Jp Stephen’s Restaurant & Tavern

Most restaurants during the foliage season in Southern NH, especially rustic interior wooden floor paneled ones with good outside views, will be packed to capacity and so it was with JP Stephan’s. The restaurant in part was an old forged built on a small brook used for power back in the day and at the rear of the restaurant there are countless opportunities for many beautiful photo ops of the surrounding scenery.
I managed to get a seat at the end of the bar; even though it was extremely busy the service was virtually flawless, almost unbelievable. The bartender suggested a mix of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon when she saw I was struggling between the two, a wonderful idea as it turned out. I ordered The Fig Goat Cheese salad with walnuts which was a positively delightful way to start the meal, the salad was extremely well prepared beautiful dressed with a lite vinaigrette, one of the highlights for sure. I chose a half rack of ribs with fries and coleslaw, the ribs were adequate, a might refrigerator worn if you has me, thus not the best I have had and the BBQ sauce was scant, probably should have ordered some extra. My bad with the fries, I forgot to order them crispy as I usually do and as the ribs were placed on top they wilted a might but still had good potato flavor. The coleslaw was good but not spectacular. Dessert was Coconut Cream Pie with toasted almonds, oh my no pie in the sky here that was an absolute show stopper. Overall a good experience and I certainly would return if I were in the area again.

I don’t know what to say. This was a family event following a burial of family member. We filled the room. The garden salad had wilted red lettuce, the seafood bisque was too thick. The fish was bone dry and cool and eventually with each bite I was asking myself why I was eating it. (I ate it so that our host would not witness this travesty and to prevent her from feeling awful, more than she was after burying her partner) The garlic green beans did not compliment the meal having a harsh raw garlic bite. The mashed potatoes were cold and firm. Several were served their meal, a third option that was brought only to a handful of guests, that arrived so late that others were finished eating. The rice and red quinoa was bland, thoughtless and should be reconsidered. The crème brule was an embarrassment being not cooked and served runny with not even an iota hint of vanilla. Whoever used the torch burnt the sugar crust to black. Coffee was served too late for most people and many thought that it wasn’t served at all. This was a tragic disappointment for us and unacceptable. You have a great location and an ideal scenic view. Where is the heart?

The new menu is excellent, the setting is lovely and they’ve cleaned up the décor, but the last time I brought my family we waited an hour for dinner before paying for our appetizers and leaving hungry.
I asked what had happened, and although the hostess claimed that they were busy (they were not busy by my standards) and that some of the kitchen staff were new, there was no real explanation.
She checked, and our dinner was not about to come out either.
I have always liked this place, but I don’t ever expect to wait over an hour for dinner. Even if they screwed up and had to start over from scratch it should be out within an hour
Usually a favorite but unacceptable this time.

Absolutly love the menu changes within the last few months and the new chef is amazing! I have tried the veal stroganoff, three cheese grilled cheese with duck confit, and many other dishes and they never dissapoint. This is my favorite lunch and dinner spot! Homemade chips and crab cakes are fantastic. If you have not been since the new chef and menu changes you need to try it again you won’t be disappointed!

This place was gross. Ribs appetizer was weirdly rubbery, fatty, unseasoned. Chicken tacos were breaded chicken fingers in a tortilla, with super-​spicy mayo, no salsa. I got a field greens salad with grilled shrimp; salad greens were warm, shrimp were way overdone, also not seasoned at all, and had not been cleaned (found the black vein still in them). The pot roast got good reviews, but we were glad to leave. A really off-​putting dinner for 4 still cost $ 120.

This used to be one of my favorite casual places to dine, but they decided to change up the menu in what seems like an attempt to be more upscale. I miss the old menu and it’s much greater variety of options, especially when coming in for lunch. It’s basically salad or a burger to choose from now.

This is a great location in the spring and summer by the river not as much during the winter. Drinks were the worst possibly I have ever had. Stink to wine or beer or soda something that they can’t mess up royally. This used to be Lilly’s which I liked which was more of a homie country laid back location now it’s a lot more like a bar red neck resteraunt hang out. Food is a little overprice but not terrible.

