Bluebird Tavern

The first time I ate the porchetta I had to put down my fork after the first bite. The first bite flooded my palette and filled my heart with emotion. I have had porchetta before, but nothing that compared to this rich, tender, juicy pig and the lush herbs complimented the pork perfectly.
For my second visit I had the chicken with butter beans and porcini mushrooms. Again, I ate as slowly as I could to savor every bite.
Bluebird tavern offers world class food, thoughtful and professional service in a clean and comfortable setting. Thanks for being awesome Bluebi

Expensive for portion sizes. Oysters were lovely along w the beef tartare. The small plates were confusing along with their prices. Items were over or under salted. We left hungry.

I just moved to Burlington from Philadelphia and while I love Burlington and all the amazing Vermont food finds, I was convinced I’d never get a meal like I would back in Philly. Wrong! BlueBird is by far the best meal I’ve had in Burlington and rivals some of my favorite spots from back home in the city. Their cocktails are tops and the bartenders are so friendly and great. They’ll make whatever you like or surprise you with something delicious if you get indecisive like me. They make great old fashions and flips. Food wise, my absolute faves were the lamb neck, ricotta dumplings, brussels, and their home made ice creams. Everything was amazing and the service is so great. Bluebird is a real find!

It’s sad when a place you liked changes completely, for the worse. Tiny portions with their «small plates menu», but the prices are high. Limited selection; just not worth it.

Unilocal reviews of Burlington restaurants are a bit confounding to me, and overinflated in terms of stars awarded generally. This place, however, currently at 3.5 at the time of my review is too low — this place is one of the best places to eat in Burlington.
My wife and I arrived on a Wednesday for lunch and the place was empty but quickly filled up. We sat at the bar and were greeted by an extremely friendly and knowledgeable bartender. He expertly crafted a couple of awesome cocktails, I enjoyed a sazerac, and my wife some delicious-​but-​not-​too-​fruity grapefruit-​based drink.
Food was excellent. We shared some chicken liver pâté, oysters, a burger and a salad. Everything was very tasty and flavorful.
Do yourself a favor and avoid the mobs at Sweetwater’s and American Flatbread and walk off the beaten path — this place is a great little nearly-​hidden gem. If it was on Church Street, I guarantee it would be packed every single day.

So… TL;DR: food is delicious but small plates.
GRANTED: they apparently did just switch over to being a small plates menu, so
Maybe they haven’t got it figured out yet but still. But still.
THE GOOD: service was outstanding. (Let’s just get that out of the way right away.) And the food was delicious. My pheasant was amazing, our bucatini was amazing, our (2) cheese plates were great, our drinks were great.
OUR CHIEF GRIPE: we weren’t expecting small plates. And but so the portions are appetizer size. Our server warned us of this. «We recommend 2 – 3 per person.» But at these prices, I could go to elsewhere and get much more for the same. Maybe you wouldn’t get pheasant or the service wouldn’t be as good but… But.
It’s a tough call. The food really was quite good and the service was some of the best. But small plates are… well: small.

Absolutely delicious! I didn’t find one thing that I didn’t like. We had Brussel Sprouts and the lobster in the small plates section along with their house made pasta with pork and duck breast with farro. Everything was cooked to perfection. Staff was also attentive and courteous. Be sure not to pass on the bread also made in house. It was a very enjoyable meal. Also good value for what you’re served. My husband and I look forward to returning upon our next visit to VT.

Great dinner.
We were here for Parents Weekend… so the city was packed.
We had appetizers that were great… Crab and the Burrata… both were excellent
For our main courses we had three…
Steak and fries — top marks from my daughter
Pasta — amazing… homemade… perfect
Fish (can not remember the kind)… but it was just right
The waitress brought us free desert because there was some confusion over our appetizer order… they corrected that right away… so the free desert was not necessary… but really appreciated.

