I've dined here about 5 times. The food never disappoints. I appreciate how they care about using locally sourced food as much as they can. The menu rotates, and it's not one that's two miles long. It's because they mostly cook from scratch! I appreciate that the bar has an impressive mocktail menu as well. Definitely a local gem. read more

One of favorite elevated restaurants in SNH and a true gem in Derry. Been to Foundation a couple times and enjoyed the food and ambiance every time. Tonight went with my lady and went hard on the apps, not leaving enough room for entrees but all were fantastic. Had the arancini, cauliflower, and crab toast. Then stalled out on the seared duck and Mac and cheese. Not sad about left overs Cocktails were great too. Had the sangria and grey moon followed by the espresso flight. A must try in Derry. read more

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Brussel sprouts were fantastic and burgers seemed very good! But we had well over an hour wait for our food. That's forgivable on a busy night - BUT after which my "pork chop" was simply inexcusable. Potatoes and vegetables were outright cold. Plate was literally swimming in vinegar. But the alleged pork chop was mysteriously cut into three pieces. Each of which had separate bones - almost like it was actually ribs or something. There was very little actual meat and it was RED. Very disappointed that they would be willing to even serve something like this. read more

Amazing experience! Went for the cauliflower wings and they were fantastic. Not those crappy premade frozen ones. Real chunks of cauliflower with light and crispy outside and delicious thai chili sauce. I also had the Caribbean rice (veggie version) which was full of flavor and loads of edamame, zucchini, onions and asparagus! Yum. My husband had the bone in porkchop and said it was memorably good, like in the top 5 he's ever had - wow! Lovely group of young women working and everyone was friendly. Will definitely come back! Thank you! read more

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We had a great dinner! The service was excellent, the food was delicious and the drinks were perfect. We highly recommend if you are in the Derry area, right on the main stretch. The outside dining area is a great place for drinks, inside is quiet and nice for conversation and dinner. We had reservations but were running late so ended up cancelling and still being seated. read more

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Not a Good experience. Try to order a chicken sandwich and ask for it to be grilled instead of fried and they could not accommodate. Did take out the portions were extremely small very expensive and not cooked well at all. read more

FOUNDATION kitchen + bar - This was what takeout looked like $29 Salmon was way overcooked and that plate is just an embarrassment! - New American Near Me - Derry, New Hampshire

I must say that the Foundation was a very good place the ambience was alive with excitement. The restaurant part looks very good with tables and booths the bar in the other hand was rocking the bartenders were excellent they were rocking themselves making drinks and pouring beers . The service was great the food was just as good I mean I got a bacon cheeseburger med-rarer it was right on bacon was cooked just right and their onion jam was delicious pickles tomato on a toasted bun French fries with a Guinness to wash it down everything was delicious and excellent A+ read more

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Great spot! Farm-to-table fresh with a seasonal menu that really stands out. The restaurant is in an old brick building with a warm, casual vibe, plus a great patio for nice days. Morgan, was fantastic, friendly, helpful, and on top of everything. The food was excellent, my wife loved the Monkfish and I really enjoyed the Salmon. Drinks were on point to, try the Peach Old Fashion you won't be disappointed! We will be back! read more

We decided to stop in on our way up north. It was not far off the highway and it happened to be in a very cute downtown area that we would have loved to explore if we weren't trying to get somewhere. I had a glass of the New Zealand Sauvignon blanc which was quite tasty and my husband got a Peroni Zero. The atmosphere was very cozy with low lighting and lots of wood. They state they are farm to table and it seems they are. I ordered the Duck Risotto which included a confit Duck leg, smoked parsnip purée, chestnut and Guanjillo pepper pesto. The taste was amazing and there was a slight spicy kick that i enjoyed. My husband ordered the Bolognese which had a great homemade pasta, beef and pork, pecorino and farm basil. He said it tasted great and the potion size left room for dessert. We didn't get dessert because we had to continue our trip but we would definitely go back. I would have give. 5 stars but the bartender took my glass when I had a couple sips left. read more

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Love it here. The owners are so nice. We heard some excellent live music on our last visit. They take excellent care of my dietary requirements (gluten free!) and have soooo many options I could enjoy. This is a local fav for sure. Menu changes with seasonal items. read more

I will always love farm to fork restaurants. Wish they would have a haddock dish soon. The small menus is always delicious. Clean environment friendly service. read more

Amazing food, had steak and frittes. Very tender and cooked perfectly. Had enough for leftovers and when reheated were just as good! Great atmosphere and service read more

Tremendous dinner, great service! Bar/waitstaff was hustling! First time here and and won't be the last.

