Harpoon has opened a brewpub at Queen City Center in Downtown Manchester, located along Pleasant Street behind the Doubletree Hotel. This space offers a long full service bar with seating on 4 sides, high top tables and regular table seating. The outdoor patio at the time of this posting was still under construction with the concrete just poured.
The bar offers 20 draft beers & IPAs including mostly Harpoon, Smuttynose, Clown Shoes, & UFO, can beers, wine, cocktails, mocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks. They also serve beer flights. There is also a small shop in the space selling beer to go, Harpoon apparel and gifts.
The food menu offers interesting pub fare including a selection of shareables, snacks, handhelds, smashburgers, salads, entrees (mac & cheese, steak frites, statler chicken, fish & chips, short ribs) and desserts. In a tribute to the Chicken Tender Capital, they offer a 3 level chicken tender tower with buttermilk chicken tenders (level 1), French fries (level 2), and herbed chipotle ranch, buffalo & house BBQ(level 3), enough for sharing. South Shore (MA) bar pies will be offered soon since the pizza oven has just arrived and this would be a first for this area. The prices are moderate.
I stopped by here after work and entered through some plain metal doors on Pleasant Street between Canal & Elm Streets. There was a staff member presemt at the door, to make sure patrons are age 21 and over. The seating was all open, seat yourself.
I sat up at the bar and all the bartenders were working together, so any staff could help, take your order, serve drinks & food, and cash out. I was given food & drink menus and an ice water. I only ordered food for this posting since I can drink Harpoon beers at my house.
For a starter, the PEI Mussels ($18 plus tax) came in a big bowl, ~64 smaller steamed mussels simmered in a hot IPA dijon broth with lemin slices and sourdough bread slices, and an empty big bowl was provided for the shells. These mussels were surprisingly great and blew the other restaurants' steamed mussels I recently visited out of the water.
Next, the Fish Sandwich ($18 plus tax) served on a tray with fries and cole slaw was comprised of crisp Harpoon battered haddock on a toasted bun with leaf lettuce & tomato slices, tartar sauce on the side. The golden fries were semi thick with skins on ends, soft texture, salted and seasoned, ketchup bottle provided. The bowl of cole slaw was creamy with shredded cabbage & carrot, on the soft wet side. I did request a box for some of the food and got the check which was $39.06 with tax and before tip.
Overall, I really enjoyed the mussels and fish sandwich at Harpoon Queen City Center with good prompt service. I will have to order their Harpoon Poutine with duck fat fries next time. I hope to order one of their bar pies soon here in Manchester. Other than ordering bar pizzas from Cancun Pizza at select Margaritas locations including in Manch, Salem, and Exeter, I currently drive south of Boston for tasty bar pies. read more