3 Best Restaurants in Exeter, The Seacoast

At this intimate, romantic downtown restaurant overlooking the Exeter River, artfully prepared dishes like gemelli with chestnut mushrooms and smoked ham in a leek-taleggio-mustard sauce, and classic shrimp linguine with a garlicky scampi sauce take center stage. There's also a long and impressively curated list of Italian wines.

This romantic, urbane restaurant set inside the early-19th-century Inn by the Bandstand offers exceptional five-course tasting menus featuring farm-to-table fare that changes often to reflect what's in season. Typical offering include sea scallops with orange and fennel, and lamb with Brussels sprouts, shallots, and a sherry sauce, and everything is always plated beautifully. Lighter but still quite creative fare is served at the inn's other restaurant, Ambrose.