Penny Cluse Cafe

And finally I have given up! I don’t get it and man, have I tried. Over the past ten years, and multiple experiences, no matter what, I always get sick after eating in there. No exceptions. How do I know this? The food zips through my body before my body leaves the building.
I’m sick before I leave the place. Obviously there is something served that doesn’t work for me at all, (just me?) I’m a little surprised it’s so popular. I would not eat a free meal there.

Penny Cluse isn’t my favorite breakfast/​brunch place in the Burlington area. There! I said it! Don’t shun me.
I do really like Penny Cluse and every meal I’ve had there has been good but nothing has been fantastic. Also, they do not have Egg’s Benedict. This is a really big thing for me. I really really love Egg’s Benedict and honestly, it’s the only thing I ever want if I’m going out for brunch.

Oh yeah — this place has been a local favorite for ever! No joke, I remember coming for a college visit to UVM (go Catamounts!) and getting a recommendation from one of the student guides way back in 2004. Still a hopping establishment, testament to Burlington’s unwavering commitment to farm to table, Penny Cluse Café consistently delivers. Is the wait long? Well… yes. Expect there to always be one and probably around 45 minutes to an hour. Unless you are one of the lucky few blessed with good timing who can scoot in and grab a seat up at the bar at the perfect moment. But that wait is well worth it.
This time around we had a few friends in town from Boston who make Penny Cluse their Burlington weekend getaway ritual must-​stop. The wait was about an hour, but with Lucky Next Door (yes, it really is called that) next door and fair weather, we were able to take a leisurely stroll up and down Church Street before sitting down to brunch. Our waitress was amazing, took the time to explain just about everything, and was super patient with the mixed and slightly indecisive orders — there are just too many gosh darn good options, how can one choose? You’d think that with all that wait we would have planned it all out.
We ordered a ton of food: Granola & yogurt, 3 egg omelette, Lunch with Lauren (AH-​mazing! griddled tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms and a side of mac & cheese), pancakes, soup, and orzo salad. Group recommendations: get the fruit platter to share. Not just beautiful to look at but also healthy!
Highly recommend (just factor in the wait time) and can’t wait to be back!

This has been positive every time. From their gingerbread pancakes to their savory platters with egg and turkey sausage, we all enjoy the large portions and delicious meals from PC. The price is expensive for breakfast but the portion size cancels out the high price point.
Even my wife, who holds very high expectations of breakfast really likes their traditional breakfast offerings.

This place is adorable. Very cleanly restaurant but with that comfort of home feel. I love the atmosphere and the food is delicious. Perfect place to hit up on a Saturday morning. In college? Put those books down for an hour or two and make your way down here. Grab a friend, have some coffee, get some eggs or something. You deserve a place like this with all your hard work and studying. When I lived in Burlington, and went to college here I always hit this place up with a few good friends of mine. The lighting in this place is just beautiful so you can have that «Good Morning, World» feeling as you bask in the light and enjoy coffee and good food (and good friends that you brought along).

Penny Cluse is just about my favourite go-​to breakfast place in Burlington; completely worth the drive down from Montréal, they specialize in an all-​day breakfast style menu complete with vegetarian options (tofu scramble)
My personal favorite here are the gingerbread pancakes, and the service here has always been excellent.
The only complaint I could have is how slammed they always are! It doesn’t affect the time it takes to get your food, but it does mean getting a table can take a good while.

Came upon this little neighborhood (apparent hot spot) after parking closeby and just happened to walk by. I’m pretty picky when I go on vacation (checking out reviews and such about the local fare before hand). We were clearly at the right place. With a 45 minute wait, I wanted to stay and see what this small city hype was all about. 30 minutes later we sat down. I ordered the special, which came out in a timely fashion. Pumpkin bread French toast. Fluffy and soft with an outer light crunch, with the best turkey sausage I’ve eaten on the planet. Tastes like pork, seasoned perfectly, ingrained char yum. Served with a tart and sweet cranberry relish. Of course I HAD to dose my frenchie with some Vermont maple. Duh.

