Epoch Restaurant & Bar

This was a pretty good experience. The waiter was very nice and comical. There were lots of leaves on the floor when you first walked in. Other than that it was pretty clean. I got the salmon and it was pretty good. All it needed was some more salt. The Bathroom is pretty clean. Overall this is an awesome restaurant. I will be back.

I’ll start off by saying this place is cozy and charming. However that’s where it ends. Food is mediocre and expensive. Drinks are very expensive. Service is hit or miss… mostly miss.
We tried to make this place a regular establishment for us but it just doesn’t cut it for the price. Thumbs down.

A few months ago I was nearby this restaurant and stopped-​in. It was about 1:30 so there were just a few other customers in the dining room. The décor and general ambience of the place looks like it was designed to be «casually elegant», and it worked for me. The bar is adjacent to the dining room and up about six stairs. It looks like it would a comfortable place to hang out in the evening.
I ordered the Cape Cod Club sandwich, and asked that it not have the middle bread slice, and was happy to hear that their clubs do not normally have the middle slice. Although «Cape Cod» doesn’t relate to me as turkey, that’s what it was. Smoked turkey, cranberry jam, tomato, arugula and really excellent bacon on lightly toasted whole wheat bread. It was delicious and perfectly balanced flavors and textures. On the other hand, the fries would have been very good too except for being overly salted. I don’t know why so many cooks/​chefs don’t understand that it’s better to under-​salt and let customers add more if they want to.
I liked the food and the environment, but the spotlight must be on Bonnie, my server. If a restaurateur needs an example for their own servers of how to be gracious, humorous, friendly, knowledgeable about the menu, and carry it all off with professionalism, send them here to watch Bonnie.

Made a reservation for a birthday breakfast for 8. We got there — it was packed — one waitress for the whole room — waited 20 min. for coffee and water — didnt eat until an hour after arrival.
It was not the servers fault — but terrible management to have one server on instead of 2.
It kind of ruined the breakfast.

Came here with my mother for brunch and had a fantastic experience. The food was great (eggs cooked perfectly, stellar biscuit). Service matched or surpassed the food. Our server was warm, efficient and accommodating. Also an amazing value – only about $ 10 per entrée. Highly recommend.

This place is hugely under-​rated! I have no idea why it doesn’t have 5 out of 5 stars. I spent 3 nights at the Exeter Inn and every night I had to eat at this place because the food was simply outstanding. Maybe their service slows down when they are busy, but what restaurant doesn’t have that issue.
I was served the absolute BEST duck I have ever eaten in my life. The green chili soup was out of this world. The Oysters Rockefeller were the best I have ever eaten. And this is all coming from a NYC foodie that has been to the best restaurants in NYC and some amazing restaurants all over the world.
The bartenders and servers were incredibly friendly. I think i might make the 5 hour drive from NY just to visit Exeter and this restaurant again!
Both the restaurant and the hotel are highly recommended!

I have to apologize that it did not occur to me to write this review sooner, because every meal we have ever had here has been absolutely superlative, from buffet brunches, to off the menu breakfasts, to casual meals in the lounge, to lunches in the dining room, to dinners in the dining room, and to special holiday dinners in the dining room. The food and drinks are absolutely perfect, from quality of ingredients and preparation, to taste, presentation, and portion size. The service is consistently lovely, as is the setting and ambiance. I commented to my friend that «I don’t know why we even bother going anywhere else.» It is rare to find a place where you can always count on excellence to perfection.

Epoch was not so epic. When paying $ 30 an entrée, there is an certain level of service that is expected. The server was unprofessional. It appeared as if she had never worked as a server. We came for dinner, but due to the quality of the appetizers (poutine that had unmelted, cold cheese and shishito peppers that were underwhelming) we decided to pay the bill and move on. The server seemed relieved that we were leaving. The restaurant space has great potential and it is sad their food and service where so disappointing.

We were staying at the Exeter Inn and had two breakfasts and one dinner here. Only reason for one dinner is because his beef come out well done instead of medium rare and I ate my meal before his was done… that was awkward. They did comp the meal so that was nice. Thankfully everything tasted fantastic and nothing else was wrong. We would go back!

Great food and great service! The restaurant is in a beautiful old hotel and has a great bar with interesting drinks and a nice dinner menu.

Excellent meal and service. Great wine list veal and short ribs were delicious. Ferrow could have had a bit more flavor. Desserts were decadent. Always love a restaurant that has espresso and cappuccino.

