New Hampshire

Parker’s Maple Barn Restaurant in Mason, New Hampshire

A visit to Parker’s Maple Barn Restaurant in Mason, NH for the perfect Sunday breakfast served with pure maple syrup.

By Aimee Tucker

Mar 28 2016

parkers maple barn sign

Tucked into the woods of Mason, NH is the popular Parker’s Maple Barn Restaurant.

Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Head into southern New Hampshire on a weekend morning during maple season and you’ll probably find yourself drawn, as if by a large maple magnet, to Parker’s Maple Barn Restaurant in the woods of Mason for a breakfast of famous proportions.
Parker's Maple Barn
Tucked into the woods of Mason, NH is the popular Parker’s Maple Barn Restaurant.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
What began as a small sugaring operation by the original Parker family grew into the Parker’s Maple Barn restaurant during the late 1960s. Today it’s known for serving up breakfast (including a pancake and stuffed French toast of the month) and lunch with plenty of their pure maple syrup in a country setting just over the Massachusetts border in Mason, New Hampshire.
parkers maple barn restaurant front
Don’t be fooled by the unassuming entrance!
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Once inside you’re immediately hit by the smell of breakfast — pancakes, butter, syrup, eggs, bacon, sausage — you know, the good stuff. Wooden floors, walls, and beams surround you, and a maze of tables in several rooms are full of couples and families sipping coffee (they bring a carafe right to the table) and digging in. Servers weave around like bees, fetching more coffee, pushing carts piled with plates, and keeping the steady throngs of visitors moving along without rushing them. No easy feat, I’m sure.
parkers maple barn restaurant
A cozy, woodsy interior is the perfect setting for a plate of Parker’s Maple Barn pancakes.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
I headed there early on a recent Sunday with my sister and brother-in-law. We knew we needed to get there early to get a seat, but fortunately, few things get me out of bed faster than the thought of a good breakfast. My brother-in-law was feeling ambitious and went for the Parker’s Special — a whopper selection that comes with two eggs, two pancakes, ham, bacon, sausage, and toast. Courtney and I opted for omelets and home fries with a single blueberry buckwheat pancake apiece. You can’t go to Parker’s and NOT have something on which to drizzle some of their complimentary pure maple syrup! Normally in my family we smuggle small jars of the real stuff into restaurants in our purses — none of that maple-flavored corn syrup for us!
Parker's Maple Barn
The Parker’s Special comes with two eggs, two pancakes, ham, bacon, sausage, and toast.
Photo Credit : Aimee Tucker
Parker's Maple Barn
Parker’s Maple Barn Breakfast.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Parker's Maple Barn
Blueberry buckwheat pancakes with real maple syrup.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Parker's Maple Barn
Breakfast is served.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
As usual, I kicked myself later for not ordering the maple frappe, which always sounds delicious, but maybe not at 8:00 AM. If you dilly-dally on the weekend and arrive at Parker’s when the line is already long, you can wander through the small covered bridge and check out the Corn Crib gift shop next door to the restaurant. Inside you’ll find everything maple for sale (syrup, sugar, candy, cream, etc.) along with penny candy, gifts, toys, and more.
parkers maple barn gift shop
The Corn Crib Gift Shoppe offers every maple treat imaginable plus an assortment of other gifts, toys, and regional items.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Parker's Maple Barn
Syrup for sale.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
During maple season (roughly February through April) you can also participate in a small tour of the maple syrup production from sap buckets to syrup bottles. The gentleman working the large wood-fired evaporator boiling the sap down was kind enough to swing the door open for me to show me the blaze inside.
Parker's Maple Barn
Sap buckets at Parker’s Maple Barn.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Parker's Maple Barn
Making maple syrup at Parker’s.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Parker's Maple Barn
Maple memorabilia on display.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Additionally, if you’re hungry or need a jolt of caffeine, you can head to the Outpost for a donut (plain or maple), coffee, hot chocolate, or cider. You can also consult one of the many trees surrounding the property decked with arrows pointing to distant cities and how many miles it would take to get there.
Parker's Maple Barn
The Outpost
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Parker's Maple Barn
You can get there from here…maybe.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
An additional parking lot is across the street for busy weekends, and they sure do need it. Parker’s reputation draws large crowds, which aren’t limited to cars. Plenty of motorcycles bring hungry visitors to Parker’s thanks to the many scenic back roads in the area, and the restaurant has responded with a special spot just for them to park their bikes — motor vehicle drivers be warned!
parkers maple barn motorcycle
Motorcycles are welcome at Parker’s — just don’t take their parking spots!
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Have you ever been to Parker’s Maple Barn? Parker’s Maple Barn. 1316 Brookline Road, Mason, NH. 603-878-2308; parkersmaplebarn.com. Open 7 days a week from mid-February through mid-December.