but it did look tasty!

What a lovely restaurant. Just for a tip if you find the apothecary it's down the stairs right…read moreafter it. We did have a little bit of trouble finding it but that was kind of fun. Reservations recommended we were seated at a beautiful table for two right near the bar and started off with a Pinot noir and a cabernet. Both wines were delightful. For appetizers we had the braised lamb crepe and the octopus... Both dishes were delicious, presented well with sauces to die for. Followed by the pasta dish and the duck. These were the best dinners of the year for us. The blending of flavors were fantastic and it was augmented by the owner coming over and talking to us about how the food was prepared. I won't bore you with all the details but the octopus is slow boiled for 5 hours.. complete with wine. Corks it was tender and delicious with the Mediterranean flair. We go out to eat our fair share from high end to diners anywhere. The food is well prepared and delicious... This was the top for the year! From the service to the presentation to the wine to the ambiance, everything is top notch here. I will provide a warning. You will drop a pretty penny if you partake in all the courses, but we thought it was well worth it. Thank you to the staff and ownership. We enjoyed our evening.. a true date night.

So, we finally got to try the chef's table, or "Chef's Whim" as it's officially titled. Eight…read morecourses. In addition to the food, we added the suggested alcohol pairings. I say alcohol because it wasn't all wine but ... since it's a bit of a surprise in terms of what actually appears I'll just leave it at that. However, as to the food ... I'll give a taste, a flavor, a wisp of a whisper of the full culinary adventure. For complete details, see your local sous chef! Here's what we had. In the middle of my photo collage, a blood sausage slider with fennel/jalapeño sauce on toasted brioche bun. Then clockwise from top left - cornbread with maple glaze in a Barbie sized personal cast iron skillet; beet salad with goat cheese half spheres; a dessert tray of black apple cake with hay ice cream (yes, seriously), chamomile pot de creme and a duck fat beignet; an assortment of ice creams - fenugreek, fennel/maitake mushroom/burnt hazelnut (all tasted fabulous and in each you could taste the listed flavors); entree of duck and wild mushroom tart; white bean soup and finally a pasta dish of ravioli with two fillings. Just a note on what it would take to make it yourself. See that hexagonal white blob on the bottom row, middle pic? That's a potato foam. Forgive me for not recalling the full procedure but the prep is roughly 7 hours long. First, the cut potatoes are cooked in a sous vide for 2 hours so that no moisture is added to them. Then a succession of ricing, smoking, drying, undrying, mashing, placing in a foam machine that looked like a whipped cream dispenser and boom - a tiny dollop of potato. It tasted great. But man - that's a lot of effort for a mouthful of potato. I don't think I'll be trying it at home. Over two hours of eating and chatting. I brought a couple of my restaurant-based cartoons as my personal thanks for the meal and was shocked that Justin, their sommelier, had done a cartoon of his own ahead of time for me! Just stick to wine, Justin - I don't need any MORE competition with my magazine editors ... With Dylan ably providing the primary chef duties and Amaya and Justin handling the booze, the meal was a smashing success. The food pairings were masterfully chosen and timing of the dishes meant we were always primed for the next one. Although the succession of what I'd call dessert dishes made me start to feel like a Hobbit enjoying dessert, second dessert and then post seconds. As Anton Ego said in Ratatouille (and they have a cute Reme rat under glass on a shelf) "I shall be returning, hungry for more."

A tiny restaurant with a nice bar. The Pollo asada was decent, the yucca fries were outstanding,…read morethe mofongo was dry. I wouldn't recommend the mofongo as I've had this at 6 other places in the region and most were better. The drinks were great but way too expensive for Newmarket. $15 for a weak gin drink? The service was excellent and we loved the lounge-like atmosphere.

Mia Bar & Lounge opened recently in Newmarket. This spot has a "loungey" chill vibe atmosphere with…read morebig comfy chairs, sofa, cocktail tables, seating along the front windows and seating at the full service bar with flatscreen TVs. There's also a digital jukebox on the wall near the bar. The food menu offers a variety of starters (dips, nachos, flatbread cerviche, empanadas), soup, salads, sliders, wraps, fried chicken sandwiches, entrees (mofongo, mac & cheese, pollo asado, quesadilla), and desserts. The pricing here seems fair. They offer a happy hour menu (4pm-6pm) and late night menu (10pm-12am). At the bar, 6 draft beers, bottle/can beers, seltzers, wine, and signature mixed drinks are offered. I stopped by Mia recently for some happy hour bites. I took a seat up at the bar and ordered an ice water and the Nachos ($8 plus tax) and Big Mozzarella Sticks ($8 plus tax). The place was moderately busy here on a Friday evening. The appetizers came out in 10 minutes. The Nachos were the right size for 1-2 people, warm crispy tortilla chips loaded with melted cheddar jack sauce, peppers, onions, jalapenos, & pico de gallo. The 4 homemade thick mozzarella logs were lightly breaded & crispy outside with melted mozzarella cheese inside with a sweet marinara sauce (cold) for dipping. I managed to finish both appetizers before I requested the check which was $17.36 with tax and before tip. Overall, Mia is a great place to stop and unwind for food and drinks. The staff at the bar was quite busy during my stop here and let me enjoy my food in peace while watching sports highlights on the TV.

