Barkeaters Restaurant

We were given a gift card to Barkeaters. It’s about an hour’s drive for us, so we’d held off going. With college now out and my husband on vacation, we opted to go last night. It was a mix of good and bad, but honestly I doubt we’ll go again.
Better Make Reservations
We arrived at 5 p.m. The hostess immediately asked if we had a reservation, which we didn’t. We didn’t really know that reservations were required, especially at 5 p.m. on a weeknight. After an uncomfortable 30-​second period of her looking over the seating chart, she said she’d give us a table that was reserved if we agreed to eat in a hurry as the reservation was for 7 p.m. A full two hours away! We ate, paid and left with two other tables never filled in the 40 minutes we were there. We could have been out faster had our waitress not forget to bring the second beer my husband ordered and then remembered it right before bringing the bill. If you go, I highly recommend making reservations, as it seems they prefer that.
Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down for Food
We started with the Mushroom Fries. The mushroom and coating was incredible. The mango aioli served with them tasted a bit like frosting, so we didn’t really enjoy that, but it didn’t matter. Those mushrooms alone were full of flavor and worth every penny.
Next up were the meals. The grilled chicken sandwich. The chicken was charred to the point it was dry and not that appetizing to my daughter, so she ate it, but wasn’t impressed. My husband’s burger on the other hand was something he said rated as one of the best burgers he’s had.
My son had the Lemon & Garlic Roasted Chicken, and while the chicken was tasty, we really wish they’d said they serve the risotto on a bed of field greens. Like me, he’s allergic to lettuce, so he wasn’t really able to eat much of the risotto.
Finally, I had the Baked Haddock, one of the more expensive items on the menu. For $ 26, I got a square of haddock that was a three-​inch square. It’s topped with crab and lobster, but after getting two pieces of shell, I was a little disappointed. You also get five asparagus spears (cooked to perfection) and about a ¾-​cup serving of rice pilaf that was too salty for my taste. I regretted ordering it.
When they bring the check, you do get some dark chocolate bark that was also really good.
Value Is My Sticking Point
In the end, the value was the sticking point, especially for the haddock. It simply wasn’t worth the $ 26. Added to the uncomfortable situation where we were told to eat in a hurry because of a reservation two hours from when we entered the restaurant, it’s just not a positive experience that makes me want to return.

My husband and I have always thought of Barkeaters as our GO TO place. We have enjoyed many a good meal and the waitresses have always been very friendly. Nice to be recognized when we go in. However, tonight was a much different story. Wednesday night is the burger special night. For $ 10.00 you get a burger and a beer. I don’t drink and for as long as I can remember, I’ve been charged $ 7.00 for the burger. My husband, gets the burger for $ 7.00 and $ 3.00 for the beer. It is broken down that way on the check. Tonight, as so many other nights, we ordered that. The bill came… his burger was $ 7.00 with the $ 3.00 beer and my burger was $ 10.00. I brought it to the attention of our waitress. She came back and told me if you don’t get the beer, they still charge $ 10.00. I explained never has that happened before and further more, how can you charge me $ 3.00 more for the same item my husband has. The «manager» then came over and said you pay $ 10.00 for the burger even if you don’t get the beer. She did adjust the check but informed me it would never be adjusted again. I explained to her it was a bad policy and they just lost a long time customer. How can you charge one person one price for the same item, and another $ 3.00 more? AND how do you justify that when there are children involved? No more Barkeaters for us!

If there were more stars they would highlighted. Our waitress Jan was fabulous. We spotted this place on Unilocal and gave it a shot for lunch. My wife had the beet salad and the maple cider dressing was liquid gold. I had the turkey and ham club with cranberry mayo. It was another home run. This place is off the beaten path, don’t pass it by. The place is a hidden treasure.

