I don't consider myself a great writer, nor a great critic....so bare with me. I had to join Yelp to comment on my experience at Birch & Wine last month, so here goes: The initial reaction pulling into the parking lot was mixed between my wife and I....the outdoor seating reminded me of my grandmother's house where I wasn't allowed to touch anything. My wife thought differently, but this isn't her review. We were greeted awkwardly (too much 'HELLOOOOOO, HOW ARRRRRRE YOU?') and immediately felt over greeted and under dressed. Thankful we didn't bring the loudest members of the family, we moved on. Excited to finally sit down and have a beverage, I ordered a Bud Light, the other beers were odd and $10+, which just didn't seem right for my tastes. Upon finally receiving my $6 Bud Light in a 10 ounce glass (yes, you read that correctly) we glanced at the menu. We ended up deciding on the seared scallops (all 3 scallops) and NY Sirloin (definitely not 12 oz). The taste and size of the portions wasn't even close to the surrounding area expectations (the Pavilion, the Woodshed, Garwoods, the Canoe, none of them), not even close. The steak was over cooked and under seasoned and it took my wife 60 seconds to finish the scallops. I'm still so aggravated that I can't even remember if these $32+ "entrees" even came with a salad.....although I don't think they did. Annoyed, disgusted, and defeated, we payed our inflated bill, tipped 30% (the service was apologetically fantastic), and headed off to eat a real meal at The Bob House in Moultonboro where you can eat, drink, and laugh without feeling too boisterous and resounding. Lastly, there's only one tiny tv in the bar area, certainly not the place to come to on a Sunday. I was misled into coming here by the glaring Facebook comments. Especially since the word around the area is exactly the experience I had. Lesson learned. read more

The Birch & Vine is new to the "formerly" blue collar town of Melvin Village, NH, replacing a local watering hole The Pine Cone......where you couldn't even get a seat 4 days a week. I'll start with the food, it's actually tasty, that's where the one star came from......the portions vs. the price don't match up to other restaurants in the area though, look on the Winnipesaukee forums, you'll see the pictures/conversations. Next, the decor, which I find abysmal and extremely off putting to having a fun night out.....EVERYTHING is white, it's weird. The bathrooms are clean, so good on the staff. However, I've been told, this isn't the place for a fun night out. I don't recommend bringing your young children, it's not that kind of establishment. You're chauffeured to your table or bar seat under the watchful eyes of the owner, her husband, her brother, and her manager. I could tell the waitress, I can't remember her name sadly, felt under pressure. Stories from other people who have left and joined other places that I frequent confirmed that it's not a fun place to be. Anyway, I'll leave my final portion to the atmosphere.......I felt like I should've been wearing a tuxedo with a top hat and one of those ridiculously long telescope cigarette holders and possibly incontinence briefs. Gone are the days of smiling faces, loud restaurant-wide conversations, familiar faces, and live music, the main reasons I literally come to this area. It'll be interesting in the winter seeing snowmobiles drive up there expecting a couple beers (the beer list is unrecognizable) and a sandwich.....I'll assume it will be seasonable as the 'monopoly mascots' migrate south, but who knows. Lastly, I find it difficult to recommend this place to most. read more

Setting aside a great fondness for the neighborhood atmosphere and food of the old Pine Cone, last night was the third time I've gone to upscaled (and snooty) Birch & Vine since it opened. And it will probably be my last even though I live only a mile away. As per usual, I sat in my old back corner bar seat. Wasn't interested in a big meal, so I ordered the meatball appetizer with a glass of a red blend wine. Have had the meatballs before and enjoyed them. It's the old PC recipe. B & V used to put four of them on the plate on a bed of ricotta covered with a good marinara sauce. Now cut back to three meatballs at the same price ($10). Mine came out of the kitchen stone cold. So I sent them back. When returned, they were still cold but I ate them anyway. The wine pours in this restaurant are supposed to be 6 ounces. Doubt it. Very, very stingy considering the price charged ($13 a glass for most reds). And the wine had a slightly oxidized taste to it. No need to go back. There are better options in the area that are more suited to a casual country retirement lifestyle. I will, however, give the server and bartender good grades, even though heating up the meatballs was apparently not achievable. They are the reason I gave B & V two stars instead of one. read more

