Drove from nearby cities for breakfast--worth it. Fresh, delicious sandwiches. Maple buttermilk pie…read more(flan-like) devoured in car. Kind cashier addressed me by name. Welcoming locals' vibe. Would return.

We especially appreciated this place because they make lunch sandwiches early in the morning, so we…read morecould get one early to eat on the VT Inn to Inn walk during the day. And the sandwiches were excellent. The turkey with cranberry mayo was especially good. They also had great coffee and cookies. Staff was very pleasant and helpful. Funny, they only thing we did not try were the pies, but they looked awesome!

I love smokin bowls! And now that it's winter again, one of their cups of soup hits just right. My…read morefavorite is the African peanut soup but their chili is also bomb. The staff are always friendly and service is fast.

Really good food and the name is so Catchy and the vibe is just perfect. Location is easy to find…read moreand plenty of parking. Great service and great food. Food is SO good and prices are great

Nice store & nice staff with a large selection of Vermont made chocolates--truffles that are so…read morepretty!

I stopped in last week with my two boys - we just browsing around the town. I picked up eight sea…read moresalt caramels, half white chocolate and half dark. It's perhaps important to note that I don't often post reviews, but I was so impressed by the quality of these chocolates that, even a week later I feel the need to do so. Here's the deal: these were the best chocolates I have ever eaten. The multiple layers of encasing chocolate were thin and consistent, the caramel centers beautifully executed in both flavor and consistency - not overly sweet or salty, just perfectly balanced. The whole thing was just stunning. I was in Queechee, VT a few days later and picked up some other sea salt caramels, just as a test - nothing doing - they were not even close. I'm fairly well traveled and a bit of a gourmet, not on the snobby side, good food, good wine, etc. I did not think I would find the best chocolates ever down a back alley in Chester, VT. But I did. They are so good that I tried to change my return route to get some more, but I had to rush back home to NY. But I will be back. Also, the owners/staff are kind and welcoming, and the shop is charming and full of lovely local crafts and clothes. But for me, the chocolates are the star here. Go get them!

I ended up stopping In here for the first time on my way up to ludlow. Grabbed a few items for the…read moreweekend but also a grinder. Of which, was so good I will be stopping in again this winter!

This was a great little store to get essentials. I was even very pleasantly surprised to find…read moregluten free items while traveling in the area! I'm allergic to gluten which often makes eating out of town/while traveling difficult. We were able to shop enough for a couple nights to cook at our place of lodging. Staff was friendly as well.

We chanced upon this lovely place while staying in Chester VT, after visiting the Vermont Country…read moreStore in nearby Weston VT. The inn down the street where we were staying did not offer dining on Sundays, so, being road-weary, we wanted a little sustenance nearby. The two sisters running the place recommended some of their to-go items - my husband had a simple noodle bowl, and I had the most delightful "cheese board" in a box, made of bamboo (along with the utensils). Several different cuts of various cheeses, also pickled veggies, grapes, olives, capers, with an assortment of high-end crackers - just lovely. We took them back to our room to eat, but you can also eat in their enclosed porch in the Victorian house. Charming!

Can I just say... we had the absolute best cheesesteak here. It happened yesterday, and I can't…read moretell you how many times my best friend and I have brought up the cheesesteak in all its unforgettable majesty today. Is it weird to form such a strong bond with a sandwich?! The bun was toasted just right, perfect ratio of meat, cheese, veg.... Shoelace fries on the side... sigh.... We will most certainly be back. Please tell the cheesesteak I'll be thinking of her.

I cannot rate the food, as we left without being served…read more The 1 star is for the 10 minutes my friend and I were soundly ignored by the wait staff. The place has a large sign advising patrons not to come into the restaurant, and to wait in the small entrance area to be let inside. So we dutifully waited. And waited. The servers were milling around and had to have noticed us, but we got nothing. Even a wave or a "Just a minute" signal would have been great. But nope, just them walking right by us several times with no acknowledgment whatsoever. The kicker is that while the booths were full, the large bar was empty save for 3 people eating. There were SEVERAL empty seats. We left and had a fantastic lunch down the way at The Vermont Country Store. Not in a hurry to try this place again.

Cool Vibe, Live Music, Lame Pizza Tho. . . ~$30.00 for a…read more14" pie that seems to weigh less than the pizza box ! The menu is accurate, in the list of toppings is says 'mushroom' and that is what you get for $3.00. . . a single mushroom. And the ingredients cover just a small area near the center. Very cheap considering. Meets the bare minimum description for pizza. Pay for extra sausage and it shows up with same amount as another pie. They seem happy to take your money but don't seem to care if that relates to what they serve. Been burned here before but was willing to give it another try. Go for the music, go for the vibe but as for the pizza it feels like just throwing money away.

