Hancock Inn

We’re visiting the oldest bars in each state & the Hancock is New Hampshire’s. It’s a beautiful old building and the staff was so nice, so we decided to book a room. We had the Squire room, with twin beds which were so comfy I didn’t get up for breakfast. The room also had a Roman tub, which is shorter and deeper than a regular tub… I’m 6′ tall and found it to be perfect for my bad back. There were cozy sitting rooms on each floor and coffee & tea available ²⁴⁄₇.
We happened to get there for Sunday Supper, which is a fixed menu at a low price. Everything was so good! Great selection of drinks, but no beer on tap.
You’ll be greeted at the door by a friendly little blonde guy named Potter. He likes getting his ears scritched while he leans against you. Scratch the base of his tail and he’ll happily follow you around the lobby. You can’t take him to your room, though.

This is our favorite place to come for a dinner of any occasion. The menu features a variety of local fare and the drink list is yet to disappoint. Try the house burger — topped with pork belly and caerphilly cheese!

We live a couple towns away, and the Hancock Inn is our go to place for birthday and anniversary dinners, or pretty much anytime we can find a babysitter to take the kids so we can escape for the evening. Jarvis and Marcia are excellent hosts, and we have always found the food and drinks to be top notch. We held a 50^th anniversary party for my parents a few years ago there and a great time was had by all.

Very charming place to have dinner. The food is delicious and portion was generous. I had the meatloaf and Orangetini. It’s definitely a must do while in New Hampshire.

Where else but in the oldest Inn in New Hampshire could you expect to meet other people who relish experiences not to be found on the Internet? Try the Hancock Inn for conversation, hospitality, real laughter (not LOL), and all of that good stuff. For example, in early October of this year my sister and I joined friends at the Hancock Inn for supper. Our guests Meng Chi Ysen and his wife Sue Hastings, an artist/​landscape gardner became chatty with a couple at a neighboring table. The gentleman is French with business interests in Boston. His Austrian-​born wife had come with him to New Hampshire for the first time to experience Fall foliage. While both were beautifully turned out for rural fine dining, they also had climbed Mt. Monadanock earlier that day. He said they packed their hiking gear. Invited to drinks in the front room by the Europeans, in no time at all we were being entertained by both gentlemen singing German drinking songs (you had to be there). From time to time Potter, the Inn’s dog, and Jarvis, the Innkeeper, checked on our festivities. Following a hearty breakfast the following morning, our two new best friends went to visit Meng Chi’s world-​class collection of military uniforms in nearby Stoddard. Then on to Paris. My sister departed for the beaches of southern California while I took in the colors of the Berkshire Mountains as I drove back to upstate New York, all the while thinking of the hundreds of thousands of other travelers – since the stagecoach days – who came to marvel at the hospitality of this amazing landmark. I’ve never visited an Inn more welcoming. And the food is excellent. Too bad the town’s namesake, John Hancock never got there himself.

The food here is SO GOOD. Well worth the drive from wherever you are in the area (Brattleboro, in my case). I’ve been here a number of times, and everything has been divine– and not just «I’m not near a major city so it’s tasty but not the best» divine, but «some of the best food I’ve had in my life» divine. Add that to a quaint, homey atmosphere, incredibly friendly staff, and gorgeous location, and you’ve got a real winner.

An old country style interior theme, with a grandeos enterior in the heart of downtown Hancock, seemingly always easy to find parking even when they are completely full. The Cheese platter is divine, a real fine dining treat that is fresh and close to home. The fried olives are really good, i know it is hard to believe but they are incredible with great flavor, not great heated up however. I wasn’t a fan of the bloody mary, they do with a Sherry i believe and the flavor is really off for me. Their hot and dirty however is very good so they have some drinks they have mastered and some that are a work in progress. The main course menu makes it almost impossible to pick something. The pot roast is by far the best i have ever had, from what we understand people come from across the country to try their Pot Roast. All the entrees on the menu were with ingredients from local area farms and you can really tell in the taste (s) of what they serve. Jessica was our waitress and she was as good a waitress we have ever had, providing keen insight and recommendations throughout the night that made out meal and experience one we will never forget.

