Nipper’s Cafe & Steakhouse

The boyfriend and I stayed for two nights at the lodge right next door and stopped by Nipper’s for breakfast lunch and dinner throughout our stay. Here’s a quick breakdown
— brunch on Saturday
I ordered an egg white omelet and huevos rancheros to go and took it back to our room. The omelete was made with 3 eggs and was done beautifully. Huevos rancheros = delicious, filling, and non-​greasy
— dinner Saturday
i got there at 630 and there were 2 other tables there already. We were placed at a small table for 2 in the middle of the room (i really hoped we could’ve sat at larger table in a better location especially since there weren’t that many people yet — but it wasn’t a big deal) I ordered the tuna salad and the boyfriend ordered the ribeye (bleu cheese). My salad was great but the steak was even better! It was definitely a good idea to talk to the owner (?)/​waitress and get her recommendations. We got a couple of beers also and the bill was super reasonable. There was live music and the ambiance was great! (the free chocolate chip cookies was a great finish to our night!)
— breakfast Sunday
be sure to order their coffee and put extra milk in it (you’re welcome) it was the best coffee i’ve had in awhile. I got the spinach and bacon eggs Benedict and the bf got a combo meal. I highly recommend my dish because you can just taste the freshness of the ingredients. This is true not only for this meal for all the meals i’ve had here
Definitely do not regret having all of my VT meals in this place because it was convenient, reasonably priced, and fresh & delicious!

I absolutely love this place. Excellent music, cool ambience — owner run. Obviously a labor of love. I always feel welcome and never rushed. Karen and Adam are wonderful hosts — best food in town !!!

I have nothing but total thumbs-​up for this small but charming restaurant. We were there two nights in a row. The first was a celebration with 5 adults. The second night two of us liked it so much we went back. Philly cheese steak the first night was different but totally tasty, and I think it was Maria’s Salad with chicken & grilled goat cheese the second that was big, tasty and the best. Do make reservations and order the apple crisp if available.

Un petit déjeuner après une nuit au motel et une sacré déception ! Des pancakes dont le seul intérêt résidé dans la taille. Pour le reste aucun intérêt gustatif: farineux et sableux à la fois contenant probablement plus de levure que d’autres ingrédients, en clair bourratifs et n’ayant qu’un très très lointain rapport avec ce que sont des pancakes.
A deep frustration with the pancakes very badly prepared: no real taste, a kind of unpleasant sandy texture, not even warm enough to make butter melt. Needs tons of maple syrup to get close to be eatable.
Got one star because it seems we must give one at least but …

Note: breakfast on Saturdays is only 8am to 10am. They close the kitchen at 9:45 (and I don’t know when they re-​open for lunch). They could be delicious and warrant more stars, but I wouldn’t know. :(

The food was fresh, flavorful, and plentiful, and the service was fantastic. I cannot imagine why the one standout negative review complained about this restaurant. I have nothing but positivity to leave. I came with a large group of seven people and we all were thrilled with the food and service. We ordered a huge amount of food — appetizers of chicken wings, clams, red pepper antipasto, and panko shrimp. I loved all of that, though maybe the clams a bit less so. The antipasto, shrimp, and chicken wings were absolutely wonderful. The medium hot sauce and BBQ sauces of the wings — mmm! Honestly some of the best wings I ever had on my life. THAT good — and I am not even a huge chicken wing fan! For entrees we ordered different burgers, horseradish crusted salmon, steak, and crab cakes. I did not try all the entrees but we all enjoyed what we ate and licked plates clean. My only tip for the crab cakes would be to slightly season the mashed potato side dish a bit more; otherwise the crab cakes, sauce, and side of zucchini and summer squash was fantastic. For dessert we purchased chocolate chip cookies, which were good. I should add that the restaurant is also located in an absolutely astonishingly beautiful locale; sit outside if you want to really enjoy the experience!
I also would like to THANK the restaurant for pricing the food with normal, decent, not bank breaking prices — a rarity for the area. Thank you!!!
I give this a solid four stars; probably deserves 4.25 stars, even. I probably will be back again during our trip to Vermont!