Excellent breakfast food. If you come here by yourself you will be seated quickly. Expect a wait for a table though. I had the Penny Cluse egg dish. Delicious. Good bloody Mary’s too

We were starving and came here. The wait was an hour so we stopped by the place next doors and ordered a latte and some appetizers while we waited.
We ordered the penny cluse with fruit, eggs and home fries. The home fries were delicious, some of the best I’ve had. The eggs were great. There is a reason people wait an hour! I recommend this breakfast spot.

My absolute favorite restaurant in all of Burlington and definitely a front runner for my favorite restaurant anywhere. I have had many menu items and all have been beyond delicious. The salsas, salad dressings, sauces are super fresh and tasty. My favorites are the Ham or Tofu Randy, avocado salsa, Bucket o Spuds, and herb gravy over biscuits. A must try for breakfast or lunch when in the Burlington area!

It was about an hour wait but def worth it. I love how it looks like a house inside. Get the bucket o spuds and it will be quite filling. Everything here is really delicious and filling. I just got some Mexican food and Sunnyside eggs in it was so delicious.

Warning, the wait is incredibly long on the weekends, but its totally worth the wait. Put your name in and come by 20 minutes before they say to come back.
Food: Let’s face it, this is why you are here. HUGE portions of food. The must haves are the biscuits with herb gravy. The Penny Cluse breakfast has it with home fries and two eggs, and you can easily add on some breakfast meats to make it a worthwhile meal. The corned beef hash is freshly made with veggies mixed it. The coffee is their own blend from Speeder & Earls. They are good with the refills. The coffee itself is OK, but you can’t beat hot coffee.
Décor: A cute little café on a corner street. It’s packed full of seats but a lot of charm. Fits a breakfast diner/​café motif.
Service: Despite its business, they servers were attentive and quick to provide menus, orders, and the bill. They even took the time to explain where some of the food came from as well as the favorites on the menu.
Price: Reasonably priced on entrees for the portion size. Between $ 10-​$ 15 for an entrée. Appetizers are between $ 4-​$ 7.
Other: Just make sure you get there early and get your name in, especially if you have a party of more than 2 people.

Bön brunch !
Les tacos au poisson et omelette au chorizo étaient tous les deux très bons! Les portions sont généreuses avec un accompagnement d’avocat, de tomates pimentées et d’haricots rouges. Nous avons aussi pris un thé glacé et une limonade maison, tout aussi bons. Rien à redire. Il y a de nombreux choix de plats qui nous faisaient saliver mais nous étions contents de nos choix finaux!
On a trouvé dommage que la serveuse nous amèné l’addition alors que nos assiettes étaient à peine finies, sans même nous demander si nous souhaitions un dessert.
Le dimanche matin nous sommes passés devant vers 10h30, il y avait déjà une heure d’attente donc nous nous sommes inscris sur la liste puis nous sommes revenus un peu plus d’une heure plus tard, le temps de se balader en ville, et nous avons eu une table tout de suite!

I think it’s a really great place. Staff was friendly!
Price wasn’t the cheapest but decent food. The place was pretty busy a Thursday morning.

I love breakfast. I especially love creative savory breakfasts like savory bread pudding or savory pancakes. Which is why I was excited to try the polenta and eggs from Penny Cluse Café. It came with two eggs, any style, two grilled polenta cakes, black beans, and a tomato salsa sauce. The polenta was seasoned a bit strangely. I told my husband «there’s a taste in here you’re not going to like» and he said «oh, the dirt taste?» I didn’t think it tasted that bad, but his reaction was priceless. For my dish, I really think the seasonings were off.
For his breakfast, he had heard the pancakes were worth a try. He travels literally all over the world for pancakes (Liliha still wins) and so he got a breakfast combo, with one gingerbread and one buttermilk pancake, with 2 eggs, and a pork sausage. When his plate came, the gingerbread pancake was on top of the buttermilk pancake, so there was some «flavor crossover» making the buttermilk taste like gingerbread. This isn’t such a big deal for me, but he’s a purist, so this was a big no-​no for him. The gingerbread pancake was definitely better than the buttermilk because it was fluffier. But neither were worth traveling for.
The service at Penny Cluse is really great. The waiters are friendly and the hostess is a great manager of the masses. The wait on a Sunday morning was quoted to us as 40 minutes. We walked around Church St. for about 20, then came back and we got seated almost right away because 4 parties in front of us were called and not there because they were all probably still wandering around Church St. This is worth a stop in because it’s so wildly popular, but IMHO it’s not worth a repeat visit.

