14 classic Seacoast restaurants stand the test of time

They’ve served decades of satisfied customers, provided a welcoming atmosphere for every family celebration and innovated their menus and cooking techniques to keep up with the times, the trends and diners’ changing tastes. And they’re still in business after all these years. Here are some of the Seacoast’s classic restaurants you can still enjoy today.

The Dinnerhorn and Bratskellar | Portsmouth

980 Lafayette Road, Route 1, Portsmouth, 603-436-0717, dinnerhorn.com, bratskellarpizzapub.com

The Kamakas family has owned and operated the Dinnerhorn since 1960, making it the oldest family-run restaurant in Portsmouth. The Dinnerhorn started out as a drive-in, serving fried seafood, burgers and shakes, according to its website. A dining room was added in 1965, and in 1968, the restaurant’s outdoor patio was converted to create The Bratskellar, serving homemade pizza, subs and beer.

Today, Paul Kamakas runs the business with his children. The Dinnerhorn and The Bratskellar still are two different restaurants with different vibes, according to the family. Some of the waitstaff have worked there as long as 30 years and some customers have been hanging out there even longer. In addition to seafood and pizza, diners enjoy a wide assortment of appetizers, salads, pasta dishes, stir fries, steaks and sandwiches, everything from the Stuffed Grape Leaves made from a Kamakas family recipe to the fan-favorites of their fresh fried haddock and their “Pizzas with Pizzaz.”

The Rosa | Portsmouth

70 State St., Portsmouth, 603-436-9715, therosa.com

Founded in 1927, The Rosa is in its 100th year of being a State Street staple for family celebrations from anniversaries and christenings to birthdays and graduations. Generations have dined in the 19th century building or grabbed a takeout pizza on the way to a summer concert in Prescott Park, just steps away.

This classic Italian restaurant was opened by Ralph Rosa on Dec. 22, 1927 after he was laid off from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard during a slow time and he decided to transform his family home into a restaurant, according to the restaurant’s website. He ran The Rosa for 54 years, only closing its doors for a two-month period during the Great Depression. It’s famous for serving the first glass of beer in Portsmouth after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. The beer cost just 10 cents. Joe Hunt purchased The Rosa in 1981 and continued in the same vein. It closed in 2012 after 85 years in business and was sold to local businessmen Mark McNabb and Joe Barone, who operated it for five years before a Florida restaurateur reopened it as Armando’s.

The pandemic led to the closure of that restaurant, but The Rosa reopened returning to the restaurant’s original model with its famous Italian dressing and white pizza. The Rosa was bought by Michael Timothy’s Dining Group in January and after closing briefly for renovations and a refresh, it opened once more on March 3, according to its Facebook page, with a bigger bar and a new menu.

Gilley’s Diner | Portsmouth 

175 Fleet St., Portsmouth, 603-431-6343, gilleysdiner.com

Gilley’s Diner is always there just when you need it the most … like 12:30 a.m. after a night out in Portsmouth. Opened in 1921, Gilley’s is named after longtime employee Ralph “Gilley” Gilbert who served dogs and burgers for over five decades.

The present Gilley’s diner was built in 1940, placed in Market Square each day in front of North Church and moved each night. In 1974, it found its permanent home on Fleet Street, and a wing was added in 1986. Now it’s set to undergo a redesign under the ownership of developer Mark McNabb to become a food court and entry point to a new Newberry Way pedestrian connector which will run all the way to Market Street between the High-Hanover parking garage and the block which was once home to JJ Newberry’s department store.

You haven’t really been to Portsmouth unless you’ve had a classic burger or hot dog from Gilley’s, so go get one.

Warren’s Seafood & More | Kittery, Maine 

11 Water St., Kittery, 207-703-2060, warrensseafood.com

Warren’s was opened as a six-stool lobster shack in 1940 by Warren “Pete” Wurm. It grew to a 350-seat restaurant on Kittery’s historic waterfront with incredible views, lots of seafood and famous for decades for its large salad bar with an unparalleled variety of ingredients.

A favorite of locals and vacationers, Warren’s Lobster House earned a reputation for lobster dishes, chowders and deliciously fried seafood. Now under new ownership since last year, it reopened with a menu focused on seafood and ice cream with plans to expand with a larger ice cream parlor, a pub and live music. The pumpkin bread French toast is already gaining a following. And the world famous salad bar is back!

