5 Best Restaurants in Lakes Region, New Hampshire

A legit contender in New Hampshire's fierce battle for the best pancake house, this rustic timber-frame roadhouse is run by a family who've been producing maple syrup for five generations. Open only on weekends, Benton's serves stacks of pancakes in several flavors, including strawberry shortcake, Mounds Bar, and Grandma's apple cinnamon. There's stuffed French toast, omelets, and breakfast sandwiches, too, but who are we kidding? This place is all about those fluffy pancakes.

Lobster-roll aficionados flock to this funky converted schoolhouse with screened-in and outdoor seating high on a bluff above the Pemigewasset River. Start with a cup of lobster bisque or clam chowder before digging into a traditional (lightly dressed, with mayo) or hot-buttered lobster roll—both come on a warm, buttered brioche roll, best enjoyed with a side of garlic fries. Burgers, fried, clams, and fish-and-chips are also available.

In a converted barn adorned with paintings by local artists, this rustic tavern in an 1840s building in charming Center Sandwich village dishes up classic American fare. Salads made with local greens and a maple vinaigrette are a house specialty, but don't overlook the mac and cheese with house-made sauce and steak tips–and–lobster surf and turf.

With big windows overlooking the lake and timber posts and ceiling beams, this popular restaurant inside the Church Landing at Mill Falls hotel captures the rustic ambience of an old-fashioned camp dining room. Feast on classic American favorites with interesting twists, such as eggs Benedict topped with Maine lobster in the morning, and char-grilled steaks, chops, and seafood in the evening.

A former bowling alley in the heart of Holderness makes an unlikely but charming setting for meals overlooking Little Squam Lake—local boaters dock right beneath the dining room. Among the specialties on the seafood-intensive menu are shellfish paella, and sea scallops with a creamy bacon-corn-poblano succotash, while sandwiches and salads are among the lighter options.