A recent trip down through lower NH gave us a good opportunity to stop in Concord with two purposes: a quick visit to Lithermans Limited brewery, and hopefully a chance to finally check out 603 BBQ next door, which is the rare NH “Barbecue” place that really gets consistently good reviews. While Lithermans was quite good, a few delays in our departure meant arriving at Lithermans at 12:15, by which time the line for 603 BBQ was already a good hour long. Not wanting to spent that much time of a delightfully nice Fall day waiting in line, we opted instead to check out a promising-looking small sandwich shop we had passed on our way in, Nina’s Bistro & Sandwiches.
Nina’s is in an old trolley depot building (nice little historical side note: for much of the early 20th Century, Concord had an elaborate and extensive street trolley network), in an odd little corner of South Concord, wedged between the railroad and a bend in I-93, which houses a half-dozen houses and a string of discount hotels. The building itself is pretty well-known, for years this was the well-regarded “Sandwich Depot”, and for several decades before that between the demise of Concord’s trolley and the Sandwich Depot, John’s Grocery. But back in 2019, the Sandwich Depot closed and the owner of the former Crazy Goat Tavern in Concord, Nilolija Mujakovic, bought the location and converted it to Nina’s, offering a classic selection of sandwiches and Southern European foods, aimed around lighter lunches.
I always like old railroad and trolley depots, they make for nice, cozy little cafés and restaurants. Nina’s is no exception: there’s a nice, central ordering counter, and a half dozen small tables around the interior, which is mostly decorated with a selection of photos of various European tourist destinations and small towns. It’s a nice, inviting atmosphere.
Looking over the menu, the primarily selections at Nina’s are a variety of Italian-style sandwiches, but they’ve also got a nice selection of sausages, gyros, karnache (Bulgarian sausage, somewhat similar to kielbasa), and an array of salads. I opted for the Italian-American classic, an “Italian Sub”. This was a well-executed classic sub: with imported sweet and Hot Coppa, Sopressata salami, prosciutto, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a light dressing of vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and a dash of oregano. While I prefer a slightly crustier roll, this was an excellent sub: a good selection of quality meats, a good cheese, and crisp veggies that don’t overwhelm the meats. I’d happily get this again. And a nice touch? They serve it up with a small Johny Krocker (a Ukrainian confection company) chocolate as a sweet treat.
Carol, meanwhile, opted for the Panini, which was essentially the same quality meats from the Italian Sandwich served up on focaccia and toasted nicely on a panini press. The result was nicely crisped, nicely melted, and a good little sandwich treat without being overly fatty or salty.
Wanting a side dish as well, we decided to get the bean salad. A very good bean salad, with four different kinds of beans served up in a nice garlicky dressing, this was a great side to complement the sandwiches, although the portioning here was a bit odd: the only offered size was an entire pound of salad. I really enjoyed this, but I think they should offer this in a half pound version as well.
Overall, we really enjoyed Nina’s; it’s a great little sandwich shop with friendly owners, a nice location, and a good menu. I’d love to come back and try some of their other European options, like the karnache. There seems to be a lot of potential in this little shop.
