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We've compiled the best of the best in The White Mountains - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
In the Dexter family for generations, Polly's has been serving up pancakes and waffles (from its own original recipe, with several batter options available, including cornmeal and gingerbread) since the 1930s—the current space dates to 2015 but retains the original country charm. Try the smoked bacon and ham, eggs Benedict, sandwiches on homemade bread, delicious baked beans, and such tempting desserts as raspberry pie. Much of the food is made from grains ground on-site.
With a storybook setting in a converted 18th-century mill on the Ammonoosuc River, this craft brewpub offers tasty wood-fired pizzas, bratwurst sandwiches, house-baked soft pretzels, and other fare that pairs well with its distinctive European ales. The pie topped with prosciutto, pears, chèvre, mozzarella, and beer-caramelized onions is a favorite, best enjoyed with a farmhouse-style saison.
You certainly don't have to be a beer lover to appreciate this airy, modern brewpub that serves exceptionally good pub fare like fries topped with house-made curry aioli, roasted–sweet potato tacos, and farm-raised-beef burgers with bacon and barbecue sauce—the kind of sustenance that warms the soul after a day of White Mountains hiking. But Big Day does produce some of the region's best brews, including European-style classics like a golden Munich Dunkel and a citrusy Hefeweizen.
Drop by this hip downtown café with ample indoor and outdoor seating for a light bite, to relax with a book, or sip one of the well-crafted fair-trade coffee or organic loose-leaf tea drinks. Several kinds of toast with tasty toppings (ricotta and lemon honey; cheddar, ham, and egg) are available at breakfast, along with myriad scones, cookies, and gluten-free pastries. This spot in the up-and-coming Rail Trail District has plenty of space for hanging out and working.
A must for delicious sustenance and potent lattes before hitting the slopes or hiking along the Kancamagus Highway, this homey café offers ample indoor seating in exposed-brick-wall nooks or outside on the sidewalk. Popular items include ham and cheddar sandwiches with maple mustard, avocado-egg breakfast sandwiches, and matcha green tea smoothies.
The green-thumb-savvy proprietors of the popular and adjacent Local Grocer natural foods market operate this hip farm-to-table café. In this sleek, solar-powered establishment you can feast on fresh baked goods, organic-egg dishes, leafy salads, healthy sandwiches, and smoothies and espresso drinks.
This friendly, laid-back Asian restaurant—one of two notable Thai eateries in this small town—excels with just about everything it offers, from creative sushi rolls and sashimi (try the salmon topped with house-made truffle sauce) to well-seasoned (or fiery hot, on request) curries to boba teas. House specialties include the sweet-and-tangy shrimp pineapple curry, ginger stir-fried salmon, and basil crispy duck.
This big and festive brewpub inside a late-1800s train station is decorated with old maps, historic photographs, and other fun curiosities. The kitchen turns out reliably good pub fare—pizza, burgers, steaks, seafood—and filling breakfasts, and the brewery produces nearly 20 different varieties of exceptionally good beers. Overnight accommodations are available in the on-site inn.