This restaurant was recommended to my BF and I and tonight was our first visit. I say first visit because it definitely deserves multiple visits. The food is amazing. I had the Statler chicken which the presentation and the taste was sooooo good. My BF had the Monk fish and he was blown away. Not to mention the entertainment Whiskey Business made this visit #1. They had the crowd singing along. We'll be back! read more

We had a great dinner! The service was excellent, the food was delicious and the drinks were perfect. We highly recommend if you are in the Derry area, right on the main stretch. read more

I stopped by the Foundation Kitchen + Bar in Derry, formerly The Halligan Tavern (Fire Hall Pub & Grille before that). The place has a casual dining room with tables, a pub area with seating up at the bar surrounded by high top table seating and an outside patio seating area.  The food menu offers small plates (appetizers), salads, large plates (pasta, chicken, steak, shrimp risotto, salmon), and desserts (fruit cobbler, tiramisu, Shaw Farm Ice Cream). Word here is most of their food is gluten free. The full service bar offers 25 beers on draft, bottled beers, seltzers, wine, cocktails and martinis. The prices here are moderate, most large plates in the $18 to $32 range.  I stopped by the Foundation Kitchen + Bar for dinner recently. Since I was solo, I headed for the bar and took a seat and given food and drink menus. I started out with an ice water and Loaded Guacamole ($12 plus tax) roasted corn avocado, charred red onion, cilantro, cotija cheese, and lightly salted crispy corn tortilla chips on the side. The guacamole dip had nice zesty flavors with lime flavor. For dinner, the Bolognese ($21 plus tax) was served very hot which had soft fresh pappardelle pasta noodles, beef + pork bolognese sauce, pecorino, and topped with farm basil. The Bolognese was not the tomato kind I was expecting and some of the noodles were stuck together, but all in all the flavors were good. For dessert, Strawberry + Rhubarb Cobbler ($10 plus tax) were served very hot in an iron skillet which had fresh berry compote, soft strawberries, firm rhubarb slices, orange zest, cream on top of cinnamon streusel topping. This dessert was a great ending to a filling dinner. I would've gotten some ice cream to go with this cobbler if I had more room. The check was $46.66 with tax and before tip. Overall, I enjoyed my dinner up at the bar though the lighting was dim here. There were also no TVs in the bar, so this place is more of a face to face kind of place for food and drinks. The service here was adequate and the bartender checked up on me often and food runners brought out my guacamole and Bolognese plates. read more

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While visiting the area, my mom and I had a great dinner at Foundation! We loved the eclectic vibe and great variety on the menu with foods from different parts of the world. Everything was very fresh and we appreciated the farm-to-table dishes. Heather was our server and she was very friendly and attentive! Great spot in downtown Derry. read more

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Cool vibe and decor, opened about a year ago, nice place for the Derry area. Everything tasted great, the wings were unique and delicious, and I'm glad to have finally had a perfectly cooked steak. Bravo, Foundation! read more

FOUNDATION kitchen + bar - Steak - New American Near Me - Derry, New Hampshire

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I'm unsure about this place. The ambiance was nice and very relaxing. The waitstaff was excellent. I think her name was Heather. She was super down-to-earth and kind. It could have been a bad night for the cook. I ordered pad Thai with chicken. Two pieces of chicken were undercooked. I mentioned it to Heather. She took it back to the cook, and all they did was cook the chicken and didn't remake the entire plate. She brought it back, and I ate 50% of it. I left the two pieces they recooked and ate the part of the dish the two pieces didn't touch. Heather did remove the chicken from the bill. We also had dessert. It was subpar. I've had sticky toffee pudding in London, so I wasn't expecting it to be authentic, but it was burnt on the bottom, and you could tell it was frozen and then cooked. It could have been a bad night. The drinks were at least good. I'm not sure I'd try it again. Kind of bummed because I enjoyed the atmosphere. read more

This restaurant has excellent staff & a beautiful atmosphere but unfortunately that's where the excellence stops. I was so excited to move to Downtown Derry and have a restaurant within walking distance. I've been a total of 3 times but I can't give it another chance because the food is just so unbelievably disappointing. All 3 times I tried an appetizer and meal as well as tasting my partner's meals. Not one single dish has been hot, I was lucky if it was lukewarm but most times it was pretty much cold. All dishes were also lacking flavor and pretty small portions.. which would probably be fine if I enjoyed the food itself. We also brought two of our friends once and they were disappointed as well. Overall, just super disappointing and not worth spending any more money there. read more

