This week, I decided to change things up a bit and move from Main Street onto West Street at Elm City Restaurant and Brewing Co.
I’ve been to this restaurant multiple times, and I mean it when I say I have never left unsatisfied.
Located right in the Colony Mill Marketplace, Elm City is the place to go if you’re looking for a getaway from the whole “college town” atmosphere.
The first thing people will notice while walking into Elm City is the beautiful outside patio. Bricks make up the patio, and there are both tables and booths for customers to sit at. Flowers are set at each table and large trees surround the patio for a pleasant outdoor experience.
Karina Barriga Albring / Senior Reporter:
Outdoor seating area at Elm City Restaurant & Brewing Company, located on West Street in Keene, N.H., in the Colony Mill Marketplace.
Umbrellas are also placed at the tables so customers can have shade on those extra hot and sunny summer days.
There is a fairly large entryway inside the restaurant so if there is a wait, customers will not be crammed into a small space.
A chalkboard lists all of the beers on tap and the specials of the day. The lighting in the restaurant is fairly dim, but huge windows along the front of the restaurant allow the sunshine to seep through, creating a soothing ambience.
During the summertime, the restaurant seats 180 customers, and the restaurant has booths, regular tables and high top tables for people to sit at.
Betty Singleton, a Keene State College and Antioch University alumni said it’s the atmosphere and great service that keeps her coming back to Elm City.
She explained she enjoyed, “The décor, and [how] everybody’s not all sitting in one room. There are different sections and different rooms. The service was great and the food was excellent.”
According to ElmCityBrewing.com, Elm City opened in 1995 as not only a restaurant, but also a brewery that includes a seven-barrel brewing system.
The beer that Elm City creates is served on site, and customers are able to bring containers to purchase the freshly brewed beer to go.
These are sold in half-gallon containers called growlers, which can be brought back and refilled.
Owner Debra Rivest said all of the ingredients Elm City uses are local and they are very concerned about the environment and the local economy.
The restaurant is big on recycling, and the business tries to limit the amount of packaging and transportation that comes into the restaurant.
What is great about Elm City also being a brewery is how the beer goes straight from the barrel to the taps; there is absolutely no transportation involved, which is a lot better for the environment.
Elm City has a large menu, which includes appetizers, burgers, steak, soups, salads, pastas and sandwiches. Rivest said the most popular menu items are definitely their hamburgers, and Singleton attested to that.
Karina Barriga Albring/Senior Report:
A plate of wings served at Elm City Restaurant & Brewing Company.
Her favorite item to order is a cheeseburger with a side of fries.
When I went to the Brewery, I decided to try their chicken and cheese tortellini. This meal blew me away. The plate included chicken, pasta, garlic, spinach and white wine covered in a parmesan cheese sauce. All of these ingredients made this a meal to remember.
I’ve also tried the Vermont spinach salad, and it did not let me down. Both meals were portioned, so there was just enough food to leave me feeling satisfied, but not too much.
Elm City is a restaurant that should not be overlooked when deciding where to grab a bite to eat.
The menu offers food that anyone can enjoy. The beer is brewed on site, and all the food is purchased locally.
Rivest said she hopes that customers leave with a very good impression.
“I want them to leave feeling not just full, I want them to be feeling like they got a good value here. I want people to feel good that they spent their money here. They [customers] work hard for their money, and if they’re going to spend it somewhere, I want them to walk out the door thinking ‘I’m glad that’s where I put my money,’” Rivest said.
Rivest said she also finds it very important to support students, animal rights and the environment.
She said she very much appreciates the customers business and added she is going to make the best choices with the money customers spend at Elm City.
Brooke Stall can be contacted at bstall@keene-equinox.com