Chef-driven, wine-list-considered, view-when-the-light-drops. Reservations recommended at all of them; required at three.
Thirty years running on Newport Road, built around natural, heart-healthy cooking rather than the fried-everything default of a New England tavern — grass-fed meats from local farms show up across the menu. The front porch and garden patio both open for warm-weather dinners; ask for the patio for a slower meal. Sunday hours start at 11, the rest of the week at 11:30, open through 9 most nights.
A six-room inn built in 1836 on Andover Road, renovated with a kitchen the owners — both career cooks — clearly prioritized over the guest rooms. Fish comes from the Boston piers rather than a regional distributor, which shows up in a menu that shifts with what actually arrived that morning. Won Best Destination Dining from New Hampshire Magazine in 2015 and still earns it. Reserve ahead here more than at the harbor spots.
The dining room inside the New London Inn, a Main Street landmark that's operated continuously since 1792. Classic American cooking with an Italian lean, served in a tavern space that doubles as the town's default after-dinner drink stop. The inn's small art gallery, past the bar, is worth the two-minute detour before or after a meal. Reserve ahead on Colby-Sawyer parents'-weekend and graduation dates — the inn fills the dining room with families.