My son and I decided to check out this new restaurant-so glad we did! We were seated at a high table in the bar area. I really like the atmosphere at Foundation. Our servers were very pleasant and helpful with our questions. Being craft beer drinkers, we were pleased with the selection. In fact, I was delighted to be able to enjoy a pint of Wormtown's Blizzard of 78-one of my favorite winter brews. There is a full bar. Rob & I shared all the food we ordered so we could sample a wide variety. All were excellent. We had Braised Short Ribs, Arancini, Pecan Pear Salad, Sweet Potato Gnocchi, and still had room to share a Snickers Dessert. Since we were sharing, all of our selections came out from the kitchen split, which was a nice touch. I am looking forward to returning to Foundation kitchen + bar in the near future. read more

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Food, service, atmosphere all first-rate. Spring rolls, steaks frites, bolognese all fantastic, as was the smoked peach old fashion cocktail. Solid wine list. Whomever is running this place knows what they are doing. Will be back asap. read more

FOUNDATION kitchen + bar - Smoked peach old fashioned - New American Near Me - Derry, New Hampshire

Scallops served on a bed of pumpkin puree. Scallops were perfectly cooked. The pumpkin puree was very good. Mild, not overdone. Subtle and complimented the sweet saltiness of the scallop. The spice mixture on top was very good. A deep spice-y richness. Not "hot" spicy, but deep flavorful spice like a good Indian dish. There was a crispy tiny leaf in it, I think it was a fried oregano leaf. The bone-in porkchop was salty but delicious. I'm almost certain it was brined. Very well seasoned. Super tender, and perfectly cooked. Roasted fennel and roasted sweet potato on the side was delicious. I don't think my wife knew she wasn't a fan of fennel but I thought it was yummy. Roasted kale too. The kale wasn't overdone it still had its shape but was nicely cooked. The burger was good. It had very deeply caramelized onions on top of it. A well seasoned patty on a buttered bun. I probably would have omitted the tomato from the start. In fact I took it off. It kind of contradicted the sweetness of the onions. Bread and butter pickles were a nice compliment though. Fries were good, nice and salty, with the little skin on the ends. The service was good but with a couple gaps. Our server was pleasant, young, and polite. She came by probably 6 times during the meal asking if there was anything she could do or get for us. It was us and one other table there. The only knock would be she never refilled our waters, and never offered me a refill of soda water. I'm not sure she knew it was just a soda water. "Snickers bar" for dessert. A thick chocolate shell covering peanut butter mousse. With a chocolate cake base and burnt soy caramel. The caramel was bomb, but I wanted a lot more. The cake on the bottom was not too good it was a bit firm and crumbly like it just wasnt fresh. I imagine they are making an enormous sheet of it to use throughout the week. But it showed unfortunately. The mousse was good but a little underwhelming. Overall a good dessert. But they missed on the cake itself. We also got a cinnamon roll. It had a very biscuity consistency. Kinda crumbly. Also it had a coconut icing on it and some chili-apples. The chili apples were cubed apples with a deep chili flavoring to them. It was a bold move but this wasn't my favorite. The cinnamon roll was a little too biscuity/dry for me. Sarah was waitress, very polite and mostly attentive. read more

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I went here to buy a gift card and decided to dine while we were there. First, it's smallish, and the dining room has much more ambiance than the bar which lacked any decor or theme. Since we tend to be "bar people" we sat there. It was not busy and service was good. The smoked peach old fashioned was way too sweet with little to no peach or smoke flavor. Lots of cinnamon. Hard to drink. The menu is very small. We started with the Korean crab dip which didn't have a lot of Korean flavor. It was good but didn't really have much crab, and the chips were a little too salty. For dinner I had the burger which was good and cooked as ordered. The only problem was it had pickles on it, undisclosed in the menu description. I happen to hate pickles and when they are on a sandwich the flavor and juices remain even after they are removed. PLEASE!!! List every single topping on the menu description!!! My date had the chicken sandwich which was good, but nothing special. The fries were good, very salty. I don't live terribly close so if I were in the area I might return. It was fine, just not anything special I would rush back for. Maybe a good place for the locals. read more

A diamond in the rough. A hidden Gem. Downtown Derry, NH. A quaint little restaurant with amazing food. From the delicious appetizers to the amazing service. The owner is present and friendly. If you're lucky you'll have Heather as your server. A beautiful personality. Great food at a great price. I highly recommend. read more

FOUNDATION kitchen + bar - Tonight's Menu - New American Near Me - Derry, New Hampshire

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Outstanding food and drinks, and service by Heather! Cozy atmosphere. Everything made to order! Outstanding value! read more

Great food good atmosphere the local farms are on the menu. The service was attentive. We enjoyed our meal

Honestly, wow. Everything was top notch here. Great vibe, awesome service, food and drinks were both top notch! I got the smoked peach old fashioned (get this), my friend got one of the gin specials which was also phenomenal. For meals, I got the strip steak (cannot say enough about this meal), and she got the sweet potato gnocchi (she loved it and I can attest it was great!). It was obvious with everything that they put special consideration to making sure all of the flavors paired well and they thought outside of the box. Our server Morgan was also phenomenal and gave us great suggestions without being overbearing. I already can't wait to go back. read more

