14 Best Restaurants in Central Vermont, Vermont

Haymaker Bun Co

$ Fodor's choice

This sunlit café and bakery overlooking Otter Creek houses some of the best coffee and pastries in the state thanks to chef-owner Caroline Corrente, who honed her skills at pastry school in France before zeroing in on a love for brioche dough. Corrente's specialty sweet and savory buns change daily based on what is available locally—many ingredients are found within a few miles of Haymaker's doors. The OG Bun, always on the menu, is a cinnamon-spiced ode to the classic sticky bun that draws Vermonters from all corners of the state.

Jones' Donuts

$ Fodor's choice

Since 1923, Jones' has been a destination for doughnuts and baked goods made fresh each day in the earliest hours of the morning. Fill a box with cinnamon rolls, pie squares, apple turnovers, and some of the best doughnuts in the state.

Mountain Creamery

$ Fodor's choice

This locally beloved diner in the town center sources most of its ingredients from their own farm in Killington. "Mile High Apple Pie," ice cream made with local dairy, and daily blue plate specials are only a handful of reasons Mountain Creamery is a Woodstock mainstay.

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Worthy Kitchen

$ Fodor's choice

One of Woodstock's liveliest and most popular places to eat, this upscale pub and bistro remains buzzing through most evenings. The chalkboard on the wall lists the hearty menu of American comfort classics given farm-to-table twists, and the craft beer selection is excellent. You can dine at the bar, at a booth under the lofty, wood-beam ceilings in the dining room, or at a table outside on the patio.

Canteen Creemee Company

Stop by the takeout window of this new-wave snack shack for fried chicken, griddled burgers, and kimchi-stuffed grilled cheese. Stay for the homemade creemees, Vermont's answer to soft-serve ice cream; state classics like maple are always on offer, as are seasonal specials like ginger, cinnamon, lemon, and fresh blueberry. The Bad Larry, a whimsical, Willy Wonka-esque sundae on a cone, tops a tall twist of maple ice cream with maple crystals, maple drizzle, maple cookies, and a cloud of maple cotton candy. And in typical Vermont fashion, most ingredients from beef to pickles are locally made.

Gourmet Provence Bakery

Next door to Café Provence, this French bakery offers coffee, pastries (yes, there are croissants and eclairs), prepared food, and specialty goods during the day. There's also a modest wine shop featuring plenty of old-world bottles.

King Arthur Flour Baker's Store

The café at King Arthur Flour is a fine spot for both the pit-stop sandwich and the leisurely pastry and latte. The adjacent shop and market area is a must-see for those who love bread; the shelves are stocked with all the ingredients and tools in the company's Baker's Catalogue, including flours, mixes, and local jams, and syrups. The bakery has a viewing area where you can watch the products being made, and you can learn to bake them yourself at classes conducted on-site.

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.

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.

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).

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.

The Mad Taco

Mexican cuisine rooted in Vermont ingredients makes this a go-to stop for locals and travelers alike—particularly those who just ascended the rugged incline of nearby Camel's Hump, one of the state's highest peaks. Chef-owner Joey Nagy and Georgia Von Trapp, his partner, source much of their local haul from their own Marble Hill Farm, fueling delicious cooking from carnitas and al pastor to fresh house-made salsa and slow-roasted yams in the outside smoker.

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.

Central Vermont

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