16 Best Restaurants in Southern Vermont, Vermont

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.

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.

Classic American breakfast and lunch is served all day in this greasy-spoon diner, fashioned from a circa-1945 railcar. The line may be long, especially on weekends; locals and tourists can't stay away.

The sourcing and gathering of local ingredients at the heart of chef--owner Cai Xi Silver's cooking is inspired by the food memories of her childhood in Chongqing, China. Her family's Sichuan and Shanghai influences come to life in a to-go menu that includes delicate steamed buns, perfect dumplings, and abundance boxes highlighting regional home cooking backed by Vermont ingredients. Cai's offers take-out and delivery only from her Brattleboro art gallery, with options for private in-home cooking and catering.

Traditional güveç pots aren't the only elaborate housewares at this Turkish restaurant, which consists of tables in the middle of a high-end antique showroom. The wood-fired oven yields masterful results—and piping hot pide (a flatbread)—making this a great place for lunch or a satisfying dinner.

Under a classic neon sign at the main corner in downtown Wilmington, Dot's remains a local landmark and a reminder of diners of yore. Residents and skiers pack the tables and counter for American comfort food classics, starting at 6 am with the Berry-Berry pancake breakfast, with four kinds of berries.

This place has the best wood-fired pizza in town. It also has character to spare: sit in chairs from old ski lifts and step up to the counter fashioned from a vintage VW bus to design your pie from 29 ingredients.

You won't find a better meal at any other general store in the state. This is really more of a classic American restaurant, serving farm-to-table breakfast, lunch, and dinner, than a place to pick up the essentials, but like any good general store, it's a friendly and relaxed gathering spot for locals.

Hidden away in the back of a parking lot behind The Anchor, La Casita is a favorite haunt for Mexican fare, including homemade bottled hot sauces, shatteringly crisp flautas, and loaded burritos. The drink menu is no slouch either, with a variety of local beers and seasonal margaritas on hand to wash down platters of tacos and sizzling fajitas.

Since opening in the 1990s as the area's first brewpub, this enclave of exposed brick and bubbling brewing tanks has become a watering hole for fresh IPAs and stacked burgers. A full bar and myriad pub fare offer plenty of reasons to elbow up to the wraparound bar.

Located inside the former 19th-century-era Grafton Village Store, this modern general store is a meeting spot for locals and travelers seeking groceries, deli sandwiches, prepared foods, and homemade pastries. It's an idyllic stop for a cup of locally roasted coffee and a cider doughnut on the front porch.

A brewery, music venue, and New Haven–style pizza place in one, this multipurpose hangout has brought a vibrant energy back to an old inn just up from the village's main intersection. A large deck overlooks the river in summer, and there are simple yet clean rooms for rent upstairs if you have too much fun at the brewery.

This bigger-on-the-inside café and lunch joint comes with ample space, especially in the barn-chic back room that serves resting travelers, gaming locals, and conferring coworkers. Keeping them oiled is a menu of organic, non-GMO, locally sourced sandwiches, burgers, soups, and salads.

The motto of Arlington's one-stop-shop says it all: "If we don't have it, you don't need it!" This charming country store is known for carrying anything from toilet paper to boxed cocoa mix and boasts a popular deli complete with build-your-own sandwiches, prepared foods, and house-made specials like freshly baked biscuits.

Pillow-soft pita sandwiches, spicy shakshuka, and other Israeli and Middle Eastern specialties pack the menu at this Main Street vegetarian brunch and lunch spot. Try the silky-smooth hummus, which is also available in stores throughout New England.