113 Best Restaurants in Vermont, USA

The organically grown flour and vegetables—and the wood-fired clay ovens that unite them—take the pizza here to another level. In summer, you can dine outside around firepits on the beautiful valley floor. Have a moment to take in the surroundings; this spot is located at the heart of Lareau Farm, one of the Mad River Valley's first when it was founded in 1794.

What does a mid-century burger joint look like in modern times? Retro décor including a vintage jukebox, pinball machine, and long diner-style counter, sure, but also fresh-ground local beef in the double-double-style Heartbreaker burger, Jump Back Sauce with house-made Japanese mayo, light-as-air doughnuts, orange wine, and the area's best beer list. It all comes together at Matt Walker's hometown restaurant for a perfect nostalgic experience that will bring you back to childhood summers, whether or not you spent them at one of Fairlee's lakeside sleepaway camps.

Originally a tiny bottle shop when it opened in 2017, the cozy beer-and-wine bar now has an excellent restaurant, a weekend morning café, and spacious summertime backyard serving wood-fired pizzas. It's a destination for hyperlocal drafts, seasonal small plates, and brimming Vermont cheese boards, plus a thoughtful stock of unique ciders and natural wines to go.

Dinner here will make you dream of bygone days, as piano music wafts in from the library of this 1880s mansion on the shores of Lake Champlain. Count on just-grown ingredients that come from the Market Garden right outside, as well as flavorful locally raised venison, beef, pork, and chicken.

Seating no more than 16 guests per night, this oasis of seasonal and local cooking feels like your coolest friend's dinner party. It was the area's first farm-to-table restaurant when co-owners Abby and Rogan Lechthaler opened doors in 2010, and it has continued to be a mainstay thanks to excellent hospitality, warm-spirited creativity, and nightly changing menus. The interesting wine list and cocktail menu are among the best in the state.

For decades, the restaurant on this corner was Burlington's breakfast destination; now it's a nighttime affair, but it's still been the hottest table in town since it opened in late spring 2024. Owned and operated by two Hen of the Wood alums, the somewhat seafood-focused spot celebrates what's in season on Vermont's farms in a way that feels fresh, from grilled peaches with pickled corn to a standout cabbage entrée that tempts even the staunchest meat eaters.

This red-roofed sugarhouse on the edge of Lake Rescue has one of the best maple creemees in the state of Vermont. Locals Ann and Doug Rose have owned the sugaring house since 1985, and almost four decades later continue to uphold their destination-worthy reputation for award-winning maple syrup. Grab a jug of rich amber syrup to bring home, or try it spun into on-site treats like fudge and soft-serve ice cream.

This sunlit café and bakery overlooking Otter Creek houses some of the best coffee and pastries in the state thanks to chef--owner Caroline Corrente, who honed her skills at pastry school in France before zeroing in on a love for brioche dough. Corrente's specialty sweet and savory buns change daily based on what is available locally—many ingredients are found within a few miles of Haymaker's doors. The OG Bun, always on the menu, is a cinnamon-spiced ode to the classic sticky bun that draws Vermonters from all corners of the state. Corrente added a location in Burlington's hip Soda Plant in 2024.

Ask Vermont's great chefs where they go for a tremendous meal, and Hen of the Wood inevitably tops the list, thanks to its sophisticated, almost artful, dishes that showcase an abundance of local produce, meat, and cheese. The experience has translated seamlessly from Hen's original home in a converted 1835 gristmill to its sleek new spot on Waterbury's main drag, with a chef's counter, a downstairs speakeasy-style bar, a private dining room, a big patio, and—for the chefs—a much larger kitchen. It's more space all around, which means plenty of room for walk-ins, if you fancy a spur-of-the-moment snack of oysters and mushroom toast.

The Burlington branch of Hen of the Wood offers a slick, urban vibe but serves the same inventive yet down-to-earth cuisine that set diners' hearts aflutter and tongues wagging at its original Waterbury location. Indeed, many consider this the best restaurant in Vermont, so drop your finger anywhere on the menu and you won't go wrong.

So many Vermont restaurants claim the farm-to-table, local-sourcing, organic approach to cooking, but the chef at the Inn at Weathersfield is more passionate and rigorous than most, with more than 75% of ingredients coming from within a 25-mile radius in season. Enjoy the exquisite French-influenced regional dishes inside the inn itself, on its back patio, or in the separate "Hidden Kitchen" at the back of the property, where monthly cooking workshops and tastings take place.

This Church Street restaurant has garnered multiple James Beard Foundation nominations, launching it into a golden age under the helm of co-owners Allison Gibson and chef Cara Chigazola Tobin. High expectations are satisfied thanks to creative takes on eastern Mediterranean cuisine, including a selection of sensational mezes and harissa chicken wings that are considered the best in town. Desserts from notable pastry chef Amanda Wildermuth are worth saving room for, particularly the popular tahini ice cream sundae.

Since 1923, Jones' has been a destination for doughnuts and baked goods made fresh each day in the earliest hours of the morning. Fill a box with cinnamon rolls, pie squares, apple turnovers, and some of the best doughnuts in the state.

For the best of French-inspired fine dining, look no further than the signature restaurant of the luxury boutique hotel, The Weston. Cozy wooden interiors give off English countryside pub vibes, but the menu, which changes seasonally, is all French bistro. You might start with the exquisite onion soup gratineé, followed by the fantastically tender beef cheeks braised in red wine and served in creamy polenta. While seafood, chicken, and vegetables all make appearances on the menu and don’t ever miss (the Brussels sprout chips are a particular highlight), beef is really where the kitchen shines, with other standouts being the steak au poivre and a simple but pitch-perfect burger. And of course, don’t skip dessert—if it’s on the menu, go for the espresso crème brûlée.

