XO on Elm

My husband and I had a great dinner here. We had drinks (yum) and did several small plates. The wild mushroom and goat cheese strudel left me wanting about 3 more orders of it. It was really fantastic. My husband ordered and enjoyed the cognac almond meatballs. I liked them too. We also had salads and the mussels, which were awesome. No complaints here at all. Def. would come back.

My wife and I ate here last night and were both favorably impressed.
We started out with the Cognac Meatballs. The creamy sauce, slivered almonds and a sprinkle of greens on top transformed a simple appetizer into something magical. A bit pricey at $ 8 for four meatballs, but worth splurging on at least once a year :-).
Shortly after our appetizer came out, our waiter delivered some home-​made bread, served with maple butter. The bread had some kind of undefinable savory spice (rosemary?), which elevated simple bread to something … more. Really. I guess it’s The Small Things that make all the difference.
I had the seared salmon, which was absolutely delicious! A generous portion of heaven served with some sort of light glaze and small berries, accompanied by risotto and broccoli; the flavor combinations worked well.
My wife had The Farmer’s Chicken: «Juicy chicken breast sautéed with red pepper, artichoke, wild mushroom, onions, tomatoes and spinach in a light white wine, served with fresh herb and garlic sauce and roasted fingerling potatoes.» She loved it.
Excellent presentation for both the entrées, and the portions were surprisingly ample given the upscale/​trendy atmosphere of establishment (as opposed to other, similar restaurants which tend toward skimpy portions). In fact we brought home about half of my wife’s dinner.
The service was superb! Our waiters were friendly and available when needed.
Although a little pricey, we had a Groupon coupon which took the sting out of the final tab. Still, for that Special Occasion, consider giving this place a try. I think you’ll be happy.

The cocktail was amazing. Other than that, we have literally had to beg for a menu and beg for our check. We had hoped to order appetizers but I’m afraid I’ll turn gray.

What a cool place! I am coming back here the next time I am in Manchester again. I had no idea Manchester had such class class class. I scooped up the last duck when we were there and I will tell you that it was out of this world, thank goodness work paid because it was pricey but if you are craving a treat, I think it’s worth the money. I’m soooo happy I was able to try the duck though. I was looking at it at the bar before we sat down and when we sat down the waiter said they were out, I was so disappointed, then he came back saying they had one left and I reserved. So try the duck first!!!
The bartenders were cool as we waited for our table, made me a mean Vesper Martini, something many places don’t know how to do, so that added to the whole experiences as well.
I will be back the next time I am in Manchester for work.

Came here the other night and just like every other time it was excellent! We told the waitress that this place is the only place we ever think of to come back to. The food is THAT GOOD!!! She told the chef and then all of the sudden we had another phenomenal app. Thank you chef! We love it here!!!

We came here for a birthday dinner. We’ve been here before and will continue to come back. The food is a bit pricey for the portion size but everything is delicious. We got the butcher steak with Parmesan truffle potato au gratin with grilled asparagus. Amazing as usual paired with a nice red wine. We left full and happy.

This was one of the worst dinners I have had in a while. We ordered Baked Brie and Crab Rangoon which should’ve been our first clue this wasn’t going to be a cohesive meal since most great places to eat find something they do well and stick with it.
The Crab Rangoon was good but nothing special. The sauce they bathed them in was very sweet. The Baked Brie was odd. They put the Brie inside a bread crust and left the cranberries out on the side. It was presented with sliced apples and hard as can be bread slices which was all covered with a balsamic reduction. This is not at all the traditional fall favorite we were hoping for and make at home every year. It tasted ok but the cheese cooled off too quick and was no longer gooey.
My sister order the Salmon and I ordered the Braised Beef Ravioli. The Salmon was a huge portion served with risotto, none of which had much flavor or was very memorable. She barely ate any of her meal. The Braised Beef Ravioli came in a bowl swimming in their «demiglaze» (as the menu stated) and was disgusting. Not only were the ravioli and veggie pieces too big for a single bite but you can’t cut them without having sauce in your lap. As far as taste it was just down right gross. The sauce was the worst part and since everything was do drenched in it, I barely ate any of it.
The drinks did not impress nor did our waiter who kept saying «yeah totally» everytime we asked for something. He was very annoying to say the least. When it was time to go, the girl removing our plates tried to ask if we wanted a box but due to her accent and minimal English there was a good 10 min of awkward «I don’t understand I’m sorry».
The owner/​manager did not come over once to ask how anything was despite seeing that neither of us ate much. We spent over $ 100 and barely ate a thing. We will never return to this place. I’m looking forward to seeing what will replace this seeing as it isn’t much in the way of «competition» for other restaurants out there.

