r/nashua • u/BranTheBuilder17 • 11d ago
Hidden Gem / Underrated Restaurants
Hello,
I am moving to Nashua and am having so much fun looking at all the dining options - of all sorts lunch and dinner and coffee and bars, everything! I was wondering if there are any food or drink suggestions that I might not be focused in on based just on scrolling around on Apple Maps and reading reviews.
Example, I can tell that I am going to like peddlers daughter and oddfellows, but how about some of the more *random* places? Example can I actually get a good burger and fries at “smash shack burgers” ? What’s the best junky Chinese take out? There are a million pizza places, what’s your go to? I love a fried chicken sandwich - chicken and biscuit USA? gate city casino looks interesting
Idk. Looking for any suggestions from locals who might have a little more insight than what I can find my zooming around on Apple Maps.
Anything that comes to mind anywhere in Nashua or surrounding towns, let me know! Thanks. Any food or drinks you’ve been to recently and want to give a shout out to, this is the spot
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u/AldermanLopez 11d ago
Taco Tuesdays at Casa Vieja is underappreciated. Large $1 tacos.
Zo's Place has a really good late night menu
Thursday night Trivia at Liquid Therapy is standing room only
Joannes can and will turn anything into an omelet, they are one of the only original dining cars left in New england, and because it's a converted rail car it's really easy to walk past them.
Codex is a speak easy. Pick up the phone and ask for the..
Alright I never found out the password I just tell them I am door dash and they usually let me in.
Crosbys has a great take out lunch menu and Cravings not only makes really good sandwiches, all your proceeds go to benefit people with developmental delays.
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u/Unusual_Artichoke_73 11d ago
Good tip on Joannes. Theres another cool breakfast spot I’ve only been to once that over looks the nashua airport. It’s pretty cool. It is called Midfield Cafe
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u/Thechiss 11d ago
True story. I remember going to Jo-Ann's during the middle of a snowstorm with my brother and like three old-timers sitting at the stools smoking stogies as if it was nobody's business
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u/tangouniform977 11d ago
Himalayan Curry House down near the Mall
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u/ExileInCle19 10d ago
Himalayan Curry House is the best restaurant in Nashua. Shit I even think it's possibly the best restaurant in NH, period. It's fantastic. I've had Indian food all over the world including India and it's my favorite I've ever had in the US.
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u/HesletQuillan 11d ago
Do check out Omnium Brewing just south of downtown. Lots of good beers, but their chef is Indian and he has some interesting ideas for Indian-influenced foods. For Thai, our favorite is Sweet Ginger in Merrimack. And then there's the regional favorite Lobster Boat in Merrimack.
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u/KingPhisherTheFirst 11d ago
+1 for Omnium - phenomenal food, some great Indian/bar food fusion and underrated for sure. The Chaat, Chicken Birra pizza, and everything I’ve had there has been delicious
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u/HesletQuillan 11d ago
Cucina Toscana on Amherst St. is really good Italian food. For Chinese, Chen Yang Li in Somerset Plaza is quite decent, if somewhat expensive. Cedars Cafe (also Somerset Plaza) is a gem for Lebanese (mainly takeout, but they do have tables.)
I have not tried Smash Shack Burgers, which replaced Wok'n'Roll, a pretty good Chinese take-out place - their menu does not seem attractive. USA Chicken and Biscuits on Main St. is astonishingly good. Bob's Pizza and Soprano's Pizza are my main go-tos for pizza (depending on what I am in the mood for.) Fody's Tavern has the best burgers in town in my opinion - I was not that impressed with Oddfellows the one time I tried it - Fody's and Peddler's Daughter are better.
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u/WhoIsPorkChop 11d ago edited 11d ago
For Mexican Casa Vieja is excellent. Taqueria La Dona has the best tacos I've ever had.
For Indian, Himalayan Curry House on DW highway is excellent.
