I came across a hidden gem last night! I had a wonderful dinner at the East Derry tavern.

For starters we got the vegetable samosas and the “Phil U Up Fries” which are French fries topped with homemade pulled pork, bacon, sweet caramelized onions, melted cheddar cheese and scallions. The samosas were crispy and flaky and the filling was nicely seasoned (you could really taste the fresh roasted cumin). The pulled pork on the fries was excellent. It had such a nice sweet/smoky/savory flavor.. it paired beautifully with the caramelized onions.

For dinner I had the Tikka Masala NAANwich which is Warm buttered NAAN bread filled with spiced potato & vegetable spread, cool Indian vegetable slaw, tandoori roasted chicken and homemade tikka masala sauce. Such a delicious and inventive dish! (I’ve eaten many Indian entrees and I’ve never seen an Indian sandwich before.) The naan was thick with a nice chew, the potato spread was smooth and savory, the chicken was tender, the sauce was seasoned well and the slaw was crunchy and refreshing. Everything tasted so fresh!

My husband got the Dry Rubbed Rib Eye that had a sweet & smoky brown sugar dry rub and garlic butter (it came with mashed sweet potatoes and mashed red bliss potatoes, my husband said they were both very tasty). The steak was incredibly tender and flavorful .. it melted in your mouth!

When I was ordering the gentleman who took my order commented that I was ordering all Indian dishes and that I should have come to eat the night before. Apparently Tuesday’s are “Indian food night” with a full Indian menu. It turns out he was actually one of the owners. He not only brought over the Indian menu for me to see but he sent his wife (the other owner) over to see me as well! What a delightful woman! She told me about the spices they use, how they’re imported directly from India, how everything is cooked fresh from scratch.. nothing frozen or from a can. She doesn’t do the cooking but the cooks use all her recipes. She was so proud of her dishes, so happy and willing to discuss her food and methods.. it was awesome to hear. She said They only have Indian night once a week because it’s a lot of work and the dishes are very time consuming,but they keep a few Indian dishes on the menu all week.

Oh! And during our conversation she told me she also owns and runs the convenience store that’s attached to the restaurant! I asked her when she sleeps haha (she said never!) She invited me to visit her store after dinner (we did and took pics!) She said she imports special Christmas chocolates and candies from Europe that ppl come from all over to purchase and that she has thousands of Craft beers (from all over the globe) there too!

Lastly, in her convenience store there’s a crispy crunchy chicken! If you haven’t been (I have.. there is one at a gas station near the rockingham mall in Salem NH) its like a little pop up kitchen chain that sells delicious chicken tenders, fries and biscuits. If you’ve never tried them I highly recommend it. Great value and great tenders.

So yes, last night I learned a lot, ate a lot and had a great time speaking with the super friendly (and hardworking!) owners of east Derry Tavern. I highly recommend you visit both their restaurant and their convenience store ..especially if you love Indian food, chicken tenders and craft beers!