The bar that doesn't advertise. The Tuesday-night dinner you'd never find by Googling. The donut shop that sells out by ten.
The original Common Man, open in Ashland since 1971 and the reason the small New Hampshire chain exists at all. Meatloaf, baked mac and cheese, and a Nantucket pie regulars order before they've sat down — comfort food, not a lake-view production. The upstairs lounge has a wood stove and parlor games for the wait; Squam Scoops opened across the courtyard for the ice cream after.
The only store on Squam with its own dock — tie up past Walter's Basin and walk the path in. Deli sandwiches, prepared dinners that just need reheating, and an espresso bar pouring Cafe Monte Alto, roasted twenty minutes south in Plymouth. Fresh seafood comes in Wednesdays and Fridays. Open daily, 7:30 to 6, which covers both the coffee run and the last-minute bottle of wine before dinner.