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Looking for the best restaurants in Hanover NH? We’ve got you covered! Hanover is home to the best dining scene in the Dartmouth-Sunapee region, thanks to the diverse international community of Dartmouth College. You can find much more variety here than in a typical small town in New Hampshire.
Whether you’re looking for top-notch sushi, pizza with local craft beers, quality Italian pasta, or a Nepalese getaway hidden in a mall, Hanover has you covered!
Here are our picks for the best restaurants in Hanover NH, the gem of the Upper Connecticut Valley.
This post was most recently updated in May 2023.
Table of Contents
Base Camp Cafe
3 Lebanon St, Hanover, NH // (603) 643-2007
Residents of this part of the Upper Valley all know Base Camp Café. It’s a popular spot with Dartmouth students, especially those from Asia and Africa. As a result, you can expect a lively atmosphere filled with passionate academic discussion and students having fun over some truly authentic Nepalese cuisine.
Amongst the various Nepalese-inspired art and artifacts, you’ll find comfortable dining area options to enjoy your meal. The staff here are friendly and attentive. Base Camp Café is a treasure in these parts of New England where it’s not easy finding such unique and delicious food. Not only is it a dine-in spot, but you can get takeout or order delivery.
Base Camp Cafe is also our top pick in Hanover for vegetarians and vegans, who will find an abundance of plant-based options here.
What to get at Base Camp Cafe: Expect to see a lot of red peppers in the Himalayan dishes here! The Tarkari Curry Delicacies are popular at Base Camp Café. This is a red sauced, tomato-based style of curry. The vegan options are fantastic, especially the Jack Fruit Tarkari. The Basil Chicken is hearty and herbaceous! Base Camp Café also makes a variety of chilis. The Wild Boar Chili is a must-have for chili enthusiasts!
Molly’s Restaurant & Bar
43 Main St, Hanover, NH // (603) 643-2570
Molly’s Restaurant & Bar is similar to the popular Salt Hill Pub chains dotted around New Hampshire, except this downtown Hanover favorite is much better! This is one of the best restaurants in the city and has a menu filled with all your pub menu favorites like pizza, craft beers, and fun cocktails.
Molly’s is filled to the brim with Ivy League memorabilia, and you’ll find many locals, families, and students here cheering on Big Green, especially in the Fall Football months. The atmosphere on game days is electric, especially when it’s a game versus rival school Cornell.
What to get at Molly’s: Wash down your chosen pizza with a cold craft beer, including local favorites from Great Rhythm Brewery or Stoneface. The IPA Short Rib comes with juicy Yukon gold potatoes and crispy onions and is a year-round favorite. Amongst the pub favorites on the menu, you can even find a great pho, the quintessential comforting Vietnamese food. Molly’s does a great job at catering to all tastes!
Tuk Tuk Thai Cuisine
5 Main St, Hanover, NH // (603) 277-9192
Tucked into the same building as a Simon Pearce shop, you’ll find Tuk Tuk Thai Cuisine! This popular table restaurant has a very affordable full bar and a distinctly cozy feeling to it. The service is quick and efficient and the food delightfully tasty! Easily one of our favorite restaurants in Hanover NH.
Tuk Tuk is a great place for a quiet dinner with a partner or a rolling Thai feast with a large group of friends, as the dining area can accommodate most group sizes. This popular spot in the heart of town has a small outdoor seating area, offers curbside pickup and can deliver too.
Thai people love their food spicy, so be sure to let the restaurant know exactly how spicy you want it! “Thai spicy” will deliver you a deliciously pungent treat if you can handle it!
What to get at Tuk Tuk: The specials board always has something unique at Tuk Tuk, so be sure to have a look at it when you enter. There are plenty of duck dish options on the menu here with the Roasted Basil Duck being a popular, though spicy choice. Another spicy dish that regulars enjoy is the specialty dish named Pad Char. It’s an herb-forward dish that packs a sinus-clearing punch!
Impasto Italian Eatery
44 S Main St, Hanover, NH // (603) 448-0000
Try Impasto Italian Eatery next time you have an Italian-sized hunger. The outdoor seating area patio is popular in the warmer months. Inside you’ll find a modern, industrial style design that is great for small and large group dining. Impasto isn’t one of those red and white tablecloth spots!
