1oak On Elm

I went into this restaurant for the first time last week after walking by it for the last few weeks every day.
There wasn’t one other patron in there so I thought maybe this won’t be too good.
Sat at the bar and met Zack the full time bartender there. Ordered my beer and one of the appetizers from the menu.
Beer is beer lol it was good nice and cold not too much of a head very refreshing.
The appetizer was WOW so full of flavor and texture and the prefect amount to share or have as a mini meal for one.
I’m not sure why they aren’t busier I guess lucky for me I will always have a seat.
Give them a try I will be back for sure.

We came on a Thursday night to hear the Lakes Region Big band and to hear vocalist Karen Sayward and her BC students perform. We had no idea about the food and service. We were pleasantly surprised at both. In fact, we will be back again, even without live music

This place seems confused.
After being told a 90 minute wait at our first choice restaurant, we looked up Unilocal and saw 1oak on elm as hit and new with a 4.5 rating. Figured we would give it a try if there wasn’t a wait.
We got there around 7pm on a Friday night and the place was nearly empty with only one large party. Ok no wait I guess that’s fine because I’m hungry and waits stink.
We also got our chouce of tables. The atmosphere was nice but there was no live music on a Friday evening. They had a good draft beer selection. The menu had lots of good options on it.
We both had house salads and steaktip frittas. The salads were decent the steak was tasty but nothing special and slightly overcooked The fries were really good. The complimentary bread was blah.
The prices were fair and the service was in line with a chain restaurant
All this makes this place seem confused because they seem to try to be a finer dining place with the black table clothes, nice glassware/​silverware and the menu.
However the service and attention to detail does not back it up.
Has elements of cotton mixed in with elements of Applebee’s. Confused but the potential is there.

My family and I went in on a Wednesday night. We were immediately greeted and sat at a table by the window. Our server, Jeremy, was very attentive and knowledgeable. He let us know about all the specials going on, and was very helpful on recommending items.
The bartender (I believe his name was Zach) made spectacular drinks– we tried two special margaritas, a pineapple and a blackberry. Since I’m not a tequila person, he was happy to sub it out for gin instead. Delicious! The water was infused with blood oranges, which was a nice touch.
The menu had plenty of options that all looked delicious. The four of us decided to all get something different so we could sample a variety of items. We started with the arancini and house-​made sugared bacon. The arancini was good, and came with a marinara sauce that had a bit of a kick to it. The sugared bacon was to die for! I would go back just for that.
For our entrees, we tried the stuffed pork chop, country chicken and biscuit, meatloaf, and the CBR sandwich. The portions were very generous without being over the top. The gravy for the chicken and biscuit was flavorful and the whole dish melted in your mouth. The meatloaf was possibly the best my family had ever had– it was wrapped in bacon and was juicy and well seasoned. The pork chop was moist and delicious as well, but could use a little more stuffing I think. The sandwich was also great, but I would say the least exciting of what we ordered. The fries on the side of the sandwich were cooked perfectly, and very plentiful.
For dessert, Jeremy recommended the Oak Tree. It was very decadent. While delicious, we were very glad we shared it since it was so rich!
Jeremy also let us know about the upcoming collaboration with 603 Brewery later this month. The menu looks phenomenal. Fingers crossed I can make it!
Overall I am very impressed with the food and service here. I highly recommend 1 Oak to anyone looking for a refreshing, new restaurant in Manchester. It’s great to have an option nearby that isn’t pub food. I can’t wait to return!

Stopped in on a Wednesday night and got a table. Very nice atmosphere. Lots of people at the bar but our table was a pleasantly quiet, isolated from the brunt of the noise. Chef was very accommodating of my vegan diet and made a delicious mushroom burger based on the sirloin mushroom burger on the regular menu. The vegetarian version should be on the regular menu! It was perfect. Fresh vegetables and perfectly cooked. Truffle fries were delicious and the cheese was graciously put on the side. Service was great. I would come back in a heartbeat!

The food here is amazing! Lobster carbonara and truffle Mac ‘n cheese are to die for (I paired the truffle mac with Jameson on the rocks which was so good I can not even describe how blissful my mouth felt). This is a great spot for either solo dining or date night and even good for large parties. A definite must see in downtown Manchester.

