Who decided turkey only gets one big day a year? New Hampshire clearly missed that meeting.
Here, roast turkey has been on the menu since the 1950s, no November required. Maybe you want the full comfort-food treatment. Maybe a sandwich sounds better.
Either way, turkey is not waiting for Thanksgiving to make an appearance.
That is what makes the whole idea oddly satisfying. You get the familiar comfort of a holiday meal without all the usual fuss.
I’d take that deal, especially if dessert gets involved before anyone starts debating who is doing the dishes.
This Farm Restaurant Has Been A New Hampshire Dining Tradition Since 1954
Twelve seats. That’s how many places Hart’s Turkey Farm Restaurant had for diners when it opened in 1954.
The Hart family’s Lakes Region story began earlier. Mae and Lawrence Hart vacationed in New Hampshire during the 1920s, then moved from New Jersey in 1946 and bought a farm. Their sons, Russ and Larry, and their wives joined them.
The family grew vegetables and apples and sold produce, poultry, and eggs from a delivery truck.
By 1953, the farm focused on raising turkeys. A year later, the family opened a small restaurant serving turkey dinners and sandwiches. Those dishes remained on the menu as the operation grew beyond its original dining space.
Today, Hart’s has seating for approximately 500 across its dining rooms, seasonal deck, and other dining spaces.
Turkey still takes center stage, with other familiar American dishes available alongside it.
The restaurant remains family-owned, and the kitchen continues to prepare its long-established recipes.
If you are browsing the menu for the first time, start with the turkey section and then compare the sandwiches with the full dinners. You can keep the meal simple or leave room for something from the bakery.
You can stop for lunch or dinner without waiting for a holiday. If you’re planning a visit with several people, look over the choices before arriving so everyone can settle on a meal at their own pace.
The Famous Turkey Dinners That Made Hart’s A Local Favorite
A plate of sliced roast turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and gravy brings Thanksgiving flavors to an ordinary day. At Hart’s, turkey dinners are a regular part of the restaurant’s year-round cooking, not a special offered only in November.
The original restaurant served both dinners and sandwiches, and that pairing still gives you different ways to build a meal.
Choose a full turkey dinner when you want the familiar combination of meat, sides, and gravy, or look through the turkey sandwiches and other poultry dishes when you’re after something different.
The restaurant prepares food in its own kitchen and bakery, including many dishes made from scratch. Side choices and accompaniments can change, so check the current menu rather than assuming every dinner has exactly the same combination.
A full dinner gives you time to settle in over turkey and sides. For a shorter lunch break, look through the sandwiches instead. If you have more driving ahead, decide how many courses you want before ordering.
The size of your order can depend on whether you want a complete meal or something lighter. Ordering a main course first and then deciding on dessert is an easy way to keep the stop flexible. Takeout is available as well.
If a sit-down meal doesn’t fit the day, you can arrange food to bring home or eat elsewhere. Just check the current ordering options before making the drive.
Homemade Comfort Food Brings Thanksgiving Flavors To The Table Year-Round
Not everyone at the table needs to order turkey. Hart’s has expanded its offerings over the decades to include prime rib, steaks, seafood, and other American dishes.
Prime rib has its own schedule. The restaurant serves it Thursday and Friday evenings after 5 p.m., and throughout Saturday and Sunday. If that’s your first choice, plan the visit around those days rather than assuming it is available at every lunch.
The bakery is another part of the kitchen. Desserts and baked goods are prepared on the premises, and the shop offers additional foods to take home.
It’s worth deciding whether you want dessert at the table or something from the shop afterward, especially if you’re traveling with a full car.
Hart’s also sells prepared foods for home meals. Its market area has refrigerated and frozen items, including family-style dishes that can be reheated later. That gives you an option beyond ordering a restaurant meal to go.
Before settling on an entrée, glance at the current selections together if your group has different appetites. There are poultry choices and non-turkey dishes, and the children’s menu offers another place to start when younger diners are joining you.
The Family History Behind Hart’s Turkey Farm Restaurant
The restaurant grew from a family farm into a much larger dining operation, with expansion happening over several decades.
