Canoe Restaurant And Tavern

They are trying to make up their $ for what they don’t generate during the winter. Don’t order the specials unless you know the prices. They are not posted anywhere and the waiter didn’t tell us. We got a «cowboy» steak that ended up being $ 45-​not worth the price.
Not sure why their bread comes to the table in a brown bag– you don’t know how many pieces are in there.

Great service from a young man named Emanon. My wife’s order of beef tenderloin were great as was the Waldorf salad. I tried their lobster Mac and cheese. I went for the larger portion of lobster. There was a lot of pasta but the lobster tasted like what was a leftover from trimming the tails with no real meat for the half pound order. The price are a little high for the area. Both wine and cocktails were good. I would go back with selective ordering.

Cold beer. Food stunk, staff was nice. Bathroom was gross, lights out stains on the ceiling-​needs attention

Four of us had dinner this evening at the restaurant, and we were disappointed. We ordered two meatloaf, a Canoe tips, a Chicken Parmesan. Meatloaf was satisfactory, the Chicken Parma ordinary, and the Canoe tips/​tenderloin tips/​ordered medium rare came well done. The green beans were almost crunchy so undercooked were they. The mac and cheese Was tasty. No bread or rolls were served with our meals. We could have had bread for an extra cost! Our wait server was an accommodating and polite young man, but the hostess who greeted us needs a lesson on how to smile and greet guests in a friendly fashion. They did comp us two desserts to make up for the overlooked tips.

Stopped by after hiking Mt. Chocorua this past Saturday. We were absolutely famished!
The restaurant isn’t fancy but has a casual, homey feel. The view of the lake was pretty nice. We split the Korean short rib steamed buns, CG ordered the meatloaf with lobster mac and I had the fish and chips.
The buns were pretty disappointing. The slaw to rib ratio was 3:1. The ribs were way overcooked and dry. The worst part was that the buns were not steamed at all. As tough as when it’s taken right out of the package. Boo.
I enjoyed my entrée much more. The haddock was fried to perfection and the fish itself was so flaky and delicious. The sweet potato fries were crisp. The slaw could have used a little more dressing but wasn’t bad. Solid entrée although a tad expensive at $ 20.
Service was fine. Mixed feelings about this spot, although two thumbs up for the fish and chips.

Going to give it a 3 for the beautiful view of the lake and the delicious blue cheese dressing.
We were seated quickly in the downstairs lounge.
Right near two revolving doors. Felt like I was in a basement.
Lobster Mac and cheese. Portions are large of the pasta, but the lobster. Tasted like a can, chewy and just disgusting. That was not fresh lobster.
My rice «pilaf» is what she called it, it was wild grain. was hard, the «Oscar» style had barley any lobster, or even enough bernaise.
We frequent the O’s in concord and this wasn’t even close. I ordered the filet and got three pieces of tenderloin. It’s was good and cooked just how I like it, but not for 40 dollars. Not even close. Wedge salad was great!
Service was friendly and good enough.
The door to the kitchen off the downstairs bar. That creek on that door. Very annoying.
I regret going out, which we rarely do, choosing a nice place, getting a hefty bill and leaving disappointed enough to need to write a review the next day.
I did see a lot of delicious looking meals coming out of the creeky door, we just all ordered wrong.

A tad overpriced but still great! The steak is great, the «canoe» chips account for the mass of maybe my right hand, and the Mac and cheese is world-​class. THE restaurant to go to on vacation in the lakes region if you’re not a tight budget.

OMG! What a great restaurant! The Seafood Stirfry with Asian Vegetables over rice is spectacular! My dish had a 1lb fresh lobster (deshelled), fresh sea scallops and large shrimp (deshelled) with fresh vegetables over rice! It to die for! To top it off, the wine expert gave me several wines to test and I chose a nice white wine. The service was fantastic and very friendly. The place was very clean. I’ve gone back several times. They also make great burgers! Don’t miss this one! Heidi C Center Harbor, NH

Cute restaurant with lake views while you dine. Good food with reasonable prices. The lobster Mac & Cheese is fantastic.

