The 1785 Inn

Breakfast alone was worth the trip! Full fare: eggs Florentine, bacon, home fries… blueberry pancakes… all served in a cozy sunroom with that gorgeous view! Affordable and charming accommodations with personality. We had the floor to ourselves, but the inn keeper was highly attentive and gracious. We especially enjoyed the walking trails behind the property.

We recently stayed here to enjoy the Inn-​to-​Inn Chocolate Tour from a central location. What a treat! So relaxing! The owners and staff are so enjoyable and welcoming, they made it a perfect stay. Breakfast was exceedingly delightful. The best part was returning to a roaring fire and having an evening drink delivered directly to where we were relaxing. We are already planning our next visit!

We stayed here overnight and had quite a relaxing experience. There were only 4 of the 17 rooms filled so we really had the place to ourselves. The floors are crooked and the wallpaper makes your eyes go a little crazy but the place is just so cute. They still had all of the Christmas decorations up in mid January and they were really beautiful. The innkeeper was very attentive and we thoroughly enjoyed sitting by the fire and watching the football game on a Sunday night. We didn’t sit at the bar because they served our drinks right in the ‘living room’. The breakfast in the morning was delicious and the nice surprise of fresh cinnamon twists they give you upon sitting down for breakfast was great. Will definately return to this inn to stay overnight. Also they have a cross country skiing trail right across the road.

The 1785 is only serving breakfast currently, no dinner is served but there is great bar with a homey atmosphere. I was skeptical at first because the kitchen was only serving 4 dishes in the morning however, the eggs florentine was delicious. The coffee was served with a cinnamon coffee cake and both tasted great. The server was extremely polite and friendly.
As for the room– we stayed in the condo suite and it was spacious and clean. The downside to the condo is that there is only 1 bathroom located in the bedroom downstairs making it awkward to use the bathroom when someone is sleeping. The condo includes extra blankets and pillows which is nice for the cold nights in winter.
I’ve been visiting and staying in North Conway for my whole life and I would recommend this Inn to close friends and family.

My girlfriend and I went here and loved everything about it. It’s a great place for a romantic date night or something along those lines. They really make you feel like you’re at home but you’re in a nice elegant atmosphere. Our waiter was so welcoming and so nice. We asked for him to recommend a bottle of wine, he was honest with us and didnt recommend some $ 200 bottle. He realized we were ²¹⁄₂₂ not looking to drop hundreds on a wine we know nothing about. He also made us our Caesar salad at the table which was cooler than you probably would think. And delicious. Also, flaming desserts are made right at the table. You gotta get one.
If I’m in the area there’s no doubt ill go back. You should go too you won’t regret it.

We made a reservation to stay here — part of our «bucket list» New England fall leaf foliage vacation — partially based on Unilocal reviews. First of all, the restaurant is now closed. Second, the Inn is decrepit and dilapidated, not to mention moldy. The corner room we got, which was supposed to have a fantastic view and cost extra, had all of its small windows blocked by furniture. Breakfast was excellent and the people very nice, but overall didn’t live up to its billing.

This was a 5 star restaurant when we there 2 years ago. We traveled up from Mass and even looked at the menu online this past Friday. I hate to put in 1 star but we showed up on Saturday night only to get told they had closed the restaurant and they were B&B only. We had been there many times for impeccable service from both the waitstaff and world class chef. At one time this was considered one of the best restaurants in New England! Tons of great reviews. What happened? Did they lose their staff and just give up? This used to be my favorite restaurant and we would travel 200 miles for it! They need to pull down their website which falsely advertises that they are a restaurant. I hope they come to their senses and right the ship.

Award winning food and you are going to pay pretty for it.
Beautiful views from porch tables along garden path and up to mountain horizon. Sometimes you get the bonus of watching a groundhog eat the lovely flowers before staff chase it off. Reserve a table with a view or skip it.
The winning blueberry pie is a baked crust and unbaked Maine blueberries dreamy concoction.
Seating is a little close and the restaurant is popular — not the quietest place to dine.
Still, want to splurge, then go there for the experience.

PRICEY, but the food apparently wins awards. I found it a little noisy and slow, but it had a great view and my companions loved the food.

