The Seacoast Gets Cooking
Lil’s
Named after Lillian Mangos, a 20-year employee of nearby Kittery institution Bob’s Clam Hut, Lil’s neighborhood café serves coffee from Portland-based Tandem Coffee Roasters, as well as a selection of destination-worthy doughnuts (French crullers!), cookies (sea-salt-sprinkled chocolate chip!), and sandwiches.
7 Wallingford Sq., Kittery, ME, 207-703-2800, lilscafe.com.
Hayseed
Part of the new Smuttynose Brewery complex, this rustic eatery touts “farm-style” cuisine, which translates to a mostly meatless menu and a slew of beer-laced specials (think: mussels with Imperial Red Beer broth) to pair with the brew list. The Towle Farm property that houses Hayseed is a destination in its own right, and will soon offer an outdoor beer garden and a disk-golf course around the perimeter.
105 Towle Farm Rd., Hampton, NH, 603-601-8300, smuttynose.com/restaurant.
Anju Noodle Bar
Run by Gary Kim and Julian Armstrong, the owners of wholesale kimchi operation SonMat Foods, Anju offers primarily Japanese and Korean comfort food (and, natch, makes its kimchi and hot sauce in house). Offsetting the heat from the bowls of ramen are ice-cold libations from the restaurant’s sister bar next door, which focuses on creative cocktails mixed with locally foraged oddities like seaweed, burdock root, and sweet fern.
7 Wallingford Sq., Kittery, ME, 207-703-4298, anjunoodlebar.com.
Row 34
This summer, Boston’s hottest oyster-and-craft-beer destination heads north: The team behind Row 34 is launching a second location in Portsmouth. Just blocks from the waterfront, the oyster bar
will showcase favorites from the original menu, complemented by New Hampshire brews and local bivalves.
5 Portwalk Place, Portsmouth, NH, 603-319-5011, row34nh.com.
Franklin Oyster House
Yet another seafood-focused eatery is coming to Portsmouth. Slated to open this month at press time, Franklin Oyster House is the second venture from Matt Louis (pictured), chef of nearby tapas destination Moxy. Expect oysters with arugula-hazelnut pistou, BLT-style lobster rolls, and heartier options like fried chicken.
148 Fleet St., Portsmouth, NH, 603-373-8500, franklinoysterhouse.com.