Holy Grail Closing
 

very disappointing. I was looking forward to having my 80th birthday party there in a few years.

Too bad, a very unique place. They got off on the wrong foot and just couldn't get the momentum back.

Sad to see them go. We tried them a few times but didn't care for the food or the atmosphere. It was just OK.

The article mentions initial problems as well--what were the issues they had? I've really only heard good things.

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Our one visit a year and a half ago was a bit of a let down food wise as compared to the original Holy Grail ,hoped they would get their act together but I guess not. A beautiful venue though. Too bad !

Went there twice and never got the "vibe" the Epping location has...last time around February this winter we literally, froze our burgers off. Not a good restaurant experience to be freezing before, during, and after your meal...

I could not believe that someone would go into downtown Laconia & spend 2 or 3 million dollars on a restaurant....there's just no demand for that kind of establishment in that location. The owners should have researched the saga of the former Winnipesaukee Pub & Brewery that became the Stone Coast Brewery that failed after spending multiple millions of dollars downtown.

I went in the Holy Grail last year to purchase a gift card & it took the staff the better part of 45 minutes to get the situation straightened out....should have been a 5 minute interaction. Sad to see this.

Too bad. I enjoyed the place.

went there 3 times. never had a good meal or good service, never went back. the place was always really loud in there as well, not a comfortable environment. it's sad that the place was a failure, but based on my personal experience, i can't say i'm surprised.

Our experience
 

We went to the Holy Grail several times and the experience was never particularly good. We did notice that the restaurant became progressively less busy as time went on. My observations:

• Generally, the food quality was not particularly good and the menu did not really appeal to the local market.
• The service became progressively worse. There were times that there were only a few tables and the waitress managed to ignore them all.
• The building was interesting the first time you visited, but it was not an intimate drinking environment nor particularly comfortable (noisy, cold, vacuous).
• The owners promised improvements and they never actually happened. We stopped in after the letter imploring everyone to give them a second chance. The food and service was worse than ever.

Hopefully, whoever buys the building will learn from the mistakes.

Jetskier:cool:

went a couple of times while in the area, parking was always a problem as were the stairs, food was never that great and service was awful. They certainly have the act together in Epping!!

You have to do the research before getting into this market
 

The food business is very competitive in the lakes region. The other factor is the year around population in the Laconia area has a fairly low family income compared to anything south of Concord. The result is an environment where you have to build a very good reputation to capture those potential customers and that takes time and money. You have stiff competition with T-bones, Cactus Jacks, O, Patricks, Common Man in Meredith, 27 Tavern and more. I did try it out once and it just was not that impressive.

Thing is....who's going to purchase the building & use it in what manner ? I doubt that it will be used as another restaurant.

We have not found anything at the Common Nam really worth going there for.
Went to Camp, Tilton diner and the hotel. Overpriced for food so-so.
just not our taste. We like the other diners, T-Bones and Patrick's is ok.

I am a retired workaholic and continuing quaholic.

My wife and I like Lago's. The others, The Camp, Tilton Diner, and Church Landing, not so much. Lago's is always busy so I think it's well received.

Lago
 

I agree. We like the menu and the bar area. The food seems to be better than the rest of the Common Man restaurants, except for Ashland and the Italian Farmhouse, which are pretty decent.

Fratello's
 

My wife and I are big fans of Fratello's...especially at the bar. Great staff and very good food. We feel a real value for the money particularly if you participate in the Frequent Diner Program and purchase gift cards when they are on sale around Christmas time. http://fratellos.com/rewards-2/

Different tastes
 

I always have to chuckle at the wide range of opinions with regard to restaurant experiences. I have been to the Holy Grail of Laconia several times and always had a good meal. Loved the Shepards Pie. Had a great selection of craft beers, loved the atmosphere and renovations, always had very good service and never had a problem parking. I will miss it.

In comparison I never understood the fascination with Sandy Point. Tried it twice when the original owners before the last few changes of ownership owned it. The interior was horrible, faux wood paneling (70's), vinyl (naugahyde) chairs (70's), dingy old carpet, food not very good, had scallops once and they were not cooked well, rubbery and not that warm, very expensive for poor food and service below average. Never went back. To each his own as they say.

I never listen to opinions or reviews. I try it for myself.

We love the Italian Farmhouse also, just there this past Saturday night. My grandson will be attending Plymouth State next year so I'm sure we will be frequent flyers there next winter.:D

Agree with this, it is a cool little place.

We were disappointed with the food at Holy Grail.

Too bad it didn't work out.

Italian Farmhouse
 

Where is it?

South of Plymouth on route 3.

Great atmosphere, but I do agree the food wasn't great. Great pub food, but not worth the prices. I loved the fish and chips, but the end bill wasn't what I was expecting! :mad:

One of my favorite area restaurants is across the street from The Holy Grail in the railroad station building, Local Eatery. Excellent food and filled every time we've been there.

Sad to see any business in the lakes region close.


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