Galley Hatch | Hampton 

325 Lafayette Road, Hampton, 603-926-6152, galleyhatch.com

In 1970, Mike and Kay Tinios bought The Mustard Pot, a small takeout restaurant on the corner of Winncunnet Road and Route 1 after owning and running The Dinnerhorn in Portsmouth with family members. They reopened as the Savory Square with a takeout counter serving mostly seafood. Within a year, they renamed it the Galley Hatch and had a small indoor dining area.

By 1979, the restaurant had three dining rooms, a lounge, an upstairs nightclub and a big kitchen with a bakery. In the mid-’70s, their son John joined them in running the business and has gone on to add Popovers on the Square in Portsmouth and Popovers at Brickyard Square in Epping with partner Steve James, the operation of Grill 28 at Pease Golf Course, Kay’s Cafe and Bakery, and Tinos Kitchen + Bar to the family.

Menus include fresh seafood, stir fries, Mediterranean specialties, burgers and sandwiches, classic entrees, and build-your-own bowls served in a variety of dining rooms from Toppan’s Corner to the Lower Deck.

The Old Salt | Hampton 

490 Lafayette Road, Route 1, Hampton, 603-926-8322, oldsaltnh.com/the-old-salt

The original Old Salt began as a guest house on J Street in Hampton Beach, which in 1976 was purchased and named by Nancy Higgins, who had decided to settle in Hampton after spending many summers there. In 1986, she purchased a small restaurant known as The Corona House, at 38 Ocean Blvd.,  and renamed it The Old Salt Eating and Drinking Place. It burned down in 1998 in a fire that destroyed three buildings and many businesses.

Weeks later, the family opened The Whale’s Tale, located in the Hampton Beach Casino complex. In 2001, the family purchased Lamie’s in downtown Hampton and opened The Old Salt Eating and Drinking Place there. Ms. Higgins died in 2007, but her large family continues to run the restaurant and offer the hospitality she was famous for.

The restaurant is renowned for its Sunday brunch buffet, which has been voted Best in the State many years, and is a meeting place for celebrating families, business networking and community service organizations.

Strafford Farms | Dover  

58 Rochester Road, Route 108, Dover, 603-742-7012, straffordfarms.com

The Strafford Farms Dairy opened in 1938 by Ashton Rollins of Three Rivers Farm in Dover, and Sherwood Rollins of the Stonehouse Farm in Durham, and delivered its milk to homes and stores. It began selling its own ice cream in 1941, but had to close soon after because sugar and gas was rationed during World War II. It began selling ice cream again in 1945. In 1964, the milk business closed, but ice cream takeout business continued. Richard and Diana Allen purchased the business in the ‘80s, and in 1993, the restaurant was added.

Now, still family-owned, it’s three restaurants in one with Strafford Farms offering family dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner, The Loft with a deck offering lunch and dinner, and The Back 40 Grill offering dining and homemade ice cream all year long. And the ice cream takeout window still opens in good weather.

Newick’s Lobster House | Dover 

431 Dover Point Road, 603-742-3205, newickslobsterhouse.com

Lobsterman and fisherman Jack Newick opened the first Newick’s on Dover Point as a seafood shack in 1948. The restaurant was built and opened in the early 1960s. Its spacious dining room could hold 650 diners at once. In 2022, family members reimagined the space and built out a full-service bar with a beautiful view and an ice cream parlor where the gift shop once was.

Now you can grab a cone at the ice cream window and sit by the water, or go inside and enjoy the classic Newick’s fried, boiled and baked fresh seafood in the timeless dining room that still can seat 500. The family-friendly restaurant has welcomed generations of vacationers and local diners alike, dishing up its traditional fried seafood platters as well as a variety of entrees.

Three Chimneys Inn & Ffrost Sawyer Tavern | Durham 

17 Newmarket Road, Durham, 603-868-7800, threechimneysinn.com

The property where Three Chimneys Inn and Ffrost Sawyer Tavern are located was part of the original Oyster River Falls settlement when it was established in 1649. The site has seen over three centuries of cultural and commercial development from the time when Durham was a shipbuilding center, serving as the location for a sawmill, a farm, a gristmill, a cemetery, and a home for four prominent families until it was purchased and restored in 1987 to be a commercial restaurant and inn. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Having survived the Native American attack of 1694, which destroyed many of the town’s structures, the tavern building is the oldest house in Durham, and one of the oldest houses in New Hampshire. During the Revolutionary War, munitions taken from the British at Fort William and Mary in New Castle were hidden on this and other surrounding properties.