Went in for a 9:30 AM reservation for fathers day. The dining room had two tables full and no staff any where to found. We waited for 10 minutes before anyone came to seat us. Once seated we were waiting on my wife so the waitress took our drink order and then disappeared for a very long time.
After we had sat there for 30 minutes and my wife had been at the table for 15 minutes the waitress finally came for our order.
Food came out quickly and was good. My daughter had blueberry stuffed french toast that tasted very blueberry and fresh. My wife had the breakfast quesadilla that had thick cut bacon on it and tasted wonderful. I had the Parisian omelet. The omelet was good and had a lot of asparagus but the duck and brie was not consistent but the overall flavor was really good.
We had all finished and still hadn’t gotten a second cup of coffee. The service was horrendous. We were at the restaurant for over an hour and a half and constantly had to search for our waitress.

We ate here every morning for the three days us and our wedding party stayed here for the inn. We filled most of the inn with our wedding party.
Everyone thought the breakfasts were amazing. We didn’t eat here for lunch or dinners, but their breakfasts were pretty affordable and delicious.
they had a corned duck hash confit under poached eggs. good god. It was amazing. I got it twice.
They also went above and beyond on a Sunday night and kept the bar open 2 hours later than they were supposed to, so the wedding party could have a night cap after the wedding.
I love the Inn, all the people were nice, especially for the way «some» of our wedding party behaved… they didn’t bother us once about being loud or drunks etc.

Went solo for brunch last Sunday. The breakfast quesadilla was outstanding and I was able to escape the knee deep snow in the Inn’s light filled dining room for a respite from the cold — perfect.

What a happy accident finding this place was! My boyfriend and I had a table reserved at the Dolphin Striker in Portsmouth, but we could not find parking and missed our timeframe. On the way home, I pulled out the OpenTable app and found seating at Epoch, which neither of us had heard of. We decided to give it a shot.
The décor is elegant and romantic, the food was delicious, and the service excellent! Our server, Angelle, was very sweet, helpful, and was able to recommend some good beers on tap. My boyfriend had the braised scallops, which were cooked PERFECTLY. I had the soup special, Button Mushroom and Poblano Pepper, and that was fantastic too. They even drew red wine hearts on the heads of our beers!
We had a great, romantic evening and we will definitely be back again.

We were out for my wife’s birthday and planned on eating at a place in Portsmouth. when parking there was so bad that we missed our reservation we decided to head home. On the way we decided to look up restaurants on the way and maybe stop and grab something. We ended up at Epoch and it was a very happy accident.
Let me start off by saying that our server was delightful and knowledgeable able both food and drink alike. We started off with some Dogfish head beer, and since this particular beer was brewed in red wine barrels, they drew red wine hearts in the head with Merlot. The beer was amazing and recommended by our server. The bread and olives with thyme was a delicious start and we ordered crabs cakes to start. They were perfect with a crispy outside and a hot tender inside. My wife ordered a button mushroom soup that was absolutely perfect. They didn’t skimp on the mushrooms and it was very creamy and rich. She ordered the salmon and I the scallops, and I have to say I’ve never had scallops cooked so perfectly. They were so creamy I could have spread them on a cracker. The lobster mashed was also a wonderful side to complement my meal. The salmon was cooked well, although she did have to add a little salt.
Overall, I would definitely return. The ambiance is nice and the food is amazing. The service is exactly what I want in a high end restaurant. I had time in between courses to talk to my wife and enjoy our drinks. I know some people might call the service «slow» but I don’t like to be rushed. The food was hot when it was delivered, so I know it wasn’t sitting. I think they just want you to have to the true dining experience that is lacking in many restaurants.
Thank you for a lovely evening and we’ll be back again.