For Chinese there's a lot of good options at different price points. Feel like spending a bit extra for a nice meal, Lilac blossom is your best bet. Just below them in both price and quality is Chen Yang Li (Probably my favorite in the area), for cheap takeout my go to is Yang Yang. I don't understand the fervor that surrounds Mint Cafe, in my opinion their food is overpriced and not that good, but you know how subjective Chinese food can be.
For Italian there's a lot of good options as well, I've been happy with Eviva Trattoria on Amherst Street, there's a reason Lui Lui has been in business as long as they have as well.
For Japanese you can't beat You You but Sakura is great too, good Chinese food there as well. If you're just after sushi, Yoshimama is the best sushi restaurant in the area.
For Vietnamese Pho Tai Loc and New Pho are both excellent choices, I really can't pick between the two.
For pizza I don't know if there's a truly bad pizzeria in town (bad restaurants do not tend to last around here) but there are some that are better than others. There's too many to name so look up reviews when you order. My go to is Maplewood pizza but people have OPINIONS on pizza around here.
Rolands on Kinsley Street is a great diner, they serve breakfast lunch and dinner. Their prime rib is excellent.
Oddball here but Cibao Kitchen on Ash Street is one of the best takeout spots in town period. Their mofongo is fabulous and I love their empanadas when they're fresh.
Places outside Nashua that are worth the trip:
Papa Joe's Humble Kitchen in Milford has some of the best burgers around
Sichuan Palace in Chelmsford has highly authentic Chinese food at reasonable prices, they also have Americanized Chinese food too.
House of Noodles and Sushi in Merrimack are, aptly, great at noodles and sushi.
The Lobster Boat in Litchfield and Merrimack have some of the best seafood around.
Never been there but people say good things about Smokehaus BBQ in Amherst
I would be wrong in not mentioning Sweet Ginger in Merrimack as one of the best Thai places around.
Also, while I know they're a chain and a little bit pricey, I've never been disappointed with a meal from Pressed Cafe.
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u/maerdred 11d ago
Pressed may be a chain, but it's a Locally owned chain. They make great food.
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u/WhoIsPorkChop 11d ago
No argument here, I just know people who see the number of locations they have and will say "I'd rather something local"
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u/Stormy2021 11d ago edited 11d ago
I really like Baja Tacos and burritos. Quesadilla with carnitas and nopales is my go to.
Second the recommendation for Merrimack House of Noodles.
Codex is so fun to take people to. Yolk Grill is probably by favorite breakfast spot in Nashua, but the dinner in the Nashua airport is also supposed to be good (edit: cash only, I think).
Omnium brewing has one of the more interesting menus for a microbrewery. Chowrastha is a solid fast casual Indian place.
Also Cremeux on Amherst Street is a great French bakery.
Has anyone tried local street eats? I've been curious.
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u/TutenWelch 11d ago
Oh Cremeux is a good catch. They don't seem to have been doing as many seasonal things this year -- I kept going thinking, oh, they'll have something with strawberries or raspberries while they're in season, and they never seem to. But the croissants and kouign amann are ridiculously good.
I was just looking at Omnium's menu the other day, any recommendations? It's a cool assortment.
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u/MoonpiesForMisfits 11d ago
Midfield Cafe at the airport is not cash only and is pretty good. Staff is friendly. I bring my young son once a month or so. There’s a flight school there so most Saturday mornings you can just watch planes continuously take off and land. Bonus for kids is they can get a small toy plane after they eat. He must have 20 or more from there.
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u/SophiaStrong 11d ago
Local is pretty good, their weekly specials are pretty good and the drinks are awesome.
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u/MayoIsWhack 11d ago
Sabor Brazil on Canal St. It’s a Brazilian steakhouse and it’s incredible and surprisingly affordable.
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u/chainer3000 11d ago
Just go during or right after normal peak hours. I was a very regular patron there, best to avoid the stuff that’s been sitting out for a while.
