Muddy Waters

This place has a friendly atmosphere and all around great vibes. I love the coffee, fresh juice and pastries.

Mad props for character and friendly staff! Lost points for paying for refills, no WiFi, and limited menu (plus much of the food is uncovered). The ambiance is unique for sure and worth checking out. For me, a bit dark.

Lemme start by saying the décor in this place is fantastic. I had a hot cocoa there the other day– so yum yum yum with fresh whip cream and a tasty cookie for a pretty good price I have to say. Lovely spot I highly recommend

Hobbit hole, time capsule with hippy Vermont vibes (and an awesome study location for all those college kids in town). If you haven’t yet, you really ought to come and check this place out — you’ll be glad you did. All the exposed wood and the glass out front gives the shop a cozy, warm vibe — perfect for mellowing, chatting with a friend, or hunkering down to get some work done. I frequented this place as an undergrad and have since been coming back for nostalgic chats and of course for their amazing coffees (any time) or their Muddy’s shakes (a total summer treat!)
Come here to disconnect — literally, since there is no wifi! They do have some outlets though so you won’t completely be with out power. That being said, with all the amazing beverage selections (coffees, teas, even beer) and snack foods (hummus plates, soups, cookies, bagels, etc.) you are sure to have the perfect complement to your visit here.
Favorites of mine are the bianca (definitely get it with a double shot of espresso), the muddy’s shake, and the Shiva’s Chai (spiked chai for those of you 21+).
The space can get packed depending on exams or events but can also be very open and intimate. Choose wisely when you go, but the experience will absolutely never let you down!

To be honest, I think the coffee and cocktails leave something to be desired here, but I still give it four stars for the atmosphere and the fact that it is a great place to go with people of mixed drink tastes (as some can order coffe or tea and others can order cocktails or beer). I love this place for small gatherings or passing a few hours with a newspaper and a coffee (sometimes a spiked one).

Just good coffee and great music. It’s a bit harder to find by its unassuming exterior, but you walk in and its like walking into another world.
Food: We only had coffee and it was good. Nothing to write home about but a good cup of coffee and 10x better than any Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts.
Décor: Whoa… you seriously feel like you are walking into another world. Another Unilocaler noted that it looked like you stepped into a realm in Zelda and I agree. Or it looks like a coffeeshop in Amsterdam. It’s so earthy and woodsy. However, plenty of outlets if you need to do some work. The Muddy Waters on the speakers also fits right in.
Service: Quick and easy. You pick up your coffee and sit wherever you can. Bring up your plates or put them away when you are done.
Price: Around the same cost as the other coffee shops around.
Other: None

We hid out here on a Saturday morning as we waited for the rain to subside to go to the Farmers Market. I’m sure glad it rained because Muddy Waters was a gem to find. A beautiful wooden interior and big comfy chairs made our sit here very cozy and interesting. The coffee is good and the bagels are beautiful. I got steamed maple milk in my coffee, too — yum!

This coffee shop was crowded, but once we had our dirty chai latte and hazelnut latte, we could not understand why. We love lattes, but we couldn’t even finish these! Also, the service was very slow and not particularly friendly. Oh well…

A unique coffee shop experience. You actually feel like a character in Zelda while sipping your organic Ethiopian blend. The food is pretty good too! This place is a must if you are a coffee or tea drinker exploring Burlington.

Moved to VT just over two years now. On the day of my interview (which went really well clearly), I went to Muddy Waters afterwards. The barista (Caroline) was the friendliest person I’d ever met. She truly made me feel welcome to not only Muddy Waters, but to Burlington! I had a Muddy Shake their and it was epic (hands down the best shake anywhere). Two years later, I am still a huge Muddy Supporter! I bring my co-​workers and student staff here all the time. The maple lattes are great and their bagel selection is awesome (best pumpernickel bagel anywhere). Great atmosphere, very hip, love it!

Good Coffee
We just took coffee to go, my girlfriend said a dog was inside.
We didn’t want to just bring our dog in, so of course I just sat outside and people watched.

Great eats, drinks and atmosphere, but the service is so hit or miss.
Nestled on Main Street, Muddys has a lot going for it. It’s convenient to just about everywhere downtown, the prices are spot on for the quality, and they serve everything from quick breakfast items, to mixed drinks and draft beers.
Where they stumble however is in their staffing. There are few to no systems in place for handling rushes, so when it gets busy you can be in for a long wait. And while the staff is generally pleasant, there’s often no pep to their step and most times they look generally disinterested in their job. Some employees are better than others however, so your mileage may vary.
If it wasn’t for the cool, laid back décor, the support of local products, collar by location, and better than average pricing, I would not be a regular.

