The Farmhouse Tap & Grill

berley31

New Brunswick (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -8.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Stopped in for a quick beer on a recent trip to Burlington. Definitely a classy looking place... it was comfortable at the bar, and the tables looked nice too, but it wasn't your classic-looking bar... it really looked more like a fancy restaurant.

Lots of beers on tap, mostly Vermont selections. Several Trapp Family beers (I think they had recently had a TF night there), 2-3 Hill Farmstead beers (!), plus a lot of others. I had the HF Foster... like all of their beers I tried on this trip, it was excellent.

We tried a couple of the cheeses... I wasn't a big fan of the Oma cheese, which our server recommended, but I'm sure the quality was great... it just wasn't for me. I saw a sandwich go by that looked fantastic. I'd love to try some more food there.

Our server was fine... she smiled and served us, but she was just a bit snippy and wasn't especially friendly. Just served us and got the job done.

Worth stopping at, if only for their excellent selection.

03-17-2011 17:44:32 | More by berley31

rfgetz

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev -8.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

Upon entering the former McDonalds, one feels the bar is slightly sterile. Small 10 seat bar upon the rear along the entry wall and a large expansive room of tables elsewhere. Nice rustic market feel with a small portion of the kitchen exposed, lots of wood and stone.

Bar has 16 or so taps, many very good local and many national craft brews including at least one from Hill Farmstead, Rock Art. Bottle list has equal parts local, including some limited options from Lawson's and Hill Farmstead and voltage bottles.

Food menu has lots of local sourced meats, cheeses and veggies. All options well constructed and full flavored. Service was friendly and attentive although slightly distracted as many employees socialized on the slow day.

A nice vibe unique to this town. Good options on draft and bottle are the star, though the bar area is a bit small for long term hanging out. Food was good but pricey.

10-09-2011 23:29:20 | More by rfgetz

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.01/5  rDev -7.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

The wife and I spent an evening in Burlington and I we toured most of the beer bars in town. The Farmhouse was our stop after dinner at the nearby and excellent Bluebird Tavern.

The place was rather mellow and not busy for a Saturday night in July, which is fine with us. We sat at the small bar, leaving the dining area behind. The atmosphere here is ordinary- makes me wish they had a cooler decor or just something exciting and/or "modern" to liven up the place (although the old-style lamps made out of beer glass are great).

The draft beer selection is written in a chalkboard behind the bar. Bobcat Cafe Brickwall DIPA, Cigar City 110K+OT Batch #5 (a super-bitter DIPA with curacao peel), Hill Farmstead Society & Solitude (kicked and replaced by Enlightenment) and Old Mephisto barleywine from Denmark are among the rare brews on tap during our visit.

Unfortunately, both the Bobcat and Hill Society I ordered were out. Makes me sad when that happens! Oh, and no Lawson's... but then the weekend after my visit was the Vermont Brewer's Festival and they had a ton of Lawson's and rare stuff. So I guess taps change here often and there is always good stuff.

I opted for a cask of Rock Art Midnight Madness while perusing the outrageous bottle list. Think the Monk's "Beer Bible" is good? Just you wait til you come to Burlington...

The prices are higher than the average Vermont pint price (around $6.50 per glass) but not bad at all considering the unique offerings. And I love that they serve half pints!

07-19-2012 19:18:59 | More by DoubleSimcoe

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -5.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

Very nice place. Atmosphere is a bit sterile and sunny for my liking, but it works, for a casual dining experience. A small bar seats less than 10 people, and there are quite a few tables with ample personal space. Nevertheless, the place fills up fast. I went with my wife close to opening time and it was pretty subdued, but by noon it was jumping and near capacity. Staff was generally friendly and attentive. Beer selection was very nice, with good local draughts (think Lawson's, Hill Farmstead), and a good number of domestic and international crafts in bottles. Beer prices were relatively decent. Food menu wasn't too extensive, but with salads and burgers and cheese plates, there's really nothing to complain about, not to mention most ingredients are locally sourced. A bit pricey, but I'd say you get what you pay for.

American Flatbread is still my favorite bar/restaurant in Burlington, but this is another very good option, and worth checking out. (Maybe for lunch, to make it easier on your wallet.)

04-24-2012 09:06:27 | More by Rifugium

Chowdahead

Maine

4.13/5  rDev -5.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

Have heard a lot about this place since it opened and was glad to finally get a chance to check it out. Stopped in on a rainy Monday night of a busines trip to Burlington. Figured it was going to be kind of dead but I was extremely suprised to find it packed. I got the last seat at the bar so didn't get a great chance to check out the rest of the restaurant but the tables looked nice and the atmosphere inside was casual but classy.

Had a nice beer selection with 20+ taps and a good bottle selection. Lots of Trapp Family Lodge beers and two Hill Farmstead beers including some other good craft choices.

