4 Best Restaurants in Manchester, The Monadnocks and Merrimack Valley

Mod lighting and furnishings lend this restaurant inside an old Amoskeag Mills building a swanky atmosphere, although on warm days you may want to have a seat on the patio, set in an arbor. The farm-to-table-inspired comfort food changes regularly but has featured pan-seared crab cakes, grilled Atlantic salmon with sweet corn and gnocchi, and Delmonico steak with a choice of sauces. There's a very good cocktail list.

Set in a stunningly restored downtown theater with a huge adjacent outdoor patio, the Crown is a splendid venue for dining, but it's the natty bar—with noteworthy craft-cocktail list, exposed-brick walls, and tile floor—that's especially alluring. Specialties from the eclectic menu include the Nashville hot chicken sandwich, veal schnitzel with asparagus and lemon butter, and coffee-rubbed New York strip steak with frites.

One of New England's most celebrated diners, this bustling downtown greasy spoon has been catering to students, artists, and presidential candidates since 1922. This colorful restaurant, open around the clock, is a friendly place with fresh daily specials as well as such classics as kielbasa-and-cheese omelets and triple-bun Dinahmoe burgers.

Set on the ground floor of a vintage redbrick apartment building on the east side of downtown, this hip café and gathering spot excels both with drinks—everything from nitro cold brews to creative smoothies—and healthy, well-crafted food. At breakfast, consider the egg-cheddar-chive brioche sandwich, while tandoori bowls and rare-seared tuna sandwiches, along with craft cocktails and beers, are popular in the afternoon and for brunch.