We had never been here before and decided to use our expired Groupon. I have some dietary restrictions and they went over and above to make me a delicious meal of scallops with gluten free pasta and veggies. This is a big deal, because most places that I go to either don’t have much to offer, and when they do it isn’t very good. My hubby had the eggplant and was very happy with it. The place is cute too. We will definitely be back!

We had dinner there last night, it wasn’t busy perhaps because of the snow. We had high expectations based on all of the excellent reviews and were excited to give XO a try.
My GF went in while I worked on locating a parking spot (note: do not park in the lot behind the restaurant as you will get towed). She sat at the bar and was given a menu but the bartender never returned to take her drink order. We were going to sit at the bar and have a drink as we arrived early but decided to go to the table instead.
The waiter was nice enough but didn’t write anything down and had to return to check our order. Better than getting the wrong stuff I guess. The GF ordered an espresso martini but it tasted more like a chocolate drink and was very sweet. I ordered a beer, which was fine.
We decided to try a number of small plates/​tapas rather than order a large meal — try a variety of items to get a sense of the chef’s expertise. The almond meatballs and short ribs were good, the escargot was extremely small and drenched in butter/​garlic. The crab cakes were awful — wet, soggy, and full of breading. The wings were under-​cooked and not crispy. We didn’t order any dessert.
The food was hit or miss, generally underwhelming, and slightly above average, It’s a nice restaurant and has great potential, but we won’t be back.

Fra Diablo and filet were excellent. Filet was cooked perfectly. I would have liked the Demi-​glaze to be a little bit sweeter. However that wouldn’t stop me from ordering it again. My chocolate martini was perfect.
Great atmosphere. Nice décor. Background music very nice. Staff is friendly, competent, and professional.
Deserves another visit.

XO on Elm, Manchester, New Hampshire
This is my second time here. remembering that it was a great dining experience is what precipitated my coming here this evening.
My server was the same guy I had last time. Friendly an attentive, you can tell he really enjoys his career.
The rolls, served warm with crushed peppercorn butter. And the soup…, OMG…, the chicken tortilla soup is to die for! Just the right temperature, flavour and consistency. A rich savory broth with only the primmest shredded chicken, bits of corn, black beans and tomatoes topped off with a serving of sour cream and tortilla chips… Wow…
I ordered the Lamb Shank however I was a bit earlier that the Lamb would be ready for so I went with the pork shank instead. A fall off the bone Shank served over pear and Gorgonzola cheese risotto with a medley of grilled vegetables consisting of asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, peppers and zucchini…
Finish it off with a tall cappuccino and life is good! I highly recommend coming here… The service… The ambiance… The cuisine…

I was a little wary because it was so deserted (2 at bar, and 2 couples in dining room), but chalked it up to a weekday night lull.
The two of us had 2 tapas (stuffed dates & short ribs), 1 small plate (Gorgonzola pizza), and dessert. Along with the bread and 1 – 2 glasses of wine, that was enough for us to not be overly full.
The waiter was pretty attentive (almost hovering nearby at the bar), and the atmosphere was comfortable. Overall, the food & wine were pretty good, although the prices seemed a little on the high side.