This restaurant was obviously a good place sometime in the past. The menu is certainly a throwback to a better time.
My bride and I decided to check the place out. Reviews on Unilocal were mixed, but some were very positive. We were seated at 8:45 for an 8:15 reservation. That’s annoying, and an indication of problems with service, but maybe the food would make up for it. We both ordered the table side prepared Caesar salad. The table side service is a great old fashioned idea if executed well. It wasn’t. The waiter had either never done it before, or was poorly trained. The dressing was flavorless as he skimped on seasoning of every sort. Disappointing.
Next we were treated with a «palate cleanser» of raspberry sorbet with pepper and coriander (yikes!). That was a disaster. The consistency of the sorbet was not of sorbet, but rather shaved ice. There was no bright fruit flavor, but an insipid raspberry syrup flecked with spices that completely overwhelmed the fruit. It was just plain nasty. We told the waiter as much, and he admitted that many folks don’t like it, but «you can’t say anything to the chef». (Double yikes!.)
The main dishes were little better. My wife’s duck was completely overcooked — as if it had been boiled for hours — and dry with a so-​so raspberry sauce (the same from the sorbet?). I would think a chef could have done the duck properly, but clearly the person in the kitchen is too lazy to prepare a duck breast medium rare and a-​la-​minute. My veal scallopini was freshly prepared and tender, but completely unbalanced. There was not enough butter to offset the lemon juice and so only one note of flavor came through. The homemade rolls were dreadfully sweet and chewy, We didn’t date try the desert.
One positive note in the wine list. There was great depth and breadth, with multiple vintages on many fine wines at reasonable prices. (Hence two stars).
Overall, a place that has been resting on it’s laurels since 1985, let alone 1785. It would be a perfect project for Gordon Ramsey of Restaurant Nightmares. I suspect a stubborn lazy fool is in the kitchen who could use a good dressing down by the foul-​mouthed Ramsey. The sorbet alone is just desert for a good yelling at.

Ski towns flounder in fine fare. I said it, you were thinking it, let’s move on.
But first! The 1785 Inn flexes a historical legacy, stellar service (with a hefty pinch of showmanship) and above-​average haute cuisine.
If you’re looking for forward-​thinking design elements and an interior that’s evolved over the last four decades, look elsewhere. 1785 is not just its moniker; it’s when time pretty much stopped inside. Save the menu and a few plasmas behind the side bar, this place doesn’t have an shred of evidence the current date is anytime after 1984. Fact.
That said, the caliber of production is peculiarly high. From prep technique, to flambeed drinks and desserts, to the old world sense of service and guest hospitality, 1785 is a stand-​out in a culinary world transfixed with snark, salt and subterfuge.
The seared sea scallops were perfect. And I mean perfect — not mealy or fibrous from being overcooked, nor were they gummy and faintly brined. Tender, smooched with potent flavors of fennel, orange and tarragon, and fall-​apart where appropriate, they were a smash out of the park, and on the tongue. As was the table-​side Caesar salad (a must, split between two guests) — get it with ‘chovies or face my wrath.
Be forewarned, others at the tables were a bit non-​plussed with their meals, and more than a few eyes shifted impatiently as we were sat 45 minutes after our reservation time, but hell, you’ll be ski-​burnt and exhausted anyway. Well worth the check out while zipping through Mt. Washington Valley. Don’t forget the view out back!

Great meal at the bar. Food was very tasty and bartender was a lot of fun. Have also had a nice dinner here in the restaurant near the warm fireplace.

New years eve price fixe menu was virtually inedible. So much was wrong it would take an hour to fully detail. Couple of highlights: duck consume had zero flavor yet the mouth feel of warm mineral oil. The sorbet looked and tasted like it had been scraped off the parking lot — pepper, taragon, and dirty snow isn’t a pleasant combination. Desert was small bites that appeared to come in a box from the freezer at BJ’s. No beef, chicken, or vegetation dish on menu. Lobster was ½ chicken lobster tail. Veal was 2 finger sized slices undercooked, buffalo 2 paper thin tornedos overcooked. Even the mashed potatoes were oversalted. Felt bad for the waitress as every course went back virtually untouched. Coupe de gras… bill… over $ 110 per person. No one will forget that experience anytime soon.

It was one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. The service was great and the prices were appropriate. My husband had a salad and the chicken dish. I ate the sea scallops. The winter vegetables were carrots and beets; the starch was grains. Delicious. I can’t wait to thank the person who recommended we try the 1785 Inn for dinner.

We had a gift certificate here as part of a honeymoon package 5 years ago, have been back almost every year since.
The facilities are a little dated and rough around the edges (realistically, it looks run down up close during the day). This, combined with the the price not reflecting it… one would be surprised but the food is as close to «actual» 5 star as it gets. It is never disappointing. Every course. Heck, even the sorbet is delicious.
Very high end, often local, ingredients. Creative, complex, and well balanced dishes. Very impressive wine cellar. Both servers we’ve had in our visits are true professionals as well. (We forgot to request Allen this last time, but Paris was very good). Do order a pair of table side prepared Caesar salads.
Free Range Duck, Maine Sea Scallops, Beef Tenderloin… all have been among the best meals we’ve ever had. This place is no stranger to magazine write-​ups, so who am I to criticize anything in this area?
We kept getting a busy signal the other day trying to make a reservation, so had to stop by in our travels to make one in person. That’s the worst thing I can say about it.
I do not think we’ve ever gotten out of there for under $ 150 for two people, so keep that in mind.

