20 of the Best Italian Restaurants in New Hampshire

One of the many things about the New Hampshire Seacoast is its history. Not just in a textbook sense, but personal sense.

If you drive down Lafayette Road, you’ll likely pass by several places the conjure up memories from your early days in the area or even your childhood. When I pass by the Airfield Café, I think about all the French toast I had in the café’s original location before graduating to Minnie Mouse pancakes in the newer, fancier incarnation (not for me. I get Mickey Mouse pancakes).

When I’m in the mood for seafood, the choice gets a bit trickier. Do I stop at Beach Plum in Portsmouth to get that summer feeling in the wintertime? Do I go fast, fried, and fun at Al’s in North Hampton? Or do I stop off at The Old Salt in Hampton? If it’s good enough for one of our most respected U.S. Presidents, it’s good enough for me.

For my family, there’s a small, hole-in-the-mall spot called Ronaldo’s. Located in what we think is downtown North Hampton (just a few spots over from the mysterious fondue restaurant nobody else seems to remember), Ronaldo’s has offered us the same comforting food for all of life’s extremes.

We would go there when someone got a good report card. We went there after I graduated from college, and then again, a few years later, when my sister graduated.

Just last summer, during a time of grief, we still had Ronaldo's.

For a region known for its seafood, New Hampshire’s love for great Italian food is often tucked away in the corner, like the perfect table.