Whenever I’m in Burlington this is my first stop. My last two visits have been absolutely spectacular with food that should have a Michelin star. The chef has experience at Danielle and Per Se and he’s been able to combine that with Burlington’s farm to table atmosphere to produce dishes that are simple in ingredients but sublimely complex in flavor. The menu reflects what’s usually in season and you can get a sample of several small dishes or enjoy a large entrée that’s a perfect portion. The bartender also works at a local wine shop, so feel free to ask about the wine list and what would go well with you table’s dinner choices. The prices are incredibly reasonable with dinner entrees starting around $ 20. This should absolutely be a stop if you’re in Burlington!

I depend on Bluebird as a staple in my dinner plans. The food is always good, one can generally get a seat and I like the owner, Sue, and her staff.
I was at Bluebird Tavern last night for dinner. I got a little creative with the menu (my friend and I both ordered the strip steak but asked to include fries with it). Bluebird has some pretty amazing fries and I don’t normally like fries.
Our waiter last night was extremely great. Nice guy. Very helpful. And the new manager, Tiffany, introduced herself at the door and was very cordial. It seems Bluebird is taking extra steps toward great customer service (and they were already quite good at it).
I see some mixed reviews on Unilocal about Bluebird and I wonder why. I guess sometimes some plates are better than others, but food quality is very high. I believe they probably have the best burger by far in town, though occasionally when the kitchen cooks them over medium rare, they don’t taste as good as awesome as they should.
I’m enjoying how in the last few years they’ve been sending out amuse bouche before starters. They are always amazing. Also, when they do serve brunch, it’s out of this world good. I love how they bring out a little muffin before the meal. More places should do that.
My only critique of this place is that the desserts aren’t as stellar as the rest of the faire. I usually skip desserts. Also, they are often out of the very dish that I was hoping to order. It’s tricky to predict how popular a given dish will be any any given night. Last night they were out of four things on the menu. My friend found that unusual. I wasn’t phased since it didn’t affect what I wanted ;)
Bluebird was the first (?) local restaurant to really focus on fresh, local ingredients for its food. Before the other gastro pubs in town there was Bluebird. Bluebird was the original home of the Misery Loves Company chefs. I’m a fan. I love the new location on St. Paul. As I said, when in doubt, I go here.

Bluebird Tavern serves food that is average at best. So why 3 stars? The service saved their butts. Seriously, the waitress was super helpful and friendly, the manager came over to speak to us to ask if we liked the food etc. Very nice people and that speaks volumes.
We were walking around downtown Burlington with our 4 year old when we spotted this place. They had a nice crowd on their terrace so we thought it couldn’t be that bad.
We ordered cider donuts holes for the little one. She wasn’t interested at all. She much preferred her orange juice and then demanded food as soon as we left. Can’t count that against them, shes a picky eater. My husband tried them and said they were delicious.
I ordered a «baked eggs» plate that had eggs (duh!), kale, and some kind of cheese that I don’t remember. The dish itself was pretty good but the food is served in an iron skillet and they didn’t grease it well enough because the bottom and sides were stuck. meaning food I can’t eat is goign into the dishwasher. I didn’t like the side of bread though. The bread was a nice artisan bread but finished off on a grill with grill marks. I hate the taste of burnt grill marks on bread. It totally killed it for me. Also, for the price you are paying the serving was tiny.
Hubby ordered two poached eggs with pulled pork hash. Everything seemed frozen and microwaves (except the eggs which you can tell were fresh). Really? 16 $ for that and the portion is small and the potatoes are microwaved and the pulled pork had zero flavor. Not a winning meal over here.
I didn’t get a chance to look at their lunch or dinner menu but based on the breakfast menu I probably wouldn’t go back for another meal.
But again, the service was excellent. As soon as we were seated the waitress came over with crayons and paper to entertain the little one, when asking where the bathroom was the waitress walked with us there since its a tad confusing, when asking for directions to somewhere in Burlington the waitress again had them for us. I love helpful and friendly people and that in itself saved this establishment for m.

