The Fort at Exit 18
151 Heater Rd, Lebanon, NH 03766, USA
Hours
| Monday | 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM |
| Thursday | 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM |
| Friday | 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM |
| Saturday | 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM |
| Sunday | 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM |
Photos
Reviews
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Jenny Blanco Tours
★ 3When we walked in to The Fort diner, they were playing Bocephus (Hank Williams, Jr.) , and now they’re playing Patsy Cline and maybe that’s at least half of the charm of this diner-inside a gas station, here.
But first, when you drive in, you will never think there is a restaurant here! And once you walk in, you definitely think you misunderstood the term, “restaurant.” But keep walking to the back and towards the right, and you’ll find a door that opens up to a whole, charming, old-fashioned slice of historic Lebanon country restaurant.
You can get breakfast, lunch or dinner here, and breakfast is served all day. So, unless you are looking for 24-hour breakfast at Denny’s, this is the most awesome homestyle diner to eat at up through 6:30pm-ish (it clears out by 7:45 i think). There is a lot of charm to be had, here, including friendly waitresses and cantankerously-charming cooks. And did I mention that I loved the vintage country music?! :)nnThere is a narrow U-shaped counter here with a fair amount of seating. Our server was fast and friendly. We really enjoyed it when one of the cooks came out who has just the right amount of self-depricating humor if you dare to banter with him.
The hot cakes and biscuits are cooked on a real cast-iron griddle, here, and you can taste that flavor and how good it is. The biscuits are like nothing I’ve seen: cast iron grilled corn meal and wheat maybe? Not sure. They look like hamburger buns but have the mouth feel of a nice, firm cornbread - though not as sweet. Our biscuit was overcooked but if I get back there, next time I’ll ask for it toasted light. (You might ask for your hot cakes cooked light, as well, because one of those came out dark.) This biscuit did have a good and unique flavor. We got a double side of mashed potatoes and gravy as an appetizer and it was delicious! They have an almost-whipped but definitely substantial feel, yet also firm and so buttery. Very good! You can tell the cooks put a lot of work into this food and that comes across in the flavors.
We ordered a breakfast called the Lumberjack and it was gigantic! 2 eggs,3 slices of fresh, crispy bacon, big sausage patties, 2 gigantic slices of rye toast and well-seasoned potatoes. There was a very subtle taste of garlic seasoning and i loved it! The bacon was my favorite: very flavorful - oversized and light in flavor - vs. some of the real country bacon I’ve tasted a few times around here.
Their sweet tea is good! It tastes like the homemade version of what Country Time Lemonade was modeled after.
Their 2 dessert cases definitely serve up some tasty treats: homemade muffins, cruellers, donuts, pies, oversized brownies and gigantic coconut squares (chocolate chips, coconut slivers, Oreo cookies and tons of other sweet goodies layered in). You can order 3 different types of pie slices for the same price of a half of a pie. We ordered:n1. Coconut Custard: sweet, coconut throughout the custard, with even sweeter whipped creamn2. Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie: smooth and sweet peanut butter filling with a very present flavor of Hershey’s syrup. This is good and tastes like flavors i haven’t enjoyed for decades. You will not find this anywhere else.n3. Cherry Pie: perfectly tart, round and plump mostly whole cherries with a sweet sauce. I love that the cherries aren’t over-baked drowning in a sea of sauce in pieces and half sizes. The pie crust is thick and buttery.
Order to go by 7:30 at the latest. Or be seated by 6:30 latest because when they close at 8, customers are leaving by 7:45pm. -
Amy Limoges
★ 5The food was soooooo good I hade a cheeseburger with bacon and it was not only super good but big the bathroom was the dirtiest bathroom for a restaurant but over all it was great 👍🏼
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Swit Chie
★ 1I feel like I got rip for a donut. They charge me $4.95 plus 0.42 tax total of $5.37 for they call a fancy donut. It wasnt worth for that price at all. No wonder why there are no prices for those bake goods that was displayed. They are ridiculously expensive. Oh well not going there anymore
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Alex. Hess
★ 5One of my favorite places! Affordable and delicious food, kind and competent staff, and a friendly traditional atmosphere. Highly recommend!
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Jason Z
★ 5Holy diner heaven Batman, this place has the food you need! Yes it is a truck stop diner located inside a gas station convenience store with views of the parking lot.... but once you snobs get over that this is the best dang bang for your buck in town. Cute little dining room with seating for probably 100 or so between tables and bar seating. They have a great selection of local bakery goods including homemade pies, large muffins, monstrously huge cookies and whoopie pies, and large donuts. We were seated quickly, our server was super friendly and always checking in on us, and the food was large portions and delicious. Large menu, nothing super fancy, but serving up delicious made-to-order food to get you through the day. The cruller donuts (2) French toast could feed 2 people and is one of the best breakfasts I have had. Spouse had an omelette which was probably 6 eggs and could have fed 2 people also. Lots of friendly locals, light background of country music on the radio, and we were in and out in one hour. We will DEFINITELY be back, don't miss it.