Best Montpelier Restaurants

Since 1980, the New England Culinary Institute based in Montpelier has been one of the best dining choices in central Vermont. The Main Street Grill & Bar is an American farm-to-table restaurant, thanks to the Vermont Fresh Network and institute students who cook for and staff this downtown restaurant. An estimated 80 percent of the food comes from right here in Vermont, and the historic, 100-years-plus building has brick walls with photographs of local farmers, their farms and produce. While serving guests at the wooden tables and booths, students also learn how to pair wines from an extensive list. A downstairs lounge is more contemporary with high-top tables and couch seating for listening to music.

The heritage of Italian immigrants who came to quarry and cut granite in Barre lives on at this perennial locals’ favorite. American-Italian fare—including fantastic brick-oven pizzas is served at lunch and dinner; there’s an extensive wine list and Vermont micro brews, too. If you have more than six in your party, you can make reservations ahead of time; less than that, and you can call ahead the day you dine after 2PM; food can also be ordered off the menu for take-out. While Sarducci’s serves everything from antipasto to tiramisu, a highlight is the salmon cucina, a baked salmon in a white wine butter sauce with artichokes and roasted red peppers and served with risotto.

Roasting its own beans in East Montpelier, this downtown coffeehouse has become a community gathering place not only for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but also for free WiFi, live music and an art gallery. You’ll find a plethora of specialty coffees and teas along with homemade pastries, soups, sandwiches and more.

At 4AM, students from the New England Culinary Institute arrive here to bake fresh croissants, scones, cinnamon rolls, braided coffee cakes and, of course, brioche. Then, the doors open not long after the crack of dawn to a flurry of breakfast-seeking professionals and tourists; by 11AM, the ovens produce artisanal bread for sandwiches. Desserts—including the Double Dutch cake—are equally mouthwatering.

Breakfast is served all day at this diner, a founding member of the Vermont Fresh Network that serves scrambled tofu alongside such classics as Western omelets, corned beef hash and blueberry pancakes. (Try the Manghi’s French toast, make with six-grain bread from a local bakery). Lunch is also classic diner fare with a twist—burger’s made from Vermont-raised, grass fed cattle, Cabot cheese on the sandwiches, and potatoes fried in trans fat-free cooking oil that’s recycled to bio diesel. The atmosphere of longtime locals talking politics, weather and economy? Just classic.

This hip brewpub in the heart of Waterbury has become a favorite apres ski spot, not only because of its hand-crafted beers brewed in one of seven barrels in the basement, but also for its fare: organic chicken wings, local cheeses, and sandwiches made from Vermont breads. Be prepared to wait for a table, especially on weekend nights.

Get it? A skinny pancake is a crepe, and they’re served three meals a day in both savory and sweet ways at this new Montpelier eatery, an offshoot of the Burlington original (which began as a street cart). Many of the ingredients are local and organic and go into such regular menu items as cheesy pesto, apples & brie, nutella & bananas and strawberries & cream. Specials might include Yaks in a Blanket—local bratwurst with sautéed onions and peppers—and beverages range from Vermont Coffee Company blends to Green Mountain microbrews. There are gluten-free and vegan options, too, plus free WiFi and a community-minded atmosphere that features live music several nights a week.

This is a good pick for picnics, or inexpensive daytime meals. A 32-seat café has oversized glass windows that overlook the Winooski River. There's a self-serve menu from the salad bar and a fair selection of hot and cold foods including glazed roast chicken and Italian-marinated artichokes. The co-op carries the wares of over 600 local vendors.