We tried out 1oak last night. They were running a special menu for Valentines weekend but we opted for the full menu so we could try anything. Our waitress Kat was great, very attentive and helpful. I had a drink special, strawberry milkshake, which was delicious and my fiancée had a dirty martini which he said was one the best he’s had. We decided to try the app special, a charcuterie plate. Excellent meats and cheeses and would have been enough for 4 people so we took some home!
For the main courses, I ordered the filet mignon, which was perfected cooked at medium rare and delicious. Came with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Awesome! The fiancée got the seared salmon which he said was great. I tried his risotto which was very good, and it also came with asparagus. We skipped dessert but the menu looked good :)
We got to meet one of the owners, Josh, who was very nice. We can’t wait to make another trip back to try more food!

We are always looking to find new places to eat and this seemed like a good choice based on the reviews found on Unilocal.The atmosphere is nice with the open floor, high ceiling and the décor is acceptable. The odd thing is that the basement is a sports bar and that is were the bathrooms are. My first problem is that it seems to want to mix a fairly upscale place upstairs at 1oak on Elm with a basic sports bar (The Dugout) on the lower level. I am not sure this is a good idea.
As for the food, I had an issue with the temperature of the food. The Arancni was good but the sauce was not home made and the dish was not hot. The salads were fine. The Caesar salad was not bad but not great. The garden salad came without dressing for some reason so we had to ask our waiter for some. Not a big deal but should not have happened.
The special menu included a sorbet next. It was nice but if you are trying to be upscale, plastic serving dishes don’t work.
As for the main dish, the gnocchi al forno was in a skillet that was not seasoned properly as it was new so there seemed to be a metallic taste (or it was the sauce…). The filet suffered from the lack of temperature mentioned earlier. It was tasty but not at the right temperature.
The wine was not chilled to my wife’s liking but we survived.
The dessert sampler was good but plastic serving dishes need to go.
Overall, for a place that is new, I will give it another try. The menu looks nice and there are other options to try. Work on the temperature of the food and consider how you want to define the place. There is definitely hope but there is some work to do.

I had the chicken and biscuit and it was AMAZING! My waiter was prompt and knew the menu well. Great food just downstairs from my office!!!

Based on positive reviews we were excited to eat here for weekly «date night». We were extremely disappointed. We started with the arancini and dip of the day. The dip was good, a sun dried tomato pesto. The arancini was a good size portion but could have been a little tighter on the inside (personal preference). It was bland. The sauce was inedible. It had zero seasoning and tasted like straight up tomato paste from the can mixed with water to thin it out. On to the main course… the husband had the stuffed pork chop. The presentation was perfect. The portion was on par. But again, zero flavor, zero seasoning (not even a speck of pepper to be seen) and dry. He said the best part of the meal were the carrots. I had the gnocchi (only vegetarian entrée besides salad). As a previous reviewer stated it was mushy. It had the same inedible tomato paste sauce as the arancini and was drowned by mozzarella. I didn’t even eat ¹⁄₃.
I really want this place to succeed, it’s such a beautiful location. But it needs to step up its game if it plans to compete with the long timers like Cotton, XO, Mint and Republic. For a Friday night at prime time, there should have been more than 5 tables seated.

Wanted to try something new tonight. So I decided to check out oak. As soon as I walked Inn, I was greated and asked how in was doing. Without me asking I was seated in a private corner and thought how nice it was. I had brought a date so it was nice to not be so close to people while talking and eating. As I looked at the menu I had trouble deciding what to order. There was light dishes and hearty dishes. I got the butternut chicken and biscuits with gravy and my date got the salmon. Her salmon was cooked to perfection
looked at it. I enjoyed every minute of my dish and could have licked the plate. The chef came out and introduced him self to us and was able to express how thankful I was. I followed dinner with a dessert Arroz con dulce. Wow wow.

We tried 1oak after seeing the positive reviews. I’m not so warm on the place. I started with a sample of a local stout on draft. It tasted funky so I opted for a Guiness. That tasted funky too. Time to change those beer lines, folks.
The appetizer we had was called hog wings. The waiter was nice enough to explain to us that pigs don’t have wings and these were ribs. They were just OK, not much meat and a little dry. Our meals were OK but the service was a little over attentive.
The complementary cheesecake dessert was a nice touch even though it was just mediocre.

Attentive waitress, great food. I recommend the seared salmon. Thursday evening they have a live band playing which was nice! Would definitely come back.

Food is phenomenal! You can’t find another place in Manchester with better food! Been in 3 times opening week and each time was better than the last! A truly hidden gem in Manchester! Cheers!

We had a lovely date night here on a Friday evening. The place had a fun vibe, great food, and a terrific staff. We sat at the bar and enjoyed two of their special cocktails of evening. I particularly enjoyed the maple old fashioned made by our super friendly bartender Zach. Throughout the night the entire staff made a point to say hello and thank us for coming in. We met the owner, the chef, and even the security guys!
We will certainly be back for another great date night!

