Finally! Â A somewhat local to us pub/restaurant! Â I didn't realize how much I missed being in a tavern with good food until we visited the Riverworks last night. Â We have been spoiled living in Boston for 10 years -- moving to NH unfortunately lowered our expectations on great food spots slightly.
We sat downstairs in the bar area--8 tables or so and the bartender was also our server. Â We had a couple of cocktails to start and the crab cake bites appetizer, and enjoyed both. Â Honest drinks and a decent beer selection. Â
Our dinners were equally as good--I had the spaghetti and meatball special, while my wife went a little lighter and had loaded nachos with chili. Â My pasta dish was enough for 2, but I still made a good effort to eat it all myself. Â The food was so good that we made the mistake of eating more than we should have, making the 20 minute ride home feel like an hour!
We will definitely be back!
Met some coworkers here recently. Pretty confident I didn't see the entire place as we only made it as far as the bar (which is where you first walk into, convenient.) It's a tiny little bar with a bunch of small tables surrounding it. Seems like a locals place. The food here is good. I got a quesadilla which was a good size and really tasty.. got fries with it that were scrumptious. The only thing I did notice that was strange was that everyone else's portions seemed small - for ex. someone got steak tips which consisted of 3 larger steak tips on top of a spoonful of mashed potatoes. strange? Â other than that I'd certainly recommend.
Review Source:Food is really good, but the waitstaff is the worst. Â Welcomed this morning with the staff pouring milk on my wife's feet then returning about 10 minutes later with a towel. Â They were short staffed and the manager came out to explain. Â We will return again, to try once more, Â because the manager did a great job of making sure we got back on track for a good meal.
Review Source:Cajun chicken tenders are the best!!! Â I love the Riverworks...Friendly staff, great food and relaxed atmosphere...what else can you ask for? Â I can't say how many times I have eaten there but I always enjoy myself. Â My favorite appetizers are the cajun chicken tenders and the potato skins with broccoli and bacon. Â Their desserts are always to die for especially the cheese cakes. Â Daily specials make it so you always have something new to try and I am really looking forward to getting some beef stew this week for St. Patrick's Day!! Â (It' the best beef stew) Â I've never eaten in the dining room upstairs but it is safe to say that the Riverworks tavern is one of my favorite watering holes!!
Review Source:I've been intoxicated here. Â I went up to Aryaloka Buddhist Center after some chaplaincy work at the Concord Prison and stopped in here. Â We were about to leave when a couple fellows there for Alumni week came in and decided to buy my friend and I a beer. Â That was quite nice of them. Â I got a little intoxicated, and I was a bit rough the next day for the retreat inside prison. Â But it ended up being a good retreat, and well, this place was an interesting interlude between time inside. Â Now as a Buddhist, I try not to get intoxicated, whether by beer, or the excitement of a car, or technology or anything that can be intoxicating. Â But I don't interpret it as strict prohibition against drinking and anyway I'm not perfect, so anyway, this was a nice place to get a beer in Newmarket, which is a lovely town.
Review Source:My family loves this place. It offers traditional pub food in the bar area, and restaurant seating upstairs (although we always eat in the pub). Menu is supplemented with daily specials sheet which I have found to be creative, seasonal and tasty. They pour a nice Guinness in the pub. Bar tenders usually are the waiters in the pub area - and they are very friendly. They also hustle, which I always appreciate.
Review Source:I just had a phenomenal kobe beef burger cooked to a perfect medium rare, topped with thick slices of applewood smoked bacon and tangy cheddar cheese. Â Started the night off with good-quality mussels in a tasty broth. Â Beer selection leaves much to be desired for a pub, but after all this is New Hampshire. Â Service was slow, but the waitress was friendly. Â I will definitely be back for another burger.
Review Source:What I really like about this place is that you can get nachos and burgers or you can get a really nice steak. There's definitely something there for whatever type of mood you're in.
The place was pretty quiet upstairs when we came Thursday night, but I was alright with that. The music wasn't blaring and I could have a normal conversation with my boyfriend without having to compete with the music. Our waitress was great. She wasn't overly obtrusive and attentive enough. I'm not one that enjoys when waiters hover over me. If I need something, I'll tell you. So I give her a solid A.
They have delicious dinner rolls, which came fresh out of the oven and even burnt my fingers. However, they were so good I didn't even care about the pain. I ordered the Salmon which was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. And fresh. Everything was fresh which is always key. The portion was just right. Not absurdly large but big enough to feed a grown man (or woman in my case). And! The entrees come with soup or salad which is always a plus. My boyfriend  ordered the NY strip which I also tried and thought was great.
Like I said, this place has a wide range of options including build your own quesadilla and burgers, so there is something here for everyone.
A group of us sat upstairs for dinner a few weeks ago. Â Our waittress was pretty attentive when the first couple of us showed up, but had a harder time keeping up when our full table of 7 people were present.
