10 Hidden Gem New Hampshire Restaurants Serving Serious Comfort Food

There are certain times of year in New Hampshire when a salad just isn't going to cut it.

The temperature drops. The sweatshirt comes out. Football is on. Suddenly I want something involving mashed potatoes, gravy, melted cheese or a piece of homemade pie that I absolutely did not need but will be ordering anyway.

That's comfort food.

10 hidden gem restaurants in New Hampshire where comfort food is the assignment.

Credit: Fat Dog Kitchen via Facebook

1. Fat Dog Kitchen — Dover - 99 Oak Street, Dover

We're starting close to home with a restaurant that doesn't even pretend it's serving health food.

Fat Dog Kitchen calls what it does "Funky Comfort Cuisine. Emphasis on comfort.”

Sold.

This isn't just eggs and toast, either. There's slow-roasted corned beef hash, sausage gravy and biscuits, pulled pork breakfast skillets and a fried chicken and cornbread-cheddar waffle with New Hampshire maple syrup or hot honey.

And then there's the Day After Thanksgiving sandwich: house-roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing, cranberry aioli and cranberry bread with turkey gravy for dipping.

That's not a sandwich. That's Thanksgiving wearing a disguise.

When the restaurant itself tells you the emphasis is on comfort, I'm pretty sure we're legally required to include it.

2. Geno's Chowder & Sandwich Shop — Portsmouth

177 Mechanic Street, Portsmouth

Downtown Portsmouth has no shortage of great restaurants, but wander down toward the South End and you'll find something that feels completely different.

Geno's has been family-owned and operated since 1965 and sits along the back channel of the Piscataqua River.

The menu is beautifully uncomplicated.

House-made chowders and stews. Local lobster rolls. Grilled cheese. Tuna melts. BLTs. Hamburgers. Hot dogs.

And homemade pies and desserts.

The chowders and stews are made in-house with a whole-milk-and-butter-based broth, and the lobster rolls use local lobster meat.

This is old-school New England comfort food in an old-school Portsmouth setting.

Chowder, lobster and homemade pie by the water? New Hampshire understood the assignment.

Credit: Mountainview Station Restaurant via Facebook

3. MountainView Station — Center Ossipee

79 Main Street, Center Ossipee

First of all, you're eating inside a converted historic train station.

That's already a pretty good start.

MountainView Station specializes in hearty American and New England comfort food, with things like chowder, seafood, burgers and other classic dishes.

It's exactly the kind of restaurant you want to discover after spending a cold fall afternoon driving through New Hampshire.

Eating comfort food inside an old New Hampshire train station feels almost aggressively New England.

4. Grandma's Kitchen — Whitefield

187 Lancaster Road, Whitefield

Come on.

It's called Grandma's Kitchen.

Do I really need to keep selling you?

This little North Country roadside restaurant is exactly what you'd hope to find with a name like that: breakfast, sandwiches and hearty home-style food without trying to turn dinner into a TED Talk.

And yes, breakfast all day is involved.

Nobody has ever named a restaurant "Grandma's Kitchen" because they're excited to serve you a kale bowl.

Credit: The Village Kitchen via Facebook

5. The Village Kitchen — Moultonborough

734 Whittier Highway, Moultonborough

This is one I'd put on the list if you're looking for that classic small-town New Hampshire restaurant experience.

Breakfast and lunch are a big part of the menu, along with New England favorites and seafood.

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Whole-belly clams. Fried scallops. Haddock.

Depending on when you visit and what's being offered, you may find yourself staring down a dinner that's going to require sweatpants afterward.

That's what we're looking for here.

If the waitress asks, "You want gravy with that?" there is only one correct answer.

6. George's Diner — Meredith

10 Plymouth Street, Meredith

Meredith gets packed with visitors, but George's has that classic family-diner feel that makes you want to slide into a booth and immediately ask what the pie is today.

Made-to-order breakfasts, lunch specials, seafood and homemade desserts make this exactly the kind of restaurant I think of when somebody says comfort food.

Nothing is being "deconstructed."

Put it on the plate and hand me a fork.

Homemade dessert at a diner is dangerous because now I'm ordering pie at 10:17 in the morning.

Credit: Rosie's Restaurant via Facebook

7. Rosie's Restaurant — Tamworth

1547 White Mountain Highway, Tamworth

Rosie's is exactly the kind of restaurant this list was made for.

Small-town. Cozy. Unpretentious.

Breakfast and lunch are the stars, with things like blueberry pancakes, hash, home fries and cinnamon rolls fitting nicely into our comfort-food mission.

This is the kind of place where you walk in hungry and leave wondering why you thought ordering a side was necessary.

Blueberry pancakes with a cinnamon roll on the side is technically two breakfasts, but I'm not here to judge you.

8. The Farmer's Kitchen — Farmington

444 Route 11, Farmington

If you've driven Route 11 toward the Lakes Region, there's a decent chance you've passed this place and maybe didn't think anything of it.

Next time, do yourself a favor... stop.

The Farmer's Kitchen has been serving fresh-made food since 2011 and describes its breakfast as a hearty, home-cooked meal served all day.

That's basically the entire point of this article.

Any breakfast restaurant opening at 5 a.m. understands both comfort food AND New Hampshire.

Credit: The Bbq Shak and Smokehouse via Facebook

9. The BBQ Shak & New Hampshire Smokehouse — New Hampton

599 Route 104, New Hampton

Okay, now we're getting messy.

This little roadside BBQ spot gives us a break from all the diner breakfasts and New England seafood.

We're talking smoked meat, BBQ, ribs, brisket, pulled pork and all the things that should come with an irresponsible number of napkins.

Because comfort food doesn't always need gravy.

Sometimes it needs smoke and BBQ sauce.

If I can eat barbecue without getting anything on my shirt, I don't trust the barbecue. #FACTS

10. Hebert's Restaurant — Portsmouth

1500 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth

I'm giving Portsmouth a second entry because Hebert's fits this list almost too well.

This isn't trendy downtown Portsmouth.

Hebert's is an old-school, family-owned restaurant that's been around since the 1990s and even has a 1950s-style diner room.

Breakfast is big here, but the real comfort-food credentials show up later in the day.

New England clam chowder. Fried seafood. Haddock. Burgers. Onion rings. Pasta.

And then there are the rotating dinner specials that can include things like turkey dinner, New England boiled dinner, roast beef and prime rib.

Portsmouth has plenty of restaurants where you can make a reservation and wear your nice pants. That's not why we're here.

New Hampshire's Best Comfort Food May Be Hiding in Plain Sight

That's what I love about restaurants like these.

I'm not necessarily looking for the place with thousands of online reviews or a six-week wait for a reservation.

Give me the little restaurant on Route 11. The old diner. The converted train station. The chowder shop tucked down by the water.

Those are the places you hear about because somebody at work tells you, "You HAVE to try this place!"

And I'm sure there are a bunch we've missed.

Actually, I'm counting on it.