Stopped by on Saturday, ¹²⁄₅ for lunch. Every time we drive by, the place is packed. Figured we would see what all of the excitement is about. We were not disappointed.
We started with an appetizer — not sure of the exact name, but it was their homemade chips covered in blue cheese and bacon. So so SO good. I got the lobster roll for my main course, which was delicious. It came with an overflowing pile of French fries, which were also good. Passed on dessert, but the list to choose from sounded amazing.
The building was cute and cozy, and had a great view of Center Harbor. Hostess was very friendly, but our waitress lacked personality. No big deal… that’s not what we were there for. We will definitely be back, hopefully for dinner next time.

We had exceptional meals last night. The evening was perfect and the meals were excellent from appetizers to dessert. We have always enjoyed visiting Canoe and with Sam’s return to the kitchen, his leadership and creativity shows through his ability to deliver wonderful meals. The service was exceptional (thanks to Jodi). For visitors –a great place to visit –for us locals –a great place to have.
Den & Lin

This place is chef owned which immediately piqued my interest. The menu was full of delicious sounding entrees which made it extremely hard to decide on just one thing. Luckily I came here with family so I wasn’t shy to steal bites from each of their entrees.
I ordered the salmon which was cooked perfectly and was one of the best tasting salmon dishes I’ve ever had. It had the perfect crust on top and was served with asparagus with lobster pieces. The sauce with this was phenomenal! My uncle got the lobster Mac and cheese which was full of huge pieces of lobster… no skimping there like most places. My aunt got the steak and lobster which she devoured every last bite (without sharing). My son got the kids burger with a side of their regular home made mac and cheese which he loved. My brother got the chicken Parmesan and penne pasta which was a huge portion and was so tasty! The chicken was juicy and flavorful. He had tons of pasta left over which says a lot because that guy can eat!
The service was good but our waitress, Suki, was less than personable. She was very attentive though, I do give her that. My aunt ordered an espresso at the end of dinner and asked if it was okay if she took it outside to smoke a cigarette while sipping it. Her response was very rude and condescending, telling her that she better not steal the cup because the staff would tackle her if she did. Why would she steal a dinky espresso cup? If we can afford those meal prices, we can afford an espresso cup. Come on!
Food here is impeccable, service was attentive and the atmosphere was casual and cozy. I would definitely return but in hope to not be sat in Suki’s section.

Good food if you like heavy east coast food, the setting is nice, but very slow service. We sat down and 3 – 5 tables were busy, everything else was empty! The waiter showed up 10 min later, huffing and puffing, saying the «restaurant was full.» Ha! Perhaps they should take a day off and travel to a city to see what restaurants are like when they are not the only place to eat in a 20 mile radius.

Oh boy, did these guys drop the ball tonight…
First, I’ve eaten here before and was impressed with the food. My mother lives nearby and this is her favorite dinner spot, often meeting friends after the theater. While visiting again recently we decided to drop in after seeing a movie in Meredith.
Three of us came in on a Wednesday night in late September at 6pm. As we entered there was a mostly empty room to the left, and another smaller room to the right that included a bar.
We were seated in the smaller bar area and ordered our drinks. Looking at the menu it all came back to me, what I liked so much on a previous visit a couple years before. The other thing that struck me was how loud the 3 patrons at the bar were. I’m no prude, and don’t mind a little noise, but these folks were over the top. After a few minutes it was clear that it would be impossible to relax and enjoy a meal so close to the bar. The rest of the room was pretty quiet, there was no reason for their voices to be so loud. They were sitting right next to each other, yet were practically yelling. When you’re ready to spend $ 56 on a steak you don’t need a few drunks yelling at each other a few feet away.
I got up and nicely asked the hostess if we could move to the other, quieter room. She smiled and said no, all the available tables in the other room were reserved.
So, instead of dropping $ 200 here for the drunk show we decided to get up and leave. On our way out we heard our waitress say to the hostess «see, it wasn’t just me». So they knew they had an issue, and decided not to address it? This place is not a watering hole, it’s a pricey, upscale dinner restaurant. Catering to a few drunks at 6pm doesn’t seem like a good business decision, but I could be wrong.
We will no longer give these guys any business. We ended up having a lovely dinner overlooking the lake at Lake House on the other side of town.

