Know a good Burlington, Vt motel and a cool restaurant?

May 15, 2009 8:18 AM

Recommend a decent motel in Burlington, Vt, and the coolest restaurants in town?

Going to see David Byrne at the Shelburne Museum next month. Trying to find a decent motel.

Don't need an indoor pool or anything, just clean and comfortable. Have seen the Vermont Cheap Motel List (http://www.motelguide.com/vtag.html) but it's just a list you apparently pay to get on. A little firsthand experience would go a long way.

A cool restaurant would be great too. Have read this thread: http://ask.metafilter.com/102050/Where-should-we-eat-in-Burlington-VT

... but it's not exactly what I'm after.

Seeking cool restaurants. "Cool" meaning memorable for its character while having good-to-great food. Not fine dining, necessarily, not the most expensive places in town. Just a place that's unique in its own way. A place you won't find anywhere else. Vermont has a reputation for funkiness, and I seek to bring in da funk to this trip.

Thanks.

(Anonymous because the trip is a surprise for someone who reads MeFi).

posted by anonymous to travel & transportation around Burlington, VT (11 answers total)

Shelburne Museum isn't close to downtown, unfortunately. If you're trying to be closer to there, try motels in South Burlington.

If you want a more urban experience, stay in downtown Burlington. Williard Street Inn is a nice B&B.

I always recommend American Flatbread for a meal. Yum! If you're looking for "funky" try Three Needs.
posted by k8t at 8:35 AM on May 15, 2009

Red Onion for lunch. Bove's for dinner.
posted by Xalf at 8:59 AM on May 15, 2009

I also highly recommended American Flatbread in the past on the Green and will do so again. Hands down, the most memorable handmade pizza I have ever had. It's been three years since I ate there and I still dream about the crispy thin crust and the amazing, fresh ingredients. I heart their pizza.
posted by HeyAllie at 9:18 AM on May 15, 2009 [1 favorite]

Last weekend I went to Burlington for the first time, and had a lot of fun! Our favorite place to eat was a creperie, The Skinny Pancake (and here's a link to my boyfriend's Yelp review). Definitely unique, tasty and memorable. We went for breakfast, but they have a good selection of lunch/dinner options too.
posted by illenion at 9:49 AM on May 15, 2009

No stop in Burlington is complete without a meal at Flatbread. Do it. :)
posted by xotis at 10:19 AM on May 15, 2009

The Inn at Shelburne Farms is an amazing restaurant and one of the most beautiful places I've seen. It's right on Lake Champlain in Shelburne (obviously), maybe 25 minutes from downtown. It's seasonal but I assume it's open by now.
posted by JamesWilson123 at 10:39 AM on May 15, 2009

The Starry Night Cafe is just down Rt. 7 from the Shelburne Museum in Ferrisburg. It is very cool and (when I went there some years ago) was one of the best meals I had ever had.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:30 AM on May 15, 2009

There is not a wealth of good hotels in the Burlington area. We've been pretty happy with the Courtyard Marriott on Cherry St. The Essex (used to be the Inn at Essex) was getting a bit worn when we stayed there a couple of years ago but based on the name change they might have renovated since then.

The Sheraton, the Hilton (used to be the Radison) and the Holiday Inn have all been around for at least 35 years. The Sheraton was really worn down when we stayed there several years ago. Bottom line the weather is really hard on these places what with people tramping in mud and snow much of the year.

The Courtyard and the Hilton are right downtown, the Holiday Inn and Sheraton are a couple of miles away, and the Essex is about 5-10 miles away.

Seconding JamesWilson about Shelburne Farms. It's really beautiful and there are walking paths galore if you just want to go for a walk.

Go to PennyCluse (downtown) for breakfast. Very VT-esq and great food.

If you're looking for a nice place for dinner, The Bearded Frog in Shelburne had great food and a lot of small restaurant character. It's not cheap but it's worth it.

The FiveSpiceCafe used to be a Burlington standard but there was a fire and I don't know if they've re-opened. If they have, check them out. Also, no visit to Burlington is complete without going to Al's French Fries.
posted by txvtchick at 11:44 AM on May 15, 2009 [1 favorite]

FiveSpice is gone forever, I'm afraid. It's sad, but in it's place, we're getting a Bierhaus! Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it's opening until July, so that doesn't help much.

I'm rather fond of Halverson's on the top end of Church Street. More for the atmosphere than anything else. It's a cozy little pub with a good beer selection and pretty good burgers.

Flatbreads, as others have said, is probably the best place in town. In my opinion, the brewery and food at Flatbreads is considerably better than its neighbor Vermont Pub and Brewery.
posted by The Man from Lardfork at 12:34 PM on May 15, 2009

I would also vote for Red Onion. It has extremely badass sandwiches.
posted by ITheCosmos at 2:04 PM on May 15, 2009

I hear there is always a wait at Flatbread, so beware of that. I've heard similar for Penny Cluse.

Check out the Seven Day's restaurant site to take a look around. I ate at Magnolia Bistro once and it was really good. Very "green" restaurant.

Sorry, I have no recommendations on cheap places to stay.
posted by evening at 2:06 PM on May 15, 2009