The limited two seatings makes you feel like you're having an intimate dinner with the chef. And…read morethe food is literally out of this world amazing. Would highly recommend you try this before they close I'm praying they open in a different site.

I swear, Exeter seems to be the new foodie spot in NH. The trifecta of Cornicello, Vino e Vivo and…read moreOtis really set the bar. Only two seatings per night and being late isn't on the cards. Once they start ya gotta be there. And be there is what you'll want to be. A memorable five course meal with a choice of two different items for each. So if you're part of a couple you can sample everything. That's what we did. All the courses were masterfully done, the flavors superb and the amounts well chosen. At the end we were both full, for sure. The wine list isn't at the same level as the food. I'd have given a 4 1/2 based on that but wouldn't want to go down to a 4 so I'm up to a 5. The price is completely reasonable for the quality and variety. The ambience is cozy and perhaps a bit of a country feel. But just a bit. Well worth your hard earned dinero.

Fish and chips Yummy!!! Will go there again. They have an extensive menu. Good atmosphere. Staff is…read morefriendly.

Stopped in with my 7 year old grandson for a quick dinner. All of the staff were very friendly…read more Lots of seating at the bar or high & low tables. Very family friendly. Teddy had a hot dog & fries off the kids menu with a lemonade. He ate it all. There are about 12 beers on tap. I was happy to have a Maine Beer Co. Lunch. The quesadilla I chose was delicious-it came with sour cream & salsa on the side. No complaints. Plenty of parking in the shared lot. So glad my daughter recommended Tailgate Tavern. Would not hesitate to return.

First time trying this spot as it was chosen for a group social. The event was held in the…read morebasement, so I did not get a good chance to see what the main dining room looked like. Pretty nice beer menu with lots of local options, as well as some that are brewed in house. The menu was pub/comfort food, with some interesting large plates as well. Whenever I see a pretzel on the menu, I have to order. While it was good, it was not at all what I typically get in a bar. I was served 3 smallish, pale and crunchy pretzels with a trio of sauces. The sauces were all interesting, but I would have preferred a standard large brown soft pretzel. I did try the fish tacos which were tasty, albeit a bit small for the $7.50 cost per taco. They are served a la carte. The waitress at the bar handled the crowd very efficiently and food came from the kitchen promptly. This spot is a bit off my radar, but I likely will return to explore the menu further.

Great beer selection on tap and their brews were very good. live music every other Sunday. We…read moredidn't eat much so I can't say how the food is. It would be great to crawl from this place, to smuttynose to my favorite Throwback for their food. I didn't love the atmosphere, but it was a dreary day.

It's a cool and fun-ish place but why do the hours online say you're open till 12am on Saturday…read more Walk in the door @11:30pm for a drink with friends and a sign inside says "bar open upstairs" -- word. We walk upstairs and there's ribbons on the doorway and tables set up for an event. Then we're rudely told hours are wrong online who are you guys etc. Weird. Change your hours. Or don't leave the door open and have a sign saying bar open. Cringe

If you're looking for a dive bar vibe and live music, this is your place. I said live music, I…read moredidn't say it would be GOOD live music. It's a mixed bag, but that's what makes it fun! Sometimes the bands are exceptional, sometimes not. They do offer food, bar bites and such. It's mostly just a watering hole where you can get your fade on. They also have an old piano to the left of the entrance door that you can play. I always bring visitors to my city to the Stone Church, it's a must if you're in Newmarket and you're off the wagon. They used to be known to have very good chicken fingers, but I always seem to go and there aren't any for some reason. They have eluded me for years, maybe they've been removed from the menu.

Went here for a birthday. Everything was stunning. Great chicken tenders. Very tasty. Chicken…read moreCaesar salad. Was very good. Scott and Marcy are very friendly and the service was fantastic. We've gone here multiple times and love it every time. They made a birthday dessert for my daughter with brownies and ice cream - it was fantastic. Very warm and inviting atmosphere.

We've lived in Newmarket for 10 years and loved this place. The prices on the new winter menu truly…read moreare ridiculous. Beyond typical restaurant inflationary values. We will likely not come back. I really try not to use this as a place to complain about prices, but in this case, I have to make an exception. Upscale prices, casual atmosphere, your food is served on a tray. The butternut squash zupa was very good. The potato leek soup was bland, unimaginative and contained a couple of pieces of something that was like a bone. I'm sure it was a seasoning and he told us what it was but I'd never heard of it. My advice? Strain it out of the soup. The soup sizes are closer to a cup than a bowl. 2 soups no drink $25. $30 with a tip. I'm glad this place is hopping and does a good business but honestly, they've lost mine.

Update. Gluten Free Territory products are now available in…read moresome local stores and restaurants. Check their website gfterritory.com

O.M.G. These are HANDS DOWN the best gf treats you have ever had. You don't believe they are gluten…read morefree. They have an awesome variety of brownies and cookies and even pound cake! They are not dry or crumbly at all. They are perfect with ice cream too! I am obsessed with these! They sell them at a variety of places but even better, you can order online. GFT delivered to the door is the best. Just keep them in the freezer until you want one!