Today was our first time to Easter brunch. Will DEFINITELY NOT be our last. We have been several Thanksgivings, a Mother's Days, and a few just "regular" suppers. Food has always been fantastic! portions are not skimpy, and the staff are just wonderful. Highly recommend read more

Favorite restaurant in North American and perhaps the world We have been lucky to dine at cafe Provence since it opened several times a year when returning to Vermont roots/family. Each time is an unique remarkable experience with Robert Barral and his team. The ingredients, local, New England and France along with fresh menu ideas are just amazing. Thanks for all the wonderful meals and being consisting just amazing ... moms day today was remarkable - Michelin rating would be double digits ... Former high pond ski area skier ... read more

See all

I love this restaurant! I have been here for so many years! They have the best fish and chips! read more

See all

It's been a few years since we visited Cafe Provence and I'm glad we returned. Having been here in Vermont since last Spring due to the Covid pandemic, Cafe Provence was the perfect place to return for a casual lunch in Brandon. The place was busy but not like times past. Yet, Chef Robert's Menu specials were worth trying. For soups we decided upon Clam Chowder and French Onion soup. Full disclosure; this Onion soup was superb and well beyond what often passes for "French Onion Soup" elsewhere. Really excellent. For our meal, we chose the Specials of the Day; my wife ordered a panini with fried Oysters and I decided upon a Boeuf Bourguignon. Both were good choices. The Oyster dish was fresh and garnished with spinach and frites. My Boeuf B was a nice melody of the beef in a sauce of mashed potatoes, garlic, mushrooms and bacon chips covered with very fresh green beans. Quite a large dish so had to bring some home! Our server Andrea was both pleasant and efficient and rounded out the dining experience. No room for desert but we again visited the Gourmet Provence: Bakery and Wine Shop (great pastry) just down the street. Chef Robert has a fine selection of French (but of course) wines as well as notables from Portugal, Germany and Italy, etc. As my wife exclaimed, "Good way to help beat the Covid blues." read more

Lovely spot....excellent french bistro with a VT feel. Pleasant service and nice wine list. They also own a bakery/deli/wine shop down the street with an excellent breakfast/lunch offering but also a wide selection of wines & beers. Stop by & then browse some of the other local shops in town read more

Cafe Provence - Lunch in the country - French Near Me - Brandon, Vermont

My husband and I visited Brandon for a friend's wedding. My husband was one of the groomsmen, so we went a day earlier for the rehearsal and stuff. Since I wasnt part of the wedding (just a guest), I wandered around the town and ended up eating lunch here while my husband was at rehearsal. I went right when they opened and sat on one of their outdoor seating. It was a nice space. I ordered the half panini and half soup. I had their panini of the day (beef something...sorry about the vagueness but I dont remember what else was in it..) and I chose clam chowder for the soup (the other choice was lentils). The panini was tiny, probably half the size of my hand and I ended up getting lentil soup.. I'm hoping I just ordered the wrong item on the menu, because the panini just tasted like mayo, the portions were small, and overall was pricey for the amount of food they served. I personally had better food at the chinese spot next to the Brandon Inn than here. It was disappointing. read more

Excellent service, great food, Awesome cocktails!!!! I would suggest this great place to any traveler!!!! read more

We were on our way from Boston to Middlebury, VT for a weekend away and it was time for lunch. The location is tucked a bit up and off the street, but certainly it turned out to be a great find. Our server, Dawn, was running the room as the restaurant was crowded for lunch on a Thursday, but she gave us a good balance of attention and space and explained lots of the delicious sounding menu options completely (making it all that more challenging to pick just one). It was one of those cold days with the promise of rain in the air so I started with New England clam chowder. It was one of the best bowls I have ever enjoyed - from the thick cream loaded with clams and potatoes to the croutons decorating the top. Next, I chose chef's beef bourguignon which definitely took me back to a bunch of little Parisian restaurants I found in the past. I correctly paired it with a glass of Chateau Toutigeac red Bordeaux. Tender beef bites enrobed in a uber rich sauce around a small island of definitely garlic mashed potatoes in the center. The serving was presented with a very light, flaky pastry that was gone well before the remainder of the dish. After two totally satisfying and over the top courses (this was just intended to be a quick stop for lunch) I was drawn to the quest through the dessert options that Dawn presented. I settled on the chef's tasting plate to give us a chance to sample several of them. This find is a gem and we will definitely look for it soon to experience more on the menu. Thanks Dawn and chef! read more