Food menu was good with lots of dishes with locally sourced meats, cheeses and bread. Prices did seem a bit high even taking into account the local ingredients, but not outrageous. I had the mac and cheese with bacon which was good but have to say didn't blow me and was a little bland. Also for the $15 price tag the portion was a bit small.

Service was decent but not special. The bartender was nice but didn't seem to have any special knowledge of the beers.

All in all a very nice place for a few great VT beers and a good meal. I would like to check this place out in better weather and enjoy the beer garden. Hopefully next time!

05-11-2011 01:45:08 | More by Chowdahead

FrankLloydMike

Massachusetts

4.16/5  rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Stopped by with a friend last weekend during a repeat tour of Burlington brewpubs with the new addition of a smattering of beer bars. We stopped by about an hour after they opened and it was already packed. It's amazing what they've done with a an McDonald's, but there are hints of the space's former incarnation in the floor tile, and even location and type of bar. The bar is where patrons previously ordered Big Macs, and follows the format of its former use with a low bar for ordering beers, which can then be taken to tables or enjoyed standing.

We surveyed the beer selection, which consisted almost entirely of local brews, but which were all somewhat more expensive than the same beer might be at another bar. Also, despite the extensive, rotating selection, there were few lower priced options. Because it was so swamped, we also weren't really able to ask any questions of the bartenders.

Given how crowded it was and how many places we wanted to hit, we took our beers to the narrow patio out back (replete with the remnants of a drive-thru window). Still, the food smelled and looked great, and we were interested in getting a snack before dinner. The friendly hostess said we'd be able to order from a server outside, and gave us a menu. The server never appeared, however, which was okay since we weren't starving and it was so crowded.

Overall, I really enjoyed this place--the atmosphere is very sophisticated, which makes the name a little odd, and the beer selection was the best I've seen in Vermont when you're considering length and quality. I liked the laid-back atmosphere, but not how crowded it was and how service seemed to suffer just a bit as a result. The prices also killed it for me a bit here given how much excellent, local beer is available in the neighboring brewpubs. I'd stop in again for sure if I lived in town, but when visiting I'll likely stick to the brewpubs.

09-13-2010 20:24:22 | More by FrankLloydMike

youbrewidrink

Vermont

4.18/5  rDev -3.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

I had dinner here 5/26.

The first thing you notice is the chalk board draft list over the bar, it is extensive and reasonable. There are a couple of local mainstays as well as beer from around the country and the world.

The beer is served in the correct glassware.

The food was high quality local fare, a bit pricey, but very good.

The service was was very good.

The only complaint I had was the volume level of the patrons. There is nothing to aborb the sound on any of the walls or ceiling. It was very busy and I had a heck of a time carrying a conversation with the person sitting across from me at my table.

This may be different when the garage doors to the patio are open.

05-29-2010 14:33:31 | More by youbrewidrink

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev -3.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Visited while in burlington last weekend. Made a point to check it out before i left town. Glad i did.

Very cool space. I was told it used to be a mcdonalds restaurant and you can tell after being in there. The bar is what used to be the register, so not a ton of seats there. However, great use of the outdoor space and very well decorated. Nice vibe for drinking some beers.

Multiple taps for Hill Farmstead, one for a Lawson's brew, and plenty of Heady Topper cans. That alone should warrant a visit while in Burlington. Other standouts for me was SN Foam and Stillwaters Premium.

A bit pricey for Burlington, but if you want to source some hard to find local brews definitely worth stopping by.

08-04-2012 15:26:12 | More by Jimmys

DirtyPenny

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev -3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

Decent menu, though the use of all local ingredients means it's a touch limited.

Still, the food is fresh and the quality is great. Had the pork burger, and while I was initially a little wierded out by the fennel slaw that came with it, the two went together very nicely. My kale and arugala salad went very nicely with a Hill Farmstead Edward pale ale.

Beer menu is very impressive. Tried my first Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier on tap here and annoyed my wife to no end by not shutting up about it the rest of the night.

Pricey? Sure. I mean, I wouldn't go here every night, but if you've gotta splurge on a really nice meal, this is a good place to do it.

07-10-2011 17:16:58 | More by DirtyPenny

VTMoondog

Vermont

4.28/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75 | $$$

Being from Burlington, I am lucky to have this place right down the street. I don't go there for the food, although it looks great and is of an eclectic sort, the real draw is the beer. These guys have almost cornered the market on Vt produced beers, and usually have many that nobody else has or can get, including Hill Farmstead, Lawsons, Alchemist, Bobcat Café, Fiddlehead and many others. They also have an extensive bottle list from all over the US and world. They regularly will pull out an incredible keg (BCS, Curmudgeons Better Half, Bolt Cutter and the like ) that is not to be missed. If you love craft beer, and are in th BTV area, stop in, you won't be disappointed.

05-16-2013 23:47:29 | More by VTMoondog