Been here twice so far and I’m really not impressed.
The lunch menu is basically a salad menu one hole column of salads. Another column burgers.
The dinner menu is a bunch of food drenched in fruit sauces.
This is a nice place along the river very rustic romantic.
I’d love to see a total menu revamp. If I had a voice for it I’d have baked stuffed mushrooms and mussels as apps… fried zucchini. .ect…
For dinner I’d have baked stuffed haddock… salmon…scallops…for beef I’d do a nice sliw roasted prime rib… sirloin…and filet mingon.
Smoked ribs… and a few pasta dishes…
I moved here a month ago and there isn’t anyplace around here that has the basics…
If you’re the owner reading this please check out
T Bones menu bedford nh.

Sarah ROCKS!!! Had an excellent Roasted Beet Fennel and Pistachio salad with local goat cheese with a honey blood orange vinaigrette — delicious! Served with warm pumpkin & french bread. Will definitely come back.

To be honest, we have been a bit disappointed by this place since it changed ownership. Many of the old menu items we and our family liked were dropped. We went again on Sept 25, to a brand new (2 week old) menu and we were really taken aback. There are no simple dinner entrees remaining and the prices have bumped up quite a bit. I will say that our server was excellent but the roast tenderloin was barely warm and the sauce totally masked the taste. The cassoulet was ok but the chicken was dry and stringy and overall the dish was disappointing. When we asked about putting a simple fish and steak choice back on the menu we were told that people had been asking for new items and our comments weren’t really taken seriously. Unless demographics have changed significantly up here I don’t see how this new menu can be successful. We have been coming to this restaurant for over 50 years, but we won’t be back anytime soon.

I’m curious as to why JP Stephen’s doesn’t have a higher Unilocal rating. I’ve dined at this restaurant many times and only remember having a poor experience once. The salads are good, not huge, but good and the Nachos are excellent (best I’ve had anywhere.) They come loaded with tons of cheese, hot peppers and olives with sour cream on the side (although you need to order other extras separately.) Drinks are always good (full bar), waiters are friendly and prompt, and the atmosphere is comfortable and homey. My husband loves their fish (sometimes they even have trout.) As I recall, their Onion Rings are good as well (beer battered I think and really thick and tasty.) It’s always a fun and relaxing time.

Second Strike… and you’re out!
Had a bad experience first time here in the spring of this year; figured we’d give it another shot. Our mistake…
Entry way with the torn posters and «local bulletin board» is dingy and uncomfortable — on a dark rainy day, it gave the feeling of a dive bar in city somewhere even before we were inside.
Great waitress, super polite and friendly. We had fun laughing about all the typos on the Daily Specials Menu (which to their credit they fixed and reprinted!). I ordered a Char Grilled Chicken Teryaki Sandwich Special. Jay ordered a Prime Rib Sandwich Special. Sadly our order got messed up and I ended up with some spicy sandwich. Didn’t feel the spicey bite until I was a few bites into it, wondering why it tasted the way it did… OUCH. Not the chicken teriyaki I was expecting at all but a turkey with spicy sauce! Everyone makes mistake, our waitress was super nice and apologetic, no worries. She offered a replacement or anything but with my mouth on fire nothing was going to taste like anything but spice. She did take the sandwich off the bill, which was appreciated…
Jay’s Prime Rib Sandwich was nothing but a Steak & Cheese with Onions, green peppers on a french bread. Disappointing — expected a bit more of a Prime Rib Sandwich and not a Steak & Cheese Diner Sandwich…
Ah well .it was the second time we were there and the second time we had a less acceptable experience. So we won’t be back to spend our money on food that was okay. Not going to spend our money and buy a Strike Three for this place.

Have eaten there 3 times. Food is ok, but it is always cold. The cook only knows how to defrost and not heat. Why doesnt the waitress notice this?