On a recent weekend getaway to North Conway, we decided to have dinner at the 1785 Inn. It had been recommended to us by several friends so we figured we’d give it a try, and I’m SO glad that we did. The food was unbelievably good.
So on first impression, the décor was a bit old fashioned and a little beat up. I think they were going for an old colonial feel but it just looked old. We waited in the entranceway for about 5 minutes (which felt like forever) before we were greeted by the host, which seemed a little odd since we had made reservations earlier in the day for 7:30. They dining room was fairly empty so they let us choose our seat, I choose the seat right next to the roaring fire, which was good as it was a bit chilly.
Our waiter was very attentive and friendly however his knowledge of wine and wine list in general were not outstanding. I settled for a Malbec which was pretty good and the Boy got a local beer.
We started our meal with the Elk Sausage App. It was slices of sausage on a cooked shitake mushroom with melted sharp cheddar. So delicious. We even ate the garnish!
I got the Rabbit Prepared Two Ways (Smoked and Confit) and the Boy got the special which was Filet Mignon with goat cheese. It was traditional French cooking at its finest. The rabbit was flavorful and tender and the Filet was cooked perfectly.
We got the Chocolate Mousse in a Chocolate shell with raspberry sauce for dessert. It was the best chocolate the Boy had ever tasted. It was very high quality chocolate and was so rich the Mousse could have passed for a whipped ganache!
All in all the food was well worth the price, lack of good wine options, and the kinda dated décor. I give it 5 stars on food alone.
Side Note: They also have a bar/​pub that has some selections from the Main Dining Room menu as well as burgers and pizza (with very interesting toppings) that we want to try next time we are in the area.

5 Stares? Come on team !
Rolls come out of a plastic bag from the food store.
Drinks are watered down .
Salad is a small mound of greens, a couple of apple slices and a piece of cheese, salad dressing on the side. It’s not even mixed together into a salad.
Charming waiter couldn’t stop raving about the buffalo steak «sourced locally» even though it was $ 20 above the highest priced item on the menu. Got sucked in. Bought the steak and must admit — WORST DISH I’VE EVER HAD IN A RESTAURANT ! WOW DID I GET SUCKED IN BY THAT WAITER !!
Duck was good so that gets the 1 Star.
Sorry guys. You could do SO MUCH BETTER!,

8-​16-​2012
We had an amazing dinner. We were staying at The Mount Washington Resort and decided to eat somewhere other than their main dining room… and we were fortunate to randomly choose the restaurant at The 1785 Inn. The food was delicious, our service was superior (Paris was his name) and the wine was spectacular. This is a quaint and very special spot. The only improvement would be a little music so that the dining room isn’t so quiet!

We’ve stayed here 3 times in the past, and we will definitely be back. It’s a very quirky place. I coined an expression our very first visit, and have repeated to the point where my wife doesn’t want to hear it anymore, but they really ‘spared EVERY expense in restoring this place’.
The floors are crooked, the wall paper is peeling, the furniture cheap. Get a room near the top of the steps in winter and you will roast, in back you’ll freeze. As you sit in the bar or the restaurant and watch these old guys firing up a flaming drink or a banana foster and you’ll go «hmmm, this is a wood structure and that wood is all over 200 years old». You start looking around to see where the exits are, and where they stash the fire extinguisher, just in case.
It’s all part of the charm. Both breakfast and dinner have always been great. No, the food is not the best in New England, not sure it’s even the best in the MWV, but it’s very good. And yes dinner is a little overpriced, but what do you expect for a vacation region? The bartender is very chatty, you can forgive him for being a Steelers fan from NJ. There are usually a couple of locals just off work, stopping by for a quick drink. What’s not to love? If nothing else, after 2 hours sitting there you will have the history of Bananas Foster memorized. They make alot of those.
It’s centrally located, whether you’re skiing Wildcat, Cranmore, or even Bretton Woods (about a 30 minute drive to the last one), or x/​c in Jackson (oh, almost forgot, in winter if you stay you get a free pass to the MWV ski trails, right outside the door); or if you’re bagging 4K’s. Or just want to shop in Conway. We do all this stuff. If you want real fancy digs then stay at Notchland, once in great while we do, but that’s expensive. This place is a bargain.

Great service staff great food
Nice romantic atmosphere
Best in Conway