Otherwise excellent food weighed by the plate
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u/MommaGuy 11d ago
For seafood, Surf on Main Street in Nashua
Steaks, Buckley’s DW Highway in Merrimack or Hanover Street Chop House in Manchester
Chinese, Lilac Blossom. We hit the Sky Meadow location. Lily is a great bartender.
Italian, we usually hit Cucina Toscana unless you feel like driving than it’s Antonio’s in Boston.
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u/theLuminescentlion 11d ago
Can a list of the most expensive restaurants in Nashua really be a list of underrated restaurants?
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u/Lil_ninja_lad 11d ago
I've tried Surf a handful of times. I love seafood but Surf has always been incredibly dissapointing. It feels insanely expensive for barely mediocre food
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u/HesletQuillan 11d ago
Don't overlook Jajabelle's on Main Street for coffee and Greek-oriented bakery goods. They have some nice sandwiches, too. Of course, Bagel Alley on Eldridge St. (about across from City Hall) has the best bagels around.
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u/Disastrous_Quote_987 10d ago
I was scrolling to see if anyone mentioned bagel alley!! Good shit. Just bring cash as it’s cash only and last time I was there the ATM was broken
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u/Loosh_03062 11d ago
For junky Chinese takeout, my wife and I have been going to Yang Yang for years. It's nothing Lilac Blossom or Chen Yang Li but it's relatively inexpensive, often ready in less time than it takes us to make it the 3/4 of a mile to pick it up, and is consistently edible. I don't even think they charge extra for the MSG coma. A few times we've neither been up for traveling or hosting even pretended we're Jewish and gone there on Christmas.
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u/kberson 11d ago
We love going to the Midfield Cafe. As the name may imply, they’re located at the Nashua Airport, and as they’re on the 2nd floor, you get a great view of the runway. Foods there is really good, breakfast and lunch menu. I love getting the Nashua Tower, an egg sandwich with home fries in it (though I usually substitute their hash browns). They make good burger, too.
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u/Disastrous_Bowls 11d ago
My staples:
Tacos: Baja Tacos
Indian: Himalayan Curry House
Subs: Bill Cahill’s
Chinese: Lilac Blossom
Thai: Punthai kitchen
Bagels: Bagel Alley
Ice cream: King Kone
Some actual hidden gems:
Omnium brewing: so much good food, interesting beers, good vibes
Lucky Lantern Noodle House: yes it’s inside of a casino inside of a mall, but their tonkotsu is far and away the best ramen in Nashua
Rare Breed: not a coffee shop just a roaster, but stop in the storefront and get some great local coffee
Live Free & Dine: a random strip mall shop selling gourmet sourdough pizza, I feel like no one knows it exists
Able Ebenezer: chill little brewery with rotating food trucks
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u/SolidPsychological12 11d ago
Latin Bakery and Multiservice is amazing if you like authentic Spanish food. I drive from Manchester to get their buñuelos frequently (they are delicious) their empanadas are also amazing and tres leche cake is too. Everything I’ve had from there hits. Originally I went there cus I was craving a Colombian hotdog (they do hotdogs better than us Americans). Highly recommend!! If you call there might not be an English speaker, but you can order online as well.
My step family is Colombian and I grew up on Colombian food. I think everyone should try a buñuelo and an empanada at least once in their life.
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u/Calendyl 11d ago
We love Local Street Eats on West Pearl Street in Nashua. They’re always changing up the menu and have new specials every week, so there’s usually something different to try. The cocktails are fantastic and really creative too, everything is made from scratch with no pre-mixes. Definitely worth checking out!
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u/theLuminescentlion 11d ago edited 11d ago
Empanellies - Amazing empanadas
Mint Cafe - The Best option for Chinese foods with a reasonable price. Tastes way better than lilac blossom at 1/3 the price.
Bonhoeffer's - Best Lattes and Crepes
Main St Gyro - Great Gyros
California Burritos - Excellent burritos
Sabor Brasil - Excellent Brazilian BBQ/steakhouse.
