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You will recall that we recommend staying at Stonehurst Manor or one of the other lodges which include breakfast and dinner with your room. However, if you prefer to stay at a motel and eat out every day, we list here the top North Conway restaurants. There are five nationality restaurants here: Indian, Mexican, Italian, Thai and Irish. The others serve traditional down home New Hampshire cuisine. Remember New Hampshire does have a seacoast and while only 18 miles long it includes the Isles Of Shoals and some of the richest fishing waters in the world. So Cod, Haddock, Lobster, Chowder, Salmon and other items are served at almost every restaurant.

Shalimar's VitoMarcello's TasteOfThai FiestaJalisco StonehurstManor MaryKelly'sCottage Ledges Tuckerman's

Shalimar's is North Conway's Indian restaurant. Most Indian conneisseurs believe this is the finest Indian cuisine of the six Indian restaurants in New Hampshire. It features northern Indian cooking. Shalimar's takes special pride in its Lamb Vindaloo, but it features several Tandoori dishes, Biryanis, Dhal soups, Chicken Tikki Masala, a page of vegetarian specialties, fresh seafood entrees, and the usual array of Curry dishes. There are the usual Indian desserts and mango lassi smoothies.

The Kitchen can accommodate your heat preferences from mild to scorching. We recommend advance Reservations during Fall Foliage season. But during the rest of the year you can visit Shalimar's for lunch or dinner seven days a week. The restaurant takes great pride in using only fresh and healthy ingredients. Seating is either out on this deck (see photo, at right) or inside in the very spacious dining room.

As the name reveals, Vito Marcello's is North Conway's Italian restaurant. Among locals and frequent visitors to the area, it has become widely known for its Ravioli, Lasagna, Sausage Penne Pasta, Meatballs (very large), Seafood Pasta, and the three Parmesans : Veal, Chicken and Eggplant. The Cannoli Cake is probably their best Dessert. The Soups, Salads and Wine List are very good.

Reservations are advised any time but are mandatory in Fall Foliage Season. Service has taken a hit since COVID. None of the local restaurants seem able to fill their staff positions since the Pandemic, and neither has Marcello's. Therefore, expect service to be a bit slow due to serious under staffing. Just enjoy a nice glass of wine and be patient. The food's worth waiting for.

North Conway has three Thai restaurants but the consensus of locals and frequent visitors is that Taste of Thai is the best. It closed for a while but has reopened at a new location with a new menu and apparently new owners and a new chef. Most people think it's better than ever. Any Thai restaurant is going to be evaluated first by its rendition of Pad Thai, and Taste of Thai's rendition is very, very good. Also outstanding are the Red Curry With Beef, Param Long Song (chicken stir fried in peanut sauce with broccoli), Chicken Satay (grilled chicken skewers in peanut sauce), Ginger Salmon, Fish Cakes, and Spring Rolls.

Since peanut sauce is integral to Thai cooking, any Thai restaurant will depend heavily on its version of this classic. Taste of Thai's peanut sauce is very, very good, although a bit different than most. They also have a unique Hot Basil Sauce. Their Tom Yum (Hot & Sour) Soup is excellent. We're not as fond of the Tom Kha (Coconut Chicken) Soup but many of our friends, who eat Thai more than we do, like it. There are six Salads here, all of which are good.

Taste of Thai has chosen Hot Basil as its Signature Dish. It's a traditional Thai entree with chili, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, scallions, paprika, carrots, bamboo shoots, baby corn and a special homemade sauce all wrapped in basil leaves. This has the potential of being delicious but if you order it, you and the waiter have to have a little talk. That sauce is as hot as anything you've ever eaten this side of Ghost Peppers. Unless you have an appetite and tolerance for Scoville ratings in the neighborhood of 300,000, you should have him tell the kitchen to hold that sauce.

Fiesta Jalisco is North Conway's Mexican restaurant. In many ways, it's a very typical American Mexican outlet. The food is customized to American tastes so is not quite what you would find in a Mexican village, and hard core Mexican conneisseurs might call it underseasoned. For one thing, unlike too many restaurants these days, the food is not oversalted. However, it's still very good, with generous portions at reasonable cost. The dining room is a bit noisy, so don't come here for a romantic evening or a business conversation. The Salsa and Guacamole are made on site and very good. Their Quesadillas, Fish Tacos, Carne Asada, Fajitas and Flautas are particularly worth the stop. The very best entree here is the Molcajete. This is a stew heated and served in a volcanic bowl so it stays hot while you eat it. The stew contains steak, chicken, shrimp, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and pineapple, topped with Monterrey Jack cheese and special red sauce. A Molcajete is a rural Mexican version of a Dutch Oven. Only about 10% of all Mexican resturants offer this. If you're into Margueritas, Fiesta Jalisco's are very good

