The Wilder

When you think of the best restaurant cities in New England, of course there’s Boston and Providence and Portland, Maine.  But you know where it's totally underrated?  Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It’s such a cool little city, extremely walkable, totally charming. And it’s home to some really tasty eateries, including The Wilder.

The Wilder is what they call a “modern New England gastropub”.  So what does that mean exactly?  Basically, it’s a hipster bar with really good food. The menu is a blend of old and new, with lots of classic dishes you know and love, but with some kind of updated twist. They use fresh, local ingredients whenever they can, and the prices are more than reasonable.

The Wilder located on the second floor of an old brick building on Fleet Street, right in the heart of Portsmouth.  So it definitely has a bit of a speakeasy kind of vibe. And the decor is pretty eclectic… with a bunch of colorful and somewhat creepy art, there’s vintage lighting, a big disco ball, and lots of greenery. This is the kind of place where you might just want to sit at the beautifully restored wooden bar, look over all the liquor the bottles, watch your bartender whip you up a craft cocktail, and then you can order some seriously delicious upscale bar food.

And here’s the perfect dish to start things off: the thrice cooked potatoes.  Not twice cooked… thrice cooked!  That’s three times these beautiful little cubes of spuds are cooked up so they’re extra crispy. And what really puts it over the top is dipping sauce. It’s a housemade kimchi aioli. So you have the creamy richness of mayo combined with the complex, fermented flavors of Korean kimchi, so it’s a little spicy, and a little tangy.

And to take it to another level, order the Poutine. It starts with a base of those thrice cooked potatoes, and then it’s smothered in slow-braised short ribs, thick and hearty beef gravy, and cheese curds.  That’s the sign of a great poutine: using real cheese curds as opposed to just some melted cheese or a cheese sauce. This is one of the best poutines we’ve found in New England.

If you’re sitting at the bar, having a drink, you should definitely order the house popcorn. And this is one of the only popcorns out there that can compete with the Mendon Twin Drive-In.  They sprinkle it with some white cheddar cheese. And the secret ingredient is duck fat! It just brings the flavor to a whole new level, imagine Smart Food but like a thousand times better.

If there’s one dish I’d recommend above everything else, it’s this: Tim’s Milk Bread.  They bake dozens of loaves fresh every single day. If you’re not familiar with Milk Bread, it’s a Japanese style white bread that’s a little sweet and extremely soft and fluffy. And it is absolutely addictive.  Especially when you smear on some cultured butter and sea salt. It’s named in honor of Chef Timothy Norton, who was much beloved in the restaurant community, and a dollar from every milk bread is donated to charity.

I know just about every restaurant in the world these days has a fried chicken sandwich, and The Wilder makes one of the Granite State’s finest. This is a Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich, nice and crispy and really well seasoned.  They add on some spicy cayenne sauce, and fresh cole slaw. Underneath you’ll find some housemade ranch dressing and pickles, all served on a perfectly buttered grilled bun.

But the burger might be even better! Especially if you like a good smash burger. So, this is a double bacon cheeseburger. You got two fresh-ground patties that are smashed down on the griddle so they’re a little crispy around the edges, they’re topped with sweet grilled onions, American cheese, a couple crispy slices of bacon of course, and instead of your typical special sauce, they use that delicious Kimchi Aioli. Definitely one of the best burgers on the Seacoast.

For the vegetarians in your life, we recommend the linguine.  The pasta is cooked perfectly al dente, along with some roasted mushrooms, tomatoes, thyme, and parmesan cream.

And for the ultimate pub classic, check out The Wilder’s version of Fish and Chips.  I mean, how perfect is this? They use fresh-caught haddock, they use some pilsner in the batter, so it gets really crispy and crunchy and golden brown, but the batter is still pretty light. And it’s served over a bed of fries with some cole slaw and tartar sauce on the side.

For dessert, you might want to just order their signature Espresso Martini. Or take it to the next level, and get the Espresso Martini Pot De Creme that’s super smooth and chocolatey… topped with a homemade bruleed marshmallow.

Basically, this is the kind of bar and restaurant everybody wishes you had nearby. And it’s definitely worth the trip to Portsmouth to check out The Wilder.