We come home to Saint J. a few times a year and never miss an opportunity to dine at Wine Gate. Often times we order multiple entrees and sides and appetizers just so that we can sample everything. It's that good. Most of the year we live in San Francisco and have sooo many restaurants to choose from, I feel like we're pretty versed in multi ethnic choices that the city is famous for. My son is also a new chef and loves making critical assessments of the industry one Resturaunt at a time. We have a few favorite spots as you might imagine, though near top of the list is Wine Gate. Sure you'll encounter some bumps because the staff is human and the food is ALWAYS great. personally I've enjoyed the interactions with everyone who's ever taken my order. These folks get it right. This last time we were there they were out of fried green beans... does the restaurant deserve to be dinged for that? No. We should have made reservations earlier in order to secure some of them beans! They're that good! If you make something so tasty that it sells out in saint Johnsbury, you deserve 6 stars... however, that option was not available so we're going with 5. It's amazing how many good places there are to eat in town. In my opinion, the Wine Gate takes the top spot. read more

If I had to pick one word for this place it would be balanced. Everything we had was done just right. What we had: Fried green beans: the green beans were bright and crisp - like they would be if you picked them from your own garden. The breading was a light coating that was perfectly fried - they must have been taken from the fryer at just the right moment so not a spec of grease was retained or dripping off, just a consistent flavorful crunch. Roast beef sandwiches: these come in a couple of different varieties. I think the ones we tried were called the conductor and the steak and cheese. We got them panini style. The bread was toasted perfectly (not hard, just soft inside and slightly crispy on the outsides) and it did not get soggy at all. You could taste each delicious ingredient- nothing overpowered the sandwich. We had our paninis with onions rings and gate fries - these are like thin curly ribbons that are as light as air - also perfectly fried and not greasy. The service was spot on - we were greeted and seated as soon as we walked in. Our waitress was present without being overbearing. She even gave me a full bottle (wine bottle style!) of cold water when she saw how quickly I drank my first glass. The restaurant was beautiful and the music enjoyable (some kind of rock mix- Hotel California, Carry on My Wayward Son, etc). I'm definitely going back and plan to try everything on the menu. read more

Excellent cajun fettucine alfredo dish and excellent service. The calamari was not good tho.

I've gone here twice. This place has potential, but needs to implement changes on various levels. First off, given that this is a wine bar, you'd expect it to be open in the evenings and especially on weekends, but the hours are more of a lunch cafe (weekday afternoons, and one Friday evening until 8pm). Most people aren't going to be able to indulge in a wine bar during their lunchtime work break. They either need to change these hours or change their persona - it's confusing. Second, my friend (26yrs) and I (27 yrs) were interrogated about our IDs by the waitress. She asked us several detailed questions, asked us about details of expiration periods, and other intense DMV related details that we had no idea about. Our licenses are and were valid, but she made us feel very uncomfortable and I felt interrogated and stressed before we even ordered. Last, we ordered a hot pretzel and we were basically served deep fried mozzarella balls. The descriptions on the menu need to be more clear and accurate for people that cannot eat certain foods (cheese for example). We had a sandwich here and a salad, and it was mediocre at best. Also, went to order soup and waitress told us to hold on while she checked what was "leftover from lunch." Not that there's anything wrong with this, but just not the way to sell a menu item on a Friday night in my opinion. Overall, I think the place has potential and is in a good spot, but it really needs to make some edits and improvements on several levels. We were there on a Friday night, it was basically empty, and I think that says a lot in terms of needed to reconsider the whole image and flow of this place. Could be great, but needs some serious work. I hope this feedback is useful. read more

Got here on a Friday night around 830. They where out of all steaks and pastas. I ordered the chicken cordon bleu since I did not want a sandwich. The food came to my table and was lukewarm. Breading was all over the plate as if the sprinkled it out of the box. Mash potatoes where cold. Only good and warm item where the green beans which where delicious. Not sure how they cooked the food but this was disappointing. The waitress was not surprised about my comment. She did a good job though. I probably would not come back here. Not a lot of choices In this area. read more

While I have lived in town for many years, this was my first visit to the Winegate. First.... This restaurant is attached to a hair salon & you can tell as soon as you sit down. The smell of hair products is in the air. I had lunch with my daughter and we both noticed immediately. Service was quick to attend to us and to provide us drinks.I ordered a feta salad, which had candied walnuts, cranberries, and a raspberry vinaigrette.it was very good... But my drink was done early and no service was to be found.my daughter ordered Nanas chicken sandwich with fries.she devoured the fries, took one bite of the chicken sandwich, and she was done.she told me that it had too much barbecue sauce on it. So... For two iced teas, a salad, a chicken sandwich with fries... We spent $29 (no discount on the sandwich). I went in thinking that I would pay a little more for an upscale place called the wine gate... But with the scent of hair products in the air, it did not seem very upscale at all. on our way out, we noticed a very nice patio which might be nice during the summer months. But I doubt that I will ever come back, Even for that great patio. read more

This is not a good restaurant because, we waited an hour and a half and we still did not get any food. They did not check in with us to bring over some more drinks. They kept on saying that are food would be coming out shortly but it never did. The place smelt very musty and it was so bad we had to sit outside there were not many people there and there were lots of staff and there were people who were there before us and they did not get there food. The kitchen was very dirty which poses a high risk for cross contamination. Make sure that you don't eat there if you have a good allergy Please do yourself a favor and not eat there. read more

Despite some oddities in terms of the hours of operation, I'm generally a fan of this particular locale. If you care for an easy lunch I highly recommend a soup and half sandwich. The daily soups have never let me down, and the sandwiches are consistently delicious. It's possibly a bit mislabeled. Wine is available, but given that it's evening and weekend hours are spotty to non-existent it's not the place can recommend for a good glass of wine unless you're a day drinker. But if you understand what it actually is, a top notch and affordable lunch spot, then you won't be let down. read more

Good, friendly service, very good food, inexpensive, indoor and outdoor seating in nice location.