Even if you don't stay at Stonehurst Manor, you should still eat at their Wild Rose, one of New Hampshire's truly great restaurants. Caesar and Garden Salads are both very good. You can order a large version of either as an entree.  Diners can choose two Appetizers as an entree. Crab Cakes and BBQ Riblets or Scallops works very well. Add a Soup or Salad and you have a fine meal.  Their Soups are outstanding. Lobster Bisque and Clam Chowder are particularly good. Clam Chowder is a rich, creamy version with clams, celery, onions, bacon, thyme and potatoes. Lobster Bisque is also thick and creamy with plenty of Lobster. Four Onion Soup contains Spanish onions, red onions, green onions, shallots, Sherry, Swiss and Provolone.  The Soup of the day is often Tomato Basil, but sometimes they offer Seafood Chowder. Among Entrees, their Stuffed Cod, Salmon, Grilled Sword Fish, Bouillabaise, Oven Roasted Chicken Breast and Lobster Ravioli are award winners. The Wild Rose Medley contains shrimp, scallops, lobster and crab meat in a garlic basil cream sauce with tomato fettucini. Their Lamb, New York Strip Steak, Pit Smoked Prime Rib and Beef Tenderloin are also outstanding. 

Even if you were staying at the Stonehurst or Bernhof or one of the other lodges serving dinner, if you wanted to eat just one meal out during your stay, this should be the one. Mary Kelly's Cottage is a magical sort of Irish Pub and restaurant with live music and an ambience steeped in nostalgia. If you only come here once you must order the Shepherd's Pie, for this might be the best version of that entree in America. It is absolutely memorable. But so is Mary's Turkey Dinner, Fish & Chips, Curry Chicken, Pot Pie, Stew, Meat Loaf and Liver & Onions. If you're not quite up for a big meal, there are award winning Reuben and Corn Beef and Pastrami Sandwiches. With food this good, they have the right to try a few experiments. So they have the Gaelic Pizza, which features mashed potatoes. It's bizarre but delicious. The vibe here is from Kilkenny and when you're inside you do feel like you've somehow wandered into a real Irish Pub in Kilkenny. The drinks include Guiness Stout, Harp Irish Lager, Magners Hard Irish Cider, Irish Red Ale, Irish Cream Ale, Irish Kiss, Merry Irishman and Irish Coffee. If you're not Irish when you get here, you will be by the time you leave.
Ledges is the restaurant in the White Mountain Hotel, yet another lodge in the North Conway area that packages rooms and meals together. Ir's almost worth dinner at The Ledges just for the sunset views of the mountains. But the food's good, too. The Ledges is recognized by locals and frequent visitors for its Pistachio & Cranberry Salad, its French Onion Soup, Its Various Soups of the Day, Haddock Sandwich, Lobster Mac n' Cheese, Broiled Haddock, Crab Cakes and Scottish Herb Salmon. It is absolutely essential to make reservations because people drive here from several hours away to dine while enjoying the views. The Ledges also serves Breakfast but only to hotel guests.

Tuckerman's Ravine is located just a few miles north of North Conway on the right. Don't let the small modest exterior deceive you. This is a very good restaurant. The menu begins with Skillet Corn Bread and Wings and proceeds to a delicious Chicken Corn Chowder that is one of the best Soups in the valley. There's also a Clam Chowder, Soup of the Day, and French Onion Soup (why is this so popular in New Hampshire? We can't find one restaurant that doesn't serve it). A Caesar and Cobb Salad complete the preliminaries. The Pizza page offers two unique items : a Crab Rangoon Pizza and a Pulled Pork Pizza. A Burger page lists 10. But it's in its entrees that Tuckerman's really shines. There's a Shaker Cranberry Pot Roast, Mountain Man Meatloaf, Shepherd's Pie, Chicken Marsala, Roast Haddock, New Hampshire Mac n Cheese, New Zealand Lamb, Wasabi Salmon, St. Louis Ribs, Short Rib Mushroom Marsala, Bison Ribeye and several steaks and chops. Tuckerman's offers a complete Wine, Beer and Cocktail menu. Service is outstanding. But it has a loyal following, so go early. It fills up every night.
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