There’s always a delicious meal to be had here and an inviting atmosphere that keeps people coming back. The bar is well stocked with many of the Italian aperitivos and digestives you love and the menu is filled with small plates that intrigue the taste buds!
Stella’s Italian Kitchen in nearby Lyme, NH, is another popular choice if you’re looking for Italian food near Dartmouth College.
What to get at Impasto: The Italian Fish Chowder is great jumping-off point for your dining experience here. This is of course New England, so an Italian spin on a chowder just makes sense! The Wild Mushroom Flatbread is extremely popular and makes for a great light option. The Vegan Bolognese is popular with vegan diners and is made with an eggless fusilli, walnuts, and mirepoix.
Pine
2 E Wheelock St, Hanover, NH // (603) 646-8000
No visit to Dartmouth College would be complete without a visit to Pine, a very popular spot. Pine is located in the same building as the Hanover Inn and is only a stone’s throw from the Norwich Inn in Vermont, on the other side of the Connecticut River. So, if you’re staying either of these inns while visiting a student, you know where to take them for a fancy meal they’re likely craving.
It’s called Pine for a clear and obvious reason. Upon entering you’ll be impressed at the exposed wood beam ceiling, inviting (and gigantic) central fireplace and a well-lit dining room with comfortable seating. Pine is a great place to eat or to have a crafted cocktail at the long bar while catching up!
What to get at Pine: There are plenty of elegant small plates to enjoy here, including the Tempura Fried Monkfish Cheeks. In terms of something larger, the Hanover Inn burger is a great lunch option, as is the Confit Long Island Duck Leg that is adorned by lingonberries and soy sauce. The Rubbed Octopus Tacos are unique and outstanding! For dessert, dig into the Honey Panna Cotta with its macerated cherries and toasted almonds.
SamosaMan
6 Allen St, Hanover, NH // (802) 233-7783
For an equally tasty and yet less expensive alternative to Jewel of India, get to SamosaMan! This Allen Street spot around the corner from Molly’s is a no-frills Indian restaurant that is popular with students looking for a quick bite or looking to pick up their order to take back to their dorm.
The food here is authentic and fast, making it a great spot to start the night before touring Hanover’s local bar scene.
What to get at SamosaMan: Many SamosaMan diners are suckers for Butter Chicken, a favorite with western lovers of Indian cuisine. The chicken is tender and the sauce delicately balanced.
The samosa options are broad here, as you’d expect from a place called SamosaMan! The Veggie Samosa is very popular and very affordable, even on a student budget. The Palak Paneer is very popular too. This is a cheese dish served with creamed spinach, tomatoes and spices.
The Nest Kitchen
57 S Main St, Hanover, NH // (603) 277-2916
Located inside the Nugget Arcade and next door to the popular spot Hanover Scoops, you’ll find The Nest Kitchen. This café has a unique breakfast and lunch-focused menu and is an offshoot of the Blue Sparrow Kitchen. So, if you know Blue Sparrow, you know what to expect here!
The menu here is filled with items that are locally sourced and diners can expect great service along with their good food at this popular spot. They have great beer on tap here also, making it fun spot to liven up your regular lunch!
What to get at The Nest Kitchen: The Bacon Chili Avo Breakfast Sandwich is excellent here as it blends sweet and spice perfectly. For something more traditional and inspired by New York City, grab a Bagel with Lox that comes with all the fixings. During the lunch hours, a Smashburger is hard to pass up, especially the Blue Cheese version that comes drizzled in a tasty house blue cheese sauce. Wash it all down with a New England IPA too!
Cutting’s Northside Café
62 Lyme Rd, Hanover, NH // (603) 643-7500
hanovermenus.com/cuttings.html
Cutting’s is a delightful riverside café with plenty of amazing food to enjoy after a long day exploring the campus or getting out on the water. Or stop in for a quick bite before heading on to the river. As the name suggests, Cutting’s Northside Café is a little out of the downtown area.
There is some quaint outdoor seating to relax in whilst enjoying a tasty sandwich or cool beverage. Inside you’ll find a few tables and areas to eat at. Cutting’s stocks some local wares you can browse through and purchase too.
