Restaurants are a medium of storytelling and an apt starting point for a dive into the networks in and around Portsmouth’s local landscape. In this small, coastal New England city — population just shy of 22,000— food becomes a lens for connecting the threads of people and place. There is a staunch sense of history and community here, one that bridges imperviousness to trend chasing with an open eye for innovation. It’s a place to find unparalleled seafood, incredible Nepalese cuisine, a streetcar diner from the Roosevelt era and some of the best darn croissants on this side of the ocean.
Organizations like Seacoast Eat Local and Slow Food Seacoast drive the connection between area farmers, artisans and other sources of locally grown food along the coastal regions. Chefs like Evan Mallett of downtown’s Black Trumpet Bistro have been fostering a sustainable food community grounded by local eats since opening doors over a decade ago.
This is all to say: Portsmouth has much to offer on the food front. Here are a handful of not-to-miss gems. Our highlights are the tip of the iceberg, and we’d love to know — where are your favorite spots to eat around the city?
Vida Cantina:
Chef-owner David Vargas’ modern Mexican restaurant showcases both family heritage and honed cooking skills with New England’s enormous swath of local farmers. Ingredients tick all the boxes of local, seasonal, and organic; virtually everything, from blue cornbread to vibrant salsas, is made in house. If the Pig Head Carnitas Platter is on for a nightly special — think house-made tortillas flanked by a flight of salsa and one brooding confit pig’s head — gather a crew. Go to town.
Row 34:
Rounds of pristine oysters and locally sourced fish shine in this sleek enclave of all-things-seafood. The wine list is a similar stunner, as is the butterscotch pudding for dessert.
Black Trumpet Bistro:
Chef Evan Mallett — a James Beard Award nominee and a lauded cookbook author, among other laurels — opened Black Trumpet Bistro with his wife, co-owner Denise Mallett, in 2007. The menu, along with an ample wine list and craft cocktail program, highlights seasonal New England cooking from over a decade’s worth of farm partnerships. The upstairs wine bar is a cozy, candle-lit space warmed by dark wooden accents. During the day, venture next door to the Mallett’s neighboring shop, Stock + Spice, for superior homemade spice blends. (The Baharat mix is a staple for adding smoky depth of flavor to vegetables, roasted chicken, soups and marinades.)
Durbar Square Restaurant:
Durbar Square is a haven of amazing home-style Nepalese fare. Delicate momo, vibrant Takari and bone-thawing gundruk soup are just the beginning of this expert menu. Do save room for dessert: the rice pudding and the cardamom-kissed sikarni cap the meal perfectly with a cup of tea.
Raleigh Wine Bar + Eatery:
This newer restaurant and wine bar, just steps from the waterfront on State Street, has a keen eye for natural and small-producer wines. It’s a place to nerd out about a biodynamic skin-contact bottle, or to find an old-world red to pair with your dry-aged ribeye steak. Don’t miss the seed-studded bread, made in house and sided by whipped butter and marmalade. Or the homemade pasta — on one week, it was linguine with Peekytoe crab, uni butter, and a lace of tarragon. Then there’s brunch: coffee cake, lamb hash, runny eggs, and sourdough pancakes go with wine, right?
Gilley’s Diner:
Cheers to the stalwarts, and Gilley’s Diner certainly qualifies. The eatery has been cooking up breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the local crowd since 1940. Grab a pair of grilled hot dogs with mustard, relish, and minced white onion. Sit on a pleather-topped swivel stool. Gilley’s is of a different time, and there’s a reason it lasts: the regulars.
Because these croissants deserve their own category:
Elephantine Bakery in Portsmouth’s quiet, off-the-beaten-path Commercial Alley and Lil’s Café over the pedestrian-friendly bridge in nearby Kittery turn out two of the greatest croissants on the East Coast. We said it. Elephantine’s flakey, beautifully layered croissants are lessons in classic technique. Lil’s, meanwhile, gives their croissants a modern edge with crackly, deeply burnished corners and the hidden twang of long-proofed pastry.
Figtree Kitchen at Strawberry Banke Museum:
Native Americans including the Abenaki nation lived along coastal New Hampshire for thousands of years before European settlers set up shop around 1630, when the west bank of the harbor was named “Strawberry Banke” after the wild fruit growing within its borders. Today, Strawberry Banke houses a snug café for fueling a walk through the estate’s historic grounds. Scratch-made fare is made daily, from savory tarts with a black pepper-cornmeal crust to caramelized kouign amann
Article Written by Julia Clancy.
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