The Hidden Pig opens in downtown Nashua
New life has been breathed into a Nashua restaurant building that has sat dormant for more than three years. The Hidden Pig opened Feb. 9 in the former Riverside Barbeque Co. storefront on Main Street, bringing with it a thoughtfully crafted menu of gourmet burgers, sandwiches, rice bowls, doughnuts and even bacon boards — yes, boards filled with juicy slabs of candied bacon.
The eatery may be new to the Granite State, but it’s actually the second Hidden Pig location for owner Phil Bentham II, a native of Methuen, Mass., who opened the first one in downtown Haverhill in 2018. Bentham, who’s been working in the industry practically his entire life, got his start at Salvatore’s Italian Restaurant in Lawrence, which was also where he would meet future Hidden Pig head chef Brandon Allardice.
Unexpected and consistent success in Haverhill would soon open the doors for Bentham — along with his wife, Ashley, who mostly handles operations and marketing — to look into the possibility of a second spot. Through a Realtor friend, he learned of an available restaurant space overlooking the Nashua River. It had last been occupied by the Riverside Barbeque Co., which closed in December 2019 after a nearly decade-long run.

At nearly 4,000 square feet, The Hidden Pig’s Nashua restaurant more than doubles the size of its Massachusetts counterpart, with completely renovated interior dining and bar areas.
“The ‘hidden’ part of the name is a play coming from the idea of being a hidden gem north of Boston,” Bentham said, “and then we started incorporating little bits of bacon in all of our food, kind of like they are ‘hidden,’ almost.”
While some barbecue-inspired items like burnt ends and pulled pork are offered, Bentham said The Hidden Pig is not a barbecue restaurant; rather, he categorized the concept as more of a gastropub with particular focuses on burgers and local craft beer — and, of course, bacon. Lots of bacon. Look no further for it than the bacon board, which comes with a homemade bacon shallot jam and baguette crostinis; or any one of the burgers, most of which are topped with bacon or pork belly, or have a bacon-infused aioli or jam.
“We try to be a bacon- and a gourmet burger-focused restaurant, for sure,” Bentham said. “We try not to get too weird with the burgers, but we do do some funky stuff. … Our most popular burger … is called the Big Bad Wolf. It’s got a blueberry jam spread on there, mixed with a maple bacon aioli, and then it’s got a piece of pork belly and cheddar cheese.”
The Hidden Pig is also known for its Sunday brunches — those menu items are available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with highlights including Fruity Pebbles chicken and waffles, and Reese’s “overload” buttermilk pancakes. Doughnuts are a huge deal too, from maple bacon glazed to Oreo and Reese’s flavors, and even a “Dunkaroonut” with animal crackers and sprinkles.
“We do a doughnut board with a big handle … and we decorate it with four, five, six doughnuts on there,” Bentham said. “We put it right in the center and people just go to town on it.”
The craft beer side is where Bentham said The Hidden Pig’s Nashua restaurant will mostly differ from Haverhill, and that’s because he is looking to incorporate more New Hampshire brews on tap. For the past few years, he has worked with Ali and Rob Leleszi of Rockingham Brewing Co. in Derry to brew a house New England-style double IPA that also comes canned.
The restaurant is open six nights a week, with the bar usually staying open an hour later than the kitchen, depending on the night.
“If there’s a good crowd, we’ll continue to stay open,” Bentham said. “There’s not really much up here, I feel, as far as on a Sunday evening, so hopefully we can change that.”
The Hidden Pig
Where: 53 Main St., Nashua
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday, 5 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (brunch only) and 3 to 9 p.m. (dinner only)
More info: Visit thehiddenpig.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram or call 402-9640
Featured photo: Bacon board. Courtesy photo.