ORIGIN: Taylor and Courtney Bellemare purchased the cafe that was previously located at this site and opened as Colburn Cafe in February 2024. The cafe's name is in reference to the late 19th century hotel that once occupied the same site, which had been named after local entrepreneur Mason Colburn. LOCATION: The cafe is located at a busy intersection on Bonnet Street in bustling downtown Manchester and is attached to popular Northshire Bookstore. CONCEPT: The new owners revamped the previous cafe, threading connections to the attached, but separately-owned, bookstore. Menu items make reference to famous authors, while two interior dining areas are surrounded by walls lined with books. AMBIANCE: The cafe has three sections -- one at the entrance on Bonnet Street, another along a sunlit wall in the bookstore, and a third outside with picnic tables. The two interior dining areas are surrounded by books, highlighting the cafe's association with bibliophiles. Each dining option provides a relaxing setting to enjoy both bookstore and cafe purchases. FOOD & BEVERAGE: The sausage, egg, and cheddar cheese on sourdough ($8.95) served with a hash brown on the side was delicious -- so much so that I didn't order a different sandwich during my extended weekend in town. I did pick up a cinnamon bun ($3.50) and maple cardamom latte one fall afternoon, which was a delightful combination. SERVICE: I was first, and often the only, customer for four mornings in a row and was surprised to find service varied, despite ordering same yummy breakfast combination. One morning the breakfast sandwich was delivered fifteen minutes after the macchiato, which at that point was cold. The cheese on sandwich was not melted and the bread was not grilled to golden brown as other days. In general the service was transactional, rather than friendly, perhaps because the popular tourist destination attracts many ephemeral customers. TIP: The egg and cheese sandwich is customizable, with different bread, cheese, and meat options. The cafe opens and closes earlier than attached bookstore, so if you are eager to experience both you must coordinate. Many pastry choices appear to sell out by the afternoon, so arrive early for the greatest number of choices. read more

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Colburn is a super cute little find in Manchester, VT! They offer a small variety of pastries to eat and then some specialty coffees as well. I wasn't super impressed with the coffee, however, in the back, there's a multi- level bookstore that has all kinds and genres of books. Being able to grab a snack, a cup of coffee and browse for as long as you like was a fun and relaxing Sunday afternoon activity read more

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Colburn is a super fun location with a cozy, warm, book worm atmosphere. Only thing holding the location back is the coffee itself. We ordered two speciality coffees. A maple blueberry latte and a strawberry latte, both iced, with a cherry/ Greek yogurt danish. The danish was delicious. Good bold flavor, soft flakey pastry, and a decent size. The coffee on the other hand left something to be desired. Both lacked a noticeable flavor and left us slightly disappointed. It did come out quickly which was nice. The book store attached to the location is the real reason to visit. Three floors of books of every variety. We found ourselves wandering for over an hour just looking at all the books, art and fun items around the store. We left with a few books we had been looking for in other locations but had been unable to find until stumbling into here. Overall, book store is a 5/5 with the coffee shop closer to a 2/5. read more

Colburn Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Manchester Center, Vermont

We've been coming here for 30 years. As usual, food was good, and the young man who took our order was beyond courteous and helpful. The cook, however (I cannot call him a chef, based on his behavior) was an absolute jerk. I ordered a grilled cheese to split between my 93 year old mother and me - this has been our tradition for many years. (Manchester and the bookstore in particular are one of her favorite outings). I went up to the counter to order her another coffee, as we had been waiting for our sandwich for over 30 minutes, to find the cook complaining loudly to the counter person about the nerve of people who come to his place and just order a grilled cheese when there's much better food available. He spouted on about why we would come here for such a basic order. He was cursing and swearing about the nerve of such people (me). I personally like gourmet food very much, but when I'm out with my mom, we have our traditions and I feel that they are none of his business, and that he should take as much care to make me a perfect, if humble, grilled cheese as he does to prepare his "worthier" foods. I do not come to be judged for my order. A true chef does not judge the preferences of his clients - he does everything he can to be sure every dish as perfect as he can make it. read more

My order: iced espresso The review: I really wanted to like this place as it's attached to a fabulous bookshop. Unfortunately the espresso turned out terribly bitter and they didn't set out any cream and sugar to make it even a little bit better. Really disappointing, as Colburn has so much potential and looks quaint both indoors and out. Hopefully things improve! read more

Colburn Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Manchester Center, Vermont

