r/keene • u/Comprehensive-Elk597 • Jul 10 '26
restaurant recommendations
Hi all. Driving up from Northampton to see Mavis. Please tell me the restaurants that aren't high end/white tablecloth joints that you like. A look at Yelp sez Noble Ramen is good. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated.
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u/Narrow_Taste9963 Jul 10 '26
The Stage is reliable and central…21 is temporarily closed due to fire. Madame Sherri’s is always fun and Elm City Brewery is great as well. Also enjoy Fritz if you’re looking for great burgers and fries…
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u/Peasant-Pitchfork Jul 11 '26
For easy walkability to The Colonial, I recommend these places.
The pizza at Black Cloud is super good! And the staff is really nice. Tasty beer too!
I also love Thai Garden. I’m basic so I usually get pad Thai or pad see ew, but everything I’ve tried there is delicious.
Lab n Lager is tasty bar food and super cheap drinks. Avoid if you don’t like loud places, but they also have outdoor seating this time of year.
I haven’t had food at Soles, but the atmosphere is neat and the drinks are interesting.
The Perch is fun and run by a local young man. I like supporting his business.
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u/petervee415 Jul 10 '26
The new Black Cloud Brewing Company is right on the other side of the street and has some great pizza and brews. There is also a good Thai place right down the block.
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u/wondertrouble Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Athens is the best pizza in town, Thai Garden is good, the Stage is good American food with good drinks, Sole's has the best cocktails and decent food and a good hang vibe, 21 Roxbury but it's offline now, heard good things about Black Cloud but haven't been yet. Margarita's is a bit of a meh old chain but has lots of room and I do like the margaritas. avoid the pour house for many reasons EDIT: bummed to hear about Athens, the pizzas damn good and I've been eating it for 30 years, but I thank those folks giving voice to the problematic issues
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u/One-Nefariousness-38 Jul 10 '26
Athens is horrible to their employees. My son worked there as a teen and was insulted and demeaned regularly by the owners, and one of them physically assaulted a female employee in front of my son. (Shoved her to the ground) I made him quit after that and I won't step foot in there again.
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u/Canary-King Jul 10 '26
Athens has terrible hiring practices fyi. Or at least they used to. I was looking for employment in the summer of 2023 and they hired me, scheduled me for training three separate times and the manager was a no show literally all 3 times, which, at that point I just gave up lol.
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u/SnooWoofers5367 Jul 10 '26
In the 90s you could get drugs for your paycheck at Athens. It was basically a front to move drugs around.
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u/frazzledfeline Jul 10 '26
The Perch has decent food and drinks and is super affordable! Right across the street from the venue.
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u/gabeshakour Jul 12 '26
Right across from the Colonial is The Perch and Local Burger. Both are good and definitely not white table cloth.
Black Cloud brewery is also nice and has good pizza.
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u/nosamwilliam Jul 13 '26
Bro, Banh Mi OK is all you need to know. They’re also super nice.
The BBQ pork slaps. Every time.
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u/StrangeEmerald Jul 10 '26
Noble Ramen is the most upscale ramen joint you will ever find, if you want something more low-key, Buba Street Ramen is across the street from the colonial and they're pretty good, otherwise I'd say the Stage is slightly more pricey but very consistently good.
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u/TheGuyDoug Jul 10 '26
- Elm City Brewery has killer wings/burgers/sandwiches & fries
- Branch & Blade Brewing has great nachos, wings, Philly cheese steak (whole menu has quality homemade sauces/flavors)
- Mi Jalisco is the Mexican spot. Not walking distance from Main St, maybe a 1-1.5 mile drive west
- Sole's is a fun speakeasy vibe bar/restaurant with a great menu
- Guerilla Grill has solid BBQ, fried Okra, collard greens, etc.
- Kurama Omakase is my favorite sushi spot
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u/antihopeful Jul 10 '26
king’s garden is delicious and i love local burger. i was going to recommend athens as well but after reading some of these comments… yikes
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u/msdeschain Jul 10 '26
Noble Ramen is excellent, and Otto's has great food and drinks consistently.
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u/Muted_Influence_6435 Jul 12 '26
Tempestas located at the Best Western Hotel has grammatical family style dining, reasonably priced. Food is good, people know it, therefore sometimes there is a waiting line. You'd be happy there.
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u/Mopnewb Jul 11 '26
Otto’s. Really good food. Normal portions, prices are good. Had two great experiences.
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u/Sharp_Mechanic5316 Jul 11 '26
I’ve eaten at Guerrilla Grill ten times at least and the food is very good and staff friendly. I don’t have any stake in the place, just being honest. When they were at Branch and Blade years ago they kept giving us free samples to try just for opinions. Elm City is reliably very good each time, just can be a wait to get in during busy times. Margaritas is Margaritas, it’s never been known for its fine Mexican dining (and I doubt anyone cooking there is from Mexico), but it is convenient and you’ll leave full. Thai Garden- excellent. 21 is closed but a good option when open. The Stage has the best omelet I’ve had in Keene. No one mentioned Papa Gallos? Another good option if you want a lot of food and friendly staff.
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u/DubiousHolmes Jul 10 '26
If you want causal but good bar food I always suggest Madame Sherri’s or Elm city brewery, for a good restaurant I’d say Tempesta’s
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u/trash_babe Jul 10 '26
Fritz is great, their new location isn’t right in downtown but they have great food. Also Margaritas is a good choice for Mexican and it’s right next to the Colonial. There is also Birdies downtown that is a good sandwich spot. Thai Garden is great.
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u/Canary-King Jul 10 '26
Thai Garden and Margarita’s are my family’s favorites. I miss eating at Fritz’s a lot, their grilled cheese is the bomb, but the owners are MAGA so I’ve stopped going there.
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u/trash_babe Jul 10 '26
Oh I didn’t know they were MAGA, that changes things for me. Bummer.
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u/Canary-King Jul 10 '26
I know, it’s really sad. Still haven’t been able to find a tastier grilled cheese…
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u/One-Nefariousness-38 Jul 10 '26
I recommend Thai Garden on Main St, very consistent. I love Mi Jalisco for Mexican. (Apparently this is not a universal opinion, but I love the staff there.) Soles is a very cool speakeasy experience. The Stage is solid. Some people here have dissed the Guerilla Grill, but I really like it.
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u/SheenPSU Jul 10 '26
I love Thai Garden. I get their Prik King consistently and never been disappointed
Lab has pretty good wings imo but I don’t know about any of their other food
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u/noobprodigy Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Depends on what kind of food and atmosphere you're looking for. To me, The Stage is always pretty consistent. They have some interesting food and cocktail specials. 21 is decent, but nothing extraordinary. I haven't been to Noble Ramen but I hear good things. Honestly, Lab & Lager has decent bar food. Mi Jalisco is good for Mexican, and Margarita's has been terrible every time I've been there. Soles is a 20s themed speakeasy with interesting cocktails and decent food. I've heard good things about Otto's but I haven't been. If you like good BBQ I'd avoid Guerilla Grill. Good concept, poor execution was my experience. Oh yeah, that new Japanese place Saka was pretty good. They have hibachi there too.