I used to love coming here before COVID hit. I called a few times over the months to try and get some carry out. The line was always busy and I could never get through to place an order. A few weeks ago, I ended up getting through! We ordered two filets of salmon with mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes. The salmon was dry as a bone, unseasoned, and cold to the touch. I will note that we waited in the lobby and picked up the food right away when it came out, and ate it five minutes later when we got home. The green beans were coated in excessive oil, and overly seasoned with salt, yet barely cooked at all. It seemed more like raw beans in oil and salt. The mashed potatoes seemed to either be from a mix, or going old. They had clumps of dry, un-reconstituted potato starch that would either be from a box or just old potatoes sitting out. Either way, charging what they did, I felt ripped off. I totally understand the busy lines, and long waits, thats the Pandemic. But the quality of the food was unfortunately not worth half the cost they charged. read more

A true New Hampshire institution and today with first time visitors ever to New Hampshire, the Common Man did not disappoint. In fact, they provided an absolute 5-star lunching experience! Our server, Bonnie, was amazing. Upon hearing that our friends had never been to NH, she asked the chef to open the entire menu to them, which included the dinner menu that was not available for lunch, and they obliged . An amazing gesture and something that I had never experienced in all of my years of dinning! Let me just start by saying that everything we ate was incredible, so if you're not included to read further, I totally understand, but if you are, start with the Rock Crab Cake starter! Now understand something here, I grew up the son of a lobsterman on an island in Maine's Casco Bay, so I feel an authority on such matters, and the crab cakes were off of the hook! Delicious. Trust me, you can't go wrong if you love crab cakes. Oh, to be clear, all five of us gave them a 6-rating! By opening the menu to our visitors, they were able to order the seafood casserole, which they raved about. Admittedly, I did not try any because they split the dish and I didn't feel I should take away from their shear enjoyment. They wanted seafood in NH and that's what the Common Man gave them. Our other visitor had the Lobster Corn Chowder and it was perfectly done. The broth was spot on and the ingredients were fresh and flavorful. My significant other had the New England Pot Roast, something that is way too heavy for me for lunch, but she raved about it. In fact, our friends commented that they should have gotten that AND the seafood casserole and split both. The pot roast was amazing and the mashed potatoes were perfect. By opening their dinner menu to us, I ordered the Crab Crusted Haddock! Simple review - freaking amazing! The Common Man is uncommonly good for everything it represents about New Hampshire, today they were above and beyond perfection! Bonnie was incredibly thoughtful of our friends and incredibly attentive to us! I could not have asked for a better afternoon. read more

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Love their lunch salads. I always add blackened salmon on top of my salad and it makes a delicious and satisfying meal. I dine here for business lunches so haven't had a chance to try their cheese and crackers (too busy talking shop). Overall the service is good and courteous. Ambiance is good for business lunches. read more

This restaurant is terrible and it ruined my entire vacation! First, I called ahead to make sure there wouldn't be a big wait and they assured me that the wait would be no more than 10 minutes. We arrived to see a huge line with an over 30-minute wait, but despite this, we stayed due to hearing all of the great reviews on this site, YOU ARE ALL LIARS! Next, my burger was undercooked and too spicy for my liking, it felt like I was eating fast food rather than a sit-down meal because of how greasy it was. My husband said his meal was atrocious and unacceptable for a restaurant with this reputation. Both of my children took two bites of their meals before saying they tasted wrong and couldn't finish them. I am aware of how harsh this is but it is my experience and I thought I should share it with you all, if I could give fewer stars I would! read more

We are from out of town and came for dinner. We had Ali as our waitperson. Simply Outstanding. The restaurant was busy and yet we never felt neglected. We had the pot roast and the walnut chicken after soup of the day. Huge, tasty servings. Nice , by the glass wine selection. We plan to be back... likely tomorrow. The only thing neither of us cared for was the Cherry chocolate bread however the garlic bread was delicious. Can I mention again that Ali was Outstanding read more

Always delicious. Hibiscus margaritas are delicious. The bacon ravioli will knock your socks off. This place has amazing quality everytime you go! read more