This restaurant is severely understaffed and, as a result, has many flaws. These flaws could easily be fixed if the owner of the restaurant would hire several bus boys, one to two additional waitresses, and perhaps a few more sous chefs. It was clear from the moment we sat down that the maitre'd (and I use this term loosely) was doing four jobs--in addition to seating guests, he was cleaning the tables and bussing plates, making sure the orders were in some semblance of order for the chefs, and serving guests. He was harried and didn't seem to know which job came first. The waitresses were similarly harried. It took at least 20 minutes after we were seated before we were even acknowledged by the waitress, and even then it was because we reached out and told her we wanted to order. She was sweating and seemed quite overworked. She and others who were asked to bring out utensils and plates or fill water were unable to do so in a reasonable period of time because they were so overworked. We selected food that would not take much time to cook--burgers. We both requested they be medium and only one was. It took 40 minutes for the burgers to be served. We were able to overlook this because of how harried everyone was, but this really should be unacceptable for a restaurant on a Saturday night at peak tourist season. This restaurant needs serious help. More staff would be a great start. read more

Had one of the best eggs benedict of my life here! Food was spectacular, good service, and cute French bistro ambiance. Very reasonable pricing as well and plenty of nearby street parking. read more

Was there with wife last Thursday in bar downstairs and the bartender had no clue what she was doing, was worried bout talking to certain people and not others, was very rude , food is not what you would expect at a bar in small town , was here a yr ago and was totally different, the bartender was more attentive and very social , would not recommend this place to anyone if they don't change there staff and menu... read more

We went forlunch today and it turned out to be a 90minute experience. The waitress was very rude. The food was not that outstanding and we would not return for another disappointment. read more

Having vowed never to go here again. Hungry, tired and meeting a friend how bad could a lunch be. My quiche of the day was literally burned on the bottom. No soggy crust there. The Cobb salad was a bowl of lettuce and a rather sorry hard boiled egg. The niçois salad was again a plate of lettuce and some undercooked scallops. Two stars for the service. The server brought me a slice of cake for the bad quiche. I still don't know how they let that out of the kitchen. read more

Reservations are recommended but when you get there no one will know when the dinner menu is available. Skip the inattention chef has placed on the front of house and enjoy better wait staff anywhere but here....Chris read more

Food and atmosphere was outstanding. I had the seafood stew w risotto and highly recommend it.

Cute spot. Got takeout cheese pizza and Cesar salad. Fresh but average.

We had a delicious brunch today at Cafe Provence in Brandon. easily made a reservation en route from Southern Vermont on Resy and were seated when we arrived. We had omelets, eggs Benedict with crab cakes, home fries, brioche toast with yummy jam and butter... mimosas and 1 of our table had a sandwich with a salad. It was agreed by all that it was a great meal! read more

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh baby! Were we ever impressed. My wife and I decided to take a summer's drive (2018) down to Brandon from our home in Shelburne. We asked a local where is a good place to eat. She mentioned Cafe Provence as well as a couple others. The entrance we used was a set of stairs off the street. The decor is very good with a lot of rustic charm and finishes. We ordered beer and wine. I had the calamari appetizer. My wife had the large Caesar Salad and I had The Café Provence Vermont Grass-fed Beef Burger. Delicious! Prices are reasonable. The best part of our visit was learning that the restaurant offers cooking classes that are either hands on or just watch and learn. If I can ever get organized I plan on attending a class or two. Last I knew the classes were $50 each. Check out The Cafe Provence while in Brandon. read more

Slowest service we ever had - it's Dec 28, a holiday and we waited 45 minutes for the mussels to come and then another hour for entrees to come. Waitresses were hospitable and food (duck breast) were amazing but boy - it's a long night. Bring your pillows and books or good companies for good conversation. Or, do not come empty-stomached otherwise you will be hungrier than you were before entering the restaurant. Hopefully next time the experience will be better on a slow day! read more

Cafe Provence - French Near Me - Brandon, Vermont

See all

My husband and I enjoyed a most delicious dinner here last night. The crab cake appetizer was impeccable, as were the mussels. I went with my standard pick of the seafood stew for dinner, while my husband chose the lobster special. I could tell he enjoyed it as his plate was clean almost immediately after we were served! The chocolate bomb dessert and service were delightful as always. We love this neighborhood gem and can't wait to return! read more

Cafe Provence - Seafood Stew - French Near Me - Brandon, Vermont

This place is incredible. We got there around open last Wednesday, and started with champagne because we were on vacation and this was my destination restaurant! Our waitress was very personable and knew the menu inside and out. She definitely added to our experience. Bf went for the grass fed burger and I had the grilled salmon over lobster polenta. His burger was cooked perfectly rare and my salmon was delicious...and that polenta...omg. We couldn't decide on dessert so we ordered both samplers and each was delectable! Great beer selection as well! Love this place! Avid home cook and can't wait to take classes here! read more