Don't be fooled by the name! They have a full bar, beer and of course wine! We loved the wine flights and the service and food were excellent. Definitely a great date night spot! read more

My wife and I had lunch here today. Our waitress was fantastic, our panini's were very good but the real reason for my review was the out of this world homemade potato chips. The best ever! read more

I don't have much that is nice to say about this place. They are supposed to be a wine bar so one would think they'd have decent food, especially a staple like bruschetta. We had a group dinner there when we were in town for a wedding and some of the food was inedible. They were out of a lot of menu items (so made 3 people change their orders). One pizza--which cost $12 for an individual serving...more than I"d pay in some of my favorite pizza places at home-- was so hard it looked/tasted like a truck had run over it. The "brushcetta" was hardened bread that you could dip in olive oil (the olive oil had a few bits of sundried tomato in it but not enough for everyone to even have a bite of tomato...in the middle of fresh tomato season! no less). Big city prices for terrible food. If your food is sub-par for dive quality, then at least make the prices more reasonable. The only pluses--their burger was ok, and the bruschetta provided joke fodder for the rest of the weekend. Save your money and eat at home. read more

We stopped here on a whim on our way up north for lunch. The ambiance on the patio is very enjoyable! The inside of the restaurant is cute! I ordered the mandarin chicken salad. The chicken was rubbery and chewy. They kindly brought me a second and it was just as rubbery and chewy. My assumption is it is frozen low grade chicken breast. The spinach in salad was fresh! The mandarin oranges were canned, the cranberries were packaged... overall it lacked any authentic flavor. My husband had the turkey panini and it was delicious. Shaved turkey, fresh avocado on a nice marble bread. The homemade chips are delicious! For being named a "wine gate" the wine selection was no better than Applebee's. Overall if you want a quick sandwich- then this is a good place. If you are looking for a bistro type of lunch- this is not your place- it is not farm to table type of food... it is frozen, packaged, canned food... read more

I do not recommend eating here as when we went the servers were very very rude. They had an attitude & were very snotty. They didn't ask me where I wanted to sit just sat me anywhere. Waitress took forever she was more concerned about talking to other waitress instead of paying attention to how we were doing. We will not go back or recommend any one else to go there. read more

The Wine Gate has done a lot to improve themselves. Their Panini sandwiches are always fresh and delicious, and their homemade "gate" chips are yummy!! read more

I only get to Wine Gate every couple of months, but over a period of a couple of years, I have consistently had very good food, and good service. Each time, I leave happy, relaxed, and wondering why it had been so long since my last visit. They have a small menu, but the salads and sandwiches are satisfying. Desserts are pretty limited, but those we have tried were well worth the calories (big fan of the Maple Creme Brûlée). Small and friendly local restaurant that my friends and I happily return to. read more

We passed through here on way home from week in Quebec. Looking for usual tasty lunch made fresh ingredients and some local creativity. Overall we truly enjoyed this nice atmosphere establishment that offers quality meals and friendly atmosphere in the heart of downtown St J. read more

I thoroughly enjoy the atmosphere! The food is always very consistent and delicious, & the staff is always very kind and prompt.

Favor tie place in town for lunch. The atmosphere is great. The sandwiches are always so good! Never been for their weekend nigh suppers or the newly implemented breakfast, but have heard great things. read more

good sandwiches, good service, good for vegetarians....sit outside and you might see a train rumble by. happy trails

LOVE IT! It is a restaurant in a train station which may seem weird but it's actually really nice. The smells are amazing as you wait for your food, it only takes a couple minutes for the delicious food to be ready, and it isn't that expensive either. Definitely a great restaurant! read more

we are a lunch spot in St. johnsbury. we are open mon-sat 11-3 and Friday nights until 8. We do sandwiches,soups,salads,burgers,and appetizers. we serve wine,beer and we have a limited bar. please stop trying to make us into something we are not or judge us on what you think we should be. we use only the freshest ingredients and everything Is made from scratch. we have been open 9 years now and have a wonderful lunch clientele, and receive tons of compliments...so we must be doing something right. WE ARE NOT a Bar/an evening restaurant/ or an expensive fine dining establishment! I am sorry, but if you order an alcoholic drink and look on "the younger side" you will be carded. my staff is trained to do this in accordance with the state law. most people would be flattered to have to show their ID. To respond to a previous comment; when ordering an item that is pictured & is labeled "beer & Cheese Pretzel bite" i would definetly expect that it would contain cheese. we did not charge you for these, so not sure what else we could've done to make you "happy" The most common thing we hear at The Wine Gate Restaurant: GOOD FOOD, GOOD ATMOSPHERE, GOOD STAFF Come Check us out! read more