Amazing food, great staff, makes a traveler wish this was a chain. Came for dinner, because of reading yelp reviews. Was so not disappointed. Wife had the pot roast - and it is as good as any you will get. Meat was fork tender, flavorful and plentiful. I had the walnut chicken. A truly amazing amalgam of flavors, textures and frankly one of the best chicken recipes I have ever had. The nut flavor was subtle, the stuffing had gems of goodness throughout and the chicken was cooked perfectly. I will come back before we leave to experience that dish again. Tonight was very short staffed, yet they were very efficient. Ali was our server, she was hyper friendly, helped with suggestions and checked back often. She is responsible for the fifth star, for she made things go without a hitch - even when it was clearly busy. If the world had more Ali's eating out when traveling would be much easier. read more

Went to grab a quick lunch here on my way back from Manchester and while the food was delicious, I did have to wait a long while for my food. Seems more like a place to dine with a large group. Would definitely come back just for the wraps though read more

If Concord were the solar system, then The Common Man is the sun. Concord is a relaxing little town devoid of pretense considering it's the state capital. But that's what I love about New Hampshire. There's no need for the Nutcracker to come to town for people to enjoy themselves. Having said that, it's like any other small town in the United States. It has a small downtown area with a few bars and token ethnic restaurants. It has a giant CVS and fast food joints scattered here and there. These days, that counts as Americana. These are necessities but they make towns indistinguishable from each other. Which is why I'm glad Common Man came to Concord at some point. The restaurant converted every inch of a large house into a hybrid, super-mutant of every relaxing place you could think of. They have three bars, dining areas, large tables, small tables, high tops, sofas, paintings, and knick-knacks. The few TVs in the place are in corners or above sofas where they would be in your house. This means that if you want to watch the game, you're more than welcome to do so but you'd be better off doing so at the sofas or corners. If you want to stay at the bar, you're going to be drawn into making eye contact with people, something that happens more easily in Concord than in larger towns. We went to the bar upstairs and found a standing spot at the bar for two people. That was fine with us. It's not like we're arthritic and we had more elbow room this way. I looked around and noticed something that got me excited. ____________________________________________ WARNING: RACE TALK AHEAD. ASSHOLE AT WORK! ____________________________________________ Everybody was white. I was not. I love when this happens because it reminds me of the Midwest. Not only am I comfortable in this situation, I thrive. I use my grizzly appearance to maximum comedic effect. (I look like I should be going to Imam College but I sound like I grew up in Laramie). Everyone was having a good time and minding their own business but I did turn a few heads. Glowing in my quasi-celebrity status, I placed our food orders. The middle-aged couple next to us offered us their seats because another couple was eyeing the seats from behind them. We were grateful for this even though standing wasn't that uncomfortable. Friendly people right off the bat! Get used to that in New Hampshire. Our food came out and the guy who brought it to us did something I've never seen a server do. He called to the bartender to tell him which dish belonged where. I pointed to our spot on the bar. Wordlessly he put them down and walked away. Odd, but I didn't care. We got our food and it hadn't taken forever to arrive. Miss K got the beef kebabs and I got the pot roast. My pot roast came with a side of dirty rice and veggies and Miss K's kebab came with veggies. The pot roast was decent. It was a little dry but that can be solved by drizzling it with more gravy from the pot. The zucchini was cooked well, the beans were crisp, and the dirty rice was cooked perfectly too. Miss K's kebabs, though, were in a completely different league and I would recommend those over the pot roast. They had a perfect, crisp char on the outside and they were medium on the inside. Eating a piece of meat that's chewy/soft on the inside and charred and crusty on the outside is the food equivalent of waking up with a flat stomach despite eating a pizza the night before. The kebabs were threaded onto a skewer with roasted peppers and came with a side of zucchini as well. Everything was as fresh and well-cooked as the food on my plate. The meal done, I continued to glow in my melanin singularity as we sipped drinks. Then I went to the bathroom and saw an Asian dude at the urinal. Shit. I reported this to Miss K. "I just saw Concord's only Asian." "SSHHH!!" "What?? Does anyone here look like they would be offended?" "It doesn't matter. Keep it down." "What matters is that I'm still the only one of my kind in this town." Out of nowhere, an old Indian dude walked into the bathroom. "GOD-MOTHERFUCKING-DAMNNIT!!" He wasn't assimilated either. He looked like he had been picked out of an insurance office in Punjab by god and planted in the Common Man just to fuck with me. The only thing missing was his entire family, the women in saris. My dream of uniqueness shattered, I said I was ready to go. To top off the meal, we asked for the white chocolate, one of many complementary small bites. Some of the others include charcuterie and cheese and crackers. Naturally, you have to ask the staff for these before they give it to you. The fact that they do this at all is incredible. The capitalist translation of "free" usually means you're about to give your phone number to a corporation in exchange for 2% off. But when the Common Man says free, they mean free. Take advantage of it. Appreciate it. read more