Completely underwhelming lunch.
Food: I ordered the soup of the day, potato and broccoli. The broccoli had HUGE chunks of broccoli and a very watery base, with mediocre flavor. I also ordered the «cripsy» orange chicken, which were anything but crispy and definitely salty. My lunchmates ordered the chicken salad wrap (which came with very soggy and oily fries, perhaps the oil wasn’t hot enough?) and the meatloaf. Both said their dishes were mediocre at best.
Service: The service was poor. The server seemed to have no concept of multitasking or managing needy tables. She was stopped multiple times en route to our table by an overly chatty patron, and would stand there talking for awhile with our food, drinks, and bill in hand. It was frustrating, as we had mentioned we were in a bit of a rush.
There are SO many better options for lunch and dinner in the area, and we will be frequenting them from now on.

Canoe Restaurant definitely has a traditional feel to it. I can tell it attracts the locals who have frequented the establishment for many years. The décor inside definitely reflects the area, which is simple and not overwhelming, which reflects the calmness and simplicity of the area with the lake nearby.
My friends and I went here for lunch, and overall I thought the experience was average. Service was a little slow even though the place was not too packed yet. As for the food, I tried a friend’s Iceberg Wedge which was delicious and contained a generous piece of iceberg lettuce with bacon, tomato, scallions, and ranch dressing. We also had the appetizer fried calamari dish that was good and that came with a sweet thai chili sauce.
As for my main course, I opted to get their staple dish, the lobster mac & cheese. As for my review of this dish, I just thought it was okay and nothing too special. The lunch portion had a very little amount of lobster and I felt I just had a platter of mac & cheese for the most part. I would have rather had a smaller dish of mac & cheese with a little more lobster. I am intrigued on how the dish tastes in dinner platter form (apparently it has ¼ of a lb. of lobster for $ 10 more).
However, this is a simple mid to high-​end type of place and looks to be a very well-​established, so I can see why the locals keep coming back here.

The first time I went to this restaurant was 10 years ago and I remembered it was excellent… so when I found myself back in town July 4^th weekend, I had to stop back in and it is still excellent!
I had the buffalo chicken wrap and it was great, just as I remembered 10 years ago… She had the macaroni and cheese entrée and it was also very good… some of the best restaurant mac and cheese I have ever had! I look forward to going back again soon!

Yes! Stop here. Beautiful décor. Waitress, Jodi, exceptional. Fab menu items. Ricotta cake appetizer was sublime. Lots of attention to detail. Topped off with the triple chocolate cake! Don’t miss the salmon with lobster hash! Wowza. Lovely setting.

We were recently in the Lakes Region, and stopped in at Canoe Restaurant in Center Harbor, NH.
Right away we noticed that the décor was a bit outdated. It is dark inside, and the music was very slow and «old-​timey.» This was evident by the clientele in the restaurant. At lunch time on a weekend, the restaurant was filled with customers who the majority seemed to be 60 or older. Granted it was still technically off-​season, but we expected a more diverse crowd at a local tavern.
The service was good. Our server was young, and seemed just a bit inexperienced, but was nice, polite, and sold the food well. We couldn’t have asked for more there. However, one of the hostess’ (or GM?) seemed to be watching us the entire time, but never actually came over to our table. The chef seemed to come out of the kitchen from time to time to do the same thing (not just us, but to the whole restaurant in general). I’d suggest to the staff that it would make more sense to touch tables and check in with the guests once in a while instead of creating an almost awkward situation.
On to the food: everything was delicious. We ordered the clam chowder, which was not too thick, and full of clams. The Waldorf salad was a little sweet, but tasted great. The seasoned pecans and the ricotta salata were a nice touch. The buttermilk fried chicken sandwich was also very good. It was seasoned very well, and cooked perfectly. You could absolutely tell it was homemade. The aoli sort of got lost, but other than that, it was a great sandwich. Great fries too!
All in all an OK experience. Great food and a great waiter, however the dated décor and awkward staff (not our waiter!) left us wondering whether or not we’d want to return.

What a local gem.
The service here is great. And the food and drinks are just as good.
I also go with the special for the day.