12 Must-Visit Restaurants in Burlington, Vermont
From farm-to-table brewpubs to listening-lounge snacks to Himalayan cuisine, these Green Mountain State restaurants tower above the rest.
Just south of the Canadian border and situated on Lake Champlain, Burlington makes for a captivating New England getaway all year round. No matter the season, it’s hard not to fall in love with the charming shops on Church Street or the impeccable views along the waterfront. What really makes the place special, though, is its array of innovative restaurants making the most of their access to high-quality, fresh ingredients grown right in the Green Mountain State. Ahead of your next (or first) trip to Vermont’s biggest (but still little) city, we’ve whittled down the many amazing choices to 10 of the very best.
Last updated in July 2024; stay tuned for periodic updates.
ArtsRiot photo by Luke Lawtry.
ArtsRiot
There is no shortage of live music venues in Burlington, but the South End district’s ArtsRiot is by far the most unique. In this renovated warehouse, you’ll find art galleries, performance spaces, and a counter-service restaurant serving global-inspired sandwiches for dinner and similarly eclectic vittles, like kimchi scrambled eggs, for Sunday brunch. In addition, ArtsRiot was recently acquired by brewing aficionado Alan Newman (who co-founded Boston Beer Company’s beer-business incubator, Alchemy & Science), so the can and draft selections are top-notch.
400 Pine St., Burlington, 802-540-0406, artsriot.com.
The Café Hot
This close to our neighbors in the chilly north, the Café Hot brings the heat with fire (as the kids say) vegetarian breakfast sandwiches and donuts. Take the breakfast sandwich (actually billed as a “brakefast” sandwich, as in, “you have to brake fast, pull the car over, and grab a bite”) which sees egg and griddled cheese on a house-made seeded milk bun. It comes topped with harissa, miso mayo, and fresh herbs, and you can pile on toppings like Impossible sausage and “kill me hot” sauce, if you dare. Other standouts include the number 8, a sandwich with chicken-fried scrambled egg, pickled zucchini, and tartar sauce (trust us). The donuts, though, might as well spark five-alarm fires with their flavors. Glazes and specials change often, with the espresso glaze—made daily using espresso from nearly Brio Coffeeworks—a stalwart. The donuts are made of southern-style biscuits, which you can also buy in non-donut form and top with maple chili jam and other goodies.
198 Main St., Burlington, 802-881-9899, thecafehot.com.
The Farmhouse Tap & Grill
At this Burlington gastropub, the extensive list of draught and bottled beers is as noteworthy as the food menu showcasing the bounty of Vermont’s many small farms. The meat for the lamb burger, for instance, comes from nearby Tamarack Farm; the pork for the schnitzel, meanwhile, is procured from Vermont Heritage Grazers, which raises top-quality Berkshire hogs. (Don’t worry, vegetarians, you’re covered with great grub, too.) Dig in from a seat at the gorgeously carved wood bar, or while hanging out in a heated outdoor beer garden that feels like a friend’s back patio.
160 Bank St., Burlington, 802-859-0888, farmhousetg.com.
Hen of the Wood
Chef Eric Warnstedt rose to fame as the farm-to-table king of the Green Mountains in the early aughts, and scoring a table at the James Beard Award nominee’s original Hen of the Wood restaurant in Waterbury continues to be Olympic sport-level difficult. Fortunately, more diners have been able to experience his rustic yet upscale culinary creations since a Burlington location opened inside Hotel Vermont in 2013. Its post-modern barn aesthetic—consider the beautiful, geometric wood-beam ceiling and sleek hickory tables—perfectly complements Warnstedt’s cooking. Think: cauliflower with pickled habanada pepper, scallop crudo with crispy potato and pickled pears, and ribeye for two with preserved peach jus.
55 Cherry St., Burlington, 802-540-0534, henofthewood.com.
Honey Road photo by Kristin Teig.
Honey Road Restaurant
If you want to simulate the feeling of Mediterranean sunshine on your skin, take a seat at Honey Road’s bar during golden hour. Between the rays filtered through the bright glass awnings, eclectic lamps lining the ceiling, and marvelous mezze from James Beard Award-nominated chef-owner Cara Chigazola Tobin—including harissa chicken wings and lamb-stuffed dolma—you’ll feel instantly transported to a chic Turkish café. Before you head home, though, save room for a sweet ending to your meal: saffron and pistachio sticky buns, maybe, or a scoop of orange blossom and walnut baklava ice cream.
156 Church St., Burlington, 802-497-2145, honeyroadrestaurant.com.
Juniper photo by Dylan Griffin.