See all

I have been here twice and had mixed reviews. Both times I got over cooked small portion sandwiches (steak sandwich and burger). Ordered medium rare and came near well done. Both times I went however, my girlfriend got chicken dishes that were delicious! No seems a little overpriced and I may check out the other places in town before returning. My waitress did a great job and was very pleasant and knowledgeable read more

Cafe Provence - French Near Me - Brandon, Vermont

Waitress was edgy. Can deal with that. However what this establishment considers to be a crab cake is preposterous. It WAS NOT a crab cake, but rather 2 tablespoons of oil soaked panko breadcrumbs. With 2/3 specks of crab to be seen. It didn't even form a solid shape. It was DISGUSTING. I could not/would not eat that mess. When I politely mentioned it to the waitress she said ok, I'll let the kitchen know. No apologies, no offer to replace it with something else. That was it. She gave us our bill, did not adjust for the non crabcake. Clearly they don't care if we ever return. Another thing we noticed , their website photos/description is a massive mis representation of what they actually serve Like others have said in their reviews. We will not recommend or go back. read more

I'm saddened because this place used to be fantastic. A lovely bistro with elegant food that called for a fitting occasion. However, I went here tonight on an anniversary dinner with my boyfriend and we were... terribly disappointed. The once beloved appetizer salad featured rotten spinach leaves in a stale cheese cup, their Old Fashioned cocktail was saccharine and goopy with orange pulp (more like a mimosa than anything else!), and the $36 lobster entrée was overcooked, rubbery and squeaked against my teeth as I chewed it. I won't even mention the green beans except to say that they were more grey than green. Moreover, their COVID protocol also lacked enforcement: multiple people at the restaurant passed right next to our table without wearing masks. Add to this scene a screaming child of three seated at the table near us, who alternated between throwing a temper tantrum and watching a loud movie on an iPhone. You could be excused for thinking you were at Friendly's, until you saw the bill for $100. As my boyfriend said: It was worth it to pay, just to leave. It's a shame to see a great institution fall on hard times and bad supply chains, but at the very least, when you're paying this much for a meal, it would be nice if the waiter could remember to refill your water cup, and show any gumption as they described your food. Next time, we'll stay at home for a nice dinner, where at least we can easily get our own water and more carefully mix our cocktails - for a fraction of the price! read more

Brandon is a small town that is so blessed to have an authentic French Chef run a successful restaurant. The menu is extensive and I have been here twice. I loved the Brunch Breakfast Pizza (as I am a pizza lover)....it was composed of smoked bacon, sausage, two eggs any style, tomato sauce & cheese! Family and friends have also taken cooking classes and recreated the recipes at home....absolutely amazing! read more

I can't believe i'm breaking my promise to myself to not write any negative reviews during the pandemic but this was unbelievable. I've been to restaurants during this time that were so short staffed we didn't get seated for hours. I've ordered from places that have been so overwhelmed they had to cancel our food order. I've been to restaurants that gave us food poisoning and instead called to let them know so their kitchen could be more aware. Nothing has been bad enough to warrant a bad review but the rudeness here was beyond acceptable. We made reservations for 7 people for 11:15 brunch. I would say when we walked in at 11 the restaurant was about 60-70% full? I believe there were 4-5 empty tables. Zero acknowledgement from anyone running around. At first i thought, is there only one person working here? But there were multiple staff going around, doing things like putting sugar packets on empty tables or drinks in fridges. I get it, places are short staffed and busy. But zero eye contact, zero acknowledgement. My friend was in crutches. 10-15 minutes later i finally flagged down a young man and told him we had reservations, that looked like our table right there, could we be seated as my friend has a broken ankle and is in crutches. We finally get seated. And then continued the zero acknowledgment. No eye contact no checking in and NO WATER even. For another 15 minutes. Mind you, we came as a big group hungry and ready to spend money on alcohol and food. I guess that didn't matter enough to even place water on our table because it was more important that empty tables got sugar packets?? Other tables around us had gotten waters, drinks, their orders taken. We figured after a while our patronage wasn't welcome for whatever reason (i can't imagine why. We were all masked up, vaxxed, quiet, polite, said our pleases and thank yous) As we got up to leave a lady finally runs over and says i'll be with you in a bit. So still weren't gonna get water for who knows how long. And there was no apology either. As we are walking out the door (which is also crazy, none of us have ever left a restaurant after being seated) the hostess or waitress shouts passive aggressively at us "i told them i was gonna be right there!" I was already halfway out the door but that made me lose my temper so i shouted on my way out that we had been seated for 15 minutes without even so much as a glass of water. F you honey, my friends might be too polite to say it but i'm not here to take crap from you. Anyway, don't waste your time here. There's other good food nearby, like the cute taco place around the corner with delicious drinks, burritos, and margs and nice staff. Or sandys books and bakery where they are also busy as hell but the people behind the counter are the sweetest! Oh and i attached proof of res since i see the owner is replying here to bad reviews calling people liars (you know that's never a good sign when that's how a business responds to criticism) read more

