Hen of the Wood

For our first trip to Burlington, we were lucky to find this amazing place. The menu changes frequently, so we called ahead to make sure there were entrees our whole party would enjoy. We sat quickly and had a great waitress who explained the menu to us and suggested several ways to split and share dishes. The butcher had just gotten several pigs so the menu was pork-​heavy, but both the small plates and entrees were so creative and delicious that it never felt repetitive.
Make reservations in advance so you don’t miss out on this local treasure.

Nice place, very expensive, bit on the fancy side. Not sure if i’ll go back

Loved every dish we had. The mushroom toast was simple but delicious. We also had the beets which where good but I liked the toast better. Then we split the sausage pasta dish and the side of tarragon potatoes. Which where so AMAZING we got a second order. The service was some of the best I have had. The server was very knowledgable about the bar and the kitchen items. The chefs really know how to create a dining experience for your taste buds. We where nervous about what we heard about portions being to small for the cost but we left stuffed and plenty happy.

This place is an absolute gem in Burlington! We sat at the kitchen bar and watched the chefs prepare dinners the whole night. WOW! Perfection! The chef working the wood fired oven was spot on and the meat chef was on point as well. This place worked like a well oiled machine.
Oysters — incredibly fresh served with FRESHly ground horseradish!
Country Ham Plate — super fresh prosciutto cut fresh right before serving.
Hen of the Woods Mushroom Toast — fantastic mushroom flavor
Quail over buttered parsnip — amazing!
Hanger Steak — med rare, butter soft, great flavor
Brussell Sprouts with bacon and apple — delicious and perfectly caramelized
BEER: Heady Topper available. Great other selections as well.
This is a must try! Would eat here every night with their daily changing menu! All of above apps/​entrees and 3 beers… $ 134

One word. Dollar Oysters. Oh, wait, that’s two words, well technically four if you count saying «one word» but one’s a number not a word. So three words?
Screw it.
«Good»

If you’ve been to Cochon in New Orleans, this tastes like it’s Northern woods sister given the casual atmosphere with savory flavors. $ 1 oysters (4p-​5p), the pork cheeks with creamy sauce, the mushroom-​bacon toast, the roasted beets with goat cheese… yes, please. The seared cod was essentially a deconstructed clam chowder — which was perfect. We split this entrée and the above apps and were happily full at the end of the meal.
Word of warning: Happy hour is PACKED HERE but if you get a 5pm reservation they will automatically transfer your tab to the table after you take down a half dozen or more of the oyster deal.
I hope we get back here before we head back south this summer.

Montrealers it’s time for a road trip, destination Hen if the Wood! This is a great restaurant and when you add the opportunity to do some shopping at Trader Joe’s, spending an afternoon in Burlington is a no brainer.
Yes, that’s exactly what we did. Headed down to Burlington one afternoon with some friends. We made a quick stop at Trader Joe’s and then arrived at Hen of the Wood for our early reservation and we’re home before curfew.
The exterior of the restaurant is nothing special, but once in the door the place is beautiful without being over the top. Hen of the Wood lived up to our expectations on every level. the wait staff was excellent and knowledgeable and the food was outstanding.
Highlights from the appetizers included the Parker House Rolls and butter. It is all home made and delectable. It’s a great sign when your meals begins with bread rolls that blow your mind. The Hen of the Wood’s mushroom toasted is also a must. A toasted piece of bread topped with mushrooms, bacon and a fried egg.
The duck was a winner out of the selection of main dishes which were enjoyed with a side of potatoes and garlic aioli. An other wonderful surprise was the side of crispy brocoli, oh my God I could have had an entire plate of brocoli just for myself.
Our meal was just outstanding and I truly recommend that you make the trip to Hen of the Wood, we will certainly be putting it on our agenda again.

Maybe off night. Maybe overrated? Went there Friday after Thanksgiving, placed was mobbed. Great buzz in the air and couldn’t wait for the food. This has great hype and reviews.
The service was fine — nothing to make you feel special.
Food — eeeh. Ok but WAY over priced.
Of the three in the Hotel Vermont area. We love Blue in the Marriott. That is special and great food.

