Exeter Dining Guide: Restaurants on Water Street and Beyond

Exeter is one of the best small-town food stops on the New Hampshire Seacoast, and it is easy to overlook because it sits a few miles inland from the beaches. The downtown is compact, the restaurants are independent, and you can walk from coffee to lunch to a chocolate shop to dinner without moving the car. This guide covers restaurants in Exeter NH worth planning around, with a short history of the town and tips for building a food day.

Exeter at a glance

Exeter sits in Rockingham County, about 10 miles inland from the coast. The 2020 census counted 16,049 residents. The town was settled in 1638, and during the American Revolution it served as New Hampshire's capital.

The center of town grew up around the falls where the freshwater Exeter River meets the tidal Squamscott River. Water Street runs along that stretch, and many downtown buildings back onto the river. Phillips Exeter Academy, a private boarding school founded in 1781, takes up a large part of the town's west side, and its brick campus is worth a walk before or after a meal. The American Independence Museum, downtown, tells the story of Exeter's role in the Revolution.

Dinner: Italian by the river

Cornicello brings pasta-focused Italian cooking to downtown Exeter. The restaurant describes its approach as taking traditional dishes from across Italy's regions and reworking them with local, seasonal ingredients from northern New England. Seating includes a bar and tables alongside the river, which makes it a natural pick for a dinner with a view of the water.

Italian restaurants are a strength of the Seacoast, and Cornicello is a good anchor for a night in Exeter. Make a reservation for weekend evenings, especially during the school year when families visiting the academy fill the town.

A wine bar for smaller plates

Vino e Vivo is a wine and food spot in Exeter with a changing list of wines by the glass and a longer bottle list, along with a short selection of local beers. It works well for a glass before dinner, a lighter evening of shared plates, or a night when you want to try a wine from a grape or region you do not know. Because the list changes, ask the staff what is open.

An inn dining room near the bandstand

Ambrose is the restaurant at the Inn by the Bandstand, a downtown inn near the town's landmark bandstand. Eating at an inn restaurant is a good choice when you want a quieter, more traditional evening, and it is convenient if you are staying downtown. The bandstand itself, at the corner of Water and Front Streets, is the center of town and the best meeting point if your group arrives separately.

Lunch and takeout

Aye Yo Foods is a chef-driven takeout kitchen and catering business on Lincoln Street, in a historic train station baggage house near the Exeter Amtrak stop. It focuses on comfort food with a modern twist, including rotating empanadas, family meals and take-and-bake dishes. It is a good choice for a picnic lunch, a meal to bring back to a rental, or feeding a group. Because it is a takeout window, check the website for the current schedule before you go.

The location near the train station is useful if you arrive by rail. Exeter is a stop on the Amtrak Downeaster, which runs between Boston and Maine, so a car-free food day is realistic.

Coffee to start the day

D² Java is a coffee shop on Water Street in the middle of downtown. Start here before a walk along the river or through the academy campus. A downtown coffee shop is also the easiest place to ask locals what is new in town, since independent restaurants open and change often.

Something sweet: bean-to-bar chocolate

Enna Chocolate makes small-batch chocolate from bean to bar in Exeter. Bean-to-bar means the maker starts with cacao beans and handles roasting, grinding and tempering in house, rather than melting down chocolate made elsewhere. That makes it a different stop from a typical candy shop, and a good one if you like tasting single-origin chocolate side by side. Chocolate bars also travel well, so this is the place to buy a gift on your way out of town.

Walk it off: the river and the town

Exeter rewards a walk between meals. From the bandstand, follow Water Street toward the falls, where the river drops and changes from fresh water to tidal water. Across town, the Phillips Exeter Academy campus has brick buildings and quiet lawns that are pleasant in every season, and the academy's library, designed by architect Louis Kahn, is often cited as one of the notable modern buildings in New England. Respect the campus as a working school: stay on paths and give students their space.

Planning a food day in Exeter

1. Morning. Coffee on Water Street, then a walk past the falls and the bandstand.

2. Late morning. Visit the American Independence Museum or walk the Phillips Exeter Academy campus.

3. Lunch. Pick up takeout near the train station and eat by the river.

4. Afternoon. Browse downtown shops and stop for chocolate.

5. Evening. A glass of wine, then dinner by the river or at the inn.

If you have a second day, Exeter pairs well with the beaches at Hampton or with downtown Portsmouth.

When to visit

Exeter works in any season. Spring and fall bring academy events and visiting families, so book dinner ahead. Summer is busy on the Seacoast in general, but Exeter is usually calmer than the beach towns. Winter is quiet, and a warm restaurant on a snowy downtown street is one of the better small pleasures of a New England trip.

Tips for visiting

• Parking. Downtown has street parking and municipal lots. Read posted time limits.
• Reservations. Book weekend dinners ahead, especially in spring and fall.
• Hours change. Independent restaurants set their own schedules and some close one or two days a week. Check each website the week of your visit.
• Train option. The Downeaster stop puts downtown within reach without a car.

FAQ

Is Exeter, NH worth visiting for food?

Yes. Its downtown has a dense cluster of independent restaurants, coffee and specialty food shops within walking distance of each other.

Where is downtown Exeter?

Downtown centers on Water Street and Front Street, near the bandstand and the falls on the Exeter and Squamscott rivers.

Can you get to Exeter by train?

Yes. Exeter is a stop on the Amtrak Downeaster between Boston and Brunswick, Maine.

What is Exeter known for?

Phillips Exeter Academy, its role as New Hampshire's capital during the Revolution, and the American Independence Museum, along with a walkable historic downtown.

How far is Exeter from the beach?

Hampton Beach is the nearest big beach town, to the east. Check a map app for current driving time.

Sources

• Exeter, New Hampshire, Wikipedia (2020 census population; settlement in 1638; Revolutionary War capital; rivers): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exeter,_New_Hampshire
• Phillips Exeter Academy, Wikipedia (founded 1781; Class of 1945 Library by Louis Kahn): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillips_Exeter_Academy
• Downeaster (train), Wikipedia (Exeter station): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downeaster_(train)
• Business websites: ilcornicello.com, vinoevivo.com, innbythebandstand.com, ayeyofoods.com, dsquaredjava.com, ennachocolate.com
• Phillips Exeter Academy Library, Wikipedia (Louis Kahn commission 1965, opened 1971): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillips_Exeter_Academy_Library