Cafe Provence - French Near Me - Brandon, Vermont

Simple place with soup, salad, sandwiches. We had excellent pasta special, breaded chicken with a puttanesca style sauce. Excellent. Service was on the slower side but very friendly. Greek salad was very good. read more

Cafe Provence - French Near Me - Brandon, Vermont

Let me preface my 5-star review by saying that this place is definitely 5 star for Brandon. It is the restaurant that sets the standard in Brandon and until it came along I'm pretty sure there was nothing above a 3-star eatery in town. Meals here are consistently very good. Surprisingly good. The chef trained in France (is he French? I don't think so, but I'm pretty sure he trained there). I've had some lovely dishes like the seafood stew, steaks, chicken dishes. Everything is better than you might expect. The dessert case always has very delicious looking desserts that also taste fabulous. They also offer cooking classes and wine classes. I hear they have opened a bar/dining area downstairs, too, that's quite popular. However, be prepared to WAIT for you food. I've never had a meal served quickly here. It always takes quite a while. The last time my family and I went it took even longer than quite a while, it took an hour for our food to come out. Anywhere else and I would be pretty unhappy, but because I know it takes a long time here, I wasn't too bothered. The rest of my party was bothered. They did not remember having to wait for food the last times we were here. I don't think it's the staff. I'm pretty sure it's the kitchen that causes the wait. And they do such a great job, most the time I'm ok with waiting. If it weren't for the fact I love this place and I love what it's done for Brandon I might give it 4 stars. I'm a big fan of any place that can give its surroundings a face lift and make its town more charming just by being there and I believe Cafe Provence and its sister store have done just that. Since opening, other quaint shops have opened down the street. Brandon is now the sort of place I wish it had been when I was growing up nearby. read more

See all

We happened to be in Brandon on a Wednesday looking for lunch and the menu looked good online. The hostess rudely looked at us like we had 3 heads and yelled "It's an hour wait"! We had to say should we leave our name/number, to which she again rudely replied, "If you want to". While we were waiting we drove around and saw there was a Provence Bakery nearby that we could have eaten at but the menu was not nearly as good. An hour went by and no phone call/text so we went back in. Now there were about 3 tables open so we explained that we had left our info but were never notified. She again was rude and said that they thought we would just come back. We asked then what was the point of leaving our number, and all she said was do you want to sit now? We sat down and she hands us the menu for the Provence Bakery. Turns out that because it was past 2pm they switch over to the light sandwich menu from the bakery. Had she explained that when we first arrived we never would have left our info as the actual bakery had no wait. We got up and left. A little customer service and a smile was too much to expect here and it's a shame because the cafe menu looked fantastic. read more

Nice dining environment. Very good food. Friendly service. Good outdoor seating area.

Incredible!!!! We got the beet salad and steamers as an appetizer, both outstanding! For dinners we got the chicken cordon bleu, a special of the day, the seafood chowder, the filet mignon and burger. All of them were tres magnifique! We'll be definitely back! (Despite being a 3 hour drive away) read more

The Café and bakery were a big disappointment. We wanted a roast beef sandwich without garlic mayo but the sandwiches are premade and there was garlic mayo on both pieces of bread. Instead, we settled for a piece of quiche Lorraine to tide us over until we got to another place. The only way to describe it is it was very loose, like not-quite-set jello and barely held together. The desultory pieces of ham were tiny, thin, and tasteless. We couldn't find or taste any cheese. The final insult was the crust. The bottom was burned and gummy and the side crust had an unpleasant chemical-like aftertaste. read more

After a long drive from NYC, we were happy to find this place open for dinner and we were not disappointed. Cafe Provence has a nice covered outdoor patio. Service and food were great. To start, my friend had the clam chowder and I had the chilled cucumber soup. Both were outstanding. Chowder was well balanced with clams & potatoes and a perfect consistency. The soup was smooth, slso well balanced flavors with the Sriracha topping a perfect complement. For dinner I had the appetizer cavatelli with chicken. Pasta and chicken were cooked well. My friend had the burger, well-proportioned snd perfectly prepared. . We were too full for dessert so got the almost-heaven bar to go, and it was delicious. read more

