Good Businesses In the Whites

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bignslow

bignslow

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Hi everyone.

Nicole and I have been doing quite a bit of hiking in NH and I just wanted to share some good experiences I've had with some of the local vendors:

  • Memorial Day Weekend we did a traverse from Galehead TH to Zealand TH. We needed a shuttle and the AMC wasn't running for another few weeks. We ended up using Bruce "Golden Waldo" Feige (He's been on here before). He was very friendly, very prompt, and was a reasonable rate. I would recommend him to anyone who needs a shuttle, for 2 people it was only slightly more expensive than the AMC shuttle and a lot more flexible
    504-615-9497
  • After our hike we stopped at a Pizza place in Lincoln (I think it was called Elvio's, it is in the plaza with the lahout's summit shop). The food was a little pricey, but they had an all you could eat salad bar that came with a pasta dinner which was great after a day of hiking. The food was very good and we ended up with leftovers.
  • This past weekend we stayed at the Colonial Fort Inn (Hikers Paradise hostel). The staff was very friendly (The older guy working there had a strange sense of humor, but I found it funny). They were very helpful, had tons of advice for our hike, where to leave the car, they even offered to shuttle us to the trailhead. The rooms were reasonably priced and had a fridge. They weren't fancy, but they were clean, and the amenities matched the price.
  • As usual IME and Ragged Mountain were a great shopping spot
 
I always support these efforts because these people are so genuine and (most important) provide superior and expert service.

Elvio's in Lincoln is indeed awesome. See also the somewhat related Elvio's in North Conway.

Right next to the Elvio's in North Conway is the North Country Angler: warm, knowledgeable, helpful, wry.

Ask in there about a sandwich, and they'll send you to Kringle's, up Route 16 just after Storyland. Good subs, convenience store, friendly.

Also down the street is the open-at-5am Patches, near the intersection of routes 302 and 16. They have a breakfast grill with bacon-egg-&-cheeses.

Moat Mountain Brewery, North Conway.

The Mountain Wanderer, Lincoln.

Peg's, North Woodstock: breakfast (cash).

Parker's Motel, North Lincoln.

Fabyan's, Bretton Woods: they have an organic pale ale ("Mount Washington," I think).

Limmer's, Intervale.

International Mountaineering Equipment, North Conway.

Sky Valley Motel, Bartlett: Saco access, cottage or motel, pool, good experiences.

Shannon Door, Jackson: pizza.

AMC Pinkham Notch Visitor Center: food, lodging, info, supplies, water, parking, showers.

Showers also at Lafayette Campground.
 
I agree 100% with the businesses in the above mentioned post that I am familiar with. The others that I am not I'll have to try.

Elvio's in Lincoln certainly is great. Another place in Lincoln where I've always eaten well and been treated well is Notch View Country Kitchen. Great breakfast.

If you travel WAAAAY up to Pittsburg you'll find Young's General store to be most helpful. Their motto that they "generally sell everything" is true to form.
 
When I need my joe-and-pastry fix:

Half Baked in Lincoln

I understand that Half Baked is a favorite of the famous Atticus as well :D
(His picture was on the wall the last time I stopped in)

-Steve
 
Don't mean to morph this thread into restaurant reviews, but since I'm usually in the whites with the family, we remember the family friendly places as good businesses.

Hills Top Barbecue a little south of Glen Junction on 16/302 was a good place to bring the family. Its only been there about a year and a half or so. Friendly staff and worked well bringing the kids. They have a sandwich that I usually get which is essentially a triple decker pulled pork reuben on garlic toast. Its called the wicked pig or something like that. If you are going just for drinks, the bar is miniscule.

We also like Margaritaville (now 'grille) just a little west of Patches, but thats partly because its a 20 year tradition. Its a bit of a madhouse at times but they always managed to take care of us when we show up with a large group and if anything the food has gotten a little better in the past few years. It might be my age, but the margaritas were better a few years ago.

I second the opinion about Kringles. I played golf with the owner many years ago. Nice guy. Good store.
 
I'll treble the recommendation for Elvios. The don't always have it made, but their Sicilian-style pizza is excellent.