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You will not be disappointed. The staff were top notch, food was absolutely amazing. Between the chicken tacos, cheese table and less than half of my entree I was beyond stuffed. The location is convenient to get to, and the atmosphere inside felt so welcoming. read more

I was sincerely delighted by the experience from start to finish. We came with a big party and kids and were treated very well; food was tasty and fresh. read more

I want to like The Common Man so badly, but I just can't. It's fine. Basic. But nothing has ever wow'd me. Never had a meal that left me wanting to come back again. It's a fine spot to meet someone because it looks cool inside, but don't expect a whole lot and you won't be disappointed. read more

the food was amazing and the service was even better and the wait time was amazing I was waiting for about 15 minutes for food for a party of 7 read more

Negative stars if I could. 15 minutes to get an acknowledgment at upstairs bar, 15 minutes for one beer, 20 minutes for app and another 35 minutes for main. The place is seriously overpriced and had serious staffing issues. Dear management, get a clue. I feel sorry for you NH people, must be used to it. Edit - the total time at the bar was two hours. The food was bland and boring. My scallops were cooked in a sauté pan with plain bread crumbs dumped on top of them. Also, the upstairs grill left the cooked meals on the bar counter for ten or fifteen minutes. I took a picture and actually timed it. The manager apologized and comped our drinks, smile on her face and trying hard to change the subject. I told her seven people came in after us and left at least 45 minutes earlier. We also noted, the regulars got quick and prompt service and food. read more

The Common Man - This food sat for 15 minutes. Notice the uncleared bar. Avoid this place. - American Near Me - Concord, New Hampshire

Stopped here on a drive up to Vermont and had a fantastic time. It is very convieniently located right off the interstate. Got here about 8pm on a Thursday night. The parking lot was packed but there was plenty of open seating. Loved the serve-yourself cheese and crackers, as we were starving, and it's always nice to start eating as soon as you arrive at a restaurant. The food was awesome. Of course we went for the lobster corn chowder, and it was damn good. I just wish there was more of it. The mussels appetizer was delicious with killer broth. (Am I the only one who uses a mussel shell as a broth spoon?). Ordered a crab cake and it was simple and tasty. Also tried the crispy chicken dinner which was moist and flavorful and came with some very good green beans. And the complimentary shards of white chocolate were a perfect way to end a great meal. The ski-lodge-with-a-twist atmosphere was nice, and our waitress was very pleasant. I thought it was cool how they had an area where all sorts of old magazines were on sale, great way to kill time waiting for the food. This place is an absolute gem. DO NOT MISS IT. read more

My husband and I try to go here at least once a month and we always love the food. The home-cooked atmosphere and the warm and friendly staff make it a wonderful place to go. If I had any complaints at all, it would be at the end of the meal they bring around white chocolate and I am not a fan of white chocolate so I wish they would also bring around milk chocolate in case you don't like white chocolate but other than that I have no complaints about this restaurant and definitely give it five stars read more

Came in late last night to find out the main restaurant had just closed the hostess offered us seating upstairs in their lounge. Our waitress Kathryn was extremely nice and helpful. After vacationing in New York and Boston the past week it was nice to have someone show genuine customer service. Food was amazing and fresh. And the white chocolate was a nice surprise. The restaurant was recommend by our hotel, the Marriot down the road. If we make it back to the east coast this will definitely be a must stop! read more

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Empty on a weekend at dinner time but still had to wait 20 minutes to sit. Service was so slow that I thought we were being pranked. 1:40 for dinner with no drink refills, no appetizers, and no dessert. Also they never offered us the standard white chocolate at the end of the meal (even though we saw them give it to the group sitting next to us). The wait was so long that I noticed all the small flies hovering near my food and really all over the restaurant, saw other diners swatting them away from their food too. So nasty. Won't go back to this one, waste of time and money. They don't want customers. read more

