The Carriage House Restaurant — Restaurant in Moultonborough

I've never before felt compelled to give a place a one star review, and I usually like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but there is simply no rational explanation for my experience tonight.

We made reservations a couple weeks in advance for one of their bi-weekly music dinners, and paid $20 for our reservation. Our reservation was for 5:30, but when we show up the hostess says sorry, I see you down for 6:30. Fortunately we had printed out our reservation for 5:30, and we showed her that and were seated. Whatever, stuff happens.

At exactly 5:30 we took our seat on the patio and the view was spectacular. It's a good thing we had that, because 6:00 rolled around and we hadn't even been acknowledged by a server. We had seen at least five different servers bouncing around, and maybe half of the 30 or so tables had parties seated at them. I found the hostess and told her we still didn't have a server, and ten or so minutes later a server showed up to our table. We ordered drinks, an app and entrees all at once, and made a note of the time (6:17) because we were pretty annoyed at this point.

The appetizer came out at about 7:15, or about an hour after we placed our order. The scallop appetizer was exactly four scallops for $13 or $14. I get it, you pay for the view. By 8:15, though, there was still no sign of our entrees. When we finally saw our server again (for maybe the fourth or fifth time in the nearly three hours we had been seated) I asked her to cancel our entrees if they hadn't started them yet. She comes back with our bill (not discounted or anything) and I ask about the $20 we had paid when we made the reservation. The answer was that the $20 was a "reservation fee/cover charge", and was in addition to the cost of the food.

So all things combined, we paid about $80 for three drinks and four scallops. We sat at our table for three hours and had nothing to eat besides two scallops each. Several other tables near us also complained about long waits, another customer asked to speak to a manager and was told there was no manager working tonight. Completely unorganized, and criminally overpriced for what we got.

I don't know what was going on behind the scenes tonight because all the other reviews for the Carriage House are pretty positive. But based on my experience tonight, I could never justify...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Breathtaking views, delicious food, and unforgettable nature nearby!

The Carriage House Restaurant at Castle in the Clouds is hands down one of the most scenic spots in all of Lake Winnipesaukee. The view from the terrace is absolutely jaw-dropping—especially on a clear day. We were lucky enough to catch a calm day with very little wind, and having lunch with that panorama laid out before us was an experience in itself.

The food was delicious—fresh, well-prepared, and beautifully presented. Prices are on the higher side, but honestly, you’re paying for the spectacular location and atmosphere. It’s well worth it for a relaxing, memorable meal.

A hidden gem nearby is the Brook Trail, located just a short walk from the little ice cream stand on your way out. This trail follows a series of seven waterfalls, each unique and stunning in its own way. It’s easy to see why poets and writers have found inspiration here. The trail is peaceful, shaded, and full of natural beauty—absolutely worth the detour.

We plan to return every time we’re in the area—and next time, we’re bringing our best binoculars to soak in even more of that amazing view.

Note: very close to where the ice cream stand is as a pond with huge trout! I mean really huge trout. You can use a quarter and buy some trout food. Make sure you bring quarters with you! (also if you have any pieces of bread left over from lunch, they like that too! I’m sure the environmentalist will not like me saying so.)

Highly recommend for anyone looking for great food, a serene setting, and a chance to connect with the natural beauty of the...

I was disappointed, to be honest. The view is spectacular. I had a great beer (Hobb's Jacked Up, in a can). But the rest of the experience was not great. We arrived for a 6:30 reservation and saw two couples waiting in front of us. It took literally five minutes to seat each couple at their reserved table, so we waited 10 minutes for what should have taken maybe two, even with sanitizing the menus. The rest of the service was similarly slow. Ok, it's pandemic era, so I do sincerely appreciate that they're working at all--gotta give them credit for that. There was live music, which was a nice idea, but the band was mediocre. Great song choices but not great performances of them. The food was sub par. We had crostini with brie, fig, and watermelon, a tasty combo but could have been better executed so that you could get watermelon in each bite. We also had a watermelon and goat cheese salad. Again, good combo but the proportions were way off--far too much greenery and not enough balsamic. My wife had a scallop dish that wasn't good, with scallops boiled to death and drowning in oil. I had the chicken tacos which included a boring slaw and chunks of chicken and avocado that were too large and long to eat easily. Good sauce on them, though, but a wedge of lime would have gone a long way to brighten them up. My wife's cocktail (some blueberry fizz thing) was weird and bad. Overall I would not return for the food. Maybe for a hike, but I'd find somewhere...