My young daughter and I had an event to attend in Shelburne, so I quickly looked up some places and Barkeaters seemed like a place we would like after a long drive from the Boston area. We arrived just before 6 pm on a Friday, I thought it was early enough we could have a bite without too long a wait. As we walked it it smelled delicious and even my daughter said it smelled yummy. I glanced around and there were at least three empty four top tables and from my vantage point one empty table for two. As we walked to the hostess she. Looked at my five year old with a look that made you think we brought a skunk in with us. I said dinner for two and she pursed her mouth and made a huge show of looking at the paper in front of her, frowning, sighing and she then said «I have reservations for people at seven you wont have time to eat if I seat you» I looked at the empty tables and back at the hostess and it was clear she had no intention of letting us eat there. I thanked her and left, but something bothered me until I logged into Unilocal and re-​read the reviews and saw a family with a similar experience including the «you cant eat in an hour» remark. I get that not everyone likes children, but my daughter was far from a baby and has been taught how to behave in restuarants. She has eaten in much fancier places all over New England and has never once misbehaved or disturbed other patrons. If this establishment doesnt want families to eat there then it should just say that and be polite about it. We found somewhere else to eat, but if you have a family I would avoid the hassle of even trying to eat here.

Went here after the family toured the Shelburne Museum yesterday. Waited 30 minutes (as is the norm for everyplace up here), but it was well worth it: a moist & tasty Asian-​flavored turkey burger for me, and a beet & cheese salad for the wife, and a yummy burger and chorizo-​black bean soup & fries for the kids. This is a little gem close by to the Shelburne!

Visiting Burlington after having lived there for 30+ years and were looking for a quick place to have something to eat after flying in. This is a nice casual restaurant. Can’t give it a thorough review since it was a quickly and everyone had the fish and chips. It was a nice serving of fried haddock with piping hot fries. One friend substituted the sweet potato fries. Fish had a light crispy crust on the outside and was tender on the inside.
I started with the soup of the day. It was chili. The small bowl was more than adequate for $ 5 and it was probably the best chili I’ve had in a restaurant. It was loaded with good stuff. They should make it a regular menu item.
Good service and reasonable prices.

It was my first time at any restaurant in Shelburne and my lovely date suggested Barkeaters. It was incredible! Our hostess was Molly and she was fantastic; very attentive. We started with the butternut squash soup, which was probably one of the best butternut squash soups I have ever had, if not the best (sorry mom). It was rich, creamy and smooth. My only suggestion would be to include a couple pieces of crustini to go with it as it was so thick.
We split two entrees, the cedar plank salmon and the ravioli of the day (apple, squash, gorgonzola). The salmon was cooked perfectly and was moist. The reduction sauce paired nicely with it and came with a bed of sweet potato, white bean and quinoa hash accompanied with an apple/​mango chutney. A little bit of everything in one bite made for a memorable experience!
The ravioli was great. Every bite tasted like apple pie! it reminded me of apple pie the day after Thanksgiving when I will take some slices of sharp cheddar cheese and melt it over a slice. The gorgonzola was a nice contrast to the apple and squash filling. I don’t know which dish I liked more… they were all so delicious and I couldn’t have asked for a better date. Definitely coming here again.

We were in a hurry to catch the ferry to NY, and the staff and bartender were extremely accommodating. They were so fast that we were able to stay and have drinks. The bartender took great care of us and gave us generously-​poured beer samples to help us choose what we wanted. The chicken sandwich was huge and earned these five stars. We will be back the next time we are in town!

Went here for dinner last night and the only thing that was better than the food was the service. Our waitress was extremely attentive and helpful and made us feel right at home. We were with two kids and the waitress knew exactly how to make our lives easier in order to serve the children. We will definitely be going back here in the future and would recommend it to anyone.

This place was horrible! It was not even half full there yet we waited over ten minutes for service. Molly was our server and she was slow, observed to be chit chatting with buddies at the bar while our drinks were in view of us. We each ordered Fried Oysters which turned out to be a few chopped bits of what may or may not half been oysters (I suspect clams but can’t prove that). After a long wait, she came and plopped our food down and disappeared not to be heard from again until I literally had to seek her out, at which point she returned with the bill. I expressed my disappointment with the food, and being ignored. Had she checked on us as would have been appropriate, we would have returned it but after a 5 hour drive here from MA, we were starving. She was rude and totally dissed our concerns just turning her back and walking away. I intentionally left $ 0 tip (not sure if I have EVER done that before). However today I noticed from my bank statement that they changed the amount from $ 64.54 to more than $ 72, a charge I plan to dispute.