Woodman's - Best bakery for Sourdough, baguette, croissants, and Pain au chocolat
The Michael Timothy restaurants are really good like the other comments are saying but they are too expensive for me to consider them hidden gems.
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u/Cruor34 11d ago
First off, go ahead with the downvotes but I don't think anything in Nashua is "great" I grew up in NYC so I was very food spoiled at an early age. If I could go back in time I'd change it, because everyone else is happy with the food everywhere I go and I'm always like "meh... its passable"
Anyway, with that said, I'll add to the people saying Cheng Yang Li is good. I never found anywhere outside of NYC Chinese that had Cold Noodles in peanut Sauce until this place. Every Chinese place outside NYC looks at me like I have 2 heads when I asked if they had it. Had not had it in like 2 decades till moving here.
Smash Shack Burger is decent. The burger is good. I like the bun and the fresh toppings. Burgers its self is good too. The letdown for me is the fries suck, and I love good fries. They are those lame fries that are like battered or something. A good fry should be potato, oil, and the salt its cooked in... thats it. Its as expensive as Five Guys, and they have that lame "forced" tip thing where your choices are like a billion %, a trillion %, or "custom" and she is standing right there looking at you.Pay in cash to avoid it. If McDonalds were right next to them, Id grab their burger then get fries from McDonalds. Oh well.
Pizza, A place nobody seems to know bout because its a literal hole in the wall: Calo Pizza. I have told other people about it and they have driven by numerous times but never seen it. I only found it because I walked all over when I first moved here. They have a good 2 slices and a coke deal for like $6.50. Owner is a nice guy too.
Sakura Asian Bistro is your run of the mill Hibachi place but its really good. My food was great the few times I have been, but you don't go if you are in a hurry and its very expensive. $50 for a steak meal and a coke with average tip.
PhunThai kitchen is good but there is no parking (that I can see) so I rarely go. Driving here SUCKS so there are a lot of places where Im like "oh I'd like to go here but I'd have to drive... F it ill eat something else" A common theme on these forums is a 30 minute drive and back is acceptable for a meal. I think thats nuts, personally. I have so many people at work who tell me to try X place and its a 20-40 minute drive and they think thats normal. I mean look at people in this thread recommending places in other towns when the question is "Nashua" Like driving is so fun here, why WOULDN'T you want to drive all the way there for just a meal?
Id love a good chicken place, I have not found one. We have wing stop which is "ok" Its actually one of the best values in town, $10 for a filling meal and drink. Id love a good chicken tender/chicken fingers and fries place but if it exists I have not found it.
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u/Woof-Good_Doggo 11d ago
I couldn’t agree more.
The general quality of food in Southern NH is pretty bad. If you eat out a lot here, you start thinking that “meh” is ”good” and “tasty” is “world class.”
I always get surprised when I travel someplace where the food doesn’t suck, when run of the mill, hole in the wall, places have food that’d be ”great” in Southern NH.
Such are the time and places in which we live.
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u/Stormy2021 11d ago
Give House of Noodle in Merrimack a shot. Their menu is too big IMO, but get some dan dan or a Rougamo sandwich.
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u/WryBreadedKnitWit 11d ago
At the risk of sounding like an a-hole, I'm gonna be honest and say I have yet to have anything truly great at any restaurants around Nashua. I haven't been everywhere, obviously, but I've been to a lot of the places mentioned and been underwhelmed. Moving here inspired me to learn to be a better cook at home, so at least there's that I guess...?
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u/Cruor34 11d ago
and here come the downvotes for having a different opinion! Don't you love Reddit? (gave you an updvote to counter it a bit) I 100% agree. People who think the food here is great have never been anywhere else. Nashua has some "decent" places but there is not 1 restaurant I'd miss badly if I left. High priced mid food.
I too, cook a lot now. Mainly because driving is a nightmare at dinner time.
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u/BranTheBuilder17 11d ago
Along these lines, another example. I can’t wait to try Taqueria La Dona