Bistros, trattorias and the everyday rooms where Burlington actually eats.
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where Burlington actually eats.
The Burlington Hearth location of Vermont's wood-fired flatbread chain. Big upper-deck patio, in-house brewery (Zero Gravity's original home),
Signature: Punctuated Equilibrium flatbread, Big salads
Order: The New Vermont Sampler with Vermont cheddar and house maple-fennel sausage.
Tip: Weeknight walk-in only; weekends take a Resy waitlist. Upper deck opens late spring through fall.
Subterranean Church Street Italian; fresh pastas made in-house, Wood Mountain Fish seafood and a wine bar with craft cocktails. Open from 16:00.
Signature: Daily pasta, Antipasti, Cannoli
Order: Whatever the pasta of the day is, plus an antipasto plate.
Tip: Wine bar pours by the glass with no minimum. Open from 16:00.
Vermont's best-known barbecue room out of an early-1900s Riverside Avenue farmhouse on the Winooski River. Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Signature: Smoked brisket, BBQ ramen, Smoked wings
Order: The brisket by the pound, smoked wings and a side of cornbread.
Tip: Closed Mon-Wed; open Thu-Sun from 16:30 onwards. The brisket runs out by 19:30 on a busy Saturday; arrive at open.
Aaron Josinsky and Laura Wade's market-cum-restaurant in Winooski. Lunches, grab-and-go, natural wine and cocktails; daytime only and closes at 19:00.
Signature: Pastrami sandwich, Market plates, Wine flights
Order: The pastrami sandwich and a glass of natural orange wine.
Tip: Daytime only; closes at 19:00. Cold-case market alongside the kitchen.
Family-style classical Chinese with Sichuan touches; the Bank Street fixture since the 1990s. Mock eel and dan dan noodles are the long-running signatures.
Signature: Mock eel, Dan dan noodles, Salt-and-pepper shrimp
Order: Mock eel, dan dan noodles and a sizzling clay pot.
Tip: Lazy Susan tables; order family-style with a three-plate minimum plus rice. Reservations recommended on weekends.
The corner French bistro on Church Street. The sidewalk patio is the canonical downtown lunch seat; the weekend brunch is a Burlington Sunday institution.
Signature: Onion soup, Quiche du jour, Mussels
Order: French onion soup, the daily quiche and a glass of Cotes du Rhone.
Tip: Lunch starts at 11:30; brunch weekend mornings. The patio is the best people-watching seat on Church.
Family-owned Vietnamese counter on North Winooski Avenue; the Burlington pho benchmark. BYOB. Closed Sun-Mon; queues hard at lunch and dinner.
Signature: Pho tai, Banh mi, Vermicelli bowls
Order: Pho tai with meatballs; banh mi for take-away.
Tip: Closed Sun-Mon and cash-or-card both accepted; BYOB and the lunch rush after 12:30 clears fast.
Old North End neighborhood bar with house-baked bread, in-house charcuterie and a natural-wine list. Small plates and deli-inspired sandwiches.
Signature: Daily sandwich, Charcuterie, Wine flight
Order: Daily sandwich plus a charcuterie plate to share.
Tip: Open Sun-Thu 17:00-21:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-22:00; the bar walk-up holds the same menu as the dining room. Resy holds reservations 2 weeks out.
Bohemian downtown bar-restaurant with a tranquil solarium and an outdoor patio. Open since 1982; the cocktails-and-eclectic-plates Burlington institution.
Signature: Cocktails, Eclectic plates, Brunch hash
Order: Whatever the cocktail of the month is plus the daily blackboard plate.
Tip: The solarium is the off-Church gem; weekend brunch runs from 11:30 with the eggs Benedict the canonical order.
Burlington's waterfront creperie on the corner of Lake and College streets on Lake Champlain. Member of the Vermont Fresh Network sourcing local producers.
Signature: Choco Monkey crepe, Johnny Crepe, Maple BBQ pulled pork
Order: Choco Monkey sweet crepe and the Johnny Crepe with maple-BBQ pulled pork.
Tip: Lake patio in summer and expect a 20-30 minute wait on weekend brunch; the Choco Monkey crepe goes to nearly every table.
Long-running Main Street pizza counter near UVM; thin-crust slices, craft beer, arcade games and pool in the back. Late-night standard till 02:30 weekends.
Signature: Buffalo chicken slice, Veggie slice, Cheese steak
Order: Two slices and a Sip of Sunshine pour.
Tip: Open till 02:30 Friday and Saturday; the most reliable late-night slice in Burlington.
Sourdough wood-fired pizza on Route 7 in Shelburne, sharing a building with Fiddlehead Brewing. BYO Fiddlehead; voted Vermont's Best Pizza since 2023.
Signature: Sourdough pizza, BYOB Fiddlehead beer
Order: A naturally leavened Margherita pizza plus a Fiddlehead Mastermind IPA from next door.
Tip: Fiddlehead is the BYOB source; Folino's provides frosty glasses. Walk-in only.
Hotel Vermont's lobby-level bar and restaurant from Executive Chef Doug Paine. Wood-burning hearth, ingredient-driven cocktails, terrace overlooking the lake.
Signature: Hearth-cooked plates, Vermont-spirit cocktails
Order: Whatever is off the hearth, plus a Vermont-gin cocktail.
Tip: Open all day; breakfast from 07:00, bar to 22:00 most nights.
Sister room to Misery Loves Co.; opened August 2022 at the top of the Winooski rotary in the historic Block Building. Fried chicken and East Coast oysters.
Signature: Fried chicken, Vermont oysters, Hot-honey biscuit
Order: Half-bird fried chicken, half-dozen Vermont oysters and a biscuit.
Tip: Bar walk-in; book the dining room on Resy. Dinner only, and the half-bird fried chicken sells through by 21:00 on weekends.