http://www.hippopress.com/read-article/hippo-best-of-2017 The Fine Print Bests
Hippo’s readers’ poll results are tabulated from votes cast by readers during our online survey in February. Readers typed in their picks — no drop-down menus or pre-selected choices. As with all of the Hippo’s coverage, there is no connection between the editorial content and advertising. Winners come from the votes cast by Hippo readers and were not chosen by Hippo staff. The Best of 2017 is a celebration of all things local. Large chains were not included in the count. Smaller chains with at least two-thirds of their locations in New Hampshire are eligible, as are businesses with two locations, one of which is in New Hampshire. All results are final. The “Best of the Best” designation goes to the person, place or thing that receives the most votes in the category. “Best of Manchester,” “Best of Nashua” and “Best of Concord” are awarded to the top entries located in those areas after the “Best of the Best.” In categories that award “Best,” “Runner-Up” and “Honorable Mention,” those are the top three vote-getters in that category.
Geography
Here, roughly, is the designation of “Manchester,” “Concord” and “Nashua” areas:
• Manchester area includes Manchester, Goffstown, Auburn, Candia, Bedford, Hooksett, Raymond, Litchfield, Derry, Londonderry, Windham, Salem, New Boston, Francestown and towns to the east along Route 101 to include towns on Route 125.
• Concord area includes Concord as well as Bow, Pembroke, Contoocook, Dunbarton, Hopkinton, Loudon, Boscawen, Chichester, Weare, Henniker, Suncook and some towns in the Lakes Region.
• Nashua area includes Nashua as well as Merrimack, Amherst, Milford, Hollis, Brookline, Hudson, Mason and Wilton.
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Derryfield Country Club
Nightlife
Best Bar For Live Music
Best of the Best: The Shaskeen, 909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246, theshaskeenpub.com
Best of Concord: True Brew Barista, 3 Bicentennial Square, Concord, 225-2776, truebrewbarista.com (It also has a location inside Concord’s Gibson’s Bookstore at 45 S. Main St.)
Best of Manchester: Strange Brew Tavern, 88 Market St., Manchester, 666-4292, strangebrewtavern.net
Best of Nashua: Riverwalk Cafe & Music Bar, 35 Railroad Square, Nashua, 578-0200, riverwalknashua.com
Best of the Best: The Derryfield Restaurant, 625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880, thederryfield.com (The deck opens when the adjacent golf course is open — typically in April, when the ground is dry.)
Best of Concord: Downtown Cheers Grille & Bar, 17 Depot St., Concord, 228-0180, cheersnh.com (It opens when the weather warms up.)
Best of Manchester: Murphy’s Taproom, 494 Elm St., Manchester, 644-3535, murphystaproom.com (The deck opens when the weather is consistently warm.)
Best of Nashua: The Pasta Loft, 241 Union Square, Milford, 672-2270, pastaloft.com (Its deck will open once the snow has melted. Pasta Loft also has another location in Hampstead at 220 E. Main St.)
Best of the Best: Billy’s Sports Bar and Grill, 34 Tarrytown Road, Manchester, 622-3644, billyssportsbar.com
Best of Concord: The Draft Sports Bar and Grill, 67 S. Main St., Concord, 227-1175, draftsportsbar.com
Best of Manchester: Thirsty Moose Taphouse, 795 Elm St., Manchester, 792-2337 (Thirsty Moose Taphouse also has locations in Portsmouth at 21 Congress St. and Dover at 83 Washington St.)
Best of Nashua: Tilted Kilt Pub, 345 Amherst St., Nashua, 204-5531, tiltedkilt.com
Best of the Best: Monday nights at The Shaskeen, 909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246, theshaskeenpub.com (Trivia starts at 7:30 p.m., with a maximum of six to a team.)
Best of Concord: Tuesday nights at Area 23, 254 N. State St., Concord, 552-0137, thearea23.com (Trivia starts at 7 p.m., no team size limit.)