I've been an early supporter of the Birch & Vine and was excited to try it. Our first visits were lovely in the way that we were in a movie. The food was decent, the welcome was warm, the environment was tolerable, but odd. Putting the oddness aside, our experience was decent. The snow, or lack-there-of, seems to be having an effect on this restaurant. Attending dinner, feels like a strange soap opera. I'll explain. I know the owner, or manager?, as Patty. She has greeted us many times, possibly all times. Typically, an over the top bad actress, soap opera greetings, which we generally accept and laugh about at the table later on. The last time, however, she seemed genuinely happy to see us.....usually not a good sign. Speaking of signs, the 4th one, while pleasing to the eye and better than the past signs (the 4pm, the drawn by a child, etc) is wrong in a few ways. It should look like this "Casual" "Waterfront" Dining. It's not casual, bring your pleated pants. It's not "Waterfront", more like Roadside. There is however, dining. The duck, fig, blue cheese pizza, as disgusting as it sounds, was surprisingly edible. I did enjoy the quiet night. read more

The Birch and Vine seemed alluring once viewing the reviews here.....but our experience was lack luster. My family stood at the front door for a number of minutes waiting to be seated and were constantly passed by as, what I would assume to be, "friends" were acknowledged, sometimes hugged, and then seated ahead of us. I understand the small town connections, but it seemed excessive and off putting. The surroundings are pretty, but the overall mood is bland and boring. We usually meet a few people during our travels to this region no matter where we go, but all we got was a fake smile from the owner and a blank stare from our server. The few noises we heard consisted of some laughter that reminded me of George McFly in Back to the Future....must have been a zinger of a joke. The kids had pizza, which they loved. My wife had the cod and I, the sirloin. No real complaints about the food, but nothing mind blowing either. The short trip from the many fun options in Wolfeboro seemed a waste. Editing my review to be 2 stars because the one and five star reviews all seem suspicious. Not a 1, but surely not a 5. read more

The B & Whine (as the locals apparently call it) came highly unrecommended by my neighbors, but my curiosity got the best of me. Curiosity is one expensive personality flaw. I'm old fashioned and don't like to gamble with new foods, so I ordered the fish and chips....should be pretty simple to emulate. It's my safe place in a "fancy" restaurant, how can you possibly mess up fried fish and fried potatoes? You can probably see where I'm going with this.....the fish was stone cold in the middle and the "chips" were under seasoned. My wife, on the other hand, is more daring on her food endeavors and went with the Ahi Tuna.....confirming other reviews, the tuna was very under and the rice was crispy and well over, almost stale. Two glasses of wine (which cost more than the bottle they were poured from), two beers, two entrees later we were presented with a lovely lunch tab of $154. We probably won't return, rather we certainly will not return. The ambiance was quiet and reserved, it just didn't feel nice. It felt like dinner with your in-laws from a previous marriage. Not joking. read more

I recently passed by the Birch & Wine? Vine? the sign is difficult to read.....and stopped in for a quick dinner. We were on our way north from Wolfeboro and looking for a quick tasty meal. My initial feeling walking in was similar to walking in to a car dealership for the first time. I was oddly greeted, to be perfectly honest, and sat at a comfy clean table, thankfully. The very kind waitress boldly suggested a bottle of wine somewhere in the neighborhood of $200.....I remembered thinking "are we on vacation in Las Vegas or New Hampshire?". We politely stated that 'we are just looking for an early dinner and maybe a beer or two'. FYI, the beers are served in tiny glasses, it's weird. We ended up ordering a summertime favorite, lobster rolls. They were somewhere in the neighborhood of $35, which seemed reasonable these days. That being said, they were dry and smelled strange. I took mine to go and eventually threw it out the window on the way to Conway (sorry turkeys), but my fiancé boldly devoured his. We sadly paid our bill and moved on never to return.....like, never. read more

My family and I recently moved to the area from Boston and are constantly looking for our go to spot, Birch & Vine certainly isn't that spot. The restaurant seemed overwhelmed and understaffed when it was only half full, our group of 3 adults and 4 children seemed to push it over the edge. We sat there for almost 4 hours to eat dinner and the food was anything but amazing. The decor was odd, I felt like I was in that decorating store from Beverly Hills cop. You know, the one with Balki Bartokomous. Now, the adults at the table seemed satisfied enough with their meals, enough not to post on yelp, anyway. I ended up getting the Burrata with Shrimp which basically consisted of 2 shrimp, some grapes, and some basil. The kids wouldn't touch their food, how do you screw up $14 Mac and cheese?? When we tried to get a meal to-go for my oldest, who was at home sick, we were told that we couldn't. What kind of place is this?? We will not be returning to the Birch & Wine/Vine.....whatever it is. read more

