The Barley House (NH)
As a recommendation from our friends, Bill and Joyce from the Valley Artisans Handcrafted Gifts, we decided to make a drive from Epsom to Concord for some great food. About a 20-minute drive from our Getaway, the Barley House is located in downtown Concord, directly across from the state capitol building.
Our friends at Valley Artisans told us that if we wanted really good burgers, great craft beers, and a great atmosphere then we definitely needed to check out the Barley House. The atmosphere is a mix between an old-style pub (and they have the beer and whiskey selections to prove it) and a tavern with good food and a relaxing feel. We will definitely agree to both of those descriptions. There are two main sections to the restaurant, the dining room where we sat, and the bar which was more lively and full of locals enjoying the start of their weekend.
To start off our meal we ordered the Steamed Mussels served in a Guinness, cream, garlic, onion and thyme broth. They were incredible and the toasted garlic bread was perfect for soaking up all the leftover broth. We quickly followed that up with a zesty Korean burger and the Dublin burger. Both of which were delicious and paired very well with our craft brews. During our dinner, we noticed that the majority of the patrons in the restaurant were also ordering and enjoying burgers. Almost every time we saw a server come out of the kitchen they were holding at least one or two plates of burgers in their hands. These seemed to be one of their most popular meals and we can attest as to why.
Our dining experience was made even better because when you sit in the dining room you can look out the large windows and see the state Capitol building directly across the street. We visited just before the holidays and had the chance to see the grounds covered in snow and the trees lit up with colorful strings of lights.
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