This cute ice cream spot considers itself "farm-to-spoon," and makes everything entirely from scratch. A paper-scroll menu rolls out new flavors every day, including shop favorites SlumDoug Millionaire (curried peanut butter), goat-milk gelato, and Garden Basil, which has earned national acclaim for its unexpected, fresh-from-the-backyard taste.

Sparkling glassware from the studio downstairs, exposed brick, flickering candles, and large windows overlooking the falls of the roaring Ottauquechee River create an ideal setting for contemporary American cuisine—the food alone is worth the pilgrimage. The wine cellar holds several hundred labels.

May and Wes Stannard opened this counter-service spot in 2018, spotlighting May's native Burmese cooking in Wes's childhood hometown. In one of the best stops for Burmese fare on the East Coast, you'll find vibrant noodle bowls like nan gyi thoke (thick round rice noodles with chicken curry), fermented tea leaf salad, and "Burma Bowls" with sprouted peas and chicken curry.

A longtime Brattleboro favorite helmed since 2012 by chef Zachary Corbin, this chic little bistro is known for impeccably presented cuisine that draws heavily on local sources. One room is painted a warm red, another in sage, and a changing lineup of contemporary paintings adorns the walls of both rooms.

This restaurant and brewery in downtown Waterbury is always packed for a reason: fabulous craft beers, sandwiches, salads, and North Carolina-style barbecue served in an airy and friendly bar and dining room. The restaurant's Liquor Society offers flights of rare spirits, from local brandy to whisk(e)y from around the world. If you just want a quick bite and a draft, belly up to the tasting-room bar at the brewery in the back, or pop across the street to the Craft Beer Cellar, one of the state's best beer stores.

If you're a devotee of artisanal bakeries, it'd be a mistake not to trek the 7-plus miles from Montpelier (15 from Stowe) to have lunch, pick up freshly baked bread, or sample a sweet treat at what many consider Vermont's best bakery. Red Hen supplies bread to some of the state's premier restaurants, including Hen of the Wood, and has varied offerings every day.

Husband-and-wife team Mark and Melody French spent years in Puerto Rico absorbing the flavors of the island that are reflected in their eclectic international menu. In 2020, the couple moved their restaurant from Main Street into the newly renovated, 123-year-old Skinner Library, fashioning a bartop from the 1897 wooden shelving. Reserve a table ahead of time, or sit at the bar for a casual and romantic dinner with a maple martini or a bottle from the impressive wine list.

This converted 1925 lunch car (diner) is one of Vermont's most romantic restaurants. The sleek red and black space amounts to an intimate, candle lighted theater, thanks to an open kitchen whose flames flare in production of French-influenced, new American cuisine, drawn heavily from local ingredients.

This celebrated taproom remains one of the state's best, thanks in large part to its ability to acquire beers few others in the region can. The vibe feels straight out of an artsy neighborhood in Brussels, but with the earthiness of Vermont.

In 2012, co-owners Wilaiwan Phonjan-Azarian and Timothy Azarian traded their locally adored street cart for a cozy brick-and-mortar location offering some of the best Thai food in the state, if not on the East Coast. Most of the menu reflects the Laotian influence of Phonjan-Azarian's upbringing in northeast Thailand, and Vermont ingredients from eggs to chiles inspire dishes that change weekly.

One of Woodstock's liveliest and most popular places to eat, this upscale pub and bistro remains buzzing through most evenings. The chalkboard on the wall lists the hearty menu of American comfort classics given farm-to-table twists, and the craft beer selection is excellent. You can dine at the bar, at a booth under the lofty, wood-beam ceilings in the dining room, or at a table outside on the patio.

Along with breakfast scrambles, challah french toast, homemade pastries, and lunchtime burgers made with local grass-fed beef, 3 Squares is known for that warm-and-fuzzy feeling running through the vintage-style dining room. Bright sunlight, fresh flowers, and a friendly atmosphere complement Vermont-sourced cooking that has been a Vergennes cornerstone since 2007.

The wood-fired clay dome ovens pump out delicious and amusingly named pies like "Dancing Heart" (garlic oil, Italian grana padano cheese, toasted sesame seeds) and "Power to the People" (chicken, buffalo sauce, carrots, mozzarella, and blue cheese dressing) in full view of the tables at this popular pizza spot. Fresh salads topped with locally made cheese round out the meals.

Chef Chy Tuckerman was raised in Cambodia, Thailand, Oregon, and New Hampshire before moving to Woodstock in 1997 to continue learning the art of baking at the now-closed Mountain Creamery. A decade later, he opened his sunny, BYOB restaurant just off Route 4, where he fuses the Cambodian and Thai cooking of his heritage into mouthwatering dishes like ginger chicken stir-fry, Khmer curry soup, and traditional luk lok made with beef from nearby Cloudland Farm. Save room for dessert, such as silky mango custard and delicate cheesecake, to experience Chef Tuckerman's 20-plus years of baking knowledge.

The big red barn with a sprawling lawn and walk-up ice cream window is a quintessential summer snack shack. It's where paper boats holding cheeseburgers, loaded hot dogs, and lobster rolls make way for soft-serve sundaes, stacked ice cream cones, and root beer floats.