these waffles are the best waffles I have ever had. I dream of this place over the summer and I…read morecant want to go back. The service was great and we got our food almost immediately. Would recommend

So good it's the best best best best best best best best best best best best best best waffles everread more

Stemwinders was phenomenal. Our server (the bartender) was so nice and very helpful. The setting is…read morerelaxed with a great bar area and seating upstairs. The tap list and cocktail menu is solid and the food was absolutely incredible. Would definitely recommend.

We are locals ,recently had dinner, and it was anything but a good experience. It started with our…read moreserver, who honestly seemed to want to be anywhere else but serving us. She seemed annoyed about everything and actually said when we said oh we remember you " I'm always here" and at 60 something years old she might want to chose a new profession. Know we've had her before and she depicts unprofessionalism. I won't post her name.. It took 20 minutes to get drinks, had a tasteless salad, cracker crust poorly prepared pizza -$23 for 2? Our brisket as stated on the menu? no- it was actually overcooked 3 pieces of short rib with no sauce( $40 meant to be shared?? . what a joke. My wife and I love Leslie at the wineshop but the restaurant is horrible. I'd stay away until they get better!

A great little place in downtown Ludlow. I had the Cajun shrimp poor boy... Absolutely delicious!…read more It's a small place with friendly people. You go up in order. They had different things. They were adding to the menu as we were there. Order up, take a table. Wait for your dinner to come to you and just enjoy.

Echoing Derrick: "Why isn't it jammed?" Took a chance on this rare open spot near our Airbnb amid…read moreVermont's odd hours. Best dinner of our week! Staff-recommended enchurrito--red sauce half good, green far better. Wife's chimichanga hit. Fresh in-house chips and salsa while waiting. Casual, hip college-town vibe. Pricey but worth it. Would return in a heartbeat.

Just how bad exactly does a restaurant have to be to make someone reactivate a Yelp account that's…read morebeen dormant for 9 years, just to warn people? Well, apparently this is it. In my nearly 30 years now working in, with, and patronizing the food and beverage industry, I've never experienced such repugnant service as what Suzy and I had at The Downtown Grocery. I should point out that we weren't just the usual tourist who come to Ludlow to ski. We actually lived here for several years, and I couldn't post this review until we moved away because of the owner's repeated behavior of attacking people on social media who disagree with or criticize him. The food here is "fine", it's not actually bad or anything. But it is tiny in portions (a rarity for Vermont), and it's overly "chef-y" without actually executing well. It's one of those places where the chef probably thinks that he would get a Michelin star if only they would come to see him, but I can tell you having eaten at over 100 cumulative Michelin stars in my life this is nowhere close. It fails in flavor, presentation, and execution. But again, not terrible. The setting is actually kind of nice too, somewhat homey which is juxtaposed and ruined by the arrogance of the staff. If you don't mind being guaranteed to wait well beyond your actual reservation time, and then waiting probably another hour just to get some meager first courses, then maybe this is the place for you? I doubt it though, there are so many options just in Ludlow alone, and even more that are worth the 45 minute drive to Woodstock or Manchester to avoid having to eat here if you want a "nice" meal. Whatever you do absolutely avoid coming any time near "stick season" or "mud season" (Vermonters will know) because you're guaranteed to get even worse service then. Ludlow has a ton of restaurants for such a small town, many of them quite good. This is the ONLY place we actively recommended friends and guests of ours to avoid. Even the crappy fake taco place down the street got occasional business over this place due entirely to the repeated piss poor attitude of the two owners.

Had no clue this gem was here! Popped in on a Wednesday night for a drink and sat at the bar…read morechatting to the wonderful bartender. I had their specialty Ruby Bulleit cocktail with bourbon, ginger liqueur, and blood orange juice - the blood oranges were so juicy and fresh! My partner enjoyed the Smokey Elder, which had mezcal, ginger beer, and some other fun ingredients. After scanning the ever changing menu on their chalkboard - we were inspired to order the maple creme brûlée with fresh black berries. It was delightful. Can't wait to come here for dinner sometime soon. Make sure you make a reservation!

One star for the mozzarella sticks and one for how cute the place was…read more I don't know if we just chose a bad night (Friday), but the hostess barely acknowledged us, threw our menus on our table, and walked away. The cosmo was really bad and our pretzel was burnt. Also, the band that was playing was way too loud. Almost as soon as they started, the tables around us started leaving. The hostess then started violently bussing said tables. Like, tossing full cups of drinks into a container filled to the brim with plates. Our waiter was nice enough, but we had to intentionally flag him down several times to place orders, and he tossed our food on the table without asking us if we wanted anything else. Just kind of basic stuff. Will give this place another try if I'm back in Ludlow though! I hope they were just having a bad night.

Nice neighborhood place. Good pizza and calzones. Full bar, decent local draft list. Lovely service.read more

Great food, Derek the bartender was great... the restaurant has a welcoming atmosphere. You will…read morenot be disappointed.

I really wanted to like this place after a long day of skiing, but unfortunately, everything we…read moretried missed the mark. - Wings: Okay sauce but the wings were dry. - Shepherd's Pie: Probably the best dish but it still lacked seasoning, needed way more salt. - Bangers and Mash: So disappointing - the sausage wasn't great, the mashed potatoes were bland, and the sauce had a strange smoky-sweet flavor that didn't quite work. - Reuben Sandwich: Definite no for me - so bland, just meat and bread. Honestly, my favorite part of the meal was the fries, which says a lot.

Excellent place to start your day. You are greeted with a…read morefriendly, big smile and it gets better from there. Fresh food made well with some interesting twists. The feel is warm with great service, but also the vibe offers a help yourself style for coffee , juice ,etc. you won't be disappointed!

Stopped in on a road trip with my family of three, including a toddler. I wanted to like this…read moreplace. The menu has charm and ambition. The name resonated with us, as we have a flock of 20 chickens at home. Unfortunately nearly everything that could go wrong did. The kids menu has zero breakfast options at a breakfast diner. Grilled cheese and hot dogs don't belong on a morning menu. When we tried to order a single pancake for our toddler we were told "the order is for two." No offer to help, no alternative suggested. Just a hard no. Because of the menu structure, our 3 year old's meal was literally the most expensive at the table. The menu is not kid friendly. The cost of Orange juice is also not kid friendly. But they did give him a "the hatchery" sticker when we left. When ordering pancakes the server asked "sausage or bacon?" with no mention that either was a $4 add-on. That felt like an upsell we weren't warned about. One of our three meals was completely forgotten and only caught when two plates arrived at the table. Someone sat and watched the rest of us get served. Chives were on all of our savory dishes. Not mentioned anywhere on the menu. We found out by picking them off our food. Not everyone wants chives. We ordered blueberry pancakes. Plain pancakes arrived. We only discovered this after paying when we questioned a duplicate blueberry charge on the bill. The response was defensive until we opened the box and showed them. The resolution was a $2.50 refund for the missing blueberries. The "home fries" are smashed baked potatoes, not what anyone expects from that menu description. Some of the potato pieces were visibly bruised and discolored and should never have left the kitchen. A hollow apology. Complete indifference. We tipped, packed up, and left quietly. We were good guests. This place didn't earn it.