Cornerstone is tucked away in the West End of Portsmouth, NH. The massive space is beautifully decorated with exposed brick, industrial accents and TWO bars to choose from. They have a bustling open kitchen that can be seen from both bar areas, and a quiet beautiful dining room for a quieter evening. This restaurant is perfect for bites with a friend or a casual date night.
If you belly up to one of the bars, you will find you have a lot of options to choose from. They have one of the most extensive beer menus in the area. They feature regional beers on tap or in a can and have a variety of options to choose from. Whether you like an ale, IPA or stout, their staff is extremely knowledgeable and can help guide you to the perfect pour. Beer not your thing? Try one of their craft cocktails! I drank one of their rum sipping cocktails and it paired so well with our meal!
Make sure you come hungry to Cornerstone and order an appetizer. The appetizers are fantastic here! Specifically, the Sausage Stuffed Cherry Peppers. They came highly recommended to me, so I knew I had to give them a try! They were made with pickled red cherry peppers, house made Italian sausage, and baked in a marinara and mozzarella blend. It was INCREDIBLE. I understand why they came recommended!
I also heard their ribs were a must. They were smothered in a bourbon BBQ sauce and the meat fell right off the bone. They were unbelievably good. I didn’t even care that I had sauce all over my face. I just couldn’t stop eating them!
The pizza really was the star of the show here. They make everything from scratch, in house and you can really taste this in the ingredients. The crust was thin, almost flatbread style and the pizzas were HUGE. I really liked that you could order two flavors if you wanted. This was a great way for us to try two of their creations! I had to go classic with one side the Vermont Smoked Pepperoni. Their fire roasted red sauce was paired with mozzarella and house sliced pepperoni. It was a flavor explosion! The other half was their traditional Margherita. The sauce, tomatoes and fresh basil really shined. It tasted so fresh!
I also tried the Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza. The pizza had a creamy ranch base, bulled chicken, bacon, scallions and cheese. One of the best chicken bacon ranch combos I’ve ever had.
They do have traditional entrées too. From sandwiches, to pastas, fish to salads, short rubs to burgers. Cornerstone has you covered! We tried to have some “balance”, so we ordered the seasonal fish salad. It was a thick white fish over bitter greens with pomegranates, roasted squash, apples, and a cider vinaigrette. The tartness mixed so well with the sweetness of the potatoes. It was a great addition to our meal!
Portsmouth, NH has a lot of food options, but Cornerstone should be on your list. They have more than just an incredible pizza menu, they have a full dining experience that will wow your taste buds!
Top Takeaways:
Make sure you ask your bartenders or servers about the beer. They are very knowledgeable!
You much try the Sausage Stuffed Cherry Peppers
Everything is house made, so make sure to try anything with their cured meats on it!
Get two different pizza flavors, a classic and non-traditional one. You’ll thank me
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