I guess I've been really confused about this place......so I had to check it out for myself. The back story from my neighbors and the chit chat at almost every other venue in the area and also yelp. We just moved here from Long Island, NY so I never had the pleasure of frequenting the previous restaurant. My first impressions, having a career in interior decorating for the past 40 years or so, were that the exterior felt oddly uncomfortable and the interior even more so. It just isn't personal and reminds me of my grandmother's. Upon entering, I feel this establishment is guarded......in a bad way. It just felt uncomfortable. The food was fine, but not for the price. My husband was pretty disappointed with the cook on his $35 steak and the potatoes had a strange odor. The cocktails are unusually expensive for the area and seem to lack the most important thing.......liquor. I can't imagine juice and bitters are that expensive. Not a very good experience. read more

Wow, do I miss the Pine Cone pizza. Not sure why they transformed the Pine Cone into whatever it is now (seems out of place and piggish) but I was excited to learn that pizza was still available in this area. The prices were reasonably similar, but the service and quality lacked BIG TIME...... You used to be able to head inside, have a beer (don't get me started on the inside nor the beer list, they're abhorrent) and mingle while waiting for your pizza. Now, apparently, the to-go clan are hoarded to the take out window and meant to wait in your car. We waited for an hour for one pizza and then another because they forgot/neglected to add mushrooms to half of the pie. All in all, the pizza is not the same.....it was too spicy for the kids and had a weird smell to it. Very disappointing and off putting. read more

What is happening to this area? The lake used to be a calm respite from city life.....now when I come up here, all I see is people trying to be the city. Why??? The food was below average and the service seemed shoved down my throat. "Please like us". Lake life has become currency for the wealthy and this establishment epitomizes that metaphor. It's unnecessarily opulent and contributes to strangling the people who make this lake what it is. The cocktail list is laughably pitiful, stolen from a list of posh Beverly Hills eateries. Everything just felt fake and urban, certainly not rural. Wake up "Miss Patti", this is a rural community. Anyway, the steak was dry and the "salads" were overpriced, I grew better veggies in my garden on Commonwealth Ave. read more

Came for Saturday dinner, the restaurant was fairly empty but the wait was lonnnnnnng. Once we did get a table, it took another 75 minutes for the food to come out. Ironically, the wait was immaterial as I would not go back even if there was instant service based on the food alone. Prices were high, quality was uneven and service was often lacking. The burger was decent, though cooked well beyond medium, but the accompanying fries, made up of lukewarm fry bits, should have never left the kitchen. The fish my wife ordered was lackluster and oddly "squishy" (her words). Add smiley but indifferent service to a snooze-fest environment, the plants in the outdoor seating are dead, only the sound of forks scraping on plates......not why I vacation here. read more

Oh man, didn't expect to see this place when I pulled into the parking lot....... Tuftonboro is usually a welcome reprieve from the touristy town of Wolfeboro. I used to feel at home in this restaurant (The 'Cone?) but this place feels cold and awkward. Usually, entering the front door, someone calls out some semblance of my name. This time, I felt like I was on Mars, 500 years after colonization. Silent Total Recall stares......"are you supposed to be here?" Has anyone on Yelp seen the movie 'Smile'? It was a similar experience. No joke. I'm a closet Vegan (), but decided to try the NY sirloin.....it wasn't bad, but it also wasn't good. Breaking my diet would've been better served with Spaghetti O's and Meatballs. read more

This restaurant was absolutely amazing. It struck the perfect balance--welcoming to both locals and tourists. While the prices weren't cheap, they honestly felt like a steal once you experienced the quality of the food. Every dish was thoughtfully prepared and full of flavor. The ambience was spot-on. So many places have sacrificed charm and comfort post-pandemic, cramming in tables just to make up numbers. Not here. It was refreshing to enjoy a meal in a space that still values class and atmosphere. Everyone who worked there was phenomenal; attentive, kind, and clearly passionate about what they do. I'll absolutely be back the next time I'm in the state. Highly recommended read more

Arrived at 5:30 on Tuesday, and the dining room was already nearly packed! So early into the summer season and on a weeknight, I should have known this place was going to be spectacular. My party was greeted by Patti, an owner who invited us all into her dining room as if we were guests in her own home. Patti was so warm, bubbly, welcoming, and her and the rest of the staff went above and beyond any level of service I have experienced before. Our server, Miranda, was sweet, attentive, and friendly. All of our cocktails, 3 appetizers, and 6 meals were incredible. Congratulations Patti and staff in creating a bright and gracious atmosphere, I cannot wait to return again soon. read more