The Retro New Hampshire Fried Chicken Restaurant That Has 35 Types Of Ice Cream
There's a famous local spot in Manchester, New Hampshire, that's particularly noted for two things: its chicken tenders and its ice cream offerings. Over a century old, Puritan is credited with actually inventing chicken tenders — though, as with many food origin stories, there's debate over whether or not this establishment's tenders were truly the first. Regardless, the restaurant's fried chicken pieces have folks coming from far and wide to try them out. Then there's the takeout side of the business. In addition to food orders to go, Puritan offers 35 types of ice cream, alongside sherbets, sorbets, frozen yogurt, and toppings. This hotspot's frozen goodies definitely seem to be a restaurant ice cream worth ordering.
The award-winning homemade ice cream at Puritan is hailed by Yelp users as a "must have" and "the best ice cream I have ever had." Flavors run the gamut from mainstays like plain chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry to less typical offerings like Grapenut and Baklava. The dessert is available in cups, cones, and take-home tubs, and can be converted into sundaes (with or without a brownie at the base) or banana splits.
Another famous Puritan offering is the restaurant's Frozen Mudslides. Folks have been known to travel a far piece to get these frozen alcoholic drinks, which range in flavors from The Original Mudslide (featuring Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua coffee liqueur, and vodka) to candy bar-reminiscent flavors like Peanut Butter Cup and Milky Way. Considering New Hampshire is the U.S. state that drinks the most alcohol per capita, the popularity of these frozen concoctions isn't wholly surprising.
This century-old business is credited as the inventor of chicken fingers
Puritan was founded as a candy shop in 1917 by two Greek immigrants, Arthur Pappas and Louis Canotas. Over the decades, a restaurant section was added called The Puritan Backroom, in addition to the take-out windows that handle to-go orders and scoops of ice cream. Customers aren't fazed by the extra long queues, and are willing to wait in line at any time of day. The site has long been a campaign trail stop-off for political candidates, including President Joe Biden, and celebrities like Adam Sandler have been known to drop by. The restaurant has also been honored by the James Beard Foundation, receiving the prestigious America's Classics award in 2020.
The array of food items is broad. Various Greek dishes pay homage to the founders. Entrees range from filet mignon to swordfish. There are club sandwiches, an impressive array of burgers (including bison and lamb), eight different kinds of pizza, a lobster pie, and a vegetable lasagna, because why not? But without a doubt, those chicken tenders are the star menu item that keeps people coming through the door.
The origin story goes that Charlie Pappas, son of the original co-founder, was exploring ways to use a piece of chicken tenderloin that became separated from the breast. The result was a fried tenderloin served with Duck Sauce for dipping. One reason this restaurant fried chicken tasted so good was its nice bath in a pineapple juice marinade before frying. It became a runaway hit that has been credited as the first-ever chicken tender.