Loved this place!
I came here on a Thursday night with my boyfriend while we visited Burlington for the weekend.
We found this place through a recommendation from a waitress at another bar and glad we decided to check it out.
We sat at the bar and ordered the $ 1 oysters (happy hour special) I believe it was from 9p-​10p when we went and each had a glass of wine.
We didn’t order anything off the dinner menu but it all looked delicious. This is a very cozy and intimate place. If I ever find myself back in Burlington I would definitely come back!

This restaurant makes me wish I lived close by. From the service as soon as we entered, from the moment we picked up our coats to leave, everyone made sure that we were enjoying ourselves. We started with a cheese course (the raw goat), then did the roasted carrots and beef tartare. Our main dishes were the pork loin & the hake which were equally delicious. The wine selection is on point and our waitress was incredible.

I’ve had consistently excellent experiences here. While it’s not a spot I’d recommend for kids, they’ve been quite accommodating every time we’ve brought our now 2 year old daughter, I’m always very appreciative when they accommodate us adjacent to the bar where my daughter has more freedom.
Oddly enough, our absolute favorite is always the bread. But every time, without fail, there are winners on the menu… While I don’t typically go for lean cuts, varied takes on pork loin are always a favorite. Their cheese selection is always top notch. I don’t know what else to say, I’ve never been disappointed!

You can’t go wrong here, the food is amazing, the staff is knowledgeable and thoughtful. Molly took care of us tonight, and she is familiar with all the dishes, beers and cocktails. AND… we got awesome seats along the kitchen as walk-​ins! It’s rare to find a restaurant of this caliber where you can just walk-​in. The dining by the kitchen is our favorite, we get to see the magic happen right before our eyes, and the smells are intoxicating!
We watched multiple orders of the Beef Tartare and the Mushroom Toast go by… we’ve had them both before, and they are guaranteed to satisfy.
We decided to try the Lamb Meatballs, which were moist and flavorful. We also had their roasted carrots, the roasting brought out their sweetness.
For entrees, we had… the Roasted Broccoli and Delicata Squash, on top of a bed of pureed cauliflower. The flavors were intense in this dish, as the high heat perfectly caramelized the vegetables, and singed the edges. We also had the bone-​in Pork Loin, served on a bed of pureed parsnips, and a breaded medallion on braised pork. Cooked to perfection… still nice and juicy.
Unfortunately, we didn’t leave any room for dessert. We’ll save that for next time.