A trip to Burlington isn’t complete without a stop for breakfast at Penny Cluse. It’s conveniently located just off of Church Street, and is clearly a popular spot for visitors and locals alike.
Gingerbread french toast, fruit platters, tofu scrambles, spicy black beans, kombucha on tap, incredible coffee… I’ve never had a bad meal here. They have a highly eclectic staff who always prove to be competent as well as attentive. They made alterations to orders without fuss and are especially understanding of those with allergies or food restrictions. They do serve lunch as well, and while I haven’t tried it I’m sure it’s equally as wonderful.

My favorite Burlington restaurant. Well worth the wait!
Open for breakfast and lunch only and almost guaranteed to be a wait throughout its business hours. The food and atmosphere draw a constant crowd.
I’m always impressed by the professionalism of the servers while still keeping it casual and the kitchen’s ability to crank out the plates of deliciousness without any hiccups. While the wait for the table can be long, once you’re in, your served and served well.
They have standard breakfast and lunch items on their menu and put unique twists to others, like a cornbread French toast with rhubarb or interesting sauces to accompany traditional dishes.
One of my favorites is the banana bread. It’s griddled warm and served with maple walnut butter, delicious!
The tofu randy is my very favorite. I always get an extra side of the rocket sauce to dip the crust in. So good!
My husband loves their traditional breakfast with turkey sausage over the pork. BLT, Reubens, baked mac and cheese, all of it is outstanding.
To top it off, they are very family friendly and have a ton of fun and educational toys for the kids to play with. The owner clearly understands the challenges parent face dining with children.
Street parking is available with credit card or coin payments and there is a parking garage right next door. If your wait is long, there is plenty of places to visit on Church St to kill time.

Bucket-​O-​Spuds will CHANGE. YOUR. LIFE.
Upon knowing that I’d be near Burlington for an aunt’s wedding at the end of June, I started looking for breakfast spots WAY ahead of time. I’ve eaten breakfast and lunch at a few places along Church Street in the past, but I wasn’t looking for a traditional place. I needed something fun. I’m not using hyperbole when I state that I’ve been thinking of eating here for the past month. When the day arrived, the 45 minute wait on a Saturday morning didn’t even phase me. I was there! That’s all that mattered.
One, Ruslan, our server, was wonderful at his job, had a great sense of humor, and… well, he was really hot. There. I said it. It just enhanced the experience. Two, the layout of the restaurant is spacious, and I really enjoyed the smaller second level seating area where my parents and I happened to be seated. Three, the menu was next level…
The Bucket-​O-​Spuds, well, I stated my feelings for that early on. Think nachos with medium-​thick potato slices, cooked and slightly crispy, replacing tortilla chips, complete with melted cheese, fresh tomato salsa flecked with cilantro, sauteed onions and peppers, sour cream, and green onions. Best part? IT’S BREAKFAST. Actually, the best part is that they know how to assemble it correctly. One of my biggest pet peeves in life (for better or worse) in when nachos are poorly constructed. The fine folks in the kitchen know how to put down a layer of potatoes, put some cheese on it, then put more potatoes and cheese on top of that; by the time I got to the bottom, I still had potatoes covered in hot melted cheese. I washed that all down with a tall glass of amazing Watermelon Agua Fresca along with a fruit plate that I nibbled on, so, at least I hit most of my food groups. ;-) My dad got the Zydeco Breakfast, complete with eggs, black beans, and andouille sausage with corn muffins. My mom ordered the Basic Breakfast, and she got some biscuits with fresh strawberry jam that were beyond amazing.
Between bites, or even during bites, I just found myself audibly saying, «Oh my god… oh…my…god…» When Ruslan came back to ask how my potatoes were, I just responded, «…DUDE.» He understood. It was all that needed to be said.
I sit here back in NYC, pondering how I convince the folks behind this restaurant to open a location in Manhattan. That or I may be giving a lot of money to JetBlue to take flights up here just for breakfast. (Because who really needs to pay back their student loans or pay the rent? Not I!)

