Fody’s Great American Tavern

Went to Fody’s Tavern last night for dinner with my wife and had a great time. Started off with a couple of cocktails, I had a Tavern Manhattan a great twist on an old favorite. Angle the bartender mixed it to perfection.
We moved on to appetizers– clam chowder and fried calamari (new to the menu). Both were great, portions were so large we ended up splitting an entrée — the Argentinean Baked Cod. Again very well prepared and a substantial portion.
I suggest you give it a try next time you head to Main Street Nashua.

My husband, son and I went to Fody’s over the weekend for a late lunch/​early dinner. We have been before and have always liked it however this time around I was so turned off that I probably wont go back. It was very quiet in the restaurant when we got there and our waitress was very attentive. She knew about the menu and helped with suggestions. I ordered Steak and Fries but substituted the fries for mashed potatoes. My son ordered off of the kids menu and wanted onion rings instead of fries… pretty common requests I would think. The waitress did tell us that she couldn’t make substitutions on the kids menu but we could order chicken fingers and onion rings separately for a higher price. Sounded reasonable so we said yes. She did not mention that there would be a substitution charge for my mashed potatoes. All of the food came out ok — steak tips were a little tough but the flavor was great so I didn’t let it bother me. My sons chicken was very good for a kids menu item and the onion rings were nice and crispy. My husband ordered the fish and chips — very good and the fish was lightly battered so you actually got fish and not just a bunch of batter. The big disappointment came when the bill arrived — they charged me $ 4 extra to SUBSTITUTE mashed potatoes. If I had gotten the fries as well, fine, but 4 bucks to substitute an item? Yikes. My sons meal that was ordered separately as two items came out to $ 14 — the kids meals are originally $ 6.99. Quite the up charge for o rings. I did ask the waitress about the charge for the mashed potatoes and she said its the system they use to take the orders and she could only reduce it by $ 1. Lame excuse to be honest and it really wasn’t worth the aggravation for $ 1. No issues with the service, but watch out with they way they do their billing as they nickle and dime you for everything. Definitely won’t go back.

Great little restaurant. These folks make you feel at home and serve really good food. One of my new favs. They do causal dining right.

Went to Fody’s yesterday to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday. I can’t speak for the consistency some mentioned because this was my first time.
Pros:
–The calamari is GOOD. Like really good, like some of the best I’ve ever had. It’s perfectly crispy with an amazing chili sauce — highly recommend it.
–They have very unique side options (truffle tator tots — amazing, spinach spaetzle, horseradish mashed potatoes, etc.)
–Very cute atmosphere
–My boyfriend’s burger was phenomenal
Cons:
–Once it started getting busy, service was slower as mentioned in some reviews. Still not too bad for us because we were in the process of heading out at that point
–Not too many beers on draft considering it’s primarily a bar
–My steak was mediocre. Not terrible, but not great either
–Substitution of sides is an extra $ 2 – 3 and it won’t be mentioned until you see the bill. Doesn’t seem like much until you’re already paying $ 20 for an okay steak
Overall we had a good experience. The food was tasty, our waitress was nice, and it was a different atmosphere than your usual chain restaurant.

I’ve lived in Nashua for a few years and tried to give this place a chance, but the service is always terrible and so are the food and drinks. I wouldn’t recommend going here to anyone.

Fody’s good place to hang out and hear music. Food is great most of time but is inconsistent. Burgers are great though! Staff are friendly and experienced. They have a $ 5. Burger night which is totally worth it. Good location downtown in a historical Nashua building, great atmosphere inside as well. Outside seating available in good weather.

Fody’s is pronouced «FO-​dees» (long o) not «Foddy’s».
I did not eat here. I had drinks, watched the Mayweather-​Pacquiao boxing game, and listened to sweet jams by a local band. I had a good time.
Pros
— It’s the neighborhood bar. Completely nonthreatening and ridiculously chill. Most people are sitting, a few are dancing, and some are standing at the bar.
— The Sitting Ducks are a great band; they play here sometimes.
Cons
— Don’t expect to be wow-​ed by crafty mixologists or high quality food. The drinks are average and they have a few beers on tap.
What I got and what I thought
My favorite drink is a Moscow Mule. When I asked for one, the bartender immediately said yes, but google-​d the ingredients on his phone. They didn’t have the iconic cup it comes in, but they did have ginger beer. It was a bit overpriced; $ 8 for a small tall-​ish glass. The drink was fine, but nothing special.
Come to Fody’s for its relaxed vibe. Bring some company and have a good night out.