Wow, what a startling let down! I generally avoid this type of restaurant because it almost always disappoints, but I have been waiting a year to go here for my birthday and I had very high expectations based on reviews and the local hype about this place.
I’ll start with the positive: the place is lovely, right in downtown Burlington, next to the Hotel Vermont on Cherry Street. The reservation process was simple, we were greeted in a friendly manner at the door and shown to our seats immediately, even though the joint was jumping. So far, so good. (We had requested seats at the counter so we could watch the kitchen action and I enjoyed that aspect of our experience as well). The waitstaff was friendly and prompt, and you could ask any one of them for anything and they would do it with a smile.
Unfortunately, the food was not as unpretentious as the staff. The plates were small and expensive and lacked depth, complexity, sophistication. I expected better. Way better.
We ordered (and shared): Apps– Bierwurst plate, grilled octopus plate, Hen of the Wood mushroom toast. Entrée– Hanger Steak with a side of fingerling potatoes.
Drinks-​Citizen Punch to share, then I had a «2 & 2» (not on the drink menu, but recommended by our server) and my husband had a delicious Hoponius Union Beer (from Framingham, MA)
Groan… my hopes for a delicious meal were dashed from the first bite. The «bierwurst», I hate to say, was nothing but glorified baloney slices on a piece of bread dripping with butter of some sort. I can honestly say there was ZERO balance or complexity to any of this plate, the baloney — sorry «bierwurst» —was boring, there was too much of it on the plate for how little bread there was and, I forgot, there was a teeny tiny spoon of mustard that barely covered my half of the bread. Bummer.
Next, the grilled octopus. I was really looking forward to this because a foodie friend that I respect greatly had recommended this and I knew that my husband wouldn’t touch a bite, so I was committing to it. The plate arrived and right off the bat, I knew it wasn’t «grilled», or at least it wasn’t grilled enough. Again, no flavors to speak of, no depth, and no char to at least piqué the interest of my taste buds. A dismal flop. I actually felt a little nauseated after eating it. (it wasn’t spoiled or anything, just flaccid, which is not how I like my food to feel.)
Ok, the restaurant’s signature dish HAS to be a hit, right? Unh, nope. Bland, tasteless hen of the wood mushrooms, dripping (in not a good way) with too much of whatever they sauteed it in on half a piece of soggy toast. really?
Next, they were nice enough to split the hanger steak that we were sharing on two plates. They tried to hide how ridiculously small the steak was ($ 30) by covering it with half a grilled belgian endive (which I hate). It was literally three bites (granted, it would have been six bites if we hadn’t split it, but even so…). My husband just calculated that it was about $ 5 a bite of unseasoned beef that again, missed the mark in terms of holding my interest. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t…memorable. (and I LOVE hanger steak.)
The best part of the meal was the smashed fingerlings. They were fried perfectly in coconut oil and then sprinkled with course salt. Yum.
The cocktail recommended by the server was also really delicious, it had Stonecutter (local) gin, some artisanal mixers from Italy and a «rosemary and wild honey spray» made locally by a company called Alice & the Magician. Well balanced, complex, really good. I would come back to sit at the bar and have the potatoes and a 2&2.
We skipped dessert to avoid further disappointment and they brought me a cute little frozen moussey thing with a candle because it was my birthday. It was good, but not good enough to trust that ordering dessert would be a hit.
$ 150.00 out the door, including a nice tip. Here’s how I can tell it was not worth it: I was mad at the total. If I have a good meal that is $ 150.00, I am HAPPY to pay that hard earned cash, but this made me mad.
I am wondering, are other people really having good food there? Was it a bad night? Did we order wrong? Are they resting on their laurels? Am I too critical?
We will never know…

Yooo triangular ceiling beam structure.
Overarching theme: high quality everything with near perfect dish presentation. Not really mushrooms.
Czech the cheese board: Jasper Hill Oma, Orb Weaver Cave Aged, & Jasper Hill Bayley Hazen. Do that and you’ll be v happy.
Let’s talk about rabbit meat: It’s great. It’s like chicken but more velvety and rich. I now want rabbit instead of chicken at least all of the time. Hen of the Wood Mushroom Toast was ni¢e but essentially like all mushroom toasts. Steak tartar with potato chips was good but essentially like all steak tartar, you know, with potato chips. Desserts were fantastic, need not explain more.
Cocktails were on the seasonal apple flavors schtick, with the applejack daiquiri and the apple sazurac, both of which were

I went here for my boyfriend’s birthday dinner while we were in town visiting for the weekend. We saw it featured in a New York Times 36 Hours in Burlington video and added it to our itinerary. Unfortunately, there was only a 9:30pm slot available for reservations on their website and we booked it anyways. When we arrived early, I told them it was my boyfriend’s birthday. They had a cancelation and squeezed us in at 8pm. The hosts and waitress were incredibly friendly. Definitely appreciate that being a tourist in town. The atmosphere is great.
We ordered the grilled octopus and I highly recommend that as an appetizer. It was the perfect start to our dinner meal along with Citizen Cider, The Dirty Mayor drinks (great if you like ginger).
For our main course, we ordered the hanger steak and halibut. I have absolutely nothing to complain about either dishes. It was perfectly cooked with all the right spices and flavorings.
We topped it off with their mocha, caramel and honey seed ice cream scoops. Delicious!
I wish there was one on NYC! This is a must go to spot if you are ever in Burlington. I’ve heard the Waterbury location is also great. I’ll go there the next time I’m in Vermont.

