4 Best Restaurants in The Seacoast, New Hampshire

Cure

$$$ Fodor's choice
As its name hints, this buzzy neighborhood bistro in a lively dining room with redbrick walls, beam ceilings, and hardwood floors specializes in cured, brined, and slow-cooked meats, which you can sample through beautifully presented charcuterie boards, smoked ribs, and slow-roasted Moroccan lamb shank. But take heart if you're less disposed toward red meat—you'll find plenty of creative seafood and veggie dishes on the menu, including gooey lobster mac and cheese.

Otis

$$$$ Fodor's choice

This romantic, urbane restaurant set inside the early-19th-century Inn by the Bandstand offers exceptional five-course tasting menus featuring farm-to-table fare that changes often to reflect what's in season. Typical offering include sea scallops with orange and fennel, and lamb with Brussels sprouts, shallots, and a sherry sauce, and everything is always plated beautifully. Lighter but still quite creative fare is served at the inn's other restaurant, Ambrose.

Stages at One Washington

$$$$ Fodor's choice

Offering stunning, reservation-only prix-fixe dinners featuring 8 to 10 small courses, this intimate open-kitchen space occupies the third floor of a converted redbrick mill building in Dover. The daily menu is based on what the talented culinary team here has sourced from farms and fishing boats—perhaps cured monkfish with green pea dashi and ramps, or lobster mushrooms with coffee, razor clams, and hazelnuts. Expect the unexpected.

Recommended Fodor's Video

The Wilder

$$$

Have a seat at the bar or at one of the banquette seats along the wall at this convivial, upscale gastropub with offbeat artwork and a diverse crowd. The kitchen serves up well-executed takes on comfort classics like Nashville-style hot chicken sandwiches with maple-cayenne sauce; poutine smothered in roasted-bone gravy and glazed pork belly; and braised beef short rib with mushroom-onion jam and crispy shallots.