The Common Man Lincoln — Restaurant in Lincoln

This have been our go to spot whenever we are in the area. The other night that changed it for us. We made reservations for me and my husband to celebrate our 5th year wedding anniversary. We had a wait 25 minutes not to bad before entering to go eat. We go upstairs to get seated and waited about 5 minutes for someone to come over to seat us. They were kinda busy. We sit at our table and the lady that sat us grab us some water. She says the waitress will be over shortly. As we viewed the menu, 10 minutes later another larger party showed up 6 perople. They were seated, a few minutes another couple came and they were seated. About 15 minutes later, the waitress went over to the larger table that seated after us took there drinks and food order. Then went to the other couple table took there order. After we notice, we said something to each other. She must have heard us because finally after 30 minutes of being there our waitress finally came over and asked if we wanted drinks. By this time we already knew what we wanted so we ordered our drinks and food. I got a ceaser salad, and a side of asparagus. Husband got the street corn dip and Arancini. She said she would bring us some bread. We already got up and got cheese and crackers. We were not told about it but we have visited this location before and other locations. After some time passed we noticed that the larger tablet got there food. They had steaks and what not. The other couple got there food short time later. We still didn't have our food. We waited over an hour for our food, from the time we ordered it. It was simple food nothing too crazy that would have delayed it by being cooked. Finally got our food, by this time the large party had already ate their food table was cleaned and left. Same with the couple that came in after that party as well. When we finally got our food my salad was warm and I did not get the asparagus that I ordered. My husband dip under the chips had this dirty small menu. As you can see the grease on it. How many hands that must have touched too and then his food. We were staying at a hotel so no real place to cook. We didn't want to wait forever again for a new order so we just ate and then ask for the check. By this time we were already more than aggravated by the experience that we had. It was as if we were forgotten about. The night was getting later and we had already wasted hours of our time here. When we finally received our check I noticed that the asparagus was on there I asked the waitress if she could remove it because I didn't get it. She said oh I'm sorry I can get it and have it bagged and you can take it with you. I said no I ordered it because I wanted it with my salad. She ended up removing it from the check. Now as much as I did not want to leave a tip because tips are based on performance. Clearly the performance was horrible, I did end up leaving a 10% tip. Now every place that we have ever gone we have always left a minimum of a 30% tip. We tip good because we understand that most people use these tips as their income. However it's also based on performance. The overall experience was not a good one, this was a special day to us. The service was horrible and the food wasn't even that good. This definitely left a bad experience for us. When we come back in the area it won't be our first choice that's for sure. It's very unfortunate because do...

We arrived at the Common Man by way of a recommendation to another restaurant that was closed. There was a lot of activity in the parking lot, and seemed fairly steady for a Monday night, so we rolled the dice. The Common Man is very welcoming with an open dining room in front a fire, balcony tables, and little nooks and crannies. It's the kind of place you get comfortable in very quickly and it seemed to be a good mix of locals and tourists judging by overheard conversations. It's always a plus to know that someone in town will actually eat at a restaurant in a tourist town. Our waiter, John, was laid-back and down-to-earth with just the right amount of attentiveness -- another check in the plus column. The Common Man has a wide selection of both local and distant wines and beers and John was helpful, but more importantly, honest, while I was choosing a libation. We began with crackers and "cheese" from a small corner table, which was a bit scary considering the state of the nation vis-a-vis the pandemic. I was appreciative of the crackers (had been on the go all day) and spreads, but none-the-less the display had a cheap and not-so-well-thought-out feel. One of the cracker spreads was a cottage cheese and horseradish mix that reminded me of an old inn in Vermont where I had been introduced to that delicious New England combination. The complimentary dinner rolls and bread seemed like another table's scraps and again I was disappointed in the carelessness of the presentation of the introductory part of our meal. Dinner arrived in a timely manner, and the presentation was delightful (someone in the kitchen was thinking looks AND taste). On my side of the table, I was eager to try the Sweet Corn and Bacon Ravioli that had intrigued my appetite and taste buds. Across from me, was a plate of Apple Walnut Stuffed Chicken that smelled phenomenal. The latter turned out to be the winner at our table. The ravioli was initially disappointing -- tough and gummy even. John quickly apologized when I mentioned my initial observation. Management replaced the dish with my choosing (the same) and the second serving of ravioli was much better. Cooked through, and while not light, not at all chewy like the first round. The sweet corn and bacon paired nicely in a non-traditional ravioli, to my surprise and appreciation. The accompanying grilled chicken was juicy and provided the perfect morsels for swirling up the red pepper sauce. Though not a perfect ten, the ravioli was a nice departure from the expected. The Apple Walnut Chicken, however, was more of what I desired. It was served with an incredible maple cream gravy that had notes of maple candy sweetness. While the stuffing may have been no more than dressed up Stovetop, I was willing to overlook that for the winning maple and walnut flavors. For dessert, the Orange Cranberry Cheesecake was a nice balance of tart and sweet with a delicate cranberry pop with each bite. Management comped the ravioli (much to my surprise). Everyone was polite and gracious, and this common man left...

Top notch service and super cozy place to dine in with friends and family. I came to this place on weekday on Tuesday night. My local friend who live in this town, Lincoln, highly recommend this place. It is located off the Main Street, a little tucked in on the back. The restaurant is not directly visible from the main street, but there is a sign on the side of the road. The Common Man is also a brand of restaurant throughout New Hampshire. You can also find it at the rest area in Hooksett along I-93 highway. The one is the rest area has limited menu and more of a fast service one. But I so highly recommend their packaged kettle popcorn. This particular place is a full service restaurant with bar and housed in a locally decorated place that might be seems to be an old barn back in the days. They have a huge and tall fireplace made of large stones. There is a seatings right in front of their fireplace that is good for a gathering of large group. But this seating area by the fireplace is geared toward having a drink and snacks only. Since the table is not a dining table. We were seated at the back corner with a large round table that fit us perfectly for a group of 7. Our waitress is very friendly and efficient. We request for a bill splitting up front to make her job easier. They were okay with this. Some places do not allow you to split the bill. They gave our table a garlic bread with butter. It was good. The food came with a short wait. I chose an herbed chicken wings and we split a pizza. My friend ordered salmon dish, nachos with street corn ( assembled Mexican recipe of street corn ), caesar salad and nachos with chilli and cheese. Everything is great. I don't drink but my friend ordered some cocktails. They were satisfied with it. We were there until 9pm which is their closing time. We didn't realize that it is already closing time since we're seated at the corner back room. We asked for the bill right away and apologize that we are still there at their closing time. The waitress with friendly tone said that it is not a problem at all since they are also doing some chores. I gave them a hats off for this. In summary I will highly recommend this place. The restaurant is huge with a second floor dining area as well. Plenty of seatings there. It is a popular place among locals and tourists in this area. It is just minutes away from Loon Mountain ski area and located along the way to go to Kancamagus Highway. Weekends will be very busy especially during Fall season and winter ski season. A really cozy restaurant in...