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We've compiled the best of the best in Northern Vermont - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
"Gather, discover, and connect” is the slogan and theme at this intimate Chinese restaurant on the first floor of a residential row house. Traditional Cantonese- and Sichuan-style dishes are served family style, and the "mock eel" was given two chopsticks up on the Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
A young chef with Vermont roots and California training serves standout seasonal, farm-to-table cuisine among handcrafted tableware and furniture at this popular, chic restaurant. A rotating display of works by local artists graces the walls, and the fireside porch, with its views of gardens and trees, is open all year. The bar, which got a fresh look in 2024, is a smart stop for a drink and a snack if the restaurant's fully booked.
If you didn't make that trip to Umbria this year, the next best thing is this Italian country eatery around the corner from City Hall Park. The secret to the ambience goes well beyond the high-quality, handmade pasta dishes to the supercozy woody interior, a transplanted sugarhouse from New Hampshire, and a roaring fireplace when the weather's cool.
In 2016, the Von Trapp family finally realized its long-held dream of opening a brewery making Austrian-style lagers on the grounds of its expansive mountainside property, and what a brewery it is. Built of thick, massive Vermont wood beams, the cavernous chalet-style space houses a rustic-chic restaurant and bar alongside the beer-making facilities serving Alpine classics, with plenty of beer to wash it down.
The open-front, woody interior, and community spirit make Stone Soup a downtown favorite for lunch, especially on warm days. The small but robust buffet and salad bar is the centerpiece, with excellent hot and cold dishes—a perfect complement to the wonderful soups and fresh sandwiches.
What's more Vermont than the name "Zenbarn," especially when it includes its own yoga studio in a former hayloft? Add to that an expansive, rustic-chic interior with local art and a stage for live music, an outdoor patio looking out to green fields and mountains, a menu of eclectic fare, and a nearby cannabis dispensary and education center from the same owners, and the local experience is complete.
