Doing my first Riesling+Musicstudy in Burlington, Vermont at Paradiso Hifi. This first one is a bit more music that wine. We will have several Ulli Stein wines to study. Just wanted to let anyone know who might be local. Also looking for the best lunch option on Saturday. Doing Hen of the Woods for a late dinner on Friday.
Reservations are required for Paradiso Hifi, I have to say the food looks quiet good.
Robert,
Far from fancy, but I absolutely love August First for breakfast and lunch. It’s a bakery, so it’s not a sit and linger kind of place.
Folino’s is great pizza…also not fancy. It’s BYO fwiw.
Hen of the Wood is really fun as you know.
Thank you! It is actually my first time in Burlington so it will be my first time at Hen of the Woods…it looks a little meat heavy, I hope I am wrong.
Funny I asked for lunch recommendations on instagram and boy did I get a lot of suggestions publically and privately!
I’m curious to hear what people suggested. I’m usually focused on the skiing and tend to be a creature of habit. But I’m always open to new suggestions.
Are you driving up or flying?
FWIW, I’ve never been to Paradiso Hifi. Looks cool!
I will have to sort through them. The Hen of the Woods team sent me some which I will probably prioritize.
Oh wow! I’d love to hear what those guys suggest.
Lunch in BTV can be a bit tricky.
I suggest The Grey Jay 135 Pearl St, Burlington, VT
August First (suggested above) is good for something casual.
Just made a resy for Paradiso.
Thank is fantastic! Look forward to seeing you!
Here is the collective list of lunch spots:
August First
Cafe Dim Sum
Elf’s Stone Crab
Hongs Dumplings
Ida Pizza (a popular suggestion and also controversial)
Leunigs Bistrot
Misery Loves Company
Pho Hong
Prohibition Pig (looks like only the brewery is open)
The Grey Jay
Zero Gravity
Zabby
At the moment going with The Grey Jay
Thanks Robert!
I’m a huge fan of Pro Pig. We pass it on our way to and from the mountain. I suspect the brewery is open for lunch and the restaurant is open for dinner. To me, it’s the perfect place for Apres Ski. Great cocktails. A world class beer list (no joke, it’s world class). The Grateful Dead on the stereo. Even if the food sucked, I’d be thrilled with PP. But the food is really good too. Nothing innovative. Just hearty VT food.
FYI, PP is in Waterbury which is a 30 minute drive from Burlington.
As a further aside. PP is a few blocks from the orignial Hen of the Wood restaurant in Waterbury. It’s got some incredible ambiance with the waterfall out back…although I suspect it will be frozen solid this weekend.
If you’re not going to do August First for lunch, you have to go for breakfast. It’s a must.
I am sensing that is Vermont is very meat focused? Is that correct?
To me (this is anecdotal), there are two types of Vermonters. The hearty souls (meat focused) and the crunchy souls (vegans/vegetarians). It may be there, but I’ve yet to find the pescatarians.
FWIW - My comments above.
If you want beer, I suggest Foam Brewery - on Lake Street along the waterfront; they also have some snacks/food. Good beer and sours and you can walk along the waterfront.
Also Burlington Beer Co. (BBCO) on Flynn Avenue (a little outside the City center) - BBCO has a big open space with pretty good food (basic pub menu).
Near Foam along the waterfront is The Skinny Pancake - a crepe place (savory and sweet).
As for Vegan/Vegetarian restaurants that are open for lunch
Zabby’s is good (closed Sunday);
Also Pingala Cafe on Chace Mill (along the Winooski River) is a vegan restaurant and 5 minute drive from downtown Burlington.
Thomas,
Are you a local? I’m from NJ, but we ski a ton and often stay (or visit) with family in Burlington. Any thoughts on Folino’s? I’m a huge fan of the Shelburne location. The combo of Folino’s and Fiddlehead in the same building is pretty great.
I was up there this past weekend skiing at Sugarbush. Ate at the new Folino’s in Williston. Although very good, I was a bit bummed as it loses some of the vibe being situated in a strip mall.
Robert,
As a side note…before I went to Foam, Zero Gravity, or Burlington Beer Co., I’d go to Folino’s and grab some Fiddlehead to wash it down. Again, I prefer the one in Shelburne (15 minutes) but the one in downtown BTV is great too and the City Market that’s next door has a great selection of beer. Folino’s is BYO.
I love Burlington but I feel like all I ate on my last trip were fried chicken sandwiches everywhere we went…except hen of the wood…which is my favorite restaurant in the state by far.
Forgot the name of the vegetarian lunch spot in th main area but that was a lifesaver.
Lots of brewpub food. I thought zero gravity was the best of them.
Thanks for all of the suggestions.
It was freezing so we did not get to do too much. We arrived Friday evening at 10 PM, it was minus 16! We quickly dropped our bags off at The Vermont Hotel and headed next door to Hen of the Woods. Lovely people, warm and welcoming spot. Ok wine list with a lot of geeky things. Food was good and just what we needed on a bitter cold night.
On Saturday, we went to The Grey Jay for lunch. It was packed at 11 a.m. The food was ok. They are trying. Reminds me of Kismet in LA but not nearly as good It was lunch time when we sat down. We ordered a bottle of Beaujolais, our server was overjoyed he said no one had ever order a bottle of wine. He laughed and said once someone di order 4 glasses but NEVER a bottle, we laughed!
https://www.instagram.com/greyjayvt/
We ate dinner at Paradiso Hifo before my set. I was a little skeptical on the obviously Nordic cuisine influenced, ambitious menu. Especially as a regular at Noma, Aska and frequent diner in similar restaurants. WOW! The food was fantastic! We plan on going back to Burlington just to eat here again, the Chef is very talented.
The event was a lot of fun, we drank great rieslings and got to meet Tom and his loverly partner, thanks so much for coming out!
@CFu should we change the title to Burlington, Vermont and move to Travel since there is a ton of good information in here provided by Tom and others?
You let me know! I can
i changed the title and would suggest we move it.