One of the great pleasures of dining alone is that there’s already an assumption that you’re a weirdo. So you can be particular about your seat, ask a ton of questions, stare and eavesdrop at will, and eat way too many calories in one sitting. Oh wait, I already do those things anyway.
My Vermont farmer friend instructed me to get breakfast here. I got up extra early (no easy feat) to squeeze in a visit before my return flight.
The restaurant is on the second floor of a house, casual and folksy, with local art hanging on the walls, and sunlight streaming in the windows.
I opted for the namesake Penny Cluse, a massive breakfast plate. The potatoes are lightly seasoned with mustard seed and roasted onions (next time I would sub fruit salad for $ 1). The gravy is peppery and creamy, dotted with shredded carrots for sweetness, with a nice texture from a garnish of sliced scallions. There were two huge, buttery biscuits and my eggs were expertly cooked over medium.
It’s a lot of food. A LOT. I couldn’t resist a side of bacon, three slices of thicker cut, perfectly crisp yet chewy, porky and not overly salted deliciousness.
I’m a proud member of the clean plate club, but I just couldn’t do it.
The waiter was friendly and attentive; he called me «friend,» which is less creepy than «sweetie.» A great local spot.

400+ reviews don’t lie people. After 4+ visits to Burlington, VT, I finally made it to **the** brunch spot in Burlington. Be prepared to wait at any given time of day. Lucky for me, I was flying solo and had no problem nabbing a spot at the bar at 9:30 am on a Tuesday.
It was the menu that won me over. Showstoppers: buckwheat pancakes with blueberries and Vermont maple syrup, gingerbread pancakes and herbed gravy over home fries to name a few. They offer a French Toast of the Day — today it was cornmeal maple (sounds delicious, right?). I couldn’t stop looking at my stranger-neighbor’s plate. Despite their long lines and popularity, they keep prices budget friendly. My meal accompanied by Jasime tea rang in at $ 12. *Thankfully, they’ll let you order one solo pancake (they’re large).
Note: their side of fruit is a work of art. Think mango, banana, watermelon, etc. –artfully displayed. Good meals like this have you coming up with excuses to return in a jiffy.

The pesto scramble might be one of the best breakfast items I’ve eaten recently.
I found myself moseying through Vermont and made a detour in Burlington. The original idea was to hit the flagship Ben & Jerry’s, but that plan was scrapped after realizing ice cream for breakfast was a bad idea. Enter Penny Cluse Café located just a Cherry Garcia’s pint toss away.
They feature familiar and unique twists on American comfort food. They also have a few rotating specials that extend beyond the borders as well (there was an Asian inspired tofu scramble on the chalk board for instance). Being a traditionalist, eggs were my first choice, and a good choice at that. Local eggs doused in pesto and accompanied by roasted potatoes and a biscuit. It was exactly what I was looking for.
Check out the menu here
to get a glimpse of what else they offer. Their bucket ‘o spuds seems like a swell way to get a huge dose of carbs. The banana bread looks and smells like like it’s worthy of a trip in-​and-​of-​itself. Just the right amount of love baked into everything they do.
Only knock was the service. It was sleepy and distracted. But maybe that’s just the heartbeat of the city. Being a lazy Sunday, it wasn’t of too much concern, though.