FOOD & DRINK

Bowling Alley Dive Bar

Who doesn’t love a good dive bar? Throw candlepin bowling into the mix and now we’re talking. Rumors Sports Bar & Bowling in Newmarket delights in the sort of local grime that can’t be bought — you’ve got to earn that kind of character. Cheap pitchers of beer, old-school candlepin bowling (seriously, the bowling alley is straight from the ’80s, without any screens or digitization) and karaoke several nights a week, Rumors is a throwback to simpler times. Let your guard down and go have fun with the locals. instagram.com/rumorsnh

Bagels and Breakfast Sandwiches

Cheap Eats Bodega

While New Hampshire doesn’t exactly have “bodegas” the way a big city might, Katz’s Deli and Market in Dover is as close as you can get. Selling household goods like laundry detergent and ketchup, grilling up wonderfully greasy creations on their grill (with the cheapest egg sandwiches around and a solid selection of burgers, pizza and fried food) and featuring a great local beer selection, you can find just about anything you’d need in a pinch at Katz’s. katzdelis.com

The query of who makes the best breakfast sandwich in New Hampshire (or anywhere, really) is a hot topic. Everyone has their opinion — and we can only state ours: Bubby’s Bagel & Deli in Dover has our heart. Bubby’s runs out of the Dover Transportation Center, making for great grab-and-go if you’re hopping on the Amtrak or a bus. Inevitably, that leads to more Bubby’s trips when you’re not leaving town. Its bagels are New York style; its creative breakfast sandwich options are tasty and unexpected; its owner, Gregg Schweitzer, is charming and wry. Bubby’s first held court on the corner of Portsmouth’s Hanover and Bridge streets from 2015 to 2019 and is just starting to gain serious traction in Dover, having opened in April of 2020. If our opinion means anything, they’ve got the best breakfast sandwich in the Granite State. Don’t believe us? Stop by and see for yourself. bubbysdeli.com

BAKERY ★★★★★★★

OVERALL WINNER

Bearded Baking Co. Manchester beardedbaking.com

BAKERY ★★★★★★★

OVERALL WINNER

Multilocation Regional Frederick’s Pastries Amherst & Bedford pastry.net

BAKERY Concord Area The Crust & Crumb Baking Co. Concord thecrustandcrumb.com

BAKERY

Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee Region Blue Loon Bakery New London blueloonbakery.com

BAKERY

Great North Woods Region Polish Princess Bakery Lancaster polishprincessbakery.com

BAKERY Lakes Region Basic Ingredients Bristol basicingredientsnh.com

BAKERY Manchester Area Black Forest Café & Bakery Amherst theblackforestcafe.com

BAKERY Monadnock Region Eat More Cake Keene eatmorecake.org

BAKERY Nashua Area Buckley’s Bakery & Café Merrimack buckleysbakerycafe.com

BAKERY Salem Area Klemm’s Bakery Windham klemmsbakery.com

BAKERY Seacoast Region Harvey’s Bakery & Coffee Shop Dover harveysbakery.com

BAKERY White Mountains Region Leavitt’s Country Bakery Conway facebook.com/LeavittsBakery

BARBECUE

KC’s Rib Shack Manchester ribshack.net

BREAKFAST PLACE

OVERALL WINNER Polly’s Pancake Parlor Sugar Hill pollyspancakeparlor.com

BREAKFAST PLACE

OVERALL WINNER Multilocation Local Tucker’s tuckersnh.com

BREAKFAST PLACE Concord Area

The Windmill Restaurant Concord Facebook

BREAKFAST PLACE Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee Region Lou’s Restaurant & Bakery Hanover lousrestaurant.com

BREAKFAST PLACE

Great North Woods Region Full Send Bar and Grill Pittsburg fullsendbarandgrill.com

BREAKFAST PLACE

Lakes Region

The Farmer’s Kitchen Farmington farmerskitchen-nh.com

BREAKFAST PLACE Manchester Area The Purple Finch Café Bedford purplefinchcafe.com

BREAKFAST PLACE Manchester Area Multilocation Regional The Friendly Toast Bedford thefriendlytoast.com

BREAKFAST PLACE Monadnock Region

Parker’s Maple Barn Mason parkersmaplebarn.com

BREAKFAST PLACE

Nashua Area

Suzie’s Diner Hudson suziesdiner.com

BREAKFAST PLACE

Nashua Area Multilocation Local Red Arrow 24 Hr Diner Nashua redarrowdiner.com

BREAKFAST PLACE Salem Area

Maddie’s Salem maddiesnh.com