This is a pretty cool place to grab dinner or drinks, but a little hit or miss on our visit. Pros: The interior is very homey and interesting, it is quite large inside, the service was good, the pan fried chicken was crispy and delicious (with a nice side of dressed greens), and the uncommon flatbread is a great choice if you like cheese and carmelized onions. Cons: We found the restaurant to be quite smokey (kitchen smoke not cigarette smoke, but still...), and the crab cakes couldn't compare to Maryland crabcakes. We would eat here again, but it did have a couple of letdowns... read more

We stop at the Common Man just about every time we go to NH. It has a great casual american inn feel, with nice couches and chairs in their upstairs bar and old americana all around. They have free cheese and crackers available to munch on while you wait for your food or if you are just at the bar. I have never gotten anything to eat at the Common Man which I have not liked and all of their food gives you a great feeling of having a nice home cooked meal. The wait staff are always friendly and professional, and the restaurant is always clean. Can't say enough about this place, it is a great stop right off of the highway. read more

The Common Man - Writing on the bathroom wall ;-) - American Near Me - Concord, New Hampshire

Good old fashioned food...ambiance was ok...the place is a bit loud Staff was very helpful! read more

TLDR; this place is like a car with a body of Ferrari but with the engine of Toyota. Looks very good from outside and has good ambience but has a very bad quality food. The food was so bad over here that it made me not want to have a dessert which hasn't happened even after having a shitty sandwich at Subway. It started with very mediocre cocktail called Maine Squeeze which was supposed to have vodka in it. It tasted like I was only having a blueberry juice. Second disappointment came in a form of overpretentious (I'm not even sure if that's a word but if it was, this would go as an example in dictionary) salad which was uncut leaves of lettuce in a vertical plate with some slice cherry tomatoes, some bacon bits and with double the ordinary amount of ranch or blue cheese dressing on it. First of all, HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO EAT SALAD IN A VERTICAL NARROW PLATE WITH SO MUCH DRESSING ON IT WITHOUT SPILLING? Third came the main disappointment of the night called Steak K-bobs. After having the first bite of it, I thought to myself what am I being punished for. It tasted like the chef freshly came out of kindergarten and learnt how to cook recently. Even though, I asked for it to be medium well, it came out chewier than chewy chips ahoy. The side was some kind of special vegetable medley which nobody told me was specifically made for horses. It wild zucchini and 3 year old squash in it. I am writing this review before signing my check and I'm already feeling like throwing up because of that 3 year old squash. read more

My friends and I stopped here to end our vacation on a high note. The starter of cheese and crackers always makes me happy and gives this place a homey feel. The lobster corn chowder was delicious and super rich with tons of lobster in it. The little piece of cornbread that came with it topped it off. I had the steak tips which were really well marinated though more under cooked than I prefer it was seasoned well. The dessert may have been the best part. The strawberry shortcake cobbler was warm with fresh whip cream and a crispy biscuit YUMMMM!!! read more

The Common Man - Dinner to end vacation yum!! - American Near Me - Concord, New Hampshire

Always an awesome place to eat!! Love the environment! There is always crackers with very good dips. I had the Mac and Cheese, and it was a 10/10. read more

The Common Man - Pork (vegetarian option) Mac and Cheese and Vegetables - American Near Me - Concord, New Hampshire

My favorite restaurant when I want I truly New Hampshirite meal. The variety is impressive; their is seafood, but also burgers and steaks. My favorite thing about the Common Man chain is how they take normal meals and add just a little spark that makes it special and tasty. For instance, their burgers some with a red pepper jam that really picks up the meal. The one thing I don't like about the Concord location is that it is right next to I-93, and parking is tight. The Ashland location remains my favorite (the original location) for the atmosphere, if you are willing to make the extra drive north. read more

Came for lunch. Waitress wasnt the greatest didn't pay attention that there were 3 of us when my fiance got up to go the bathroom. Was shocked when I ordered a soda for him. Forgot straws. Pizza took a good 30 mins to come out after the appetizer. Ordered the pulled pork sliders, kids cheeseburger and French fries, a cheese pub pizza and a hamburger/mushroom pub pizza. Pulled pork sliders were ok. Pizza was more flatbread and had no sauce. Very disappointed. Waitress never picked up menus, forgot our check and when it came to sign forgot a pen. read more

