Places to Eat in Manchester, New Hampshire

1. Cotton

Best known for its inventive cocktails, Cotton is a popular spot for fine dining and romance. Situated in Manchester's Historic Millyard District, the restaurant is helmed by award-winning chef/owner and author Jeffrey Paige, who is famous for creating exceptional cuisine prepared with local ingredients and artfully presented. The charming neighborhood eatery has a casual, inviting atmosphere and serves sophisticated and eclectic comfort food like Grilled Delmonico Steak, Creole Jambalaya, Pistachio Crusted Salmon, and Butternut Squash Ravioli. The cuisine is accompanied by an extensive wine list featuring over 40 wines by the glass, as well as innovative cocktails, top-shelf spirits and fine wines from around the globe. Cotton is open for lunch and dinner, Monday through Friday and dinner only on the weekends.

Cotton, 75 Arms St, Manchester, NH 03101, Phone: 603-622-5488

2. Firefly American Bistro

Firefly American Bistro & Bar is a contemporary American bistro situated in the heart of Manchester's downtown district that serves classic American fare in a warm, inviting atmosphere. The restaurant features a welcoming dining room with exposed brick walls, a lively full-service bar that serves a variety of libations from global wines to creative cocktails, and an elegant lounge with a relaxed ambiance that is ideal for post-work drinks or a pre-dinner cocktail. Created and presented by Chef David Becker, the seasonal menu celebrates American cuisine with inventive dishes prepared using only the freshest locally sourced ingredients and regional produce and bursting with flavors from around the world.

Firefly American Bistro, 22 Concord St, Manchester, NH 03101, Phone: 603-935-9740

3. The Foundry Restaurant

Located in the historic Manchester Mill-Yard on the banks of the Merrimack River, The Foundry Restaurant is a trendy, industrial-chic farm-to-table restaurant with gorgeous river views that serves contemporary cuisine, craft beers, and creative martinis. Modern Manchester meets the Industrial Revolution in this hip, urban space, which boasts stylish designer décor, cozy riverside booths, a sleek bar with comfortable bar stools, a casual lounge for relaxing with drinks and enjoying live music, private dining spaces. The farm-to-table menu features market-driven dishes of ocean-fresh seafood, fish and shellfish, naturally-raised and grass-fed beef, lamb and chicken, and organic and handpicked where possible salads, herbs, and vegetables. The cuisine is accompanied by an extensive wine list, innovative cocktails, top-shelf spirits and craft beers on tap and by the bottle, and the restaurant is open for dinner nightly and Sunday brunch.

The Foundry Restaurant, 50 Commercial St, Manchester, NH 03101, Phone: 603-836-1925

4. Fratellos Italian Grille - Manchester

Fratellos Italian Grille - Manchester is an unpretentious, family-friendly restaurant that serves delectable Italian cuisine and drinks in a warm and welcoming setting. Named after the Italian word for ‘brother,’ the restaurant boasts a charming, vibrant dining room, a Casual lounge with live music, and an outside deck for alfresco-style dining in the summer. Open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week, Fratello’s Italian Grille offers a variety of Italian dishes ranging from appetizers and fresh soups and salads, pasta dishes such as fettuccine alfredo and lasagna, specialty pizzas, which are available by the slice for lunch, and calzones, as well as hot and cold subs and sandwiches. Entrées include breaded chicken dishes like chicken scarpariello and chicken piccata, baked eggplant parmesan and delicious seafood fare such as deep-fried calamari and seafood risotto.

Fratellos Italian Grille - Manchester, 155 Dow St, Manchester, NH 03101, Phone: 603-624-2022

5. Piccola Italia, Manchester, NH

Piccola Italia is a welcoming, home-away-from-home Italian restaurant with a rustic, old-country vibe, muralled walls, and a lovely patio for outdoor summer dining. The homely, neighborhood trattoria boasts a Roman feel with mottled walls covered in murals, comfortable décor and soft lighting and serves a menu of traditional Italian fare cooked from old-country recipes with such as antipasti plates of bruschetta, meats and cheese, handmade pasta and wood-fired pizzas, ample helpings of gnocchi and house-made sausage, and entrées like lamb shank and risotto. A wine list offers easy-drinking wines to complement the food along with craft beers and colorful cocktails. Piccola Italia is open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Saturday.

Piccola Italia, 815 Elm St, Manchester, NH 03101, Phone: 603-606-5100

6. The Birch

The Birch is a warm, brick-lined eatery with quirky décor that serves small, sharable American tapas plates and inventive cocktails. Helmed by Executive Chef Nick Provencher and General Manager Joel Soucy, the charming bistro serves locally sourced, small creative dishes and globally-influenced tapas that push culinary boundaries like Seared Avocado with toasted pumpkin seeds and pomegranate, blistered shishito Peppers, tempura fried house-made pickles, and their famous French-Canadian poutine. Soft leather couches, hardwood tables, and long hardwood bar serve casual wines, craft beers on tap and by the bottle, and craft cocktails. The Birch is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday and lunch on the weekends. Map