Barnard Inn Restaurant & Max’s Tavern

Recently dined at Max’s Tavern with the «Mrs». She had and excellent Salmon dish and I had a great burger and fries. But, the big hit was the INCREDIBLE homemade onion rings.

We ate on the dining room side — not the grill side. It was gorgeous and we were the only ones. The garlic and marinara mussels were to die for as was the roast duck and the cheese cake with blueberry compote. Sinatra’s crooning and the fire place made it a really romantic evening.
Absolutely DELICIOUS and the atmosphere and service was superb. It was pricey for the dining room but it was well worth it!

Oh how I want to love the Barnard Inn. It’s a local place, and it has high aspirations. The menu is ambitious with lots of local ingredients. The service however is never very good, and verged on negligent tonight. We sat for nearly 10 minutes (with a reservation!) before someone took our drinks order. On a Friday night, they were training a new bartender, who took forever to make vodka martinis up. We always had to ask, can we order??? And, it wasn’t busy. Since it’s so expensive, we expect better. The food, when you get it, is good, but we are not going back any time soon.

Really good American/​world fare inspiration with some fresh Vermont ingredients. I would give it a 4.5 if I could. I have eaten here twice, it was better the first time but still really good the second
Food summary
Seafood curry– really great, more of a Thai style curry fresh flavorful and delicious ¹⁰⁄₁₀
Beer battered fried oysters– fresh oysters, some kind of chipotle/​Cajun aioli the went well. ⁸⁄₁₀
Crispy duck with roasted beets– it was dry but amazingly crispy skin and very filling/​boneless. Vegetables and grains were good. It’s local duck, if they took it out a little sooner it would have been perfect, probably a onetime misstep but ⁷⁄₁₀
Wiener schnitzel– chicken schnitzel executed perfectly ¹⁰⁄₁₀
Definitely going back Really a hidden gem In Barnard and deserves 5 stars more than 4

Surprisingly good food, nice bar, friendly waitstaff. A bit out of the way, I do wish I could make it here more often.

Recently had a delicious meal in the Tavern, although I was disappointed to see only one vegetarian entrée. The food was very tasty and the ingredients seemed top-​notch.

We celebrated our anniversary at the Barnard Inn tavern. I was a bit suspect of how good it could be as it’s a pretty rustic (but charming) vibe. We sat near the door and the server was super accommodating and moved us to a quieter (and warmer:-) table. From there it got better and better. The food was superb. The seafood curry was spicy and tasty and the duck confit was perfect. The bread pudding was spectacular and the wine was a perfect pair. The staff was extremely knowledgeable and very helpful picking the wine and making suggestions on entrees. We were full and happy and enjoyed every minute. Highly recommend!

After what I consider one of the worst dining experiences my family & I has ever had I felt obligated to write my very first review on Unilocal.We went to celebrate my daughter’s 15^th birthday on 2−14−14 & were completely & entirely disappointed from the moment we walked into the Barnard Inn. With the exception of the overwhelmed waitress, Hilde, who was kind but in over her head, I would strongly urge that you not waste your time & money on this restaurant.

The food is just the beginning of a fabulous experience at the Barnard Inn. Will and his team in the kitchen consistently put out amazing and eclectic dishes. He uses the best ingredients and it’s obvious that it’s all from scratch. Besides the food, the staff is tough to beat. They are all very knowledgeable and very accommodating as well as some of the friendliest people we have met in the area. Next, the atmosphere… it is exactly what you are looking for in a quiet Vermont town. Very cozy with a rustic feel. Anytime we are in the area The Barnard Inn is a must. Can not recommend anywhere else in the area with as much confidence as this gem.

Great food, great atmosphere and nice people. I had a great night here… I give it my highest recommendation.

We, like most people who review this place, were staying at the Maple Leaf Inn, just down the street. We at around back at the «Max’s Tavern» part of the restaurant. It’s the same food as the regular restaurant, but more casual.
This place is great, and a little expensive as another Unilocaler noted. It’s very rustic with low ceilings and lots of dark wood. There isn’t much artificial lighting, so it gets a little dark as the sun sets, but it’s okay. The staff is a little short for how much they try to do, but they’re very friendly and they get the job done. Unfortunately they were out of a beer I wanted to try, and then after I had a pint of something I really liked, the ran out of that too! So I ended up drinking a weird second beer that was okay; but I was disappointed that they didn’t keep their draft beer in better stock.
The seafood chowder was awesome, very full of seafood and tasty. I got the weinerschnitzle, which is actually a pounded and breaded chicken breast here with mashed potatoes and a caper/​lemon sauce. I don’t like capers, but I scrapped them off. It was delicious. My wife got a shrimp/​sausage pasta that was also very good. The portions were large. We also got dessert, I don’t remember what, but it was good.
Overall, this place was great, but plan for a long dinner, and it is expensive, even though it’s the «tavern».