Went there tonight for dinner. The food was pretty damn good. Wings had a nice balance of sweet &…read morespicy. The place was pretty quiet & The Big Bag Theory was on TV & I asked if they could put on the Olympics. The skinny tatted bartender didn't even look at me and he just said no. WTF kinda interaction is that? No one else is even watching TV. Minus one for poor customer service.

Small place with good service. Very Scottish with interesting decor. The chicken salad with corn I…read moregot on my garden salad was tasty and definitely interesting. Hubby reported his roast beef sandwich was great although the roast beef looked overcooked to me. What was dubious, however, were the French fries. They had a sort of mealy texture and a very odd taste--I thought they used coconut oil to fry but hubby thinks they coated them with baking soda, then fried. Either way I wasn't a fan.

It's slim pickings for restaurants open "late" (after 7:30 pm) in this area, so we were happy to…read morefind, and be able to make a reservation, at MacLaomainns. The inside is charming and has that old wooden bar smell that I like. This would be a great place to grab a drink on a cold winter day. Very Scottish, lol. We were seated immediately for our 6:30 dinner reservation. We each ordered appetizers, which took nearly 45 minutes to arrive, even the cup of soup. Mozzarella sticks were nothing special, the cheddar tomato soup was really tasty. My mother in law loved the cock-a-leekie soup, and my father in law liked his scotch egg. It took another 20-25 minutes for our entrees to arrive. For a restaurant that closes at 8 pm, it was surprising at how long the food took to come out. They must have a very small kitchen. Everyone in our group liked their meal. My "loaded vegetarian baked potato" was just a full cup of sour cream and cheese on top of a potato with lukewarm broccoli on the side. A bit disappointing, with there were at least chives or seasoning. Basically nothing else vegetarian on the menu so this was what I was stuck with. Desserts were good, especially the sticky toffee pudding. I would call this place a step above average in the area, but service leaves a lot to be desired.

I stumbled upon this Fall Foliage train tour after planning a trip from Virginia to Vermont for my…read morehusband's birthday. It was our first time in Vermont, and we were very much looking forward to a romantic, slow weekend. The train tour seemed like something we'd really like. I actually very much enjoyed the ride. We came a little early in the year (the 1st day of fall), so the fall foliage wasn't completely changed over yet, but we still saw some great views. I purchased the tickets online. They offer a variety of tours and 2 different locations for the fall foliage tour. You can either choose a 1 hour trip to Rockingham, which is the tour we chose. Or you can choose a 2 hour trip to Ludlow. From my understanding, Ludlow is more town views and Rockingham is more mountain views. It was $25 per person for our tour. This does not include beverages or a meal; it is simply a train ride. Country Girl Diner was available on board should snacks or beverages interest you for an additional fee. They do offer dinner rides, which did not interest us. We were scheduled to leave at 3:30pm and arrived about 15 minutes prior to boarding. There wasn't any directions on where to stand when we arrived; some folks were waiting on one side of the building, and some on the other...a few inside. So I asked a gentleman, who looked as though he might be staff, and he told me where we'd be boarding. It would've been nice if someone was there that gave directions to all of us, so people wouldn't seem to be confused on where they need to be. I assume that that is his job, but instead he just stood around awaiting for the train with everyone. Once the train arrived, he walked over and threw down a stepping stool and we all started following him. We did not have to print off our tickets; we simply screenshot the tickets for them to see before boarding. It was open seating. We chose a seat facing the opposite direction of the depot, which proved to have the better views. The conductor does slow down for photos of a few of the sites (like a covered bridge), but overall, he does go fast and like several reviews mentioned, there is a lot of brush and not much to see. What we did see was very nice, but I would highly recommend that they slow it down for the majority of the trip rather than the other way around. The conductor did give a little information about what we were seeing over the intercom. I think I enjoyed this activity a lot more than my husband; and maybe more than many others who've been on it. I didn't expect much from it; it was a nice leisurely, simple ride through Vermont. I do feel like the tickets should have been about half of what they cost, due to the little you get to see. The train will go one direction a half hour up, and come back the same direction a half hour back. If you don't expect too much from the trip, you will be satisfied with the ride.

The "Champlain Valley Dinner Train" takes you from Burlington to Middlebury and back. This is a…read morelovely way to spend 3 hours in Vermont with an excellent meal, scenic views, a lovely lakeside journey, and some railroad history. Drinks were not included but surprisingly reasonably priced. Pro Tip: Arrive early for a lakeside seat. Dinner includes a salad, your choice of half a dozen entrees, and a choice of strawberry trifle or flourless chocolate cake for dessert. I had the sirlion au poivre, which was cooked nicely, but perhaps a little heavy on the pepper, and RL had the filet of sole stuffed with scallop and crab. I could see the vegetarian lasagne at the next table, and it also looked wonderful. Large portions all round. Service was very friendly. And the sunset views across the lake were wonderful.