Stopped in for dinner on a Friday night to try out the new place and was pleasantly surprised. I was in the mood for prosecco or champagne, sadly they don’t carry any, so I opted for a riesling. They have strawberry and mint infused water that stays table-​side, which I really liked. We started with their fried mozzarella bruschetta and the featured dip, which was a creamy buffalo dip served with tortilla chips. The bruschetta was good, but nothing to write home about. It was missing flavor, we ended up salting it liberally. The buffalo dip was rich and creamy, but was really lacking any kick at all, which was a bit of a let down. I ordered the tips and frites for my entrée and my friend ordered the Gnocchi. When the tips came out, I worried. While the overall qty of meat on the plate was plenty, the tips themselves were smaller than what I get at similar restaurants in the area… but that worry was quickly squashed when starting to cut into the first one and realizing how incredibly tender and perfectly cooked they were. The taste was also on point, a light marinade for flavor, but not so strong that you aren’t tasting the delicious beef. The fries were good, well seasoned, crispy and hot. My friends gnocchi left a little to be desired, it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. Again, the dish was lacking flavor and the salt had to be used. The gnocchi was mushy, and while the sauce may be homemade, it really needed more flavor. A third of the dish was leftover and we weren’t interested in taking it home. For dessert we ordered the Chocolate Oak Tree and it was AMAZING! Very thick and chocolatey, with just the right amount of peanut butter. IT came with two gold dusted milk chocolates which were of good size and yummy. We were only able to take a couple bites because of everything else we had ordered, so I brought it home and my S.O. raved about it and now can’t wait to go in and try a full dinner.
As far as service goes, Katy (sp?) did a STELLAR job. We took forever to decide on what to eat because the menu had so many great options. She kept stopping in to check on us and refilled drinks without us having to ask. She heard us mention wanting to share our main dishes so she brought small plates over for us when they were served. When it came time for the bill, she had already split it out for us, without us even asking, this NEVER happens, she knew everything we wanted and needed without us saying a word.
Oh, and as a side note, LOVED the music they had playing. Just loud enough to hear clearly and enjoy, but not so loud as it disturbed the conversation.
I will definitely be back in the coming weeks, you can tell this is a place which will only get better as they get settled in.

Was recently visiting friends in Manchester, who wanted to stop by this place since it just opened. I’m never really sure what to expect from new businesses, but I was blown away. We sat at the bar and received friendly service from Zach, who made my friend the sweet girly drink she was craving, my boyfriend a Maker’s Mark Maple Manhattan, and grabbed me a beer. The three of us each got entrees (the house burger, truffle mac n cheese and meatloaf) and everything was so, so good… with that rich, homemade taste you just want more of. Not sure when I’ll be returning to the area, but I definitely plan on stopping back there again. Thanks to Zach and everyone else for the great service! Can’t wait to come back.

My wife Joanne, and I love trying new local restaurants, so after hearing that 1 Oak was opening we had to give it a try. GREAT call on our parts– it couldn’t have been better.
We chose a spot at the bar, and Zach the bartender was super helpful. He made Joanne some sort of pink concoction (I forget the name) that she said was one of the tastiest she’d had in recent memory. I’m bourbon fan, and am always looking to try something new– they had a great selection.
The food was stellar as well. I opted for beef and went with the filet (cooked to a perfect medium rare) and the missus ordered the lobster carbonara. I can’t say from firsthand experience how the carbonara was, but I’m guessing it was really great because she wouldn’t let me try any! We were too stuffed for dessert but will definitely be saving room next time– the menu looked really great.
Joanne and I highly recommend this place and plan to make it one of our regular spots!

I highly suggest a visit here. Great atmosphere, amazing food, the staff is friendly and bartender Randy Long was super attentive. I expect this place will quickly become one of (if not THE) highest regarded venues in town. Truly a welcome addition to Elm Street.

This is a great new classy resteraunt and bar on elm street in Manchester. I have only been for the night club features past 10 pm however their waitstaff is attentive and truly friendly unlike most of the similar businesses nearby. Their music is awesome and I love how the atmosphere of 1oak is versatile amongst age groups depending on the time of the day. Also the fact that the Dugout (the sports bar in the basement) is easily accessible via staircase from 1oak is a great feature as if you aren’t that comfortable with the club nightlife scene you can easily take a short stroll down those stairs to a more casual venue. I will update my review after I try their food which I have high hopes for as their chef Joseph Grella is very reputable in the culinary industry.