Central Ale House

I was visiting Manchester New Hampshire and was told to check out Central Ale. I’m from Vegas and I have to say I loved the place. Nothing compares to it. The atmosphere was great the band was great and th service was amazing, Marley was our server and always kept our drinks full. We had an amazing time. I highly recommend this to p

Sat 7 of us stopped in for some food and a drink. Their beer deal is pretty cool and the food was ok to good, but the efficiency of the kitchen is the worst I’ve ever experienced. I travel frequently so I’m always in restaurants and when I’m home we eat out at least twice a week.
So they had a duo playing music (they were pretty good), and partway into their 2^nd song the server served the first of our 7 meals. When their next to last song of the set was playing the last meal was finally served, so we’re talking about 45 minutes for everyone to be served. By the time the last meal came out 4 out of the 7 of us had already finished our meals.
There was no way we were going to order anything else cause we had no confidence in the kitchen.
Usually we’re in Manchester to see a show or game and stop somewhere to eat first, now you can be sure we won’t stop here else we’d be sure to miss the event.
If you just want a few drinks and listen to some music it’s a good place to go, but if you and your party want to all eat at the same time…

Walked in by chance. Tried of the norm. Walked in and was blown away!
Laid back ambiance, staff that’s on point, friendly, and funny as hell. Pour your own beer! Ability to finally sample whatever you want and not have to big three bartender!
Manager walked us through the whole process, gave us some onion rings on the house to try and was amazing. All the food was fantastic, menu was simple and perfectly delicious.
Outside fire pits made a super relaxed atmosphere.
We found our new favorite place for sure. So happy we fell in here, we’ll be back every chance we get!

Stopped there late night on our way out of Manchester and was pleasantly surprised with pour-​our-​own pint options offered! Aside from the variety of well-​selected craft beers, it was nice to be able to get some pretty good bar food at reasonable prices. The tater tots were a favorite with crispy outside, served hot; the steak tips, though sweet for my preference, were tender and delicious. The special of grilled cheese sandwiches was just what I had when I was a kid-​white bread, American cheese and lots of butter, yum! What was also great was how nice and helpful the servers were. We plan to go back to Manchester to visit the city and stop by this place again! It is worth the stop.

I had a great time here because Adam and Amanda are great hosts. Its so nice to find good people and good brew when you are far from home. The staff and vibe of the Central Ale House is on point!

Great beer selection. Try the chicken tenders with an awesome selection of sauces. One more interesting than the next.

Great place, the beer wall is great and pretty cheap. Great staff and atmosphere. Manager made came by a few I need to check and make sure everything was up to par.

Excellent local spot. Jayce knows everything about the area and if you’re from out of town he will point you in the right direction. Make sure you spend some time in here though, this is a destination. What appeared to be a novelty with the pour your own beer really turned out to be a hit with me. I can sample 10 different beers and settle on the one I liked the best or keep trying more!
I will be back for food but so far we had some chicken tenders and buffalo mozzarella sticks, both very tasty. Make sure to ask for the secret PB&J sauce.
We got a sneak preview of the beer garden set to open up in warmer weather. Live music and beer outside? Sold. This, coupled with the service, will bring me back from Boston for a visit this summer.
Want to talk beer? Go see Jayce. Want to talk Rock & Roll? Go see Jayce. Do come in soon and often, I know I will next time I am in Manchester!

This is a great spot for a casual experience in Manchester. Really great wait staff, the ladies there know their beers, liquors, mixed drinks, just awesome. The idea that you can pour your own beers through the computer system is just awesome. It’s literally the future.
The 3-​stars is because the food could use some help… The kitchen is apparently antiquated and needs a refresh. I think if that part of the restaurant improved a little, this place would be a classic watering hole for many more locals.

Great drinks and the service was amazing ! Definitely coming back soon I hear the food is as good as the service 5 STAR

This place has definitely stepped up its game. Renovations have improved the atmosphere. The addition of the beer wall has improved wait times at the bar by allowing you limited self-​service. They’ve also cleared out the vast majority of their problem clientele from days gone by, when they were still called TJ’s. It’s down the road from the main cluster of bars, but it’s definitely worth stopping in.

By far one of my favorite bars, and I’m from Texas! This is such a fun experience — the staff are all extremely friendly and willing to talk to you honestly about the menu and give you good recommendations. The bar wall is so fun too! Allows you to sip a beer and decide if you like it — also makes every beer around $ 5 which is a deal in comparison to most bars. Great experience and we will definitely be back! We ordered the wings and French onion soup — both perfect.

This place is so amazing!!! I first came here in June 2015 for my first date with my boyfriend. The service definitely wasn’t the best back then. But we decided to give it another chance and were VERY much pleasantly surprised.
We were first greeted by the GM, Jayce. What a great guy!!! Akon came over shortly after. They both had such a deep passion for their job and the beers they served. I loved being able to pour our own beer and love the local craft section.
It’s so cool that everyone there comes over and makes sure we had everything we needed. The chicken tenders were soooooo yummy. We had about 8 sauces and each one was delicious. The sweet and spicy shrimp was to die for.
I can’t wait to go back to celebrate our one year there! The people make you feel like your not just a customer, you’re family.