Best of Manchester: Wednesday nights at The Farm Bar & Grille, 1181 Elm St., Manchester 641-3276, farmbargrille.com (Trivia starts at 8:30 p.m., with a maximum of six people per team.)
Best of Nashua: Tuesday nights at The Peddler’s Daughter, 48 Main St., Nashua, 821-7535, thepeddlersdaughter.com (Trivia starts at 8:30 p.m.; there’s no team size limit, and you can sign up the night of.)
Best of the Best: Yee Dynasty Chinese Restaurant, 830 S. Willow St., Manchester, 625-5500, yeedynasty.com (Karaoke is seven nights a week from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.; sign up is at the door.)
Best of Concord: Beijing & Tokyo, 61 S. Main St., Concord, 228-0888, beijingtokyoconcordnh.com (Karaoke is Friday and Saturday night at 9 p.m.)
Best of Manchester: McGarvey’s Saloon, 1097 Elm St., Manchester, 627-2721, mcgarveysnh.com (Karaoke is every day except Monday night at 9:30 p.m.)
Best of Nashua: Grand Buffet, 350 Amherst St., Nashua, 881-9799, 350grandbuffet.com (Karoake is Friday and Saturday from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.)
Best of the Best: 815 Cocktails and Provisions, 815 Elm St., Manchester, 782-8086, ivotewet.com
Best of Concord: Angelina’s Ristorante Italiano, 11 Depot St., Concord, 228-3313, angelinasrestaurant.com
Best of Manchester: Mint Bistro, 1105 Elm St., Manchester, 625-6468, mintbistronh.com
Best of Nashua: Stella Blu, 70 E. Pearl St., Nashua, 578-5557, stellablu-nh.com
Best Local Hiking Trail
Best of the Best: Mine Falls Park, Whipple Street, Nashua, 589-3400, ext. 5005, nashuanh.gov. A 325-acre park that includes about eight miles of walking trails in the forest, as well as wetlands and open fields, in the heart of the Gate City, near the Nashua River.
Best of Concord: Marjory Swope Park, Long Pond Road, Concord, 225-8515, concordnh.gov. A two-mile loop near Penacook Lake.
Best of Manchester: Lake Massabesic, Route 101, Exit 2, Bypass 28, Manchester, 624-6444, manchesternh.gov. Several marked trails that range in length from a half mile to more than three miles.
Best of Nashua: Beaver Brook, 117 Ridge Road, Hollis, 465-7787, beaverbrook.org. Features 35 miles of trails along more than 2,000 acres of forest, wetlands and fields.
Best of the Best: White Park, 1 White St., Concord, 225-8690, concordnh.gov. A 20-acre park with features that include White Park Pond, an ice skating rink during the winter months, and the Monkey Around Playground, the largest playground in the Capital City.
Best of Concord: Rollins Park, 116 Broadway St., Concord, 225-8690, concordnh.gov (parking is at 33 Bow St., Concord). Features walking trails, a full-sized playground, baseball, softball and field hockey fields, and the city’s largest public pool, open during the summer months.
Best of Manchester: Livingston Park, Hooksett Road, Manchester, 624-4444, manchesternh.gov. The park features a baseball diamond, a soccer field, walking paths, a running track and two playgrounds. A recently constructed swimming pool is also available during the summer months.
Best of Nashua: Benson Park, 19 Kimball Hill Road, Hudson, 880-1600, hudsonnh.gov. Features more than 150 acres of land and includes ponds, walking trails in the woods, a playground and a dog park.
Best: Bear Brook State Park, 61 Deerfield Road, Allenstown, 485-9869, nhstateparks.org. The largest developed state park in New Hampshire, with more than 10,000 acres of land and 40 miles of trails.
Runner-up: Pawtuckaway State Park, 128 Mountain Road, Nottingham, 895-3031, nhstateparks.org. Features more than 5,000 acres of land and hiking trails.
