The Black Birch

Made the walk across the bridge from Portsmouth to Kittery for a nice dinner. Just be aware that this is a pretty tiny place and it’s very popular, so you will probably have to wait.

We ended up taking a couple seats at the bar, which was actually quite a nice place for a meal. Good sized wooden bar and sort of plays upon the "wood" theme of the place. Kind of dark, though.

The service here was a bit inconsistent at times. When we first walked in, the host was very friendly and took a drink order for us while we waited for a table. Once seated, the server was initially quite attentive, but then sort of just disappeared for awhile (even though being behind the bar, he was hiding in plain sight).

The food was excellent, though the portion sizes seemed a bit inconsistent. I ordered an interesting mac and cheese dish which seemed sort of like an in between starter and entree size, while my fiancee’s chicken dish was pretty substantial. Oh well. At least they tasted good.

The beer list here was really excellent. Mostly Maine offerings, though a few from throughout New England suck in there. Bissell Brothers, Maine Beer, Oxbow, Stoneface, Tributary...you get the picture. Definitely not cheap, but not anything really out of hand considering the rest of the area.

Cool place in a non-descript building in downtown Kittery. The wait here can be really long, but they have space to sit and wait it out, and it gets a lot easier when you see how good the beer menu is. Great curated selection of interesting beers from New England, as well as a few from further afield and international. Also, the food’s mighty good too! Worth a trip for the food and the beer, especially if you get lucky and there isn’t a long line.

Tiny little place with a small bar and as many tables as they can fit in here. They also have a very small patio out behind the place during the summer months. The menu is a rotation of specials that changes almost daily. The quality is good but hit or miss depending on what your food preference is. Also be prepared to wait in line for awhile around dinner time. The draft list is well thought out and is focused on local and higher end selections. If you have the time to wait, it is worth a stop.

Odd building. Looks like a small school. Inside is trying to do the gastropub thing and pulling it off. Food was excellent. Service was painfully slow and no one was in there. Decent brew selection.

Stopped in on a busy friday night and was able to grab a brew and sip it while grooving to a Junior Murvin LP spinning on the turntable behind the bar. That gets bonus points in my book ! We were seated fairly quickly. Draft list was well thought out with styles ranging from lagers, gose, ipas belgian styles and ba stouts among others. Lots of fresh to the state selections meaning they are on top of whats coming through distro ! Crowded atmosphere and a bit tight to maneuver through but friendly neighborhood feel. The food was top notch from the deviled eggs, pickled peppers, duck poutine, pulled pork sandwich and a pork belly and cracklin dish we chose for dessert. Everything was spot on and delicious. I highly recommend this place as a food/beer destination in New England ! Well worth the trip down from Portland or up from Boston !

Comfort food. Great taps. Small place, don’t miss the deviled eggs