Russ and Larry Hart were central to the early business. In 1960, Russ became its sole owner. In 1966, Russ began phasing out turkey raising and buying birds from selected farms instead.
Restaurant cooking and expansion took up more of the family’s work.
Russ and Helen added kitchen space and small dining rooms over time. In 1988, the business opened a gift shop, creating another stop for guests picking up food or gifts.
The front lobby and shop were updated in 2018, with more room to display bakery items and prepared foods.
Look around the dining rooms for turkey plates and platters. Mae Hart began the collection, which eventually grew to more than 900 pieces.
One especially old platter dates to around 1850; Mae purchased it in 1922 and later gave it to Russ and Helen for display at the restaurant.
The original family platter and later additions belong to a collection assembled through gifts and visits to antique shops along the East Coast. You can spot some of the plates and platters on the dining room walls while you are there.
Four generations of the Hart family have been involved in ownership and management. The family connection remains part of the restaurant’s day-to-day operation.
Holiday Traditions And Thanksgiving Meals Keep Customers Coming Back
Here’s a detail worth remembering before planning Thanksgiving Day at Hart’s: the dining room does not open for on-site meals that holiday.
Instead, Thanksgiving dinners are available by preorder for people eating at home. The restaurant takes orders for individual and family meals beginning November 1, with holiday menus and pricing released in October.
Pickup arrangements and available selections should be confirmed for the particular year.
A prepared dinner can take some of the cooking off your holiday schedule. You’ll still need to check collection instructions, storage requirements, and any reheating directions for the dishes you choose.
Arrange pickup around the rest of your day’s plans rather than arriving without an order.
If you’d prefer to eat at Hart’s itself, choose another day. The regular year-round menu brings turkey and familiar sides to the dining room without tying the meal to a particular Thursday in November.
The restaurant also caters occasions beyond the holiday season. Its catering operation handles gatherings at the restaurant and at other venues, including meals for larger groups.
Ask about available formats before deciding between a dining-room visit, a private event, and food prepared for pickup.
Spacious Dining Rooms And Classic New England Charm Make Hart’s Special
Bring a group, but make a seating plan first. Hart’s has room for around 500 guests across its dining areas, including a seasonal outdoor deck. That overall capacity does not mean every party can be seated together immediately.
Most days, the restaurant does not take reservations or offer call-ahead seating. Exceptions generally apply to certain special occasions, including Mother’s Day and Easter. For groups of ten or more, an advance heads-up is appreciated, although a wait may still be necessary.
Private rooms can be arranged through the catering operation. That’s the route to explore for a reunion, work gathering, or another occasion where everyone needs to sit together at a planned time.
The restaurant added its outdoor deck in 2015. Seating there is seasonal, and the outdoor area can accommodate well-behaved dogs under the restaurant’s current pet policy. Service animals are welcome.
Ask about outdoor seating conditions before bringing a dog along.
The on-site shop is another stop before heading out. It carries prepared foods and bakery products, including fresh and frozen selections, so take a look if you’d like something for a later meal. Bring a cooler if you’re driving a long distance with chilled purchases.
Visiting Hart’s Turkey Farm Restaurant In Meredith, New Hampshire
Road trip snacks only go so far. When you’re traveling through New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, Hart’s offers a sit-down option with turkey dinners, sandwiches, and other familiar meals.
Meredith is near Lake Winnipesaukee, with waterfront walks and scenic drives available around the area.
You can make the restaurant a lunch stop before exploring town or arrange dinner after a day along the lake.
Leave time for driving and parking rather than trying to squeeze the meal between closely scheduled activities.
The restaurant generally opens at 11:30 a.m. Current posted closing times are 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Holiday schedules and special events can differ, so check the hours for the specific date you plan to visit.
Ample parking is available on site. If you’re traveling with a larger party, coordinate your arrival and remember that giving advance notice does not guarantee immediate seating.
For a quicker visit, takeout and ready-to-heat market foods provide alternatives to a full table-service meal.
You’ll find Hart’s Turkey Farm Restaurant at 233 Daniel Webster Highway, Meredith, NH 03253. Set your route before leaving, then decide whether you’re in the mood for a full turkey dinner, a sandwich, or something to carry home.