They serve their beer on tap in frosty glasses. Â While this may be good for Bud and Coors light, it is not appropriate for anything else. Â I asked for my next beer to be in a not-ice-encrusted glass and it came that way anyways. Â The pizza special of the evening, a Hawaiian, was just average. Â It came on a dinner plate and looked kind of small even for a pizza for one.
One of the diners ordered the terriyaki wings, and honest to god, they were black when they arrived on the plate. Â We were afraid to try them, they looked awful. Â A brave soul ate one and found the taste to not be nearly as bad as the presentation. Â
My greek spinach salad was just average, baby spinach with a large pile of sliced black olives that were obviously from a can. Â How about kalamatas instead? Â No zucchini as the menu said it would have. Â
After our food was eaten, the waittress brought our check without even checking to see if we wanted dessert or another cocktail.
I won't be going here again. Â It sounds like for a better experience you need to sit in the bar, not the upstairs dining room.
So my co-worker and I were dissapointed that Rocky's was closed on Mondays so we decided to go to Riverworks. Â I was pretty happy with the what I got.
The service was good and the bartender was very helpful and provided us with everything we needed as well as some nice small talk.
The menu has some nice choices includeing a decent sandwich and burger menu as well as full entrees. Â I ended up getting one of the speacials, which was the shaved prime-rib steak and cheese.
While I was not seeing anything that was overly great about the Riverworks I thought the food was good and at a reasonable price. Â I enjoyed the root beer bottle that was their own and in the end this establishment was definitely deserving of a three star rating and an A-ok from this guy. Â If your in the area and want a beer and a burger its a pretty good spot.
When I travel through Newmarket, I always stop here. Â It's known as Newmarket's Living Room because it's a cozy place. Â The bar is small, but it looks cool because of the old brick and stone walls. Â They don't have many beers on tap, but have a great selection of bottles. Â The food is a reasonable price and tastes great. Â I've always had excellent service everytime I've stopped by. Â If you're in the area, it is worth a try.
Review Source:The Riverworks Tavern is one of my favorite places in Newmarket. With lunch and dinner specials everyday along with promotional events and wine dinners.
A good amount of vegetarian items, along with veggie specials gives a good variety of options. Among my favorite is the steamed veggie wrap and make your own quesadilla with feta cheese and spinach.
I like to see what new soup variations they come up with on the specials menu, my favorite so far being a melon/cucumber cold soup.
The staff is always friendly and we've been going there regularly for about 2 years without any issues.
There are two sections to eat in, the laid-back tavern section downstairs and the more formal dining area upstairs. I prefer to eat downstairs but sometimes have to be put upstairs due to a full tavern.
After working in the area, I went over to The Riverworks for a light meal. The Riverworks has two levels, on the main level is a casual tavern and upstairs is a fine dining room. I decided on the casual tavern, where the atmosphere has a cozy classic New England Main Street pub and rathskeller feel with wood and trim. There's seating at the bar (small TV) and table seating along the walls and in the small back portion (small fish tank in the wall). A mixed crowd here including families dining at tables in the tavern. The place can get busy on the weekends and according to a bartender, they were also crazy busy on Cinco de Mayo, mixing margaritas, drinks with more steps involved.
The menu offers pub fare such as wings, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, fish & chips, vegetarian selections, pizzas, dinner entrees, kids menu, and desserts. Daily specials are offered. The prices are moderate and fair, dinner entrees in the $16-$21 range, sandwiches/burgers $6-8, and desserts $4-$6. See the menu at <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theriverworks.com%2Fmenu.html&s=b15138938a2f1066c20f953d4864709f4ad4a480e235048014b9ffdbcc4f5767" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.theriverworks…</a> Please note the prices have gone up from the website menu.
The Lasagna ($9.99) looked pretty good, but I settled on a Little Bit Of Everything ($7.99) which was a half sandwich, salad, and cup of soup. The food was out in under 10 minutes. I had a Reuben (corned beef) on marble rye, fresh garden salad, and a cup of clam chowder (semi thick broth with lots of chopped clams, potatoes). All of the food was very good and the portion was just right. The service at the bar was decent and quick. The Riverworks merits a return visit and a potential UYE venue based on the food and the atmosphere.
The great food, friendly people and relaxing atmosphere make this one of the best restaurants in New Hampshire. Â Prices are fair and food types range from fish 'n chips($10) to nightly specials(~$25). Â The only complaint I have is that they allow smoking in the bar after lunch. Â So if your a non-smoker like myself, eat in the upstairs restaurant or if you don't mind the smoke then check out the cool stone walls and fish tank in the back room of the bar. Â When I'm not ordering a bottle of wine with an entree with my wife, fish 'n chips with a Guinness is my favorite. Â Enjoy!
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