21 Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Keene

My husband and I went there for a drink after work on Wednesday, September 24th at 6:00 to try the new Fall flavors drink menu. Our server was great...absolutely no complaints with her. We ordered some chips and guacamole, a G&T, and a Pecan Pie martini. We received our chips and guacamole, ate them, and neither one of us still had received our drink. 15 minutes had passed and we still did not have our drinks. We were at a 2-person table in the bar area so I look over to see what the bartender is doing, hoping that our drinks are coming out soon, and I see her with this delicious-looking martini with whipped cream on it. I thought that must be my drink but then I see her hand it to some man sitting at the bar and he starts posing with the drink, holding it in his hand, holding it up to his face, as the bartender is taking pictures of him with it. Then I watch the BARTENDER take the drink from the man at the bar and hand that same drink to a couple at the end of the bar. Then that couple starts posing with the drink as the BARTENDER again starts taking pictures. My husband and I are sitting there watching the bartender take all these pictures with her phone, giggling with the other people at the bar, while my husband and I still hadn't received our drinks. Then, NO JOKE, the BARTENDER grabs the SAME drink and hands it to my server to bring to me. Not only was I waiting over 15 minutes for my drink, but I watched the BARTENDER pass MY drink to two other people sitting at the bar so they could get pictures taken with it. Then she had the audacity to have my server bring it to me! I sent it back and said I wanted a new drink to be made that hadn't been passed around to others to fondle with dirty hands and whatever other germs it collected. What bartender, in their right mind, thinks it's okay to pass someone else's drink around the bar so you can take a bunch of pictures with your phone????? We have been very loyal customers over a year now, but will not be going back after this. If this is what they do with orders in front of the customer, who knows what they're doing with our food/drinks when we're...

Just reopened with the new renovation and they knocked it out of the park. I got the steak and mushroom burger (cooked medium rare) and it was maybe the juiciest, most flavorful burger I’ve ever had. Not exaggerating. The Caesar salad was good too, not overly drowned in dressing like most. The Hawaiian Tide mocktail was delicious too.

Wasn’t super busy on the first Wednesday night in the summer after they reopened, but atmosphere was still good with lively staff and not overpowering music.

I’ll definitely be coming back and recommending to anyone who asks.

—UPDATE—

Came back the next day to see if it was just a fluke. Place was PACKED this time, barely a table open or seat at the bar available. Because of that, it took significantly longer to get my food. Possible they were surprised by the level of traffic, or maybe something happened in the kitchen.

The food was absolutely amazing again. Grilled chicken, onion, and tzatziki sliders were delicious. Garlic parm fried chicken sandwich on ciabatta wasn’t dry at all like it can often be, very flavorful and juicy. Fries I got were pretty mediocre, standard frozen thin cut fries. Looked like some people got waffle fries, I’d recommend asking for those. I’d recommend the restaurant opt for thick cut, steak cut, or exclusively waffle fries. Ketchup was also too sweet.

But overall an awesome follow up visit from yesterday....

I've been coming here for almost a year now and have had a total of ZERO complaints. The service is great, very friendly staff, the food and drinks are ALL delicious (and yes, I've tried everything on the menu that I'm not allergic to). Today I got a new drink, Buttered Rum, comes to you hot with a little pat of butter melting on top. It looks good, smells good and tastes VERY good! It is a strong drink but a good butter and Caramel flavor. Then I ordered a bunch of food. Potato Pancakes that were HUGE and delicious. Think, mashed potatoes deep fried with a delicious white sauce to go with them. The Bacon Jam Grilled Cheese is a delicious favorite of mine. Not overly cheesey or bacony, a perfect balance of flavors. Then the chicken Tenders, I got Sweet Chili. Crispy yet juicy and well coated in sauce. Not a single dry bit of chicken. The atmosphere is excellent as well. It is currently 18 outside but in here is a comfortably warm temp. The music is at a perfect volume, you can clearly hear it BUT you can also have a normal conversation with someone across the table from you. Excellent service, food, drinks and atmosphere. ...