Honorable Mention: Wellington State Park, 614 West Shore Road, Bristol, 744-2197, nhstateparks.org. Features volleyball and horseshoe courts, and a peninsula nature trail with picnic areas, fishing areas and more.
Best of the Best: Derryfield Country Club, 625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 669-0235, derryfieldgolf.com. A popular hill for sledding next to the golf course.
Best of Concord: White Park, 1 White St., Concord, 225-8690, concordnh.gov. A sledding hill is located within the park.
Best of Manchester: Mack’s Apples, 230 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 434-7619, macksapples.com. Multiple hills around the property are available for sledding.
Best of Nashua: Roby Park, Spit Brook Road, Nashua, 589-3370, nashuanh.gov. A large hill behind the park is often used for sledding.
Best: Pats Peak Ski Area, 686 Flanders Road, Henniker, 428-3245, patspeak.com. Features 28 trails and slopes, 11 chair lifts, and one of the highest capacity computer-controlled snowmaking systems in the Northeast.
Runner-up: McIntyre Ski Area, 50 Chalet Court, Manchester, 622-6159, mcintyreskiarea.com. Features 200 vertical feet of terrain, nine skiing trails and an eight-lane snow tubing park.
Honorable Mention: Crotched Mountain, 615 Francestown Road, Bennington, 588-3668, crotchedmountain.com. Features 100 acres of skiing terrain, with 25 trails and three terrain parks.
Best: Derryfield Country Club, 625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 669-0235, derryfieldgolf.com. Derryfield is a public golf course. Rates are $43 for 18 holes everyday and $27 for 9 holes. Additional fees apply for golf carts.
Runner-up: Beaver Meadow Golf Course, 1 Beaver Meadow Drive, Concord, 228-8954, beavermeadowgolfcourse.com. Beaver Meadow is open to the public and offers walk-in rates and seasonal memberships. 2017 rate information TBA.
Honorable Mention: Manchester Country Club, 180 S. River Road, Bedford, 624-4096, manchestercountryclub.com. Manchester Country Club is open to the public but requires memberships to use the facilities. A variety of memberships are available that include access to golf courses and events, player development and indoor simulator and more.
Best: Lull Farm, 65 Broad St., Hollis, 465-7079, livefreeandfarm.com, grows a variety of fruits and vegetables, like apples, kiwi, potatoes, carrots, zucchini and more.
Runner-up: Sunnycrest Farm, 59 High Range Road, Londonderry, 432-7753, sunnycrestfarmnh.com, has pick-your-own apples, strawberries, blueberries and cherries, as well as a farmers market with fruits, vegetables, milk, honey, syrup and more.
Honorable Mention: J&F Farms, 108 Chester Road, Derry, 437-0535, jandffarms.com, produces fruits, vegetables, beef, eggs and more.
Best Bartender
Best of the Best: Jack Wholey, Republic, 1069 Elm St., Manchester, 666-3723, republiccafe.com
Best of Concord: Jonathan Emmons, The Barley House Restaurant & Tavern, 132 N. Main St., Concord, 228-6363, thebarleyhouse.com
Best of Manchester: Patrick Graham, Romano’s Pizza, 27 Colby Road, Litchfield, 424-0500, romanosnh.com
Best of Nashua: Michael Day, Giorgio’s Ristorante & Bar, 707 Milford Road, Merrimack, 883-7333, giorgios.com
Best of the Best: Bobby Marcotte, The Tuckaway Tavern & Butchery, 58 Route 27, Raymond, 244-2431, thetuckaway.com
Best of Concord: Corey Fletcher, Revival Kitchen & Bar, 11 Depot St., Concord, 715-5723, revivalkitchennh.com
Best of Manchester: Edward Aloise, Republic, 1069 Elm St., Manchester, 666-3723, republiccafe.com
Best of Nashua: Kimmy Lavoie, Bar One, 40 Nashua St., Milford, 249-5327, find them on Facebook at facebook.com/baronenh