We were very much looking forward to our dinner at the Inn. We were seated in the Tavern, and the food was tasty and plentiful, and the surroundings were beautiful. The staff was courteous, friendly and attentive. Now for the ‘but’. Once seated, we were inundated with — flies! We have all been in restaurants with one or two flies but a dozen? We asked to move, and the response was — they are everywhere, and good thing you weren’t here during «black fly season». Good thing! When the owner, and one of the staff took out their fly swatters we couldn’t help but laugh. Swat! «Just stunned him» says the owner. Yikes! How quaint and charming… did the flies originate in the kitchen?. Again, everything else was great but the flies did ruin the expereience.

A very enjoyable evening, food and service were very good. A definite «do over». Looking forward to staying in their pet-​friendly room!

What a great place to have Easter dinner! The locatio is so quaint and picturesque. The staff is ridiculously friendly and helpful and the food and drinks were amazing!
I can only give feedback on the food I ordered, I started with a roasted beet salad with mixed greens and goat cheese. The dressing has undertones of blood orange so it was quite citrusy and tasty.
Next course was the Ricotta Gnocchi with wild mushrooms and spinach. The wild mushrooms were perfect in all ways — large and flavorful. I would definitely suggest this meal if you want something meat free and filling.
And last, I didn’t order a dessert. I opted for a dessert drink and ordered the Brandy Alexander and it was delectable. I will say that I did try the salted caramel from the sticky toffee pudding and it was so creamy and amazing! Just the right amount of salt and caramel so if you are a fan, order one (or two)

The food here rivals any major city hotel establishment. The local farm raised venison was beyond amazing. The flourless chocolate cake with cabernet sorbet should be illegal! The inn makess their own breads and the brioche used to make the french toast was perfect. However I did not taste the orange flavor. The corned beef and hash was very very lean and 90% beef and small shreds of potatoes. Plus they make their own sausage, and granola too. All I can say was wow!!! Fresh squeezed orange juice in NH? Wow what a treat! They use goat cheese made in town by a local woman who raises her own herd!
This place is worth every cent they charge for their food.

This was a very lovely inn, and the innkeeper Marcia was very accomodating and took the extra steps to help my husband and I feel right at home. We checked in late on our arrival night, and Marcia was up and made my husband a snack plate because he was famished from the traveling.
The breakfast was phenomenal, I loved the freshly made breakfast sausage. My egg was poached perfectly by Jarvis (the other innkeeper, Marcia’s husband). The inn was located walking distance to Norway pond, which was very nice. The surrounding area was very quiet, and since I stayed there on a weekday, I was the only one walking around the pond, the white church, and the cemeteries (there are 2 cemeteries nearby). There was also a deli and a market across the street.
We stayed in a room that had a claw-​foot bathtub in the alcove (please see that picture I posted). It was a cute and whimsical addition to the room and gave it character.
My husband and I had dinner at the inn, and I was very happy with the service and the menu. The front desk clerk was very helpful in providing us with information regarding activities and things to see around Hancock. My only complain was that everything here was so creaky (it’s an old inn after all). But other than that, everything here was very lovely and we enjoyed our stay.

Enjoyed a birthday brunch for four. Wonderful atmosphere, fantastic service, great food. I had the Standard, eggs, delicious home made sausage and potatoes. Also great we’re the crab cake eggs Benedict and the eggs & eggs (scrambled hen’s eggs and flying fish roe). We’ll be back!

Do I ever feel foolish! I’ve lived within easy range of this gem for over a decade and never had tried it. Fabulous meal, attentive service, lovely atmosphere. The cold soup (cucumber and cilantro, with thick texture like gazpacho) was divine, crab cake crispy and delicious. Lamb (from local farm) was best my wife has tasted, my filet mignon also perfectly prepared.
Wine list has good range of geography but could use some mature French offerings, the food is that good. And the cocktail menu is great reading with some inspired traditional offerings from history of mixology.
And, yes, the resident golden retriever made an appearance at the end of our meal, super friendly.
Can’t wait to come back!