Cool setting - cool menu. Always very busy which slows service sometimes but always very enjoyable anyhow. They have some decent pass times which helps distract when they get busy though (trivia cards at the bar are often a food ice Breaker with other guests too - a lot of times we struck up convo's with neighbors over these). Really like this place read more

Bad, bad service! There were plenty of empty tables, they couldn't put them together for our party of 6. They didn't even let us sit separately smh read more

Always a treat dining here. It's almost like visiting with family. The food is great, nothing too fancy, just the right amount of flair to set the food apart. The team that greets and waits on you are attentive and fun, always ready with help and a suggestion if you need it. Whether you are local or visiting make sure you stop in! read more

The Common Man - Cheese and crackers to snack on! - American Near Me - Concord, New Hampshire

Cool space! First a store like thing, then a dining room and upstairs a bar and lounge area all which serve food. Lobster corn chowder is mad good. Lots of lobster and the corn chowder is delicious. Comes with a side of cornbread. Cheese and crackers all you can eat bar. Weird idea but it works! Loved that. My pot roast was tasty but cold, mashed potatoes had no flavor and also cold and veggies were undercooked and needing salt. The food wasn't overly impressive but it was ok. Dessert however- strawberry shortcake crumble or something like that was delicious. The compote was so good, the biscuit was good and the whipped cream was delicious. That was a highlight. Then they come around and give you handmade white chocolate. Loved that too. Overall lots of pros, but the dinner itself could have used more effort. read more

Took my wife's grandparents here for their last day visiting us from Myrtle Beach. I called ahead for a 6:30 dinner for 7 of us. We arrived at 6:15. We waited to be seated for 90 minutes. It was close to 8 pm when we were seated. I'm not sure if they're understaffed or what not, but they literally had 3 people in the front standing around while other people worked. My wife who ran many restaurants in the past was furious with that behavior. We got no updates on when they thought we would be seated. Anytime we went up to check on the table they seemed very upset that we were checking in on our table. The service in general could've been better. The food itself, although took awhile to come out was tasty. It's very unfortunate about this, as my wife and I come here pretty often and have always had good food and pretty good service. We will not be returning and do not recommend going to sit and eat here. Get the take out menu instead. Very disappointed in our experience and quite embarrassed that we took my wife's grandparents here. read more

Thera, our waitress, was amazing! Courteous. Kind. Empathetic. Efficient. Food was delicious! Steak frites and pot roast. Common Man Ale is a delightful brew. This is our third visit here during Covid. Every visit has felt normal, like a pandemic doesn't exist. Yet. Everything is clean and feels safe. read more

The Common Man - American Near Me - Concord, New Hampshire

The free cheese and cracker is an awesome aspect to start with. The Lobster corn chowder and the onion soup were delicious. The entrees were warm instead of hot. I thought the meatloaf was a bit softer than I like. However overall the food and the concept was good. The service was good but would have liked a more interactive experience given this was my first time here. I definitely would visit again. I really liked how the waitress put little messages on out to go boxes. A nice personal touch. Yay for the white chocolate ending. Definitely 3.5 stars so the happy factor pushed me to a 4. read more

Great food, great times, great staff, and consistently great experiences each time I've been there. This restaurant is good and you should go here. The only major criticism I would have is that at night the music is terrible. Normally, this would not merit a mention in a review, but when I was there for a latenight dinner it was bad. Noticeably bad. Elevator bad. Apparently, the owner (who is a truly wonderful person by all accounts) is in to that sort of thing. So go here. But if you're here at night, be sure to pressure the waitstaff on the music front. Unite for change! read more

It seems like the quality of service depends on the day. We did have absolutely wonderful service on one of our nights here, which for some reason generally seemed lacking in New Hampshire. They have a great (unlimited) spread of crackers, dips, Vermont cheese, and garlic or poppy seed bread to start the meal (though not all servers told us of this option so just know it's available for everyone!). Vegetarian friendly options include a homemade veggie burger, spaghetti squash, stuffed bell pepper, and you can get the blackened chicken pasta without the chicken. These options were average... Seemed to be lacking in flavor but nothing a little salt and pepper can't fix! However BEWARE OF THE HARVEST PUMPKIN RAVIOLI!!! The sauce is not vegetarian! For meat eaters, I am told the Nantucket Pie was delicious! read more

