7 Best Restaurants in Central Vermont, Vermont

Café Provence

$$

Robert Barral, the former executive chef of the New England Culinary Institute, graces Brandon with this informal eatery one story above the main street. Flowered seat cushions, dried-flower window valences, and other hints of Barral's Provençal birthplace abound, as do his eclectic, farm-fresh dishes.

Liquid Art Coffeehouse & Eatery

$

This cerulean blue A-frame is a mountainside gem for morning baked goods, award-winning chilli, and specialty drinks like the Mounds latte (espresso, steamed milk, coconut, and chocolate syrup). It also doubles as a local art gallery, so you can peruse the work of Vermont artists over a pick-me-up.

Café Breakfast Lunch Dinner Quick Bite $
37 Miller Brook Rd., Killington, Vermont, 05751, USA
802-422–2787
www.liquidartvt.com
Known For
  • specialty lattes
  • cozy corner tables and free Wi-Fi
  • award-winning vegetarian chilli
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed.

Minifactory

$

Also the home of award-winning jam company V Smiley Preserves, this all-day café serves house-made pastries, biscuit sandwiches, huge salads, creative vegetable dishes and savory yogurt with crispy lentils and poached eggs. On weekends, oysters and cocktails start in the afternoon; dinner features rich soups and roast chicken with tomato jam. 

Breakfast Brunch Café Dinner Lunch Quick Bite $
16 Main St., Bristol, Vermont, 05443, USA
802-453--3280
vermontminifactory.com
Known For
  • jammy waffle (waffle with buttered nuts, syrup, and black raspberry whip)
  • well-stocked grab-and-go fridge and pantry ingredients
  • bright, spacious seating area with big windows for people watching
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.--Thurs.

Recommended Fodor's Video

Mont Vert Cafe

$
This charming two-story café in the center of Woodstock sources most of its ingredients in state. It's the perfect stop for a Vermont maple latte with local dairy, produce-laden salads, and wraps or egg sandwiches worthy of a long line.

Royal Oak Coffee

$
After a decade of fine-tuning their skills and tastebuds in the coffee industry, Royal Oak co-owners Alessandra and Matthew Delia-Lobo opened their own café on Seymour Street, an easy pit stop along the Middlebury Tasting Trail. The menu, featuring Vermont-based beans from Vivid Coffee Roasters, is known for shaken ice maple lattes in the summer and frothy cardamom-vanilla lattes in the winter (a seasonal special that, say the Delia-Lobos, now never leaves the menu due to popularity).
Café $
30 Seymour St., Middlebury, Vermont, 05753, USA
802-349–1609
www.royaloakcoffee.com
Known For
  • specialty lattes using scratch-made syrups
  • cold brew
  • Gibralters, hot and iced

Stone Leaf Teahouse

$
Partially hidden in Middlebury's historic Marble Works district, this oasis of tea is known for made-to-order spiced chai, house-roasted oolong, and loose leaf teas imported from small farmers in China, India, Nepal, Japan, and Taiwan.
Café $
111 Maple St., Middlebury, Vermont, 05753, USA
802-458–0460
www.stoneleaftea.com
Known For
  • specialty teaware sold on-site
  • oolong roasted in-house
  • seasonal herbal tea blends

Village Butcher

$

This emporium of Vermont edibles has great sandwiches, cheeses, local beers, and delicious baked goods—perfect for a picnic or for lunch on the go.