You know the food is good here but nothing prepares you for that first taste of a delicate piece of toast topped with homemade bacon and two poached quail eggs.
It seems impossibly delicious.
Then you start the rest of your meal and it just gets better.
We had this wonderful house made pasta with rabbit and sausage that screamed comfort food but was a million times more interesting.
Also the cheese selection is worth trying. We had a helpful bartender suggest an assortment for us paired with some bread that was a nice early afternoon starter.
And their cocktails and wine list is out of this world.
Wines from everywhere with nice descriptions. I had a Switchel and a Cherry Coke, both dark rum based drinks. Super.
Oh the menu is updated every single day so be prepared for something new and fresh and fun when you show up.

As everyone else has indicated, this is THE place to have a great meal in Burlington. The location is down the street from the main downtown area, and once you get inside, the restaurant looks great. We made the mistake of not having a reservation but were lucky enough to find a spot at the bar where we could order from the main menu. My wife had an excellent cocktail, and I had a Heady Topper (one of the few places you can actually find this beer consistently). Our charcuterie plate was excellent (though a bit on the expensive side) and the meals we had were great as well. Everything was fresh and local with a frequently changing menu based on the season. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the options, but the wait staff and kitchen staff are happy to make recommendations if you need/​want them.
Everyone we dealt with here was very accommodating and answered all our questions. Overall, it was a great experience and if you want a nice night out in Burlington, I think this is the place to find it.
DO NOT FORGET to make a reservation before going here. Call at least 1 – 2 weeks in advance and consider calling even before that if you’re looking for a busier day of the week (Thursday, Friday or Saturday) or have a larger party.

So I guess we timed it right, we walked in right as first service was finishing and got some of the spots they hold at the bar and at the kitchen counter for folks like us who sometimes gotta roll without reservations. We sat right in front of the open kitchen, by the wood oven, where we could watch the action up close and it was lovely. My date has worked a bunch in kitchens and was mesmerized my the smart layout and grills on winches and how the dishes were stacked clean all around and dirty ones never came near the cooking — things I probably would never have noticed.
Instead I enjoyed Mike the grill guy’s sideways smile and the way the waitresses absent-​mindedly refolded our napkins when we weren’t looking, and brought us tastes of anything we had questions about. We had the fattest tastiest oysters I think I’ve ever had, and chanterelles with bacon on big toasted chunks of sourdough, and amazing cheeses, and super thin bright summer squash, and at the end… oy… this trio of sorbets and crème fraîche ice cream that was basically made of dreams.
The room is beautiful, warm, cozy, comfortable, and everyone who worked there was incredibly kind and funny and sweet in an authentic way. All in all, a kind of perfect night. Thanks Vermont!

Beautiful food! Amazing taste. Expensive but absolutely worth it.
I got the grilled octopus and was fulfilled by it.

4.5 stars. I’ve been dying to come here for the longest time and finally made it! I came around 8 pm on a Tuesday night and it was half empty. I had a reservation but I think chances are good for you to drop in without them on weekdays. Weekends (Friday and Saturday) especially are always booked so be sure to have reservations for those times! The atmosphere is nice and intimate. Many were drinking around us so I think the bar and tables are a good place to grab a nice drink with small bites of food. Otherwise, the price goes up significantly.
We ordered the oysters and bread to start. I wasn’t too hungry so I just had a small plate of grilled octopus. What’re my thoughts?
#Oysters — I’ve never had oysters this fresh! They’re a must-​try! I’ve read in the tips that these are $ 1 at certain times so read up for a good deal.
#Bread — fragrant and perfectly soft. These are mouthwateringly delicious and totally worth $ 5! They smell like fresh rosemary.
#Grilled octopus — smokey and not rubbery at all. Perfectly grilled. There are only 2 pieces so just be warned that it’s not going to fill you up at all.
The food is amazing! Definitely deserves its raves. Overall, the presentation is beautiful and the taste doesn’t disappoint either. Make sure to go for the large plates if you’re hungry and be ready to spend a good amount. I definitely will be back for drinks and a meal! Love love love the food! It didn’t get 5 stars because I wish the portions were larger. Of course you pay for the quality, but I was still hungry after.