Want to get up close and personal with the lake during dinner? The only waterfront dining on Squam is at Walter’s Basin (Rte. 3, Holderness, 603/968-4412, www.waltersbasin.com, $7–18), a restaurant and pub serving a mishmash of Cajun specialties (turkey gumbo, crawdad beignets) and comfort foods (meatloaf, burgers, and stuffed haddock). The dining room inside is open year-round, whereas outdoor seating runs May through October, and is as apt to see guests arrive by boat as by foot.

Equally built for relaxation is the dining room at The Common Man (60 Main St., Ashland, 603/968-7030, www.thecman.com, 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m. daily, $13–20). The Ashland outpost of this friendly, quality New Hampshire chain sports a wood-burning stove surrounded by couches and plenty of board games. The food, meanwhile, is just as simple and comforting: New England baked scrod, cashew-crusted chicken, and country meatloaf.

Kick the formality up a notch at The Manor on Golden Pond (Rte. 3, Holderness, 603/968-3348, www.manorongoldenpond.com, breakfast and dinner, $28–41), an elegant estate house that’s both inn and restaurant. The latter serves grand classics (flavor-rich plates of chateaubriand for two, seared foie gras with maple syrup reduction, and crab-stuffed lobster) in the white linen–filled Van Horn room. The house also offers a superb wine list and a special vegan menu.

Humbler but equally enticing are the surroundings at The Woodshed (128 Lee Rd., Moultonborough, 603/476-2311, www.thewoodshedrestaurant.com, 5:00 a.m.–10 p.m. Tues.–Sun.; closed Mon. $16–33), a rustic and rambling 19th-century barn-gone-restaurant, surrounded by wildflower gardens and filled to its rafters (literally) with antiques. Dinners range from hefty (big cuts of prime rib) to delicate (roast duck), and end sweetly with homemade cheesecakes.