Great atmosphere! I love the location and the building. Great character and its cozy. The staff has always been very friendly.
3 stars is because for what you pay the quality isn’t consistently there. Sometimes the food is good and sometimes it’s just ok. I feel it’s pricey.

I used to be a huge fan of Fody’s for both their atmosphere and more importantly, the food. I frequented there for many years on at least a weekly basis while I lived in Nashua, however, it’s been well over a year since I’ve been back.
I have to agree 100% with what the other negative reviewers are saying: inconsistent food to say the least, shrinking portion sizes, staff turnover resulting in hit or miss service regardless of how busy they are, etc.
The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was when my wife and I went there on a busy night with another couple who had never been there. I ordered the lobster BLT, which was once a staple on their menu that I would recommend to anyone who’d never been to Nashua as a must-​stop-​for experience. It came out with about ½ of the lobster meat of days long past for the same price it’s always been, but even worse was that it had a very strong fish odor and taste, which good/​fresh seafood should never have, especially lobster.
For the first time since I’d been going to Fody’s, I sent it back and instead got a simple salad that was on the menu with goat cheese and added grilled chicken. The salad was so small that I had to ask the waitress whether there was a mistake and I got a side salad instead of the entrée. Negative. Not even close to being worth the price. Grilled chicken tasted like it was grilled four hours before then slapped back on the grill (for too long) — one of the most overcooked pieces of chicken I’ve ever had. Ate the greens and veggies then some of my wife’s burger, and vowed to never go back.
The others in my party also all got the burger, which they said was decent, but clearly overcooked and well-​done after ordering medium-​rare or medium. The fries are handcut and may be one of the only things on the menu that is consistently good these days.

Sat at the bar! Had a Hop, skip and get naked mixed drink. the beer cuts the sweetness of the cherries. …yummy. the pecan goat cheese salad was beautiful and delish! Chicken pot pie is huge but it was soupy and not thick like it should be. It still tasted go though.

Went to a fundraiser there tonight. Had dinner. It took the waiter 25 minutes to come to the table. He took our order and told us there was no bread cause the kitchen was to busy but 3 tables that came in after us got a fresh basket of bread. Food finally came and we asked for cheese for the pasta. We never got any. He never came back to see how our meal was and never returned for more drinks we had to go to the bar ourselves and get them. When I asked for the check it took another 15 minutes and when he brought it he never said anything just dropped the check down on the table. I have to say the food was good but I would not return because of the terrible service. One more thing the bar was not very busy and we waited 10 minutes and was never acknowledged but others who came after us were taken care of. Worst service I have ever had and we eat out a lot. I give the food a 4 and the service a 1.

Hard to recommend a place that advertises/​markets the ’ 5 Dollar Fody Burger’ and fails to deliver. In fact, Ive had better burgers at chains that I choose not to even bother with anymore. Below average food. Dark dingy feel to the room. Servers are kind of half-​assed, same for bartenders. Forgot to ‘up’ my gin and ended up with the house selection which made the foulest drink aftertaste, more my fault, but wtf.
The burger tasted frozen and old. like it was laying around for awhile thawing old. The bun was toasted probably an hour pre, so that was a huge mistake. Slogged through it and told myself never again. Tries to be upscale/​casual but not even in the ballpark.
Question: is there a chef on duty? If not, needs to be. maybe clean up the dining room? air it out. smells of ass gone past with a hint of cigarettes
Watch out, if they decide to spark up a DJ or a band while you’re there eating. the room is so small you can’t even hear yourself think once that fires up. Pass

I discovered this place last Sunday and have been there 3 times in the past seven days. This place has above average food with a friendly and efficient staff. The building is old with a lot of history, and the chairs are wonderful. There is something special about dining in big comfy chairs in a dark room by the fireplace. I’ve only been there for dinner, but they have live music every night of the week after 10 and various food and drinks specials everyday. I highly recommend this place.