Awesome chicken sandwich and mushroom fries!!! Will definitely return!!! Very surprised of all the negative reviews, and I’m not a local, treated very well.

2^nd time here and another home run! I had the cinnamon chili chicken. It was cooked perfectly. The seasoning was well balanced. It was just really good and the other three people I was with were just as pleased.

Do not go to this establishment if you are not a regular. Or even a local. We’re vacationing in Burlington and while we have our favorite eateries, we were eager to try something new. After reviewing local restaurants on Unilocal we decided to give Barkeaters a try… especially because today is Wednesday — local beer and burger night — a local beer (Fiddlehead IPA — Yes, please!) and delicious local meat burger for $ 10.(!?!)
We walked in. We were not greeted with a Hello or even a smile. But, «Do you have a reservation?» We told the hostess that we did not and did not realize we should have a made a reservation as we’re from out of state and this was our first time dining there. «Can you be out in a hour? We have several reservations at 7p.» My husband and I looked at each other and our two young children, «We can try?» The hostess ended up being our server who was extremely impatient and ended up being extremely rude. We were argued with about ketchup (who argues that a half a teaspoon should be enough for your burger and fries, and why would a child need ketchup for a burger?!) to a quarter-​size amount of carmalized onions on a burger is satisfactory. I had to chase her down just to get a word in with her. Once we completely lost our appetites she proceeded to argue with us, justifying her outrageous and unjust behavior. The entire experience was appalling. We stayed for the sake of our children. Had they not been with us we would have simply walked out. Truly a disappointment. Save your time, energy, and appetite for a more satisfying experience elsewhere.
Our night is ruined. What a terrible shame.

I’m very surprised by some of the negative ratings – Barkeater’s is a really nice place to eat with great food. I’ve eaten here many times and have always had a good experience. The food and service are consistently top-​notch. The atmosphere is cozy and warm – check out the ceiling too – beautiful detail!
Everyone here has always been friendly and welcoming. During summer months the patio is a great place for a nice dinner. The food is consistently delicious. I’ve tried many of the menu items and have never been anything but extremely satisfied. The Wedge Salad and Filet Mignon are my personal favorites.
My most recent visit was for my brother’s birthday, and everything was perfect! The portions were large and the quality was excellent! Our waitress was incredible – she went out of her way to ensure a great experience.
Please ignore the negative reviews, Barkeater’s is a great place to relax and enjoy a fantastic dinner with a warm, welcoming, and friendly experience.

I had black bean quinoa Burger that was OK but my girl friend had a chicken sandwich that was rock hard and terrible. I have had better chicken sandwiches from fast food places. Service was slow and poor. We came in about 1 pm and the wait staff did not seem interested in helping us at all. It could have been because we are young, but that is no excuse for poor service and even poorer food.

Stopped in for lunch this past weekend on a whim and can’t wait to return.
The lunch special was a pastrami sandwich on a pretzel bun with spinach and other amazing things I can’t remember and came with wonderfully crispy sweet potato fries. If that sandwich ever becomes a regular menu item, I will become a regular customer. It was that good.
Interesting menu items with some well made classics. Very casual and cozy. Lunch prices reasonable ($ 8 – 14)

The Wednesday Burger & Brew special is spectacular!!! Fabulous local beef and terrific fries. Local VT brews to choose from. You cannot beat this combo for $ 10!!! We WILL return!

Stopped by this place three times when I was in the area. The food and service were great here. Highly recommended. Immaginative menu.

On the snowiest night of the year we decided to go out and have dinner out, we chose Barkeaters, we felt it would be almost empty if not closed. Much to our surprise there were several large groups of diners there. The food was excellent, great filet, a very imaginative pork tenderloin, and a smoked fish chowder I could have often.
Great service. Just a little cold near the windows, had to keep my coat on.

Stopped here on the strength of the other reviews. We had a great BLT with thick, hand cut bread and still warm homemade chips. A crisp Caesar salad and a Fiddlehead locally brewed IPA. Fast service, nice patio, reasonable prices. I would definitely come here again.