I grew up in Brandon but now live in Boston. I drove up Father's Day weekend specifically to take my dad to brunch. I understand that Cafe Provence sometimes has a brunch buffet that is well regarded (the rest of the family still lives there), so I called to make a reservation. They weren't offering anything special for Father's Day, but I made a reservation. I've been to the Cafe several times, and I want them to succeed, but I've just never fallen in love with the place. The food is fresh and very good, but they command city prices in an area that can't (and shouldn't) support the quality/quantity to price ratio. I could have had the same brunch in Boston for the same price, with better execution. On the drive home I ruminated about why I was so disappointed with our brunch. Maybe it was dad's look of "You just paid $85 for that?" Service is v e r y slow, and dad had to have more to eat when he got home. We both got the same thing: a special of lobster benedict, with a mesclun salad and home fries,and we each had a mimosa. Sounds decadent, right? What we got was a handful of bagged mesclun dressed with oil and vinegar, and simply sauteed potatoes--no herbs, no browning, just ... potatoes. The benedict had a lovely hollandaise, and the lobster was perfectly cooked. But it was served on half a slice of French bread that was completely sogged out by the time it reached the table, and the portion was meager. For $70 (w/o tip), I could have had the same brunch in Boston (with two English muffins topped with the same goodness :). But that hollandaise was really good! read more

I met my niece here for brunch recently, as it was half way between our homes in NY and VT. We sat outside on a sunny Sunday morning and loved the atmosphere and, better yet, the food. Service was great too. She had an omelet and I had eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. Would recommend both, and indeed did because I arranged brunch the following Sunday with several friends! Then sat inside but the experience and food were also excellent. read more

Stopped in for our 6th or 7th visit in as many years and Chef Robert did not disappoint. We ordered one of each soup to start. Today they were offering both clam chowder and mushroom curry soup. The reason I am so in awe of Chef Robert is because he does so many things so well, even when it strays so far from his traditional French training. I am certain he would tell you he is not an expert at Indian food and yet... as someone who has eaten as much Indian food as many residents of India do in a lifetime, I can tell you the soup is as exquisite, as spicy, as intoxicating as anything served in Indian restaurants in New York and London, or at a temple, or served as a secret recipe at a family gathering. Like Connor McGregor, who famously fought a championship boxer with no boxing experience, Chef Robert will step into the culinary ring and end up with the customer raising his arm and pronouncing him the champion by knockout. Soup-outstanding. Burger- off the hook. Cavatelli- should be illegal. Quiche- sorry, my stomach can only hold enough food and beer for three people. Quiche goes home with me for later ravaging. Chef Robert, vous etes le maitre de la cuisine. Dix fois merci. e Vermont burger read more

This spot is absolutely DELICIOUS! The food was so fresh and plated perfectly. I recommend getting the beet and goat cheese salad along with the portobello mushroom pizza. The goat cheese is locally sourced from Blue Ledge Farm - best goat cheese I've ever had! Also, their homemade Asiago bread is mouthwatering good. We also couldn't help but order dessert since our dinner was THAT good. Our waiter, Lennon, made the experience that much better! I will definitely return on my next trip up to Vermont! read more

Cafe Provence - Haddock with black rice, tomato, & green beans - French Near Me - Brandon, Vermont

See all

It was clear by the first bite of my meal that the chef has had many years of culinary training behind him. Unfortunately, the only training our waitress had was making us wait. I had to ask three times for bread. By the time it came, it was too late for my friend who finished her meal. I noticed what another reviewer stated....the restaurant was not busy but she was busy at the cash register or talking to a coworker. After so many reviews about the less than adequate service, I'm surprised that the owner hasn't addressed this problem. I definitely will go back to this restaurant because the chef makes up for the terrible service. Don't leave before going around the corner to the bakery and buying something sweet to take home! read more

I've eaten at Cafe Provence a number of times in the past. It is always a wonderful experience and wonderful meal. But, last week, the Chef outdid himself! I ordered the Ricotta Cavatelli with Buerre Blanc and Scallops - it was one of THE best meals I've eaten in my life. So delicious - I would have liked to order a complete second entree! read more

Always wonderful, fresh and flavorful food and great service. The combinations of savory and sweet are amazing. Good local beer selection (Foley Bros Prospect is excellent!). We had a delicious meal outside and moved inside when the mosquitoes found us. Yummy desserts too! read more