The Hop Knot
Move over Peanut Butter and Jelly. Burgers and fries take a seat and Spaghetti and Meatballs better stand back. Because Pretzels and Beer are the new dynamic duo, and you can find them both at Hop Knot.
Located on Elm Street in Manchester, Hop Knot is the brainchild of owner Kenny Frasch- a man with a passion for pretzels and beer.
“Hop Knot is your one stop shop for craft beer and gourmet pretzels. We make our own gourmet pretzels…from the dough all the way out to the finished products. We carry 20 different local craft beers. So if you're a big craft beer fan, we're the place for you.”
The space itself has a casual vibe…with a long bar that sits along high tops, family photos on the wall, and games to take back to your table while you wait for your food.
“Hot Knot is a vibe. It's really mellow in here. It doesn't get too crazy. Music is usually pretty mellow. In general, it's a pretty low key kind of place. So you can come in you can have a good time, meet some fun people and get some good food.”
And when it comes to the food, it’s all about pretzels in every form. From straight up to stuffed sandwiches, pizzas, dogs and desserts- and they’re all made in house.
“When people come in here, they say this is the best pretzel I've ever had. So you can tell you can tell that the little bit of effort that we're taking to go the extra mile makes a really big difference. Good beer, good food and good time.”
If you’re a pretzel purist, you may just want to have a straight up traditional with salt, or one of their flavors like garlic basil, asiago parmesan, cool ranch, and even an everything pretzel- all hand made in house with a variety of dipping sauces to choose from.
“The dough that we use isn't really anything too, too crazy. It's just a basic flour, yeast, salt and sugar. That's it. Salt. Bake it in the oven and 500 degrees. A little crunchy on the outside nice and soft on the inside. People are burning their hands all the time because the food doesn't sit in the window here. As soon as it's out of the oven, it's on your table. You're getting salt. You’re getting fresh baked bread. They are definitely more on the fluffy side. They're filling their filling, but you know, that's what all the craft beer is there for that to help you wash it down.”
And while the pretzels are great as is, they’re also offered stuffed and customers attack them in a variety of ways.
“I say there's no rules. You can pick it up and take a bite out of it. You can use a fork and a knife. You can use your hands just throw your face right in and I don't care. It's up to you, man.”
So you can get a Caprese Pretzel- stuffed with tomato, mozzarella and pesto with a balsamic glaze, Or The Big Barb- filled with bbq chicken and cheddar and if you want a pretzel that eats more like a pizza, order The Italian.
“It's pizzas cousin. It’s dough, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni. And a lot of people do marinara on the side. So it's literally all the same things as pizza, just a different shape.”
And while we’re talking about pizza, let’s talk about Hop Knots Pretzel Pizzas like the Chicken Bacon and Ranch. Or fan favorite, the Mac Attack- topped with 1000 Island Dressing, Pickles, Pastrami and Mozzarella.
“The Mac attack. It's my pride and my pride and joy that one. Sweet, salty, savory, sour deliciousness magic. It's great. It's wonderful. I love it. Nice thin crust, our pizzas tend to come out a lot crispier since the dough is since we rolled the dough very, very thin. The crusts are always going to be nice and crunchy and the dough in the center is going to be a little bit softer, which is how I like mine. They're a little bit bigger than personal. I can easily crush two of them all by myself. So it just depends on who you are.“
Hop Knot also offers sausage, kielbasa, and hot dogs wrapped in pretzel dough, reminiscent of Pigs in a Blanket.
“It's more of like a hog in a sleeping bag. When we bake them off in the oven because the pretzel dough is wrapped around the sausages and steams them inside. So they come out steaming hot, you cut it open and then just whooph right in your face.”
Pretzels are also served in sandwich form like the signature Hop Knot- stuffed with bacon, tomato, Potato Sticks, Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese. Or The Gobblah- a Thanksgiving inspired sandwich filled with Shaved Turkey, Bacon, Pickles, Cheddar and Honey Mustard. But if you ask Kenny, he’ll tell you the Reuben is the top must try.
“So my guilty pleasure. We make our own 1000 Island dressing here too. And it smacks. It's really really good. We use we use black pastrami for it. Sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and that homemade 1000 Island dressing takes it home. It's really good. Nothing beats a hot sandwich and a cold beer.”
And the pretzel concoctions continue right through dessert with this take on a campfire classic, the S’more.
“Comes with marshmallows, chocolate graham cracker crust, comes out with a nice souffle effect. Kids love it. It's really sticky for me and I've got a long beard.”
So whether it’s stuffed, a sandwich or a s’more, if you’re craving pretzels, it would be silly to not visit the Hop Knot.