Sometimes I feel bad leaving less than stellar reviews but that’s what this is all about, so here goes.
This place was gross. I’m sorry if you are an employee of this establishment but it was at the point I didn’t want to eat anything or touch anything in the place. I just got a bad vibe from it all. The pub we wanted to eat dinner at was closed so this was the ONLY bar open on a Sunday night.unreal.
We walked in and there were maybe 5 or so people in the bar area so we sat in the corner at the bar. Ordered some beers (not light beer mind you) and got carded. Seriously… no one is in here, we’re getting good beers and I’m 27 years old! Annoying. We ordered some nachos which were alright but the chili that accompanied them looked like a burned pile of crap (literally). Not to mention the bartender spent most of her time with her husband and son mingling with everyone else and not filling up my beer. We paid and peaced out QUICKLY!
If you want a good pub in the area, take the 15 minute drive to Harlow’s Pub in Peterbourough! TO die for food. This place was nasty.

Really beautiful place, really marginal food. Watery sauces.

Called to place a simple take-​out order at 630 on a Saturday. The woman who answered the phone told me to call back in an hour because «the place is packed.»
I had no idea that had any effect on a take-​out order.
(I’ve also been here for brunch — decidedly average. They’re ridiculously slow on coffee refills. Just don’t even bother.)

We ate here as a part of a fall foliage sightseeing tour. Because of this, we had a limited menu of chicken, beef, fish or a vegetarian option.
We both chose the chicken. Unfortunately, it was not very good. It was described as chicken in an apple brandy sauce, which sounds tasty. Unfortunately, it tasted more like chicken breast with a can of apple pie filling poured over the top. It was very sweet. It came with a baked potato, which was fine, and carrots, which were bland. Every place was set with a small glass of cider when we arrived, which was a nice touch. Yet, all of the drink orders at our table were forgotten and we did not receive them until the end of the meal, after we had asked about them. Anyone who ordered fish received their dish well after the others received their orders, which was strange since we all put in our orders when we got on the bus in Boston earlier that morning.
There was a nice basket of bread at the table, with crusty white and possibly a pumpkin loaf? That was very good. The ice cream at the end of the meal was fine.
Some servers seemed to be extremely nice, while others were curt. It is a neat old place, with a wrap-​around porch and a waterfall in the back. If they updated a bit, freshened up their food, etc. this could be a great place to stop in a very beautiful area. If I came again, I would just get sandwiches.

stopped recently for lunch… remember this as the old forge and then lilys and now this, ate aat the bar, appeared to be many locals… drinks were decent and at 7.50 for a martini pretty inexpensive, burger was very good, eggplant sandwich was, as my wife put it, healthy, we really didn’t care for it but probably would not have anywhere… place has a nice view of the pond and river and was a nice visit…

Only reason I am giving this 4 Stars instead of 5 (like it deserves) is because i dont want it to be filtered out. My husband and I live nearby and visit usually once a week. The servers are awesome the food is good. They always have great specials. We sit in the small bar area which has a great atmosphere. They do lots of live music which is great. being so close to the college its nice that this place hasnt turned into a college pub full of drunk frat boys.

My sister is interested in attending Franklin Pierce University, so we made the long drive up to Rindge to check out the school. I had left DC at 2 am, picked her up at 6 in NJ and we arrived around noon in Rindge for a tour of campus at about 2. Unfortuntely (or fortunately) for us, the cafeteria on campus was closed so the admissions office reccomended we have lunch at JP Stephens since it was nearby.
The location was beautiful. We sat near the window and really had the opportunity to enjoy the view and great weather. The service was prompt and the food was delicious. My tuna on pumpernickle was incredible with just the right amount of moisture without being soggy. My sister raved about the Philly cheesesteak and the chocolate chip cookie ice cream dessert she had. In fact, I had to take a picture of her eating it so she could re-​enjoy savoring that cookie each time she sees it (not to mention the smile no one else believes she had).
Given that FPU is her first choice after our trip up to the campus, I am pretty sure that JP Stephens will become her new hangout when at school or when we come to visit.