The Crown Tavern — Restaurant in Manchester

First visit here. A Saturday night, they are busy. Some people have said it's loud, it is but it wasn't out of the ordinary for that style of space, and we were nearer to the back, which is by the open kitchen. I could hear my friend accross the table fine. Our waiter had difficulty hearing us for some reason, at times. The ambience is nice, didn't have the lights up too bright, which I hate when places do that. Menu was a normal size, some apps, salads, pizzas, sandwiches/burgers and a few mains. Our server read from a piece of paper, never told us what the oysters were until asked, was slightly rude in an odd way to us, on a few occasions. We weren't rushed terribly, but we were one of the last seatings, by reservation, and one of the last to leave. When our food came out, I could smell the kitchen breaking down with cleaning agent - that wasn't very pleasant to eat with.

Wine list was fine, my friend liked her coctail, those are slightly over-priced. They were offering Opus1 bybthe glass that night for some reason, I didn't see it on the wine list. Ceasar was good but no anchovy in the dressing and too much cheese - although hand mixed, so that can just improve over time and be consistent. Server picked up our silverware and put in on the table when our plates were cleared. Again, something I can't stand, I mean we are not at Applebee's, and we are paying the prices to eat here...not sure why we couldn't get re-set. Maybe because setting is rolled-up in a napkin.... Giant burger (double) too bad the fries aren't made in-house, that surprised me. Ribeye is 10oz and $41 that also surprised me, I have never seen one that small before at that price point, even grass-fed. Tasted good, but nothing to write home about. Dessert didn't excite us, only one thing was offered and by then we could tell that the server wanted to go since we were still sitting with our plates when he came and asked us. The industry is still struggling since the pandemic to staff; NH doesn't have extreme competition or as much high-end demand and so I feel like I see this all play out in a lot our "nicer" restaurants. There's no coat check. It was fairly casual there. So, you might as well try it. I'll probably go back, eat at the bar, try the chicken sandwich (although if it is really too hot for most people then maybe they should consider fixing that since they don't offer something else comparable). Bar seats look comfortable. They...

i came in with a party of four, for a birthday dinner. all but one of us ended up dissatisfied and disappointed, but my food in particular was mac and cheese, which was uncooked and honestly really unfortunate. i was extremely disappointed, the “sauce” was just wet and watery (would literally drip off the noodles like water), and the bacon was completely uncooked. raw uncooked, visibly not even heated up. not to mention only the top of the dish was heated with what was probably a blow torch—as the rest was uncooked and cold, but the top was burnt black in big patches. i was extremely upset, it was a huge disappointment considering it cost $25.

the other two people at my table that were unsatisfied ordered the same thing, which was a caesar salad with added chicken ($22 total) and i promise i am not exaggerating by saying the plate was MASSIVE but the food on the plate was absolutely tiny. there was about six bites worth of salad—which was just lettuce. but they did dump a big patch of paprika on it? which wouldve been fine if it wasnt a big giant dump of paprika on a piece of lettuce??? the chicken (that was $9) was a small grilled cutlet that was so hard to cut through it shook the table when they attempted to cut into it. again, very disappointing. also, my aunt ordered a coke, and the coke had zero bubbles in it. again i wish i was exaggerating, there was no carbonation in this coke. at all. completely flat. upon asking for a replacement, stating it was flat—she was brought yet another completely flat soda. again not a single bubble in this soda, and tasted watered down. again very disappointing.

i am at least happy to say my mother (birthday girl) was satisfied and happy with her salmon! it did look very appetizing.

i am also happy to report the manager was very understanding with the issues with the food, and didnt hesitate to take things off the bill and offer desserts/replacements. he was lovely. the service in general wasnt bad either, just the food. hopefully it was just a bad night but i honestly wouldnt recommend this place if youre looking to sit down...

I could not have been happier or more impressed with my first visit to the Crown Tavern. I am an allergy-restricted eater, currently on a highly-restricted diet for medical reasons. This means I don't go out to eat - almost at all - but certain occasions call for eating out with a friend, like last night. I told my waitress I was on a restricted diet and asked if she would check with the chef about the ingredients of a dish. Shortly thereafter, Matt, the manager came to the table with a full list of ingredients in the dish and returned later to confirm another ingredient. He was helpful and sincerely concerned for my safety and not the least put out by the potential for extra work by the kitchen. (In fact, the dinner was compliant as designed!) I was made to feel very welcome (this has not been my experience at some other restaurants since I've been restricted) and Matt suggested that, the next time I'd like to come dine at The Crown, that I could email ahead of time and they would be very happy to accommodate me, which was a delight to hear. Now, all that is about the experience. Let's talk about the food. The Veggie Cocktail was a visual treat and a fantastic vegetarian appetizer. Why has no one thought of this before? Bacon in a Glass? Yes, please. And, the Roasted Chicken was one of the best meals I have eaten at a restaurant this year. Usually, when I go out, I have to ask restaurants to take off anything that's delicious to fit my restricted diet. This meal was a revelation! And more so for me because it was all food that I can eat! The Crown Tavern is a jewel and has hereby catapulted itself to the top of my favorite restaurant list! (The fact that it's walking distance from home doesn't hurt, either!) Bravo, Crown! We'll be back! (P.S. My fellow diners enjoyed their meals as...