This was one of the restaurants we chose for our vacation to Vermont. We chose Bluebird Tavern for the positive reviews and were pleasantly surprised. We really wanted to try the Poutine (had high ratings), but it was removed from the menu. While it wasn’t busy when we arrived for cocktails, the place filled up as the night went on.
We had a table reservation, but were having a really good time at the bar. There was also a World Cup game on. The staff was very helpful and knew everything about their menu. We were visited by the hostess on three occasions along with two visits by the manager when we decided to stay at the bar.
Cocktails were good. The bartender (Ian) was knowledgeable of the bourbon (we had Manhattans) and had recommendations for our drinks. He was very personable and knew the menu also.
We decided to have oysters at the bar. There were three verities so we tried them all (we had a dozen). After that, we decided to just stay at the bar for dinner. The company was really good at the bar.
We decided have the Steak Tartare as an appetizer. The flavor was amazing and we’d recommend this to anybody.
For dinner we tried Pork Shoulder Bucatini which was really good and the lobster tail, which was average (could have used something more as a side). Both were good and we were visited by the Chef de Cuisine as we were eating. That was a nice surprise and very professional.
Overall we had a great dining experience and would recommend the Bluebird to our friends and would come here again.

I ate here for the first time Friday night. I made reservations, but really did not need to. Maybe it was the nice weather that kept people out playing. I got the chicken breast. It was tender and succulent! It was paired nicely with spinach and farrow pilaf. It was a large breast that I normally would have devoured, but I was trying to be refined in front of my date! The server was attentive to our needs and it was a relaxing atmosphere. I would come back again.

We had a good experience at Bluebird. Not mind-​blowing, but good. They were out of clams, which knocked an appetizer and a main dish off the menu. They were out of the rabbit «saddle,» which I only learned about after I had ordered (who doesn’t want to try a rabbit «saddle?). I also overheard the waiter say they were out of Bombay Sapphire gin. So, I’m wondering what is going on with the ordering here. They have a pretty tight menu, meaning, it’s not huge, and there were no specials, so I would expect they should be able to do better inventory control.
Nevertheless, I had a slow-​cooked flatiron, which was excellent. Super tender, with mashed potatoes and roasted carrots. The carrots were a tiny bit undercooked, but not terribly so. My wife had an oyster-​stuffed filet of sole, which she loved. It’s not often you get a piece of stuffed fish that isn’t way heavy on the breading.
For dessert, I had a cranberry cake, which was very tasty. She had something called an «affogatto,» which was ice cream with a piece of cooked dough. The dough was tough and chewy, so it wasn’t winning any awards.
We have been here before for brunch and it was good. There was barely anyone there at 6pm, but by 6:30, the place was hopping, and the atmosphere was nice. We’ll go back. Rabbit saddle?

Readers of this review — a food snob I am not. A super taster I am not. All I know is the double burger with poutine and a side of their brussels sprouts was the best meal I’ve enjoyed in VT in some time. And just upscale enough to inflate my sense of self importance on a recent solo trek up to ski the Bush for a couple days. As I was flying solo, I did what all real American men do and plopped myself down at the bar and washed down my whiskey with this meal. The bartending service was excellent. I’ll be back.

Had dinner here during a recent trip to Vermont.
My husband and I started with the mussels which were really good, in a light cream wine/​cream sauce. For entrée, my husband went with the burger and poutine — definitely a solid choice, while I went with the scallops & lentils — good, but not fantastic.
The atmosphere was nice and service was attentive.

Ties with Misery Loves Company for best dining experience in the Burlington area.
The menu is ambitious without being alienating. Nearly everything appealed to us, but I settled on the double burger, dressed with a local cabot cheddar, bacon jam and rosemary onion, served with a side of poutine. There’s nothing I hate more than a restaurant burger that is overly large and unwieldy – so big and precariously stacked that you can’t even figure out how to eat it. This burger avoided that pitfall – each patty was relatively thin and perfectly medium-​rare, the dressing was spare and complimented the flavors of the beef and the bun was light and tasty. The poutine was equally amazing.
They had an impressive selection of cocktails, a number of which I’m eager to return and taste, though tonight I had a Hill Farmstead Motueka, which paired nicely with the burger.
Not cheap, but you’re absolutely getting you’re money’s worth here. We will be back as frequently as possible.

