Over the holidays, I was planning a family Christmas party that included an overnight at a hotel in North Conway, New Hampshire. I needed to find a fabulous restaurant for us all to enjoy an early dinner before going to the hotel for some family fun. This proved to be a little difficult as many restaurants in the area do not take reservations and with the group of 20 people that included various kids raging from infant to late teens I really wanted to make sure the restaurant could accommodate that large group. A few friends recommended Moat Mountain along with a couple of my nieces who had been there and really enjoyed it. I called them and spoke with their manager who was absolutely incredible. Although Moat Mountain also does not take reservations they were more than accommodating and said not to worry they would take good care of us!
Before I tell you about the food and service I want to make sure you know where to find Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery. They are at 3378 White mountain Highway (Rt. 16) in North Conway, NH. They also have a website, and are on Facebook and Twitter so be sure to give them a little love and maybe a Facebook “like”! Their menu is extensive along with the beer they brew so be sure to check out their website and look at their menu. They also have a small inn that is on the second floor of the restaurant! Only five rooms that are cozy, modern and with king size beds. If you are in the area shopping, skiing or other fabulous things that North Conway offers, this would be a great place to stay!
This picture is an old ski gondola that they have in front of the restaurant! When you first walk in they have some fun signs hanging up at the entrance. A very cool feature in the restaurant is just in front of the hostess stand in the waiting area. There is a clear piece of glass on the floor that allows you to look at the actual brewing area and people working there to give you some great tasting craft beer!
Ok, ready to hear about the food? I’m ready to tell you and you are going to love it! I’m going to start with what seemed to be the most popular and most loved dish a number of people in our group ordered, the ultimate slider combo. This dish was $20.99 and worth every penny! This dish came with three different kinds of sliders. You get two of each kind… the traditional beef slider, crab cake slider and BBQ pork slider with chipotle aioli. That’s not all, you also get a mound, yes mound of Cajun fries that are absolutely delicious! I did not order this dish but the reviews from family members said it was amazing. Adam (my niece Becky’s boyfriend) particularly enjoyed the crab cake slider and he was nice enough to share his fries with me. They were perfectly spiced and crisp when it comes to flavored fries and these fries are at the top of my list!
Another crazy popular dish with my family was the BBQ Burger for $11.99. This burger is cooked to your desired doneness and finished with cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and thinly sliced red onion and Austin BBQ sauce! Every burger that came to the table was juicy and cooked to perfection for each individual! The burgers also came with a choice of hand cut fries or spicy Cajun fries. Also served with a homemade sour dill pickle spear!
Up next I’m going to tell you what I ordered! I had a house salad ($7.99) with a grilled lemon oregano marinated chicken breast ($4.99). I had this with the house made blue cheese molasses peppercorn dressing. I should add all of the dressings they offer are house made! My salad was fresh and crisp, just as you would want but the chicken, oh the chicken, absolutely juicy and full of flavor. This is the best grilled chicken I have ever had. I shared a bite with Adam and he also agreed it was tender and delicious with lots of flavor!
The last dish I am going to share with you is the soft Bavarian pretzel they serve as an appetizer, the pretzel is served with beer cheese made with their own Matilda’s Red Rage Ale! ($8.99) I have to apologize for the picture! It was crazy getting pictures with so many people and dishes but I do want to be sure to share it as the pretzel and dip were gone in an instantl…absolutely perfect! The beer cheese sauce was rich, smooth and full of flavor.
There is still so much more I want to tell you so I’m going to give you a few more highlights. I should also mention they work with many local farms to source the freshest ingredients!
Ok, so a few more menu items I thought were definitely worth mentioning starting with the appetizer’s. How does New England style hush puppies sound? These are served with New Hampshire maple syrup. I will be trying those next time or maybe you want to be a bit healthier and have this house made flatbread and hummus, but Jim was liking the look of the pot stickers!
There are just so many great choices throughout this menu! Lots of nacho and quesadillas and wood fired pizza to choose from. A number of the pizzas caught my eye, the BLT pizza looked like something I would enjoy! This was a cheese and marinara pizza that is cooked and then topped with crisp romaine, bacon, tomato and mayo mixed together and put on top of the pizza after being baked! Some other pizzas include a spicy black bean pizza, a Thai pizza and a BBQ chicken pizza!
A few other main entrees that I know would be fabulous is their grilled steak, sesame yellow fin tuna, ribs, chicken, brisket or maybe a hearty slice of BBQ meatloaf?! They also have many side dishes that you would recognize and enjoy and some with a twist…how about yam fries? Or would you expect black beans and Spanish rice?! The choices are endless and delicious!
I did mention this is a brewery and how we could see them brewing through a piece of glass in the floor right? Well there was plenty of beer flowing at our tables! Everyone was enjoying various ales from light pale ales to brown ales and wheat beers! They even have a blueberry ale, now that’s a New England beer for sure! They have a number of beers they keep daily but also have some great seasonal beers that are on the menu during various seasons. Some the the seasonal beers include a Belgian golden ale, Oktoberfest lager as well as an imperial stout to just name a few.
Needless to say not only is the food selection fabulous, but the large selection of beer will keep everyone happy. They also have a full bar if beer isn’t your thing!
Our experience at Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery was fabulous start to finish! I can’t end this post without telling you about the fabulous servers we had! With a group of twenty from infant to adults the food was all served at the same time and no one ever had an empty glass…all done with a positive attitude and smile! One of the best overall dining experiences to date! Thanks Moat Mountain! To all my local friends take some time to check out Moat Mountain you will LOVE it!
Enjoy!
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