You have to go to this amazing restaurant if you are in the area. The very best food ever at a reasonable price. My husband and I could not believe the quality of food. We went back twice. I promise you will not be disappointed. The salmon was cook to perfection. The bread pudding was amazing.

My favorite restaurant in Woodstock VT. Dined there 3 times, twice with kids even and they have been very accommodating. Eating either at the tavern or in the dining room is great. Ingredients make the difference. Very quaint and intimate. If you stay after dark they usually have a fire pit outside. Beware of the aggressive rooster in the nearby barn, pretty territorial.

We are staying at the Maple Leaf Inn just down the road from the Barnard Inn and decided to walk over for dinner. We were down wind of the restaurant and by the time we were 100 yards away, I knew from the aromas that we had made a wise choice. Many of the other reviewers ate at the pub, but we chose the dining room. Although many of the dishes are the same, I found that everything we had was outstanding.
The three course table d’hôte goes for $ 65 per person. We started with the spring pea soup and beer battered oysters. The soup was smooth and rich, topped with chives and Parmesan shavings. It is a spring green soup and not the usual fall variety with yellow peas and smoky ham. Only once before have I had a pea soup that compared with this. My wife’s oysters were lightly breaded and tender. They came with three extraordinarily delicious sauces: chipotle mayonnaise, a chili/​tartar sauce and a tomato caper sauce. Now I have made similar fondu sauces for years and thought they were quite good, but they were nothing compared to these! Taste bud explosions.
For the main courses we had a beef filet with mushroom risotto and lamb with smashed sweet potatoes. Both were accompanied by fresh local fiddleheads and both were topped with an entire head of roasted garlic. The garlic head was sliced in half so that one could pick out as many half cloves as desired. Both plates were simply delicious.
We washed it all down with a bottle of Turley 2009 Paso Robles Zinfandel ($ 90). I was concerned that a Zinfandel might not be up to lamb and filet mignon but our waiter assured us that it would. He was absolutely right. It went with everything we ordered. Big, full flavour, incredible nose. I have never tasted a better Zinfandel. Unfortunately, this wine is not available at your local wine store.
For dessert we had coffee ice cream with chocolate sauce and candied walnuts and a vanilla crème brûlée. The ice cream was wonderful, like the rest of the meal. The crème brûlée was competent, but nothing special.
The service was attentive, pleasant, prompt and well informed. Full marks there. In addition to the waiter, we were occasionally visited by the restaurant mascot, a large German shepherd who was friendly and well behaved.
This is the first restaurant to which I have awarded 5 stars since reviewing on Unilocal.Thoroughly deserved.

The experience is everything at the Barnard Inn! Located a reasonable distance from downtown Woodstock, VT, this treasure is close enough to be convenient but far enough to feel like you’re getting away from it all. Driving through Barnard’s lush green landscape, I am reminded why I love Vermont and why I moved here in the first place. Truth be told, I’ve only ever eaten at the Tavern (which is so good, I can’t even imagine how mind-​blowing the dining room must be) where the house German Shepherds roam freely from table to table greeting customers and the ample windows overlook the gorgeous gardens.
I’d recommend going in the summertime, so you can walk the beautiful stone path under the trellis and be surrounded by an abundance of well-​tended flowers. Once you enter the dark-​wooden tavern, you are instantly comforted by mouth-​watering aromas and the sense that most of the folks dining here are local regulars. The house-​made herbed focaccia served warm with rosemary-​infused olive oil is the way to start your meal, and their fresh-​fruit du jour crumble (a la mode, of course) is the way to end it. Whatever you have as an entrée will be delicious (and complete with fresh herbs from the Barnard Inn gardens), but they are famous for their amazing Wienerschnitzel.
–Lisa
(I’m sharing a Unilocal account with my two band members Patrick and Syd as we tour the country and try to eat and live healthy while we drive thousands of miles in a van. Our band is called Hotels & Highways. This review is part of lists we’re all making about the food we miss most when we’re away from home…)

On our first night in Vermont we took our innkeeper’s suggestion and headed to the Barnard Inn for dinner. The more formal dining room was full so we booked a table in their casual tavern room. It was a bit noisy but had a rustic charm and most of the diners appeared to be local. a good sign :)
Service was slow and a bit too carefree for a couple of New Yorkers like us. Particularly since the prices were in line with any Manhattan restaurant. But it was a chilly evening and we were warm in the cozy room and looking forward to a good dinner.
An appetizer of Cesar salad was good but average. The duck liver pâté’, however, was billed as homemade but left us in some doubt. It was also so heavily perfumed with truffle oil that it was difficult to discern any other flavor. An entrée of beef stew was hearty and well made with tasty side of sweet potato mash. Poor service aside, the food overall was pretty good but not worth the expensive price.
Furthermore, the proprietors apparently own a large male German Shepard who roams the property freely. We’re currently raising a puppy and therefore, feel an affinity with dog owners so we didn’t mind when the Shepard walked through the dining room and into the kitchen. We did mind, however, when we ran into him again in the pitch black parking lot after dinner where he barked and howled at customers and then relieved himself on their cars. Uh… no…we won’t be coming back… and we’ll send you the car wash bill.