Loved this place. We tried a dish called Fiddleheads for the first time. They were excellent.
I loved the fact they give you a free cheese board with a Unilocal CheckIn.
If I return to Vermont I will definitely go back to the Bluebird.

If you are a dedicated localvore foodie, you should check this place out.
The first few times I went here, I loved it. The last time was just okay. And because they would not substitute sides even though it was for health reasons, I probably will not be back. (They did say that if you have food-​related health restrictions, call ahead and they will work with you.)
The menu is set up differently than most — the offerings are categorized by serving size into small, medium, and large plates, so you can order a mix-​and-​match of small and mediums and just fo for a large/​entrée-​sized dish.
My husband, whose birthday we were celebrating, had an amazing steak with mushrooms ($ 38). The mushrooms — chanterelles, I believe — were crave-​worthy delicious. They steak was excellent, one of the best we’ve had a a localvore restaurant. Tender, tasty, perfectly cooked, and drizzled with a wonderful olive oil.
My folks got the seafood dish for two ($ 48) — mussels, huge crab legs, clams, shrimp, etc., served up in a wonderfully addictive broth. It was okay, but they didn’t go nuts about it. The seafood was definitely fresh, but sadly, a bit overcooked. (We are from Florida, so we are picky about our seafood.) Note: the implements to crack the crab are in the bottom fo the bucket they give you for the shells! Sadly, we did not igure this out until my poor parents had made their fingers and jaws all sore trying to crack open those big olé’ crab legs!
My step-​son said the smoked-​chicken pot pie ($ 25) was just about the best he ever had – but would have given it 4 stars because it just needed more meat to win 5 stars.
My salad, sadly, was pretty blah – could barely taste any dressing (around $ 8). Definitely farm fresh, but it needed to be more.
I ordered a fish dish on a realy nice cauliflower purée and a risotto which I am sure was lovely, but, because of dietary restrictions, my doctor says I can’t have it… hence, I left pretty darn hungry. Good thing my husband was generous with his mushrooms and steak.
One more thing made me round my 3.5 stars down to a just 3. My mom always orders hot water with lemon for her meals. Since my husband had a soar throat, he ordered the same. (It was served like tea, but without the tea.) My mom has never been charged for her hot water, but Bluebird charged them a dollar for each one! Really, guys?
So some of the food is amazing, our waiter was just lovely (and apologetic for all the anoying house rules), and I want to support local farms and producers… but…but… I can just go to The Farmhouse or The Kitchen Table or any of the other execellent localvore restaurants in Vermont, and they will respect my dietary restrictions and give my mum her hot water for free. So that is exactly what we will do.

I haven’t been back to Bluebird Tavern since they moved to St. Paul street so we decided to drop by for Sunday brunch this morning. Unlike many brunch spots near Church, there was no wait and plenty of seating both indoors and out on the patio. The brunch menu seems to be dynamic with the season, but is somewhat limited in their offerings.
I liked that they offered complementary house chocolate chip crumble muffins. It was done very well and the highlight of my breakfast. A Unilocal check-​in offer also nets you a free cheese plate, which was pretty tasty in itself. I was disappointed to find that their espresso machine was broken and the alternative French press coffee was acidic and of low quality.
For breakfast, I had the poutine with sausage gravy topped with smoked bacon and two fried eggs. I underestimated the size of this plate. It was a huge offering of fries, gravy, and cheese curds. This would be better served as a shared appetizer than for one’s own consumption. I could barely make a dent before I had the rest packed away. I also tried some of the baked eggs with spinach, triple cream, and onions, which was good, but nothing special. The food is pricey, but you won’t walk away hungry.