In addition to the Revolutionary era tavern, diners can dine in The Maples or The Coppers dining rooms, or on the outdoor terrace in summer. Its menu offers classic American fare using ingredients from local farms and fisheries, and includes its famous Jefferson Fried Chicken.

Weathervane | Kittery, Maine and Dover, NH 

306 U.S. Route 1, Kittery, 207-439-0330 and 2 Dover Point Road, Dover, 603-749-2341, weathervaneseafoods.com

Ray and Bea Gagner opened a rustic, roadside seafood stand in Kittery, Maine in 1969. This grew into the Weathervane, where their grandchildren are keeping their restaurant tradition alive with fresh lobster, tasty chowders and a variety of seafood offerings.

The company now has five restaurants with two on the Seacoast, in Kittery and Dover, serving its diners’ favorite fried seafood dinners; lobster rolls, dinners and steamers; and baked, broiled and stuffed seafood entrees. It promises “the freshest, locally sourced seafood.”

Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier | Kittery Point 

16 Chauncey Creek Road, Kittery Point, Maine, 207-439-1030, chaunceycreek.com

This seasonal restaurant has been serving since 1948 on the banks of Chauncey Creek. It’s a classic Maine “Lobster in the Rough” restaurant for families with beautiful views and plentiful lobster open from Mother’s Day to Columbus Day every year. You can even come by boat and dock at the restaurant’s pier to enjoy some of the freshest lobster you’ll ever find.

Flo’s Hot Dogs | Cape Neddick, Maine 

1359 Route 1, Cape Neddick, floshotdogs.com

Serving up steamed hot dogs to travelers along Route 1 in Cape Neddick, Flo’s Hot Dogs has been a family owned and operated business since 1959. There were two previous owners, but when Florence Stacy bought the business that year, the recipe for its special sauce came with it,  and Flo made those dogs famous for 14 years, often earning national recognition for their goodness. She then sold the business to her son and daughter-in-law, John and Gail Stacy, who have operated it ever since.

Flo’s also markets its famous relish, which goes well with many condiments such as mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup, and on hamburgers, steak, ham, eggs and beans, according to its website. Longtime food writer Rachel Forrest said the most ordered option is a hot dog with the hot relish, mayo and a dash of celery salt.

Fogarty’s Restaurant and Bakery | South Berwick, Maine 

471 Main St., South Berwick, 207-384-8361, fogartysrestaurant.net

Tom and Frances Fogarty opened Fogarty’s as a burger and fries restaurant in 1960. Chocolate and vanilla soft serve ice cream soon followed. In the early ‘70s, Dave and Lorette Fogarty took the restaurant over from his father. The original restaurant had a counter with twirling stools and three booths, according to the restaurant’s website, but in the early ’70s Fogarty’s father added some picnic tables and a screened-in porch that was converted in the 1980s into a dining room with 12 tables.

A decade later, an addition was built to accommodate a second story, a bakery and a 100-seat capacity. As the restaurant became more successful, the ice cream window was closed in the late 1990s, but the ice cream is still served in the restaurant. The bakery whose housemade desserts are served in the restaurant also sells them to enjoy at home. The restaurant’s large menu still includes many of the dishes, entrees and sides that have been favorites of Fogarty’s diners for years.

The Goldenrod | York Beach 

2 Railroad Ave., York Beach, 207-363-2621, reopens for season in May, thegoldenrod.com

The Goldenrod was founded in 1896 by Edward and Mattie Talpey just before the first electric trains arrived in York Beach, bringing vacationers and spreading the word about the seasonal restaurant and candy maker. The Goldenrod’s saltwater taffy became famous. More than a century later, families still flock to see the taffy being made in the same window where Tapley made it, and to enjoy a meal, an ice cream and other sweet treats at its old-fashioned Victorian counter, dining room and candy shop.

Information sources for this story include restaurant histories on their websites and Seacoastonline.com and Fosters.com archives.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald. Reporting by Jane Murphy.