Muddy Waters is my go-​to coffee shop in Burlington.
First of all, I love the atmosphere. It is very Vermont, and feels like I’m drinking my coffee or smoothie in a tree house. There is plenty of seating with tables and booths to chill out and eat/​drink. Their coffees are all fair trade and organic and all that fun stuff, but more importantly, good. I usually opt for a shot of espresso and drink it black. My new favorite thing when I’m in town is to get one of their smoothies. I love the banana, ginger, peach smoothie, but also the mango smoothie with ginger added. So good.
I haven’t had any of their food or had a beer there but it’s cool that they serve beer for when you are hanging there in the evening. The service is always pretty friendly and so far i’ve been lucky to not have to wait in line. Prices can seem a bit high but nothing that is too crazy. It’s right around the corner from Church st. and I’m glad that it’s kind of off the main drag. Love.

Locate this spot and you have achieved half the success of ordering your coffee beverage. It doesn’t feel like there should be this coffee shop where it is located, but it’s nice that it is here.
The size of the coffee shop is 4 stars, but it feels somewhat cluttered and dark bringing it back down to 3 stars. The ordering is all the way in the back, so you have to parade through the entire shop before ordering — so, maybe I am lazy, but I think it’s more of the caffeine fiend in me getting feisty, and awarding only 3 stars for that. The menu for food is small, but the menu for coffee beverages is quite refreshingly lengthy — 4 stars.
It’s nice to have a choice of 1 or 2 shots of espresso in your beverage — 4 stars. It’s nice to choose your milk in your latte, but that is standard operating procedure for most places — 3 stars. It’s nice to have the option to have a quick snack or a fruity smoothie or juice boost to your caffeination, but I am unsure why they «close down» the juice/​smoothie machines in the evening — 3 stars. The late hours are very convenient, as I like to have coffee drinks just about anytime of day, but why aren’t there early hours, I am not sure — 3 stars.
This is a far better choice than a national chain, but overall, it was just good, not stellar. Unique atmosphere, but… I might walk a bit further to go elsewhere if given the choice. Looks super cool though to just chill out here late night and sip away on a tasty latte — almond milk, extra shot, please.

Great atmosphere, never too crowded, super friendly staff. No WiFi but I like to come here when I need to read or write without the distraction of the internet. Love that I can get a coffee, hang for a few hours, then switch to beer without leaving. It’s also the only place in town open this late which is awesome for evening studying.

I had never been here before and figured I would try it. I’m a liquor kinda guy, not really into beer. When I asked about a margarita the lady behind the counter said she can make one. She brings me this margarita that tasted like straight tequila with a dash of lime juice. When I finished my drink she asked me if I liked it, in which I absolutely did. I took one star away because there wasn’t many options for healthy snacks. Other than that the place is amazing.

Great location, downtown with a very cozy and comfortable atmosphere inside — friendly staff — and good drinks! I enjoyed the Maté Latte!

This place doesn’t have wifi, which defeated the point of me coming since I needed wifi. But aside from that, it is a cozy café with very relaxing music. A good place for a rainy BVT day. I wished I had brought a book with me though. This is a place you can sit and spend the day reading a good book with some coffee, or in my case, chai tea. The chai tea was pretty good.

I ordered a peppermint mocha and got a chai. Come on, man…
In other news, it was a nice environment to sit and talk for an hour or two. Cool music, laid-​back employees and customer base, and they had chess sets available to borrow. The only thing that would have made it better was the correct drink!

It’s the atmosphere of Muddy Waters that really makes this coffee shop unique. If walking into a warm, wood cabin makes you feel good, you will undoubtedly love the aura of this place.
Have a craving for quality coffee or fruit/​vegetable juices? Look no further: Muddy Waters has it. They even have beer on tap. That’s pretty awesome.
The staff members are friendly and down-​to-​earth. You won’t likely find an unkind person working here.
I ordered a fruit smoothie, specifically the Peach Banana Ginger smoothie (all smoothies come in 16 ounce cups and cost $ 5). It was pretty good, save for the absolutely pungent ginger aftertaste.
My only quip about this place are the inflated prices. Granted, we all know that quality comes at a cost, but nonetheless, the prices would be absolutely prohibitive for me to come here as a regular if I lived in Burlington.
3.5 stars