We were delighted. This was our first time at Nipper’s. After a matinée at Dorset Theatre, we decided to get something to eat. Reviewing Unilocal,and ignoring the recent standout negative review that sounded like it came from someone that wouldn’t be happy anywhere, we set off for Nipper’s.
We were greeted in a welcoming manner and seated quickly.
The menu covers a broad array of food and choices, surprising for a place this small. You can choose from Prime cuts of beef, or simpler salads, sandwiches and burgers. A good selection of beers including several local brews on tap.
The food was fresh, tasty and portions were generous.
We will definitely return on our next trip over to Dorset.

Thinking about walking out since the service is so bad. Waited a half hour for beer refills and no sign of food after an hour. Would not recommend!

This was the worst dining experience we have had in Manchester. They were only moderately busy, but the service was ridiculously slow. It was well over an hour before food came out, and impossible to get drink refills. When we couldn’t get the attention of our server for over 15 minutes, someone in our group flagged down a young woman who was standing behind the cash register to alert her that we were trying to get drink refills. She replied; «I’m not a server, so there’s nothing I can do about it». She didn’t bother to tell our server either. When we finally did get the attention of the server to place the drink order, it took another 30+ minutes for the TWO drinks to show up!
The food was average at best. One in our group ordered the filet medallions cooked medium rare. They came out well done. Back to the kitchen, and another long wait. The vegetables in the veggie and shrimp stir fries were over cooked, the shrimp undercooked, and the wide noodles they were served over were all stuck together and difficult to eat.
To top it all off, an 18% gratuity is automatically added to the bill on large parties, so you are stuck paying for service that you won’t receive.
With so many other great choices in the area, I can’t recommend this restaurant.

An awesome and very fulfilling meal. Wings were great, the hot sauce was the spiciest I’ve ever had! Also enjoyed the NY strip and pork (the best). Our waitress was very accommodating and helped us decide on some great dishes.

We visit Manchester a few times a year and for some reason we hadn’t heard of Nippers until our last trip. I am so glad we came here!
Nippers is a restaurant & bar attached to the office and private home of the owners of the Stamford Motel. The husband and wife team run the property and do a great job. I believe the husband is the chef and the wife, Karen, bakes the desserts and manages the business. They offer dinner daily and breakfast on weekends.
DINNER:
We had dinner there on a Friday night and arrived just in time before the kitchen closed, which was about 8pm. We were greeted and seated by Karen and quickly had someone taking our drink order. It was great that this place had a full bar. My husband’s beer hit the spot after a long drive up that night. The atmosphere is very warm and familial. The owners make you feel very comfortable. The dining room is small — I’d estimate they have 15 tables and can accommodate 30 – 40 people roughly… So reservations are highly recommended on weekends. They have big windows along the one wall of the restaurant which provides a great view of the mountains as well.
We ordered a couple of apps to start: veggie spring rolls and hot wings. Six spring rolls were served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce that had a little bite to it that was really delicious. I don’t like spicy at all, but this dipping sauce was very flavorful and the slight spice perfectly complemented the sweetness of the sauce. My husband ordered the hot wings very spicy and he said they were great. Another healthy portion as well.
For our entrees, I ordered the Philly cheesesteak which came with a side of potato salad and chips. Amazing! The roll was lightly toasted with butter and the amount of Vermont cheddar, onions and peppers were perfectly incorporated with the meat, which was super tender. The generous side of potato salad is homemade with a hint of dill and was refreshing. I recommend ordering a side of this with any meal — it is not to be missed. I believe the chips were home made as well. They were very crisp and greaseless. My husband had the burger which was cooked to his order of medium — perfectly pink and juicy. The French fries were falling over the sides of the plate and were so good — well seasoned, crisp and greaseless.
We didn’t have dessert as we were both stuffed, but the list was tempting and I understand Karen makes them fresh.
BREAKFAST:
The next day we returned for breakfast which I believe is only served on weekends. There are a handful of places in Manchester that serve breakfast and this is one of them and probably the best. They have a large breakfast menu which is great. I had the cinnamon French toast and eggs over easy while my husband had an omelet made to order with a bunch of stuff added (bacon, cheese, onions, I lost count) and he said it was one of the best Omelets he’s had. The home fries served with omelet were perfectly browned and seasoned as well.
DESSERT/​NIGHT CAP:
We couldn’t get the desserts out of our mind, so we returned another night after eating in town to have our nightcap and dessert here. The evening was perfect — 75 degrees, sun was setting and we sat on the deck and enjoyed our drinks and dessert. It met our expectations, if not exceeding them. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day/​weekend in Vermont.
The owners have thought of everything and really make you feel welcome and relaxed. I highly recommend Nippers if you’re looking for a laid back experience with delicious food.