Juniper Bar & Restaurant
Hen of the Wood isn’t the only destination-worthy restaurant at Hotel Vermont. See: Juniper, which offers a similarly laidback yet refined dining experience. Local produce and dairy define the delectable small plates, covering everything from roasted carrots with pistachio hummus to Montreal-spiced brisket poutine. The main dishes, meanwhile, are rich, decadent, and come with two sides apiece, so whether you’re in the mood for mushroom ragout with chèvre gnocchi or duck confit with honey truffle cranberry demi-glace, bring a hungry crew and order accordingly.
41 Cherry St., Burlington, 802-651-5027, hotelvt.com/juniper.
Leunig’s Bistro & Café
If you ask any Burlington local where to grab a fabulous meal, odds are they’re going to point you to Leunig’s. After all, this French-leaning Church Street institution has become the prime day-to-night dining destination (and people-watching spot) in downtown Burlington. In the morning, grab a fresh croissant and a zippy espresso shot from its café-like kiosk, Leunig’s Petit Bijou. Later, return to the main dining room for a lunchtime cup of onion soup gratinée made with beef and duck broth. And when you’ve finished exploring the city, cap off the evening with a plate of steak frites and glass of merlot in true Parisian style.
115 Church St., Burlington, 802-863-3759, leunigsbistro.com.
Courtesy Paradiso Hi-Fi Lounge
Paradiso Hi-Fi Lounge
Listen up: Paradiso is a little slice of heaven where you can dig into creative plates and craft cocktails while vinyl records—selections curated by guest DJs and music director Eddie Ogiony—pump out of the divine custom sound system. Tuck into one of the moody booths or hunker down at the midcentury-chic lounge areas and get ready to rock through the plates proffered by executive chef and local legend Micah Tavelli. The bites are as eclectic as a favorite playlist: snacks of smoked bluefish drop dumplings with garlic confit; sourdough pull-apart rolls with maple butter; potato chips topped with pickles and capicola from nearby 5th Quarter Craft Butchery. Larger plates sing with bold flavors, from the green garlic sauerkraut served with lamb and cheddar pierogis to the velvety velouté sauce alongside the cast-iron roasted halibut.
388 Pine St. Suite 2, Burlington, 802-540-1183, paradisohifi.com.
Pho Hong
The mango salad at this favorite bustling Vietnamese spot might be worth the drive from Boston alone. Tossed in an elixir of lime juice, garlic, sugar, red chilies and peanuts, the strips of mango are a perfect way to cool off on warm days. Once the chill hits, though, tuck into bowls of pho (the extra buck for the large is more than worth it) with flavorful, authentic broth. The steak pho is a standout, which sees sliced flank steak in a beef broth, with the traditional accompaniments of sprouts, basil, and lime. Make sure to explore other sections of the menu, too. The offerings span stir-fries, vermicelli dishes, and chef specials like spicy deep-fried duck with sweet tamarind sauce. If only the Vietnamese crepe, or bánh xèo stuffed with pork, shrimp, sprouts and onions, was large enough for you to tuck in, sleeping-bag-style, and never leave. Heads up that the spot is BYOB, and there’s likely to be a wait during the dinner rush.
325 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington, 802-865-8031, facebook.com/phohongvt.
Sherpa Kitchen
Just a block-and-a-half away from busy Church Street Marketplace is this down-to-earth Himalayan and Nepalese joint. The intimate 20-seat space is perfect for a quick lunch date in between window-shopping stops, so pop inside to browse a menu featuring several varieties of momo (steamed dumplings) served with a tantalizing sweet tomato sauce. You’ll probably notice lots of chicken tikka masala orders going out, too, but we recommend refueling with the hearty, garlicky Sherpa stew, which will keep you full until dinner.
119 College St., Burlington, 802-881-0550, Facebook.
A Single Pebble
Chef-owner Chiuho Sampson left a career in photojournalism in Taipei for culinary school in Vermont and never looked back—until, that is, she took over A Single Pebble in 2008 and rediscovered her love for the cuisine of her childhood. Now the rest of us are smitten with the family-style Chinese dishes on the menu. From sliced marinated beef coated with a thick Cantonese-style sauce to cellophane noodles with minced pork and tree ear mushrooms, each dish folds in bold flavors. Can’t shoulder the burden of choosing what to order? The nine-course chef’s tasting will put your appetite in good hands.
133 Bank St., Burlington, 802-865-5200, asinglepebble.com.
Zero Gravity Taproom
Burlington is the smallest biggest city of any state in the country, so it’s perhaps a bit surprising that it has such a large number of craft breweries. Zero Gravity earns 10s across the board for suds like its lush, citrus-hinted “Conehead” IPA, best enjoyed at the spacious taproom’s magnificently preserved antique bar (which was once featured in a John Wayne movie). Thanks to the brewery’s recent merging with neighboring restaurant Great Northern, the beers are now also enjoyed alongside contemporary bar fare like roasted eggplant báhn mì or “dirty” fries with smoked pork, sweet chili aioli, and spicy pickles.
716 Pine St., Burlington, 802-497-0054, zerogravitybeer.com.
