New eats

bluAqua Restrobar Photo by Matt Ingersoll

Food First-Years

Despite unprecedented restrictions for restaurants over the past year, New Hampshire welcomed all kinds of new spots to dine in or to grab takeout. Here are 10 of the best new local eateries.

1. BLUAQUA RESTROBAR

930 Elm St., Manchester, 836-3970, bluaquarestrobar.com A “restrobar,” according to bluAqua owner Scott Forrester, is a downtown gastropub offering quality food and cocktails with a “lil’” Southern flair. The Lubbock, Texas, native opened this eatery in the former space of the Ted Herbert Music School in downtown Manchester in January 2020, offering Southern-inspired items like chicken and andouille gumbo, tuna tartare and shrimp and grits, in addition to burgers, sandwiches, tacos and more. Previously, Forrester ran bluAqua Restaurant & Bar, which was in Amherst’s Salzburg Square until 2015.

2. WHITE BIRCH EATERY

571 Mast Road, Goffstown, 836-6849, whitebircheatery.com Following a brief renovation period, Cyndee Williams of Merrimack opened White Birch Eatery, her first restaurant as owner, on March 9, 2020. Seven days later, all restaurants and bars in New Hampshire were ordered to operate via takeout, delivery or drive-thru only, and White Birch Eatery had to shut down until early July 2020. But ever since then, the restaurant has been going strong, amassing a following for its breakfast and lunch items made with fresh, local ingredients, as well as an entire menu of options appealing to vegan and vegetarian diners. Try the Southwest bowl, which features seasoned quinoa, greens, tomato, red onion, black beans, avocado and a spicy ranch dressing. White Birch Eatery also offers catering for small gatherings out of an adjoining 40-seat banquet facility.

3. TOMAHAWK BUTCHERY & TAVERN

454 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 365-4960, tomahawktavern.com The deli and butcher shop side of this eatery opened in February 2020, followed by the tavern side in early July. Husband and wife S.J. and Joanne Torres have owned several bars and restaurants in New Hampshire and other New England states over the last few decades and are also partners in Howl at the Moon in Boston and Foxborough, Mass. Tomahawk Butchery & Tavern is a spot known for its steak tips and bone-in rib-eye steaks, as well as its burgers, sandwiches and selection of Boar’s Head deli products.

4. COL’S KITCHEN

55 S. Main St., Concord, 227-6778, colsplantbased.com Less than two months after Bow native Jordan Reynolds found out that Willow’s Plant-Based Eatery in Concord was closing permanently, he and former Willow’s staff member Rob Ray opened a new plant-based concept in mid-August 2020. Col’s Kitchen, named after Reynolds’ nine-year-old pit bull, offers what he calls an “eclectic, all-American” approach to vegan foods, featuring a well-rounded menu of plant-based options, from appetizers and salads to entree-sized meals, brunch items and desserts like pies, macarons and “pie shakes.” The eatery also makes a variety of its own vegan sauces, which Reynolds is working to soon bottle and sell.

5. DIZ’S CAFE

860 Elm St., Manchester, 606-2532, dizscafe.com Longtime chef and Manchester native Gary “Diz” Window opened Diz’s Cafe, his first restaurant as owner, in late May 2020. Diz’s Cafe offers scratch-made comfort foods and home-cooked meals, including customizable “build-your-own” menus of at least one protein and up to three fresh sides. Initially, the eatery opened with a takeout-only model, handing orders out of its front windows directly overlooking Elm Street. When indoor dining resumed in mid-June, Diz’s Cafe was able to welcome customers inside for the first time.

6. BISTRO 603

345 Amherst St., Nashua, 722-6362, bistro603nashua.com Bistro 603, which opened in mid-August 2020, offers all types of appetizers, entrees and weekend brunch items out of a scratch kitchen. Owner Jeff Abellard and chef Jason Duffy are part of a close-knit restaurant team that has also run Bistro 781 on Moody Street in downtown Waltham, Mass., since 2015. Bistro 603 is nearly double the size of its Massachusetts counterpart, with bar seating, table dining, an outdoor patio and space for two private rooms. The menu, while similar to that of Bistro 781, remains diverse, ranging from small shareable plates to larger meals with optional wine pairings, as well as specialty weekly features.

7. SECOND BROOK BAR & GRILL

1100 Hooksett Road, Unit 111, Hooksett, 935-7456, secondbrook.com For Jeanne Foote, who grew up in the North End of Manchester, opening Second Brook Bar & Grill just over the town line in Hooksett in September 2020 was a homecoming of sorts. The eatery is named after the nearby brook by the railroad tracks where she and her friends hung out in high school. Foote spent more than a decade working at local restaurants like The Puritan Backroom and Billy’s Sports Bar before going to Durham to open Bella’s Casual Dining, which operated from 2012 to 2019. Menu items at Second Brook include appetizers, soups and salads, burgers, sandwiches and plated entrees, and they continuously evolve.

8. T-BONES GREAT AMERICAN EATERY

404 S. Main St., Concord, 715-1999, t-bones.com After delaying its initially scheduled May 2020 opening, Great New Hampshire Restaurants opened its newest T-Bones location in Concord in mid-September 2020. Its sixth overall, this is the largest T-Bones location yet, with an occupancy of 307 people, including more than 250 seats in the dining room and bar, a private dining room and an outdoor dining terrace. The eatery has many of the same options the other T-Bones locations are known for, like burgers, salads, steaks, appetizers and mixed cocktails.

9. B’S TACOS

372 Kelley St., Manchester, 622-8200, nhtacotruck.com This Londonderry-based food truck opened its first year-round brick and mortar location on Manchester’s West Side in January 2021. Ken Spilman, who has operated B’s Tacos since 2013, said he will also continue to operate the truck seasonally at the BP Gas Station (2 Mohawk Drive, Londonderry). Throughout its nearly decade-long run, B’s Tacos has amassed a following for its fresh Tex-Mex options with locally sourced ingredients.

10. STONES SOCIAL

449 Amherst St., Nashua, 943-7445, stonessocial.com Inspired by the supper club, or the concept of serving creative comfort foods and cocktails in a small and intimate setting, Stones Social opened in Nashua in late June 2020. The eatery is the latest venture of Stones Hospitality Group, which also owns two restaurants in Massachusetts — Cobblestones of Lowell, which has been serving elevated tavern fare since 1994, and Moonstones, a restaurant featuring global small plates that opened in Chelmsford in the late 2000s. The menu at Stones Social includes lighter bar snacks like Buffalo tenders and Chinese short ribs, as well as burgers, wood-fired skillets, poke bowls and a wide array of house cocktails. Other options include “Throwback Thursday” wood-fired pizza specials and “Social Sunday” specials featuring smoked meats, brunch options and family-style meals.