We had dinner at the Hancock Inn last night. I love their fish and chips! Three good-​sized pieces of fish prepared in a crispy, non-​greasy batter, with a lightly herbed mayo for dipping and crunchy homemade french fries – absolutely delicious every time!
My partner had the Mussels – they were amazing – steamed to perfection and bathed in a buttery sauce, with fresh herbs from the garden – sage, mint… wow!
Except for the noise level in the dining room, which can be rather elevated, we have always enjoyed dining at this lovely inn. The wait staff is attentive and knowledgeable.

I’ve been there with my husband twice recently, on New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. Both times have been great! The new owners are so welcoming and kind, and even remembered us. The roaring fire in the bar area, the old fashioned games, and the decorations are all charming. The food is delicious, and the service is pretty good. The owner recommended a great red wine that went perfectly with my meal, it was a nice touch. It’s become our go-​to celebratory spot, and we’re hoping to go again at some point during the week to enjoy their tavern menu.

This was our second time and it did not disappoint! We had a great time just like the last time. This is a B&B and believe me you have to take full advantage of the Breakfast! The owners and the staff are warm and knowledgeable about the attractions of the area. They put on a fantastic Dinner and the Pot Roast was out of this world. We will be back and hope others enjoy a few days out in the country from time to time.
Thanks
Keith
Torrisi
Wilmington

Can I give 6 stars? Amazing experience both with the stay and dinning. After driving through the beautiful openness of western New Hampshire, you would never expect to come across a culinary gem like the Hancock Inn. Between the menu, the attentiveness of both the staff and owners you feel like it’s dinner at home but with a much better cook!
Would recommend to anyone who loves New England charm, great food and golden retrievers!

Stayed here for my brothers wedding last weekend and I can not say enough about how warm and accommodating the whole staff was. The inn is absolutely charming, the rooms were as small and quaint as you would expect them to be, but our comfort was certainly not sacrificed. We stayed in the Franklin Pierce room– the bed was comfortable the, view was lovely, and the electric heater knocked the chill off of the nasty New England weekend.
The very best thing about this inn was the breakfast! Everything is made from scratch and was simple and absolutely delicious. I had the tomato stacker with a poached egg and fresh English muffin with a side of home made corned beef hash that I fell in love with. The dining room golden retriever is certainly the most polite one I have ever met.
This inn is a perfect choice for a historic new Hampshire weekend

It seems odd that there aren’t more reviews considering how packed the tavern was both times we were there. My family was staying nearby visiting with my father in-​law. We decided to check out the Hancock Inn for dinner on Saturday evening. We arrived around 7:30PM to find that they were full for that night and wouldn’t be able to seat us. We made a reservation for the next night (Sunday) when they do a «one pot supper».
Now, to call what they do every Sunday evening a one pot supper is to sell what they’re offering very, VERY short! There are no menus on Sunday and no choices to be made. It’s like going to your grandma’s house for Sunday dinner. You’re going to eat whatever she puts on the table, case closed. However, you also know that it’s going to be wonderful, no matter what it is.

This particular Sunday dinner consisted of a large portion of very tender and juicy slow roasted loin of pork, oven roasted Brussels sprouts, a wedge of potato galette, and a fabulous dried fruit chutney. Every item on the plate was spot on and although I’m not generally a fan of Brussels sprouts (nor a fan of eating a big restaurant portion of anything) I left the plate totally empty. I enjoyed the combination of the pork loin and each of the complements very much.
Dessert was a piece of gingerbread cake with some wonderful vanilla ice cream that must have been local if not homemade.
This innkeepers were wonderful hosts and we couldn’t have asked for a better evening! We’ll be returning for sure!