Half-baked and fully-brewed is great for not just the coffee/fresh-baked items, but their soups and quiches and salads are tasty, too. In winter, the chicken enchilada soup can't be beat. If you have a condo in the area or access to a kitchen, the "half-baked" aspect is a freezer full of hand-made oven-ready delectables from snacks to full dinners.

We also really like Shakespeare's in Twin Mountain. Good food, moderate portions (but at correspondingly low prices), very friendly folk running the place, and a nice little bar to hang out in, too. The jerk chicken wings are awesome. And of course they have the motel rooms as well to stumble upstairs to afterward. It's not the Woodstock by any stretch, neither in menu nor activity, but rather is a simpler, quiet alternative. They get a big thumbs-up from us as a friendly small business, not just for the food & drink.
 
There is an ice cream place next to the Pizza place in Lincoln, there is an ice cream place in Glen that I stopped at recently (Hersheys), Ice cream place right off of I-91 on 302 on the way to Littleton... There is a cold stone creamery in Conway that I just went by...

Oh, and White Mountain Bagel in Lincoln opens early for non-ice cream related eateries...

Jay :)
 
The Mountain Bean in Twin Mountain (on the right in a little plaza before you get into "town")... They have excellent baked stuff (muffins and bagels and cookies) and, I've heard, excellent coffee as well. And the folks who own it are the ones who do the baking and the serving! I thought they were new, but apparently have been in business since at least 2007...
 
MichaelJ said:
I'll treble the recommendation for Elvios. The don't always have it made, but their Sicilian-style pizza is excellent.
Click to expand...

Quadruble for Elvio's...and it's BYOB.

Last weekend we ate at the Common Man in Lincoln for the first time..upstairs in the restaurant section and it was by far one of the best meals I've had in quite some time. And the staff was outstanding!
 
Another place I forgot to mention was The Village Grocery in Bethlehem. We had lunch from their deli counter. I got a 12" sub with a half pound of meat, cheese and veggies for $4.99 and it was delicious. Their deli salads were very reasonably priced as well.
 
Places I like:

Fabyan's next to the Cog base road. Outstanding service.
The Mountain Wanderer Bookstore in Lincoln.
G H Pizza in Lincoln. I don't care for Elvios pizza :p
Country Bumpkins Campground in Lincoln. Family campground, not a party place. They have the cleanest bathrooms I've ever seen. :)


A few places I don't like and why:

The convienence store/gas station next to Fabyan's. They've been feeding wild animals in the parking lot to lure them in for the tourists.
Plymouth Ski and Sports Main St., Plymouth. On 2 occasions they've not honored their advertised prices on items.
 
Another one...I don't know the name of it, but it's an old gas station / convenience store on the north side of Rt 2 somewhere between Appalachia and Jefferson Notch Rd. It looks like it was probably last remodeled in the 1930s.

I stopped there with my son once last year just to use the the bathroom. The woman there was telling me the story of the photos on her wall (most of which she took) with pictures of her grandkids and other family members, some posing with famous people who had visited the area. I think one included GHW Bush (dad)...possibly at a local small airport. A friend of hers was there and we told them we were hiking Jefferson via Caps Ridge which they conferred on and agreed that we were "cheating". They cut us a little bit of slack when I told them we were planning to do Adams and Madison too, but it was a fun conversation.

The woman was so nice that I bought a map and some snacks that I didn't need and topped off the tank.
 
Last edited:
Northshore -

The conveinece stores sounds like Lowe's. They offer parking (for a small fee) which is convenient if you're hiking Lowe's Path.
 
NH_Mtn_Hiker said:
A few places I don't like and why:
The convienence store/gas station next to Fabyan's. They've been feeding wild animals in the parking lot to lure them in for the tourists.
Click to expand...

Really? Aww, damn. They have excellent pizza. That's too bad, I'll have to pass on it now.
 
If you're in or close to Waterville Valley, check out The Unmundane Cafe.

Coming off I-93, heading toward WV, take a right at the lights (175). It's a mile or so down the road on the left.

Family owned, GREAT baked goods, very friendly.
 
I'll add one....the deli/general store on 302 right near the intersection of Bear Notch Rd is very good. Excellent sandwiches. I had to find another place since they closed the Subway at Munce's on the Kanc.

And second one....Janet and Bill at North Country Angler are great people. Hope their shop can survive the economic downturn. The fly shop in Concord, NH (WH Hunter) couldn't.
 
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