One of our favorite restaurants in Manchester. We’ve tried all the appetizers at this point, all are great except for the mussels. The stuffed dates are amazing! The Phantom Gourmet picked them as the dish worth driving to for good reason! For dinner, I prefer the Braised Beef Ravioli or the Lobster Mac & Cheese. Steve is my favorite server. He’s very personable and attentive. We request him every time we go. They also have fantastic drinks, my favorites being the St. Germaine Spritzer or in the summertime their amazing strawberry martini! I highly recommend XO. They’re on the ultra convenient open table app for reservations.

We were at first a bit hesitant because of the average 3 star rating. However when we looked at the menu outside, we changed our mind. We’re glad we did. The waitress was very helpful. I ordered the seafood fra diavilo. It was great. Just the right level of spice. The squid was perfect — no rubbery taste/​feel that I often get with squid dishes when dining out. The rest of the seafood was also nicely done. I’d recommend this restaurant to anyone who likes good ambiance, good service, and good food.

Nice time tonight at XO. In town to catch an early flight and wanted a nice night out to round out a tough week. Totally satisfied. We had crab Rangoon, which had real crab, lamb shank and fra Diablo. The latter was studded with mussels, shrimps, scallops, and swordfish. Yummy.
Service was attentive without being cloying.

Great menu, professional service without being overly intrusive or under attentive. The restaurant was packed but they never skipped a beat. Very clean and crisp atmosphere LOVED IT!
Food presentations were spot on and the flavor was amazing. The owners are a lot of fun too.
Fantastic experience !!

Great service and amazing lamb! Stopped in here for a bite and a drink and immediately questioned the bartender on who they were and how long they’ve been here, who the chef is etc. He was quick to answer all my questions and it seems there is a lot of love in this place (hint hint the name tells you that already) I say it’s not so pricy but I guess that depends on what you order. Live jazz outside and happy hour specials=def check this place out while in town.

Enjoyed the lounge even though we requested a table, hostess declared that they could not accommodate a party of three… the dining room had 9 empty tables…
Easily two tables for two could be combined the space was there.
Moving forward the sparkler martini and the strawberry lemon drop were divine.
Service is top notch.
I’ll be back

The good: My husband and I arrived quite late for our reservation yet our table was still available and we were seated right away. Our calamari plate was good… fat rings, perfectly seasoned and fried, with a tasty dipping sauce.
The mediocre: We each got a martini to start (Pumpkin Pie and Key Lime). My Pumpkin Pie did not even taste like pumpkin, but more like a mocha or coffee martini. Not bad, but not what I wanted. The Key Lime was way too tart and not very lime-​y. We ordered beer next. I asked what was on draft and was surprised when the waiter said Shipyard Pumpkinhead which is usually gone by this time. I ordered that, and was not surprised when it turned out be an Octoberfest, or similar. More disappointment, but I’m not overly picky with beer. We ordered the baked brie and grilled flatbread. The brie was good; served with crostinis, apples slices and cranberry chutney, but the portion was not worth $ 14. The flatbread was pretty tasty, but the blue cheese overpowered all the other flavors.
The bad: Our last plate was the stuffed quail wrapped in bacon. When it came out, I laughed out loud. I know that quails are small, but I’ve seen pigeons larger than this. The flavor was okay, but there was very little meat for the both of us and it consisted mostly of the cornbread stuffing… I did not taste much goat cheese or blueberry that was supposed be in there. Again not worth the $ 13.
The ugly: Our waiter was really bad. I understand he was very busy, as he seemed to be the only waiter in a section full of at least 8 couples. Upon our arrival, we waited at least 10 – 15 minutes to place our drink order. He didn’t write anything down and kept coming back to verify what we ordered. He spoke very little, in fact, only two or three words at a time. He rarely came back to check on us or to ask if everything was ok.
We left full and happy, but the meal/​experience in itself was not worth $ 100, and I’m not sure if we will return.

We started off with a lovely evening greeted by a manager who was personable and attended to by a fantastic server. The sangria was homemade, delicious, and a lovely way to share a summer night with colleagues.
The appetizers were great. The raspberry lavendar bisque was simply divine. My tequila pork tenderloin was outstanding. More food than any of us could finish. Impecible service.
Go…go again. and tell your friends.