Awesome find!
Our normal spots were all booked up, so we ventured out and found Nipper’s.
Four of us came out for dinner and it was awesome.
Will most definitely be coming back.
Red Wine Chorizo awesome
Lamb chops killer.
Chocolate Marquese (I think thats what it was called) so rich so delicious and it has GOLD!
Chocolate chip cookie sandwich is out if this world. I assure you this dessert is not only for children.
THANKS FOR THE AWESOME MEAL!

Our party of 6 went in on a Friday night. Surprisingly, there was only 1 other table. Their entrees are priced on the generous side, I think because this is close tot he outlet shopping. However, the staff is also fantastic! Our server was funny, polite and knowledgeable. I ordered the salmon special and it was pretty good, the veggies were great the rice was defiantly on the dry side. The rolls that came with the meal were fresh and quite large. Overall we were happy with our food.

My son and I really enjoyed our breakfast at Nipper’s. I had Hannah’s French Toast with a side of Corned Beef Hash. Food was great. My son had The Basic with a side of grilled grapefruit. He said the grapefruit was awesome. Waitress staff was friendly and they helped each other, with topping off other customers coffee.

The restaurant is on property to where we stayed (Stamord Motel) on vacation. It is immaculately clean and the breakfast we had was delicious. Everything was very fresh and the server was very friendly. The corned beef hash was outstanding!

Wonderful service, exceptional food! Breakfast is never greasy and the wings are superb.

Breakfast here was our last meal on our vacation in Vermont, and it was just about the best meal we had. The server may have been new, but she was very friendly and helpful. The applewood smoked bacon was out of this world, as were the pancakes with real maple syrup. The dining room is comfortable with beautiful large autumn photos on the walls. I wish we had tried lunch or dinner there — we’ll definitely stop back if in the area.

I’m surprised this is the first review, see TA site and there are nearly 100 reviews at this writing.
Very good food for the price, a wonderful value. You’re sure to enjoy

The setting was really cool, the service was excellent, and the food was good, not great. I think this place was a little pricey but we were in the middle of Vermont and looking for quality food. We had clams and muscles for appetizers and although they were fresh, I thought the sauces and seasoning they came in were kind of bland and could have used a bit more flavor. For an entrée, I had the Lamb chops, which were also good, but again, a little gamy and very bony. So although I was satisfied with my meal, I wasn’t delighted. I hope this helps. We ended up spending $ 51 per person, including gratuity.

Great food, reasonsble prices, and friendly staff. We had the ribeye, horseradish salmon, and chocolate chip cookies.

What a gem! Nipper’s, from the outside, looks like an average café – don’t let the exterior fool you. The chef impresses with creative dishes and fresh ingredients. There were six of us, and we each ordered different things that night for dinner, plus appetizers – you get a 25% discount on them when you check in on Unilocal!,btw. My meal, a special chicken with mushrooms, was so good – tender and flavorful. They also have these wonderful bottled sodas – birch beer! Everyone enjoyed their meal and agreed it was the best food we had during our four day trip to Manchester, VT.
The service was also spectacular. Our waitress was kind and attentive. She answered questions and made recommendations.
Fun fact: Nipper’s is named after the RCA dog mascot – you know, the one who barks into the victrola? – our waitress explained this to us on our way out. And, the owners’ last restaurant was named Maxwell’s after their own dog. Anyways, I like places that our unique and have a «homey» feel to them. The staff seemed generally happy to work there, which is an indication that the management is doing something right.
Definitely stop in at Nipper’s if you want to have a great dining experience in Southern Vermont.