We’ve eaten here three times. Breakfast, Dinner and Brunch. Décor is decidedly upscale. Unfortunately, service-​wise, they seem to be relying on their association with the Inn. All three times, the food has been good. Good, not great. Reliable, but a little overpriced for the quality. You can get a decent drink at the bar and the atmosphere is far more relaxed up there.
In our three visits, one constant has been true: they have no idea what they are doing at the front of the house. We’ve always waited longer than necessary for seating and there is rarely anyone manning that post. This most recent time several servers were working the dining room, and seemed very busy. A woman passed through and informed us (my wife and I, and another party of two behind us) that someone would seat us shortly. It had been about two minutes; not a big deal, but we had not seen a body, yet. A party of six came in shortly thereafter as the woman passed through in the other direction, taking a detour to get around the mounting line. Several minutes later, I went to the main lobby to see if we could get service. The same woman said, «Yup. Someone in the restaurant will take care of your shortly.» As I walked away, I said, «Well, that’s not happening.» She read my tone (as did anyone within earshot) and went to find us a host. She passed through about 2 – 3 minutes later and said, «They’ll be with you shortly.» Several minutes after that, a rather frazzled server arrived. «Do you have a reservation?» The place was well over half empty. «No.» Okay, that shouldn’t be a problem. Then to the party of six, «Are you the reservation for six? You can head straight back, you’re all set.» This would not be a big deal, but both us and the couple behind us had now been waiting ten minutes for seating. We were seated at a table right next to the entrance.
Once seated, service was prompt and efficient. Our orders were taken, coffee and water filled and the server was very pleasant (this has been a constant on all three trips). As we sat next to the entrance, the attitude about reservations continued. The thing is, nowhere on their site does it say reservations are recommended. The solution is simple: we won’t be back. There are some very good options not far away, and given the wait time to be seated, the difference in commute is only about 15 minutes. If you have extremely high quality food, you might get away with that nonsense. Epoch’s food is only a tick above franchise in our opinion, and their front of the house service flat sucks. Too bad, because the servers work very hard and we’ve never had a bad experience on that end.
If you’re aim is a mediocre experience, Epoch is the place for you.

Really enjoyed our dinner last night. We were there for about 3 hours, service was a bit slow. Fried pickles and onion strings were very crisp and hot when served. I had the seasonal salad. The greens were very fresh and it was a great portion. A bit heavy on the vinegar. For dinner Short Rib Pappardelle. It was very good. The meat was very tender and not a bit of fat. The only critisim with the main dish is that the top layer was a bit cold, but was warmer underneath, although still not hot enough. Waiter was great. Overall, a great night.

Had a good dinner here last night. Food was very good. They have some good /​interesting drinks as well. The service was solid. They could use some sort of divider in the dining room to make it seem less empty, this would also provide a «quite» area for folks who are seeking such an experience. The bar area is a nice set up. The menu has a lot of good selections. It’s a bit pricey but all in all a very good place to dine.

This review is based on the Sunday Brunch Buffet.
I’ve been meaning to write a Unilocal on Epoch Restaurant & Bar for quite a while. I’ve enjoyed their food at the Best of NH 2009 party. I am constantly reminded of Epoch during my commute to/​from work since I see the big «Epoch» Homes (modular) sign along Route 106 in Pembroke and the Epoch Restaurant & Bar at the Exeter Inn immediately comes to mind each time. Those two «Epoch» businesses (39 miles apart) are not related, hehe.
Recently, I decided to have Sunday Brunch at Epoch Restaurant & Bar. I made a reservation online at
, which was quick and easy. I arrived here around 1PM and the place did not seem crazy busy. I could sit anywhere I like. The atmosphere here is pretty nice and relaxed with hardwood floors, brick walls, table (linen covered) and booth seating and lighted steps to the bar area.
The Sunday Brunch Buffet is served from 11AM to 2PM ($ 19.99 plus tax) and includes coffee, tea, and juice. They also offer make your own Bloody Mary. The buffet area is in the adjacent room. The Sunday Brunch Buffet offerings included cinnamon bun French toast, maple sausage links, applewood smoked bacon, eggs benedict on English muffins, homefries, penne with meat sauce, steamed broccoli with almond butter, smoked salmon with capers, rutabaga bisque, omelette station, carving station (sirloin and roasted suckling pig), artisan cheese & fresh fruit station, green salad & dressings, raw bar (shrimp, oysters, crab claws), muffins, pastries, croissants, and desserts (blueberry pie, cheesecake squares, and layer cake).
Other than the French toast being on the cold side, the food I had was very enjoyable and tasty. The omelette (I had the works with 9 ingredients) was very good. The baked penne had a hearty meatsauce, very filling to eat. The shrimp was already peeled with tails left on and the crab claws were cracked just enough so the crabmeat was easily accessible. The seasoned pig meat was very good, as well as the smoked salmon (cold) with capers & eggs and mini cinnamon rolls (rolled in puff pastry). The sirloin was very rare, but not bloody. The bisque was rich and creamy.
The service was decent and I was left alone much of the time since this was a buffet. The waitress brought out drinks and cleared used plates. I found it comical that every time I was stuffing my face, mouth full of food, the waitress would come over to ask how I was doing or needed «The food is gooood (muffled) and could I please get more coffee and a tall glass of orange juice (muffled)?» I know some servers who do this on purpose, hehe. Anyways, I felt stuffed, but not bloated though and left happy.
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