Diners' Choice: Contemporary American restaurants in New Hampshire

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Contemporary American cuisine in New Hampshire? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Cotton

4.9

4.9 (4858)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Manchester

About the restaurant

Cotton features the cooking of award-winning chef/author/owner Jeffrey Paige. Located in Manchester's Historic Millyard District, Cotton is known for exceptional farm to table comfort food, friendly yet professional service, and an inviting, casual upscale atmosphere. It's the place the New York Times calls hip, named one of the best neighborhood restaurants in the Northeast by Bon Appetit Magazine and holds the distinct honor of Best Martinis in New Hampshire year after year by NH Magazine and The Union Leader.

RESERVATIONS:
Patio dining is available April through October. To request a patio table please note this when you make your reservation. Weather permitting, we will call early afternoon the day of your reservation to confirm if patio seating is available. We cannot guarantee specific seating at this time but we always do our best.

Top review

Paul

Dined 2 days ago

Great service and food with some different entrees from the normal fare. Easy to get to and park.

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4.9

4.9 (974)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Rye

About the restaurant

The Carriage House, an oceanfront, modern New England restaurant and raw bar, is open at 2263 Ocean Boulevard on scenic Rye Beach, New Hampshire. Committed to honoring the restaurant’s rich traditions rooted in hospitality. Join us for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, sip a cocktail by our working fireplace, or take in the ocean views!

Top review

Bard

Dined 6 days ago

Great food, wonderful owners and staff. They keep the menu updated so there's usually something new to try in addition to their classics.

Ember Wood Fired Grill

4.8

4.8 (228)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Dover

About the restaurant

Ember Wood Fired Grill features a locally inspired menu with a casual upscale setting. Our Chef, Christopher Gouzie, best describes our menu as "Globally Inspired". It features familiar dishes with a twist. "We use new and interesting ingredients, and different cooking procedures to introduce our guests to a unique way to present food."

We have taken this same concept for our Specialty Cocktail list. Deviating from the classic recipe with housemade syrups, specialty bitters, and high end liquors and liqueurs.

Enjoy our sleek downstairs dining room, outdoor covered terrace, or upstairs bourbon room, where we house over 100 whiskeys on selection, and offer over 20 wines by the glass and bottle.

We regularly host private events, and therefor reservations are recommended.

Top review

Christopher

Dined 4 days ago

We always have an excellent meal at Ember. The service is friendly and welcoming especially Kira.

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Experience

Live Music

1869 Room at The Wentworth

4.6

4.6 (1058)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Jackson

About the restaurant

Dining in our casual lounge and in our elegant dining room.
Chef Brian Gazda has been leading the team at The Wentworth for almost a decade and he and his team are loyal and dedicated to their cause. Sourcing from local producers is of utmost importance to Brian and freshness is a requirement. If you have any allergies or dietary requirements, please do not hesitate to ask as we are always willing to accommodate.
At this time, we offer both our dinner menu and a more casual lounge menu and of course our fabulous breakfast every morning. The Alpine Lounge is open from 4pm-9pm daily. Food is offered in the lounge Sunday-Thursday 4pm-9pm and Saturdays & Sundays from 4pm-9pm. Please be aware that these menus can change at the last minute due to availability of certain foods during this time and we look at this as a good thing - there could always be something new on the menu!

Top review

Susan

Dined 6 days ago

Our dinner was delicious, service was very good. Somewhat understaffed during pre summer season, but not a problem at all for us. Staff was very friendly and professional

Stella Blu

4.6

4.6 (1156)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Nashua

About the restaurant

Stella Blu provides an upscale casual approach to dining. Offering a combination of both large and small plates. Known for our award winning cocktails, friendly staff, and upbeat dining experience.

Top review

Patty

Dined 5 days ago

Food is delicious! Ashley, our server is so friendly and professional!