Went to Fody’s for dinner during Restaurant Week in Nashua. It was a cool and rainy Friday night so the foot traffic was pretty low. We had reservations for 7:30p for four. We arrived around 6 figuring we could sit at the bar and wait for our friends and have a drink. Bad idea. Although there were about 20 people in the whole restaurant, the service was so slow, we waited over 10 mins just to be asked if we wanted a drink. We were sitting in the bar area at the high tables.
After ordering a beer and a cup of tea, (it was cold, remember?) I decided I wanted a glass of wine. I waited maybe 15 mins for the waiter, then waited another 15 mins for my wine to come. Needless to say, I had 1 drink.
Now dinner… we were seated around 7:30p, place still not even remotely busy and those that were there were at the bar, not eating. We waited over 15 mins for a different waiter to ask us about drinks. We should have ordered dinner when he came back with them, but the table wasn’t ready so we just ordered an appetizer, calamari. When it came, we finally ordered dinner, around 8p. Calamari was good, but so crispy, you couldn’t taste the actual calamari.
We didn’t get our dinners until after 8:30. Now remember, there was no one in there eating. Just drinking and there were 4 of us and none of us ordered anything that takes a long time to cook.
I had the scallops. They were decent; very salty and too much dressing on the bed of greens they sat upon. My other half ordered the lobster BLT. He loved it. The other couple we were with ordered the filet, each. Both loved it.
The food is great, but the service is awful. I will never go back. I thought it might have been our first waiter, but the second waiter was just as slow. They were both more concerned with the patrons sitting at the bar, than anyone in the restaurant. We didn’t get out of there until 9:15p. Understandably, if the restaurant were busy, I expect to have a longer wait. There was only one other table of patrons eating in the whole restaurant.
Great food, bad service.

I went on a Tuesday night and ordered a beer. The bartender proceeded to take it from another patron and serve it to me! Totally disgusting. So I told her I would prefer another drink. Her response «What’s the problem, he didn’t put his mouth up to it and he didn’t want it anyway.» She ended up serving me another beer and more attitude so I finished my beer and got out of there.
I’ve haven’t tried the food, I heard it was good so my suggestion is order it to go.

Fody’s has its ups and downs… a year ago I would have given a 2-​star rating because of poor service and inconsistent food quality. But with some staff turn-​over, and a few physical improvements to the restaurant, it’s getting better again.
Fody’s tries to be many things — at first, it’s a quiet, relaxing lounge with comfy chairs, a fireplace, subdued lighting and classier dining before 8pm or so, which kinda reminds me of being in an English pub in some small village — great for meeting with friends and co-​workers. But later on it turns into a loud, crowded gathering for 20– and 30-​somethings with over-​amplified live music or some other distraction (video games, etc.) that completely takes over the dining and bar area. Service is much better during the former, and quickly deteriorates during the later. I wish they would keep the two personalities separate so that I could enjoy my stay past 8pm, which is usually when the festivities start. They recently added a big-​screen TV, so now I’m wondering if they’re going after the sports bar crowd too…
There is a good selection of mixed drinks that are starting to get pricey, along with good beers on tap and by bottle. They offer discounts on various nights of the week, such as $ 5 (used to be $ 4) burgers on Sundays. I like most of the current staff. The menu has interesting appetizers, reasonably-​priced pub fare as well as more upscale dinner entrees; most are tasty and uniquely prepared. The menu items change once in a while – not quite seasonally, more like once a year.
A new deck has been built, with a not-​so-​great-​view of an alley, but I still look forward to trying it out once the weather gets warmer.

Great weird old quirky entry — reminds me of an old 1930’s speakeasy.
DIdn’t have any food, so can’t rate completely, we just drank.
Two thumbs up for the «Mr. Pear» !! It is an awesome drink. I went back the next day for the recipe, and the bartender kindly gave it to me, and I’ve been using it ever since.
Can’t complain about rude service… Americans are too fake-​nicey-​nicey and sensitive and quick to complain… get over yerselves…
My only complaint is once the live music starts, it’s too loud and conversation dies… but maybe that’s just because I’m gettin’ old! I like to have good conversation when I go out, not stuck sitting there staring.
All in all, good, unique, fun, not-​a-​boring-​white-​bread-​cookie-​cutter place!