One of the best restaurants in Vermont, it could definitely hold its own in Boston or NYC. More than a mere restaurant, this place is a vital part of the community, one of the things that makes Barnard so very Barnard. Half the people seem to know each other, and it is always filled with laughter and joy. In the summer, the gardens are breathtaking, so be sure to make time to linger outside.
The owner himself, Will, is a great guy who seems to really love food and really love his customers. I’ve seen him come out of the kitchen to answer a customer’s question or say hi to folks in the Tavern. Once, I could not decide on a beer (I was craving something really bitter), and he offered us a hard-​to-​find bottle that, it turns out, was from his own private stash. Now, that’s what I call excellent service.
We usually eat in the Tavern (with everyone else!) The menu changes daily, and entres range from about $ 12 -$ 25. But we have also eaten in the lovely, «special-​occasion» dining room with its prix fixe menu ($ 65 for three courses or $ 75 for four.).
Now I haven’t been here for a while, so I can’t describe specific foods in detail, but here’s what I remember:
Love the seasoned sweet-​potato fries ($ 6; ask for a side of mayo — so yummy.) The salads are always fresh; we usually get the special. In fact, we usually get the special for our entre, too. I’ve had a great pork dish here, and some wonderful pasta. The braised short rib is amAzing, and this guy does great stuff with duck.
In all dishes, the flavors are always bright and fresh, well balanced and well blended. And everything is cooked just right, even the chicken.
All of their hommade desserts are excellent. The bread pudding is pretty darn good, one of the best I’ve had in a restaurant (but — sorry Will! — I still like the one I make better…).
The beer list is decent, and I hear these guys really know their wine.
And I’ve never mentioned this in any of my other reviews, but this place has a really good blog:
Most blogs are, let’s face it, boring and self aggrandizing and you can tell the authors are struggling to come up with stuff to write about. And sure, you’ll see the expected stuff about upcoming events and new merchendise, etc. But you can also see in his well-​written entries how excited he is about the new piglets he just got, or how he and his kids delight in the cute ducks (they bought them to eat slugs, not to be served in the restuarant), or his pride in that big olé’ fish he caught (it’s a whopper – see the pictures.)
Did I mention the beautiful gardens? I can see how this would be a great place for a wedding or other event.
It’s off the beaten path, sure — but isn’t that why you came to Vermont in the first place?
Come to Barnard for the afternoon, buy some sandwiches and rent a canoe or kayak at the country store and drag it accross the street to the lake. Have a picnic and explore the area. In the summer, go on a day when the farmer’s market meets. Have a nice afternoon here, enjoy the countryside, the beauty of Vermont.
Then go to the Barnard Inn for dinner. So worth the trip.

The pub is where it’s at. Fantastic food and friendly, unselfish service. Charming, consistent and quintessential Vermont establishment. New, different dinner specials which seem to fit the season. Very friendly to vegetarians but only «off» the menu. Ok for family but better for romantic dates. Funny that nobody eats in the dining room anymore — you should walk in the entrance on the South side. Thank goodness it’s a great experience because there are very few choices in this neck of the woods.

We chose to go to this restaurant because it was off the beaten path. You can miss it if you are driving a little too fast! So be sure to slow down and enjoy the scenery on your way to this gem!
We first walked in the front dining room and it was oddly empty with no one around to even acknowledge our arrival. After a few head scratching moments, we decided that the overwhelming delicious aromas and the obvious group of cars in the parking lot — we were not about to give up! In realizing that there is a Tavern attached to the restaurant, we walked around the back and were pleasantly surprised!
Max’s Tavern is not your average American Tavern! Upon entering, I felt like we had been transported to Ireland and were actually being seated in a cozy Irish Inn style Tavern. The food, the service, the atmosphere were all simply outstanding! It has been a few weeks and a few restaurants since we dined there, and I am afraid that I cannot remember what we ordered! I just remember that it was terrific!
Highly recommend the extra drive if you are up in the Woodstock area — or the hike if you are hiking the Appalachian Trail — this would be a nice little break for a weary through-​hiker! (coming from Woodstock, you cross over the AT on your way to the Barnard Inn)
Here is what Fodors had to say about it: