‹ 25 small cities with big food › No. 7
Small city, big food · No. 7 of 25
Burlington, Vermont
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (see file page for author)A college town on Lake Champlain in the most farm-proud state in the country: cheese, maple, cider and beer, and restaurants that know every grower by name.
Vermont cheese, maple and creemees
Where to eat in Burlington
1A photo like it
Honey Road
Get: Mezze to share
Seven Daysies best restaurant in 2025 and 2026. (community.sevendaysvt.com)
2A photo like it
Hen of the Wood
Get: Whatever comes off the wood fire
Next to Hotel Vermont since 2013; a 2026 Daysies finalist. (henofthewood.com)
3A photo like it
Pizzeria Verità
Get: A Neapolitan pie
Cooked at 900F in two minutes; owner a 2026 Beard semifinalist. (tablejourney.com)
4A photo like it
Al's French Frys
Get: Fries
A James Beard America's Classic, in business since 1946. (archive.jamesbeard.org)
Plan the trip
- When to go
- June to October; foliage peaks early October.
- Getting there
- Burlington International (BTV), 10 minutes. Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express from New York.
More for Burlington
Why it's on the list
Food & Wine No. 7 small food city, 2026.
Next small city
Places checked November 14, 2026; hours and menus change. "A photo like it" is the same kind of food, not from that place. Nobody pays to be on our lists.
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