I’ve been to Fody’s a lof of times if for no other reason than I think it has the best atmosphere of all the bars/​pubs/​drinkeries on Main street. I would rate it a 4 as a bar, but for my first dinner there, I probably wouldn’t go higher than 2. So, as an average, I’ll call it a three and explain:
As a bar: 4 stars for sure. It has an awesome cozy, old timey atmosphere and a pretty great selection of drinks, including the wine and liquor lists. They could have more beers, but they have enough to get by. Most importatntly though, it’s just very warm and inviting and reminds me of Europe for some reason.
As a restaurant: 2 stars i think is fair. Went for christmas eve dinner. It was a little on the expensive side, which i wouldn’t have minded if the food described on the menu lived up to the descriptions. While my salad was good, my main course of chicken was a huge letdown: rubbery consistency, chewy skin, not loads of flavor. The «whipped» mashed potatoes seemed whipped with a fork by hand, and the flavor was really plain. The included dessert was a huge letdown as well. I understand that not all berries are always in season, but I think using in season berries would have been a better approach than frozen or canned or liquified out of season berries. Great service though, and of course that awesome cozy atmosphere.

YES, the service can come across as ‘rude’, YES it is a dark pub, and YES the space is small… but this place is a local gem! When we moved here from TX, it was one of the first places we went for a drink. The server, Denise, made some smart ass comments about what we ordered… but it was AWESOME! It was almost like being at home. haha! I mean, any man that orders a Pinot at a pub deserves a fair amount of ribbing… right?!? (My fiancé ordered the wine… he’s very secure in his manhood ;)
That just broke the ice for us. You must have a sense of humor… if you are all uptight and fuddy-​duddy, don’t go here. It’s not the type of place my parents would like… but I’m not my parents!
We return here often… and catch up on the local gossip from Denise. She’s a little whip with a lot of attitude, and character. She makes some awesome mixed drinks, and sits down with us for a chat when the place isn’t too busy. We’ve never had a dish that wasn’t great! I highly recommend the fish & chips. Also, the Peanut butter bread pudding is too DIE for!!! A huge piece of heaven, with some ice cream and whipped cream. Try it, you will love it!
I return often, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to any of my friends. (Because my friends aren’t so uptight that they squeeze coal into diamonds!!!) Relax, and enjoy the character. Good times!

If you like dining in old buildings, then Fody’s is the right place! Fody’s opened in 2004 inside the historic Greeley Building (circa early 1800s) at Railroad Square. The classic tavern atmosphere inside is very unique with dim lighting. The place has old creaking wood floors, mahogany wood walls, and historic pictures in one open room with bar area (with tvs), table seating, and a section of comfortable green armchair seating with end tables. There’s live entertainment on some nights in the tavern. The menu offers creative American pub fare with a changing menu. See the current menu and special events (discounts) such as half price drinks (Mon-​Fri until 6:30PM) for Fidelity & BAE and 2 for 1 Tuesdays at
We arrived here around 7:45PM on a Thursday night. The place was very loud with a private party (with buffet) of 30 and 40 somethings just wrapping up. There were also other diners seated at the regular tables, mostly an older crowd. We were seated at an endtable with comfortable armchairs in the other section and the place toned down quickly. Sweet! We ordered our drinks and then the dinners. The complementary rolls (with baked cheese topping) were served hot.
The BBQ Ribs ($ 18) served with corn muffin, cole slaw, & mashed potatoes were on the chewy and tender side with a a tangy taste. The mashed potatoes was creamy with small potato chunks and the cole slaw & corn muffin were all good.
The Blackened Salmon ($ 18) served over orzo salad with greens & topped with cucumber dill sauce was very good. The salmon was firm on the outside and tender inside. The orzo salad was very tangy and had bits of feta cheese & olives.
Overall, the meal was pretty good in an old style tavern atmosphere. The armchairs were very comfortable and the service was good. We used an Entertainment coupon for some savings and got $ 15 off the check. Not a bad way to begin a Thursday night!