Love getting lost in another state and finding a place like this… yeah. great music. beat up but clean tables… wings. pour your own beer… heavan. service rocks.

1 star for food… because you just can’t give a lower rating, and 1 added because the owner’s heartfelt apology for an epic fail and the promise of better things to come there in the new year.
Please let me explain:
Strike One — Chicken Nachos — they came to the table with undercooked cheese, cold chips and lukewarm chicken. Returned it to the kitchen but they came back heated, not remade. Generally acceptable, but when you have shredded lettuce on a dish you can’t just throw it under the broiler and not create a mess of wilted lettuce. Should have been tossed and remade.
Strike Two — Burger, ordered cooked medium. It came out raw (really), both inside and out. Sent back to kitchen for another attempt.
Strike Three — New burger but also raw inside. No recovery to be had here. You’re OUT! Bring me the check and let’s reboot lunch elsewhere.
To add insult to injury and while waiting on the burger I decided to check out the walls of self-​serve beer. A VERY cool and unique concept. Kudos. But the Sam Adams Nitro was warm. And no reaction from the staff when giving them a heads up. Strange not to at least acknowledge, right?
But there’s HOPE…
The owner appeared at the table with a VERY sincere apology. He comped the entire tab, and went one step further with a $ 25 gift card and an ask for another chance. He acknowledged that our entire experience was completely unacceptable and inconsistent with their standards as a top rated establishment and that, as a result, he sent the cook home. Now that’s commitment to excellence! To his credit, he’ll get the second chance he requested.

This place, hands down, was one of the best bar experiences me and my friends have ever had. We came in mid-​day to have a few drinks before dinner and we received some amazing personal service that made us feel like part of a family. The chef brought us out some hand battered onion rings on the house and the manager brought us free t-​shirts in celebration of their 1-​year anniversary. The hand-​pour wall (s) of beer had my husband and friends giggling like school girls. Overall, this place is a MUST visit when driving through Manchester, NH. I’d rate it 10 stars if given the chance.

Went with a group of eight last night.
Atmosphere: Rustic brew house /​pub kind of place. Loved the décor and casual feel. Gas fireplace upped the cozy factor.
Service: The staff is very attentive, and if anyone sees that you’re drink is empty, they will be right there to get you another. The beer drinkers had it easy since they could refill their glasses at will using the cool ‘help yourself’ taps and a ‘credit card’ you’re issued when you arrive. We had a little trouble getting water.
Food: Menu is limited, but works perfectly with the whole concept and casual feel. We ordered wings, fries, quesadillas. There are several sauces, rubs, cheeses and toppings to choose from. I would rate the food 7 out of 10, based on what we ordered — — good, but not great. Mixed drinks were ok, but light on the alcohol — I will stick to beer or wine next time.
Will definitely return.

New favorite bar in Manchester. Reasonable prices, delicious food, and great staff. No other bar in Manchester has all three. The menu is on the small side, but they stick to a few high quality items instead of a large menu of mediocre bar food. Every special I’ve had has been worth the order, they need to bring back the loaded potato skins more often!
The beer… CAH does a beer wall where you pour your own beer and a card keeps track of your pours. So no waiting for a bartender, and if the beer doesn’t pour right or anything is wrong a server will happily pour another for you, at no additional cost. The GM Jayce is a good dude, he’ll give you a whole tour on the place and how it works.
Definitely worth a trip. Go on a night the patio is open, beats the hell out of a certain large patio down the street that I haven’t been to in years!

This isn’t my first rodeo at a self pour beer pub – there is one in Denver.
Adam did a great job explaining to us how their self pour beer pub works.
We had a minor issue with our first beers having a few fruit flies in it. I remembered as soon as my husband approached Adam that this does happen frequently, especially in humid weather. Adam was great repouring the beers on the house and I saw him after checking every single tap multiple times. After that all of our beers (there were several) were awesome. They had a great selection of beers.
We had the beef nachos – we had a huge lunch so were not hungry for much more. They were delicious and great with flavor.
That atmosphere was awesome – we did not check out the bier garden but inside was great. We got to watch the US Open and really enjoy ourselves.
I wish Central Ale House the best of luck – if we are ever back in Manchester we will visit again!

Let me start this review off by saying it is only for the restaurant and not for the bar. It looks like it could be a fun bar. We visited at 1pm on a Saturday, which seems like it would be a time people are eating. Even though the restaurant is large, we were literally the only people inside… which should have been our first clue.
Everything on the menu is pretty cheap, so that is the saving grace here. The buffalo tenders were not cooked well at all and the sauce was not tasty by any stretch of the imagination. The sampler platter was equally uninspired with strange tasting fried pickles, mozzarella sticks that were absolutely from a frozen box purchased at the local grocery store and some half-​way decent cheese quesadillas.
Bottom line: if you want food that isn’t from the market basket frozen isle, then Central Ale House is not the place to go.