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Great food, featuring other locally sourced vendors , great drinks. Sat outside, attentive waitress. Definitely encourage others to check it out!! read more

Great find! We came over from Amherst, NH and were pleasantly surprised. A cool spot in a converted old brick firehouse. Good, solid service, and excellent food and drinks. A tasty burger, cooked perfectly, was what I had. Around the table there were positive reviews for all dishes ordered: the Steak Frites, Salmon, Bolognese. Also the apps of wings, guacamole, and the cauliflower. The Bees Knees cocktail (I think that was the name?) was very well received by one at our table. So, Bravo! We hope that Foundation is here to stay! read more

First time to Foundation Kitchen last night...really wonderful experience. Easy place to get to, plenty of parking, etc. Drink and food menu is broad enough to satisfy most everyone, and the service was terrific. We picked the place based on previous Yelp reviews, and we were not disappointed. Had a couple of great apps (luv the Pork Belly Bao Buns), and burgers for dinner...one of the best burgers I've had in a while. Will definitely be back!! read more

I really wanted to love this spot and was so excited to come try it since my sister was taking me to a show in Derry. We got here about 6om on a Tuesday and ambiance was nice and the hostess was super friendly. We were seated promptly and then once we had our waitress come over it started to go down hill. The waitress was pretty focused her first time checking in and we got cocktails but after that she was really spacey and seemed checked out. It wasn't super busy and we were seated close to her station near the bar. She came back with drinks and we ordered the cauliflower app. I asked if we could order entrees also since we knew what we wanted and she said ok but then walked away. She then started checking in with new tables and wasn't coming back. After 20 mins we waved to flag her down and she said she needed to check on something in the kitchen and would come back but in the time we waited our hostess served our app and the waitress still didn't come back. She was unable to take out entree order until around 6:45. After waiting so long and finishing both my drink and app we ended up getting something smaller than we wanted since we were in a rush and didn't want the prep time in the kitchen to take forever. I got a salad with shrimp which was ok and my sister got the pad Thai which was not amazing. She never even checked if we needed more drinks or water and we also ordered a dessert to go with the entrees which was forgotten. Once the entrees came we just got the check took a few bites and headed out. I think in general this spot may be great but with such a bad waitress and not amazing meals it was def disappointing. read more

my order was a lot to eat but just fine!! bthe cocktail was perfect!!! Service was friendly and top notch

The food looked and tasted great and our server was great too. We enjoyed the lamb ragu and the steak.

Okay so the food here, amazing. The drinks, also amazing. You can see what I am getting at because the service was beyond great as well. This was my first time here and I am going to be coming back again. read more

With 24 Beers on Draught and some of the best recipes for drinks I've seen in a long time, from Espresso Martinis to Mai Tais, to that special summer cocktail you were looking for in "every" spirit. This place has an outdoor patio, where you'll find the entrance. It's a great date spot with a Food menu that has a little bit of everything, as well. Very broad yet, simple Menu. Service has been lovely, and down to earth. Very chill yet special place. Bigger than you think. The bar is also bigger than you think. read more

FOUNDATION kitchen + bar - With 24 Beers on Draught - New American Near Me - Derry, New Hampshire

Service, food portions, ambience, drinks were all top notch. We were really happy with this experience on a Saturday night. We will definitely be back someday. read more

Good food. Was quiet and nice. Not crowded. Not a place to take a family, we have older kids, but still seemed to be inconveniencing to waitress, "we don't believe in condiments here" when discussing the burger options. Overall not welcoming environment. Good location. read more

Food was outstanding. Fresh, creative and delicious. Try the tempura cauliflower. It was spectacular! Drinks are also excellent....eapresso martini, yum! This is such a gem. I can't wait to go back. read more

Random Friday dinner here just popping in. Peach Old Fashioned for me and Triple Crown for my wife were excellent drinks to start followed by tempura cauliflower which was wonderfully crispy with an Asian sauce that was quite tasty. Dinner was statler coconut curry rice chicken for me (very good, perhaps wish for more coconut and curry flavoring) and Pad Thai for wife with no complaints. Service was prompt and friendly and just the right amount of attention. Atmosphere was casually upscale with plenty of room inside, out and at the bar. Wondered if the big garage doors in the dining room open on warmer days? Perhaps our only quibble was on the limited desert choices. Sure the dismantled Smores and banana tres leches would have been good--just weren't in the mood for either and would have perhaps selected something if the choices were wider. All in all we couldn't have been more pleased. Will be back. read more