What to get at Cutting’s: The food at Cutting’s Northside Café is simple and traditional. Whilst it is very ‘no-frills’ it’s still of a very high quality. Enjoy a traditional Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Sandwich at lunchtime, or if you’re more inclined for something heartier, try a delicious Northside Reuben. The Hungry Man Calzones are excellent, especially the Veggie Lovers version which comes with peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, and black olives.
Han Fusion
3 Lebanon St ste 15, Hanover, NH // (603) 643-8888
Han Fusion is a Chinese restaurant with some amazing food! Expect to find plenty of your favorite Chinese dishes and some other new ones that will blow your tastebuds off. Han Fusion offers delivery and takeout also.
Inside the restaurant, you can expect a relatively informal setting but still the white linen tables and speedy service you come to expect. As with many Chinese Restaurants, the servings are quite large, so round up your crew and get ready for some plate swapping and messy plates and tablecloths.
What to get at Han Fusion: Start your meal off with some tasty Pan-Fried Dumplings or Crab Rangoon. They make them well here. The General Tso Chicken is a spicy sensation at Han Fusion, so if this is your go-to dish, you won’t be disappointed here. The Black Mushrooms and Choy Sum make a perfect vegetarian option. It’s rich in flavor from its lovely sauce.
Lou’s Restaurant and Bakery
30 Main St, Hanover, NH // (603) 643-3321
While Lou’s is primarily a restaurant, you can find several mouthwatering bakery items here too. Located literally only feet from the Dartmouth Green and college campus, Lou’s Restaurant and Bakery has a distinct old school diner feel to it. Probably because it has been this way since 1947!
Guests keep coming back to Lou’s for the black and white floor, tin ceiling, snug booths, quick service and incredible food. Everything about Lou’s exudes American diner charm, especially the black and white photographs that adorn the service counter.
Lou’s is one of our favorite restaurants in Hanover NH if you need some comfort food when it’s chilly out.
What to get at Lou’s: Lou’s Cruller French Toast is cooked golden brown and dusted in powdered sugar, making them a perfect way to start the day for those with a sweet tooth. At lunchtime, you can build your own salad, so even the fussiest eaters are accommodated. During the cold months a steaming bowl of Homemade Chicken Soup is hard to pass up at Lou’s. It’s the fragrant herbs that make it so yummy!
Jesse’s Steakhouse
7 Blue Sky Drive, Hanover, NH // (603) 643-4111
If you’re in the mood for a big juicy steak, especially hand cut steaks, then Jesse’s Steakhouse has got you covered. Here you’ll find all your favorite cuts of meat, fresh sides and the service experience a good steakhouse is famous for. There’s something so distinctly American about a steakhouse, and Jesse’s is exactly that!
This is an upscale dining experience outside of downtown Hanover on the way to US Route 4. Expect a broad wine list and an everchanging beer list here. Inside, Jesse’s is modeled like a log-cabin. So, if you love that coziness of a cabin, incredible food and drinks and wonderful service, you’ll be in heaven at Jesse’s! Ron Swanson would feel at home here.
What to get at Jesse’s: The obvious answer here would be steak, and whilst Jesse’s does them well, there are plenty of other menu items to ponder. If you’re with guests who aren’t so enthusiastic about meat, they need not fret! The creamy pesto linguini is amazing here. The asparagus and roasted red peppers make it so. The roasted butternut salad is perfect for fall, or any time of year quite frankly. Of course, no steakhouse is complete without great desserts, and at Jesse’s you can’t go wrong with the key lime pie.
Sushiya
72 Main St, Hanover, NH // (603) 643-4000
Sushiya is located just below the South Street corridor where you can also find Ramunto’s, famous for its brick oven pizzas. This spot is hugely popular with Dartmouth’s international student community and for many diners, even resembles a relaxed student library.
At Sushiya you can find plenty of familiar sushi roll favorites and new combos that you will find intriguing. There are also plenty of Korean inspired dishes available here. Whilst there’s plenty of space to eat inside Sushiya, they do offer both takeout and delivery too.
What to get at Sushiya: The Lebanon roll is an interesting take on a traditional spicy tuna and avocado roll. The ramen bowls are popular here, especially on cold winter afternoons. From the Korean-inspired dishes, Yachae-Bokum is the standout. It’s a stir fry vegetable dish that was inspired by Korean farmers.
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What’s your favorite restaurant in Hanover? Share away!