Ledges at White Mountain Hotel

4.6

4.6 (931)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

North Conway

About the restaurant

Please Note: Outdoor seating is weather dependent. Should you book an outdoor table, we cannot guarantee indoor seating in case of inclement weather. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Offering both indoor seating and outdoor deck dining (seasonal availability and dog-friendly). Featuring locally grown produce and the freshest ingredients available, Ledges Restaurant offers creative nightly specials to compliment the full menu of contemporary New England cuisine. The freshest New England seafood and the best cuts of prime meats are the signature of Ledges Restaurant. The dinner menu offers many gluten-free items and a daily vegetarian/vegan entree is offered nightly. Proud recipients of Wine Spectator's "Award of Excellence" since 1995.

Top review

Robert

Dined 7 days ago

My wife and I had an excellent evening at Ledges. We started with cocktails that were fine. We then moved onto our Entrees. I had the crab cake dinner and she had the burger plate and both were very good. For dessert we shared the chocolate brownie sundae with chocolate ice cream which was excellent. Ledges also had an extensive wine list which we enjoyed and our server Hally was terrific.

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Not Your Average Joe's Nashua NH

4.6

4.6 (1620)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Nashua

About the restaurant

Not Your Average Joe's Kitchen & Bar offers a menu inspired by American cuisine. Its menu is stylish, contemporary and includes fresh seafood, gourmet pizzas, rice bowls, burgers and creative salad options. For the Gluten Sensitive crowd they offer plenty of options.

Along with an array of beers, its menu includes wines and a wide selection of specialty cocktails. You'll further enjoy a casual and pub-like experience at Not Your Average Joe's Kitchen & Bar. Its décor includes an open kitchen, bench seating and a separate bar area with mounted flat screen televisions all around for watching sporting events.

Located just off Daniel Webster Highway, our Nashua location is conveniently located middle of excellent shopping and entertainment, and outdoor destinations like Sky Meadow Golf Club and the scenic Mines River Falls.

Top review

Rebecca

Dined 1 day ago

We had a very enjoyable family meal! Great variety and waiter!

74 Main at Millstone

4.4

4.4 (866)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

New London

About the restaurant

The Millstone has been serving extraordinary food and drink to the Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee Region for thirty years. The menu focus is on natural, heart-healthy fare including grass-fed meats from local farms.

Top review

JamesVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Excellent service, good food just a little pricey.

Evolution Bistro & Bar

4.5

4.5 (103)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Manchester

About the restaurant

Introducing Evolution Bistro & Bar, where modern American cuisine meets a European flair. This exciting new destination promises a dynamic menu, blending bold, contemporary flavors with timeless European influences. Whether you're seeking a sophisticated dining experience or a vibrant spot for cocktails, Evolution Bistro & Bar will elevate your nights out in downtown Manchester! Stay tuned for more details and sign up to be among the first to experience this culinary evolution!

Top review

JustinVIP

Dined on Jun 4, 2025

I've been to Evolution a few times. I really want to love this place but I consistently feel like the food they deliver just doesn't match up with the price point. For two mixed drinks, a shrimp cocktail, and two lobster rolls came to $147 before tip. The shrimp cocktail (6 shrimp) was VERY fishy and definitely not fresh. The lobster rolls were good but theres many places around that offer better lobster rolls at lower prices. Service was excellent! Our server Allison was very attentive. There was a minor hiccup with being served a dirty bottle of water that had things floating in it but another bottle of water was promptly provided. I'll probably go again for drinks and an app but skip on dinner.

Rooftop at The Envio

4.3

4.3 (469)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Portsmouth

About the restaurant

INDOOR & OUTDOOR dining experience
Perched high above the AC Hotel Portsmouth you will find Rooftop at The Envio, Portsmouth’s newest restaurant and bar offering panoramic views of the Piscataqua River and the iconic bridges that cross it. The Rooftop is a casually sophisticated indoor/outdoor sanctuary offering a modern menu of locally sourced ingredients fresh from the farm and sea.

Dine on shareable plates and sip handcrafted cocktails while watching the tide of the river shift and the sunset in the distance. Savor a new vantage point to experience Portsmouth.

Top review

Kylie

Dined on Jun 7, 2025

Deb the manager was incredibly kind and welcoming. It had just finished raining and we wanted to get a drink outside, she was happy to accommodate and offered to turn the heaters on for us. Our server Kyrie was excellent as well, very sweet and made our first visit to Envio a great one.

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