The Grainery

This place was very unimpressive  It was high on my list of Nashua places that've been here forever and I've never tried (but would like to as I'm on my way out of town), and despite a fairly decent review in the telegraph and an enticing looking menu, the place really disappointed me.  I'm not really sure why my expectations were so high; I just liked the look of the place and was amused that they listed a half rack of ribs in their appetizers.

I got a full rack of ribs meal and my girlfriend got the Friday-Saturday night special Fish Fry.  Both dishes were less than impressive in most regards.  The portion of the rib plate seemed a bit small and the sauce on the ribs was REALLY sparingly applied.  The shrimp in the fish fry special was good but the clams grossed my girlfriend out (she didn't think they'd been cleaned that well; though she admits she's no seafood expert).  Were we displeased enough to be the obnoxious sort who'd complain?  No.  Were we displeased enough to go on and on at length the rest of the night about our poor dining experience?  No.  We just weren't really satisfied or remotely impressed.  The food was just thoroughly bland, and the portions not overly generous (though the prices are quite reasonable).

Outside of the food, most factors of the place are fairly good.  While there was only one waitress working the whole dining room, that seemed sufficient as most of the business being conducted was in the bar (and bearing that in mind, the volume level in the dining area wasn't boosted by shouting carrying in from the bar like at lots of restaurants).  The wooden benches are a bit uncomfortable, but visually they're quite striking, as is the overall look of the place.  It's a fairly nice, intimate dive of a place that would be an excellent "secret weapon" dining out choice for when you want to go out on a friday-saturday night but don't want to have to wait 30+ minutes to be seated, if only the food itself were better.  Don't imagine I'd go back even if I weren't moving out of Nashua.

bar review only....this place has the look of your typical neighborhood dive, and it is...outside and in, it's just a plain old watering hole, people and waitstaff honest as is the bar. Nothing fancy, nothing bad, just a friendly little dive to reassure you of the camaraderie of fellow bar flies...expectation is everything and it met mine.

The Pub Grainery is one of those hidden gems located off the main drag. After getting here too late when the kitchen was closed a few weeks ago, I stopped in for dinner last night around 7:30PM. The Grainery has the atmosphere of a noisy local pub and that rustic feel. Most ot the people at the bar were in their mid 40s and older. The noise was echoing from the bar area to the dining room with high wood ceilings and exposed wood beams. The walls are decorated with a mix of old framed pictures. The bar area has high stool seating and TVs. The dining room has hardwood booths & tables and Berber carpeting. There's also an outdoor deck with patio seating. I was told I could sit anywhere since the dining room only had four other customers and I sat at a booth near the window, which was a bit uncomfortable.  For the little tykes, there are high chairs and seat boosters available, so they can enjoy the good food and drinks (except beer, sorry kiddies!)

The food menu offers pub fare including appetizers, salads, soup, quiche, burgers, sandwiches, beef, chicken, seafood, ribs, pasta, and desserts & specialty coffees. The average entree prices are $7.95-$11.95. On Fridays & Saturdays (3PM-9PM), they have all you can eat fish fry ($10.95), prime rib dinner ($11.95), and fried seafood extravaganza ($13.95) with clams, haddock, scallops, & shrimp.

Since I was hungry, I ordered the All You Can Eat Fish Fry served with fries & cole slaw with an ice water with lemon. The food arrived in 10 minutes. Man, that fish was very hot, fresh out of the fryer. The good sized piece of haddock was lightly breaded and flaky, slight grease inside served with tarter sauce. The fries were golden brown to perfection and the minced cole slaw was decent. My server asked me if I wanted seconds and I said sure, why not. Round Two came out quickly which was a smaller plate, but with smaller thicker fish pieces over fries and cole slaw. My server asked me if I wanted more fish, but I declined and got the check. I got several refills on ice water throughout the meal and the service was pretty good.

The hours are weird. I was told by the bartender they are closed on Sundays and Mondays, serve dinner between 5PM and 9PM, with the bar open later.