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I was excited to find this cafe attached to Northshire Bookstore so I could grab a latte to sip while I browsed through the store. I tried the Strawberry Latte, which was one of the flavors listed on the Specials board. The employees were very friendly and helpful, and my order was ready quickly. As someone who likes their lattes on the sweeter side, I loved it. The pastries in the display case looked yummy, and they also offer a small menu of sandwiches. There was plenty of seating and tables, and they all appeared to have been recently wiped clean. Definitely swing in for a drink and a snack when you visit the bookstore! read more

Colburn Cafe - Front seating area. - Cafes Near Me - Manchester Center, Vermont

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We had no idea Colburn Cafe was attached to a bookstore! We went to the bookstore first and then exited and entered Colburn's....only to see that we could walk back into the library from the cafe! It was a very cool experience. Anyway, the coffee was excellent! We ordered one of the listed specials, a maple cardamom iced latte with oat milk and no sugar. I was surprised how delicious the latte tasted. You could taste the maple and cardamom and the best part was it wasn't an added mix. You didn't have to worry about any added sugars etc. Come here for the fun banter with the servers and cashier staff at the very least. You won't be disappointed :) read more

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A unique cafe inside Northshire bookstore. A cool place to have a coffee, pastry and chill, the staffs are really friendly too. read more

Colburn Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Manchester Center, Vermont

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Literally could not stop swooning over this adorable place. Beautiful display of books, quaint sitting area inside with picnic tables outside. Attached to a bookstore?! So perfect. My drink was perfection! Staff was warm and friendly. read more

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The bookstore is the best, the coffee shop is mediocre. I got a cold brew that tasted more like a weak ice coffee.

Colburn is kinda like the coffee shop I always wanted to open up. A cute little cafe tucked inside a space with lots of books to cozy up in for a few hours. Apparently I had a good idea because Colburn is hopping. We popped in for a small bite on our visit to Manchester and the line to order rarely slowed down while I waited a good 15 minutes for my stuff. How can I penalize them for being popular though right?! And the pumpkin muffin and latte were very tasty ta boot. At first I was a little concerned we wouldn't be able to stay and enjoy our loot but luckily my husband went looking for bathrooms and found places to eat all through out Northshire bookstore so we were able to snag a delightful table near a window among the books and enjoy a lovely afternoon snack. read more

Colburn Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Manchester Center, Vermont

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A friend and I were looking forward to a nice lunch on a rainy day. I was thinking a homemade soup would hit the spot. No soup..only in the winter. I ordered the chicken wasabi sandwich ($15). It was awful. When I spoke to the server he politely explained that folks had complained it was too hot so they decreased the wasabi content. The potato chips and pickle were the best parts of the meal. My friend ordered the cheese sandwich- ($10). It came with potato chips. In the past it came with a small green salad. Mediocre at best. Excellent staff. Great location. Underwhelming food. My previous experience with breakfast was similarly disappointing. The pastry tasted like it was premade and warmed up before serving. read more

This spot connected to the bookstore is so cute but the matcha latte and pastry I've had have been very mediocre, so I was pretty disappointed. Matcha had very little matcha flavor and the pastry part of the strawberry cream cheese danish was much more bready than flakey--it definitely seems more like a frozen mass-produced product, while I was hoping for something a bit more homemade. Also, they don't tell you about their 3% credit card charge. read more

The amount of times I've visited this bookstore and missed the cafe.. unbelievable! I enjoyed the coffee here, tried the maple latte and it wasn't too sweet surprisingly which was awesome. We both had the Hemingwing sandwich which we both loved. Baguette was a little on the tough side but it wouldn't stop me buying it again. It can be tough to find a seat on the busier days but usually people are pretty good at not lingering to let people take their spot. Service was quick and friendly. Check it out! read more

went to Colburn Cafe for a coffee and it was the best I have had in a long time. had to buy a bag of it to take home. Brio Coffeeworks Costa Rica. read more

Got a small Iced vanilla latte, and the espresso didn't taste good at all. Friend got a Large Maple latte and it tasted like straight milk. Maple taste was barely there. read more

30 minute wait for drink and no wifi or even phone service, which is weird for a bookstore cafe (you'd expect it to be a place people can go and work). Coffee was fine. read more

Love what they have done with the place! The space is much more open than other restaurants have had it in the past, with cute seating for a quick bite or coffee. So far everything I have ordered has been great, especially their iced lattes in this hot weather! Also their staff has been helpful and friendly. Will absolutely be coming back. read more