We wandered in to the Shovel Handle after looking around for a place to watch the big AFC championship meltdown of 2013. Any place with seats near a television was packed. We put our name in and headed downstairs to the hangout area, comfy couches, tables, and a big tv with the pre-game on. As we waited for a table the waitress came around and got us, and the 10 or so other people downstairs, drinks and apps.
With the game about to begin the hostess and our waitress offered to let us all stay downstairs and watch and have our meals delivered down to us. AWESOME. They could read the situation and adjusted accordingly, great flexibility on the staff's part. The service was fast, efficient, and friendly.
I had the Shepard's Pie which was incredibly tasty, my husband had the Ribs which were also good. They have a good beverage selection, as a cider fan, it would have been nice to have a cider on tap but they carried Woodchuck 802, which was great.
I would recommend this place to anyone and will go there again and again when I'm in the White Mountains.
You won't be blown out of the water with the food but it is better than most pubs and the atmosphere is great.
I had read about the pub attached to the fantastic Whitney Inn and was excited to try it out. I have to say though that I wasn't blown away. The decor is really cool, especially some of the old ski posters. The menu (at least for dinner) is somewhat limited and pricey. The brews on tap are extremely limited for a pub! I got the blackberry bbq ribs and my partner got the duck. He loved his dish while I didn't think mine was that good; he ended up eating it too and liked it though. Our waitress seemed to be the only one for the entire restaurant and we rarely saw her. I noticed there were tons of kids at the tables so it got pretty noisy. For what we got, I felt the prices were a bit steep. We were both put off by our waitress showing up out of the blue and asking to take our plates when we had a ton of food left. I think they were running out of tables and wanted us to hurry along. It was nice to try it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there again, even if I did stay in the inn next door. Lots of better options in the area.
Review Source:An absolutely beautiful restaurant that serves above average pub food. The restaurant is in a restored barn and its a beauty. We all enjoyed our food too. One friend got the meatloaf and said it was soft, juicy and delicious. Two of us had hamburgers and they were excellent (although not quite as good as the Moat in North Conway). We visited on a Saturday night and were lucky to find a table in the bar next to the fireplace and great live acoustic music. We heard this restaurant isnt always open cause they often close for weddings, which is a good thing i guess.
One of the best things about this place is that it seems 10,000 miles off the tourist trail. Highly recommended all around.
I was so disappointed to find that we had gambled on getting one of the fantastic review-worthy evenings but instead got the opposite. I don't know whether this Wednesday was a unique dinner situation ie waitstaff calling in at the last minute but regardless it was clearly a problem. I wouldn't normally hold that against a restaurant if they owned up to it, but instead our waitress was surly, off putting and when I tried to engage her with some empathic conversation she offered back nothing but a gutteral sound. No eye contact, no smile, just a horribly negative sound.
I had the tomato and mozzarella panini and looked everywhere for the taste. My son had macaroni and cheese (think generic store brand, spooned out onto a plate and left to sit while the other meals were arranged...lovely dark skin on top of it all). My daughter and son had the sirloin tips and they were both pleased, although I was a bit surprised at the scant amount.
I wanted this to be an amazing dinner on the first night of our traditional Storyland get away, but instead I was left feeling like we'd worked really hard to pay for a dinner that we just about had to suffer through on all levels.
I'll start with the pros: the live music was great and the windows are huge, offering a nice view of horses in a field and one of the Black Mountain ski lifts. Also, the appetizers were good and the staff is very nice.
Now, the cons:
We entered through what I think was a waiting area downstairs. Unfortunately, the first thing we saw after checking out the comfy furniture was a 3-4" bug of some sort scurrying across the floor and into a heating vent in the floor. I have bug issues - so that did not sit well with me.
As I mentioned above, our appetizers were good, but there were issues with the drinks. I ordered sparkling wine. The first glass they brought me was warm. I asked for a cold glass, so they brought over one that was slightly better chilled... but flat. Flat sparkling wine is a bummer.
My husband and I both liked the appetizers and we were both completely disappointed in our entrees. I had a vegetable/polenta dish. I can't remember what it was called, but I only ate about a third of it. It seemed to include a large quantity of canned, chopped tomatoes. I may be wrong, but that's how they looked and tasted. I expected fresh vegetables. It's summer. Anyway, I couldn't eat it - canned tomatoes are unwelcome in my mouth. Although I don't remember which dish my husband ordered, I do remember him calling it quite mediocre.
Note that they are *not* open 7 days a week and they close at 10 PM (at least that was the closing time on the day we were there).
Overall, a disappointing culinary experience... but nice people.
Rustic but very charming little pub located right next to Black Mountain which of course is the perfect place for the post skiing scotch. These guys concoct an awesome plate of nachos large enough to feed a small nation.  The bar area is tiny but cozy while the larger dining area with the view of the mountain had a roaring fire.  Prices are fair, the staff welcoming and the atmosphere  just perfect after a hard day on the slopes.