I admit our party arrived here a little bit on the buzzed-bordering-on-drunk side, so our perceptions of the meal might have been a little off. I think it helped me enjoy my meal that much more, though. We were seated upstairs. On our way up, I noticed a little cheese/spread and cracker station, and was delighted to learn there was one upstairs also and it was complimentary with the meal. We ordered some more alcohol (house ale for the boys and red wine for the girls) and settled in quickly. The bacon wrapped shrimp comes with 4 shrimp. The bacon was a little bit on the sparse side and there was nothing too special about this appetizer. It was good, nonetheless. We also ordered the baked escargot, which was really good. Never had it baked before, which was also yummy in its own right. We were all raving over the puff pastry that came with it. For our main course, we ordered the prime rib, Steak Oscar and the Portsmouth Sautee. The meat was cooked well and correctly (medium rare). It was pretty good, but I always have to be in the mood for steak to thoroughly enjoy it. This wasn't one of those times (but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the meal). The steaks came with sweet potato mash and a choice of sides (we opted for the mashed potato, which was really good). I really liked the Portsmouth sautee. The sauce was creamy, but not too heavy and there was a lot of seafood in it, which was good. I loved all the seafood in the dish, especially the scallops. I loved the twist/spiral shaped pasta, because it always reminds me of this really good pasta salad that I used to get at my local deli on a pretty regular basis. I think it worked for this specific dish because it really held on to the sauce. The service was great. Our waitress was really friendly and patient when we had a hard time with our wine choices. We also took all of our leftovers (including our unfinished wine) back to our hotel to eat the next day. They also give chunks of white chocolate at the end of the meal. I would definitely recommend this place if you're in the area. Good food and generous portions. read more

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Our food and waitress were excellent! My husband had meatloaf and I had a steak and we shared the escargot. All were delicious! Plus the chairs were comfortable! We immediately started planning our return! read more

I had the Lobster Corn Chowder. It was not memorable especially at 8.99$. It was garnished with visible chunks of lobster, maybe you have to love cream-based soups to appreciate this one. I know exactly what I was missing in it, a little bit of brandy maybe, it would liven it up. It comes with a killer cornbread, that cornbread was hunk-of-something good! Crabcake sandwich. I think next time I would just skip the whole bun and chips deal and get the crabcake appetizer because that's the best part. Disclaimer: I have eaten crabcakes up and down the East Coast, here it is actually very good. The crabcake I really liked, it was soft with a panseared bottom and a broiled top. It's not the lump crab meat crabcake, the meat here is broken up into shreds, and the flavor is so nice and the lemon aioli sauce really compliments it well. I did try the complimentary dips and crackers. The pink one tastes like a cross between cocktail sauce and a cheese ball, but in a good way. I liked the tanginess of it. The white spread would be killer on a bagel! Very nice and attentive service. It was after 2pm, but everyone was very welcoming, I am bumping them up a star for service! read more

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Rustic setting with wide variety of wine & beer, many dinner varieties. I was amazed to see how busy they were on a a Thursday night. We arrived 8pm & had to wait about 20 minutes. They even sell old Life magazines. Waitress was awesome. read more

I had a spectacular night out at The Common Man, which I learned is one of a whole handful of other Common Man restaurants in New Hampshire. I'd try any one of them! From the beautiful and varied bread baskets to the affordable and delicious wines and cocktails to the crab cake appetizer (so much crab!) to the entree I tried (steak salad!) to the basket of white chocolate we got at the end - we loved our meal from start to finish. I also really appreciated both our dedicated server, and the other servers who helped out, constantly refilling waters, bringing drinks and making sure we got all of the components of our meal in a timely manner. Regrets? Wish I had tried the Nantucket Pie, which three of my dining companions RAVED about. Also would have loved to try a cocktail, since others loved theirs. And I was just a hop, skip and jump from my hotel, so I could've walked if I had to! (Take note, Fairfield Inn of Concord guests!) Would recommend this place highly to anyone in or near the area. It's a true gem. read more