Mad River Tavern — Restaurant in Campton

I have 15+ years of chef and culinary experience, despite this, I am lax and low-key about most dining experiences, and I want to cement that I’m not angry with this experience, just frustrated and disappointed. We came in for lunch, around 1:45 or so, and the restaurant was mostly quiet. The atmosphere and vibe was really cozy and nostalgic in a laid-back ski lodge way, which was really welcoming. Staff was friendly and kind, and appropriately attentive. Food came out quick, but was extremely disappointing for the majority of the table. Onion rings were pretty terrible, with a somewhat sweet hush puppy (southern fried cornbread type dough) texture and taste, which sounds good in theory, but they were a very weird, lacking-in-seasoning experience. The butternut squash salad looked very nice, and the flavour of the grilled chicken was good however it was incredibly dry and a little tough. The butternut squash was firm in the middle, somewhat uncooked so it has a soft outside and a firm, crunchy inside, and was not flavorful. The poppyseed dressing was very gross, tasting and texture of common refined oil with some poppyseeds in a tasteless emulsion. I got an extra cup of it for my salad from the very kind waitress that served us, and everybody at the table stuck their pinky in it to test, and all agreed that it was very bad. The waiter did their best to serve us, was attentive and kind and tried their best to make the salad experience better. I didn’t eat more than a forkful of romaine and chicken, yet it wasn’t taken off the bill. Instead the two root beers we got were taken off, even though they were not an issue. I’m not sure why this is how they decided to cut our bill.

I hope this was just a luck bad day for the kitchen and this isn’t how the food always is, so sending good vibes and luck your way, Mad River Tavern. Thank you...

went in for dinner after seeing there special was prime rib. we were asked for our orders and we ordered, we were asked how we wanted it cooked. i answered medium rare and my boyfriend answered medium. we also got mozzarella sticks which came out after 5 minutes, a bit cold but not horrible. after like 20 minutes our entries came out. the meat looked overcooked and a bit green on the edges. Overall, it was freezer burnt and chewy. unfortunately we both ate most of it so we did not have much to show. i decided i was disappointed and when our server came over with the bill, i let her know and said i did not expect anything to be comped. i informed her that the meat was overcooked and obviously freezer burnt and that we ordered medium and medium rare. she then proceeded to tell us that “when we order prime rib they have to cook the meat to the same temperature due to how they store it,” WHICH WOULDVE BEEN REASONABLE, if she had not already asked us how we wanted it cooked. she proceeded to not comp any of it, and made us feel as though...

Another random stop that turned out to be gold! Stopped in on the way home, just randomly because it looked comfortable. Really glad we did! First off, the atmosphere is wonderful. It's a small New England style pub, lots of wood, low lights, comfortable seating in both a bar and restaurant setting (two sides of the building). I think this would be very comfortable for families or a night out.

There was a guitarist playing folk-style music, very comfortable. The bartender sat us, and even noted when I mentioned I left my glasses in the car and she gave me a pair of readers... Service we quick, and very friendly. She really was top notch!

Food came out quickly (there's trivial pursuit cards on the tables if you get bored) and it was excellent. I had salmon and my partner had shrimp scampi. I also had french onion soup, one of those odd things one gets once in a great while... And it's was well worth it!

There's quite a range of food and beer for a small menu, need to stop back and try again! Highly recommended if...