Review Source:My fiance and I had dinner here last weekend. Although it was quiet on the outside, the place was packed inside and there was quite a wait to sit upstairs where the music was. We were starving so we decided to stay on the lower level. Our waitress (can't remember her name) was fantastic, very nice and gave us great recommendations. We ordered the spinach and artichoke dip appetizer. The dip was excellent - our only gripe is that it came with plain crackers (the same crackers we had in our room at the B&B next door) and we really would've loved bread or something else to dip in it. We both had a salad (dressing was excellent) and for our entree's one of us had the steak and one had the pork chop. Both were grilled to perfection, though maybe a little heavy on the seasoning. The sides were good too. My pork chop came with an apple and pear chutney on top which was really nice and I'll recreate at home. Oh - another great thing we had was a hot cidar drink that was really great on a cold night. Dessert was ok - it was very "oatmeal-y" and by then we were pretty stuffed so we didn't eat much of it. We headed upstairs after dinner for a drink at the bar. The bar staff was friendly and helpful. The lower level of the pub has a fireplace and comfy couches. I'm bummed we didn't have time to sit down there and enjoy our drinks. Maybe next time...
Review Source:After reading the other reviews, I guess I went on an off night. We got seated quickly, but then sat for about 20mins waiting for a waiter. Turns out there was only one waitress for the entire place. The hostess got us drinks until the waitress had a chance to take our order. The spinach artichoke dip was just ok. I've had better. I ordered the lobster mac&cheese but they were out. So I ended up with some sort of vegetable linguine. It was ok. I was very disappointed after reading the great reviews. Not sure if I'd give it another chance.
Review Source:We had a rehearsal dinner here for the wedding of good friends of ours, and walked away quite full and quite pleased. Â The food was good, the service impeccable, and the live music for the evening was solid. Â The setting, however, is the best bit - multilevel, entirely made of wood, open, cozy and smelling of hay and wood and sunshine. Â Perfect place for a good dinner date, a hoedown or a wedding rehearsal dinner. Â I bet the apres-ski is solid, too. Â Recommended.
Review Source:Picture this:
It's August and you're in a gorgeous wooden restaurant/pub overlooking a horse farm at the foot of the Black Mountain ski resort in the White Moutains of New Hampshire. You're eating spinach & artichoke dip, surrounded by friendly folks and sipping an adult beverage, listening to someone playing acoustic guitar and singing these lyrics:
" I can see her lookin fast in her faded jeans. Shes a hard loving woman, got me feeling mean. Sometimes I think its a shame. When I get feeling better when Im feeling no pain. Sundown you better take care. If I find you been creeping round my back stairs"
Does it get any better? I mean, when is the last time you've heard someone sing Gordon Lightfoot?
We stayed at the Whitney Inn (with our dog) this weekend - and loved it. When I made the reservation the website said if you booked 2 nights in August, you'd get free dinner at their restaurant, the Shovel Handle Pub.
It was free, so I didn't expect much. But, after the long trek up to the White Mountains we didn't feel like heading back out and decided to take them up on dinner. I'm so glad we did.
The staff were beyond friendly. The kind of friendly that screams "you're not in the city anymore". Â The food was really good - and really cheap. I don't think there was anything on the menu over $15. The beer & wine were affordable and really good too. Excellent stout on tap. Plus, when you don't have to do anything later but step outside to gaze at all the stars for a while before stumbling back to your room, why not have a few? Go here for a perfect, "get-away from it all" weekend.
The moment I stepped into the Shovel Handle pub, I knew it was perfect for our reception. Â My husband and I both wanted something different. Â We didn't want to have our reception in a function room that could have been anywhere. Â The other places all looked the same, a wide open room with sketchy carpet and round banquet tables. Â They were wedding reception factories. Â The Shovel Handle was perfect. Â The old barn is quintessential Jackson with gorgeous post and beam, high ceilings and unique charm. Â
For food we chose the Brandy Apple Chicken and Prime Rib. Â Both were delicious. Â The chicken bruchetta was also a huge hit. Â We got loads of compliments from our guests about the food. Â
The Shovel Handle Pub is part of the Whitney Inn. Â We filled the inn with our guests and had the run of the place for the entire weekend. Â Everyone felt comfortable and had great things to say about the rooms. Â
The best thing about the experience at the Whitney/Shovel Handle was the staff. Â When I arrived at the inn two days before the wedding I was in the thick of a killer flu. Â Susan, the on site wedding coordinator, made sure I had tea right away and was very attentive. Â My flu continued to the next day and the inn keepers, Joyce and Don, helped me locate the closest pharmacy. Â On my wedding day I was no better. Â I was a sick bride but the wedding was so great no one even noticed. Â The staff made the night spectacular for the guests.
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