Italian, fresh pasta$$$church-street-marketplace
Subterranean Church Street Italian; fresh pastas made in-house, Wood Mountain Fish seafood and a wine bar with craft cocktails. Open from 16:00.
Signature: Daily pasta, Antipasti, Cannoli
Order: Whatever the pasta of the day is, plus an antipasto plate.
Tip: Wine bar pours by the glass with no minimum. Open from 16:00.
American barbecue$$old-north-end
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.
New American sandwiches and market$$winooski
Aaron Josinsky and Laura Wade's market-cum-restaurant in Winooski. Lunches, grab-and-go, natural wine and cocktails; daytime only and closes at 19:00.
Signature: Pastrami sandwich, Market plates, Wine flights
Order: The pastrami sandwich and a glass of natural orange wine.
Tip: Daytime only; closes at 19:00. Cold-case market alongside the kitchen.
Classical Chinese$$church-street-marketplace
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.
French bistro$$church-street-marketplace
The corner French bistro on Church Street. The sidewalk patio is the canonical downtown lunch seat; the weekend brunch is a Burlington Sunday institution.
Signature: Onion soup, Quiche du jour, Mussels
Order: French onion soup, the daily quiche and a glass of Cotes du Rhone.
Tip: Lunch starts at 11:30; brunch weekend mornings. The patio is the best people-watching seat on Church.
Vietnamese$$old-north-end
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.