The Bench

Came back based upon my previous review. Who better to recommend what I’d like than me?!
As luck would have it, Jesse was our server again and again she was awesome.
We ordered the mussels (2 orders!) on my previous recommendation — and they were awesome.
And this time we tried the pizzas:
Pipeline — the balsamic was great
Rastaman — at first I thought this was going to be my favorite and then came
The Bruce with pepperoni– definitely the group favorite and the Vermont smoke & cure pepperoni was phenomenal.
Beer selection surprised me — loved it! (Not sure why I was surprised, I must have been in a wine mood last trip.) I was introduced to Zero Gravity Conehead and its amazing… and of course, a Shed Mountain Ale (love love.)
Super happy with our visit to The Bench yet again. Reminder — you can’t sit until your whole party is here and they are über popular so they don’t take reservations. Go anyway and enjoy!!!

My husband and I came here on a Sunday evening for dinner. They said the wait was about 15 minutes, but we were seated within 5. We ordered 3 items off of the «small» plates sections… truffle fries, mussels, and chicken fingers. All three were very delicious! The broth that the mussels were cooked in was very flavorful and I was soaking my bread in it and stuffing my face. The chicken tenders were breaded in a house made mixture and very yummy. And the truffle fries, holy large portion! We could not finish them, be forewarned of the portion, but they were great. Server was fine, although we did have to gently remind her a few times for things we had asked for (extra plate, drink etc…). Tab ran about $ 85-​$ 90 with tip, so not terrible for a resort town and 4 drinks.
The bar scene looked super fun, but I cannot attest for that as we had our babe with us. Some family members hit it apres ski and enjoyed themselves.

Staying in Stowe, VT for February vacation. Saw the good reviews on Unilocal so we decided to check it out. The ambience was pretty chill and casual & service was nice. We got two apps; truffle fries and roasted asparagus– both were really good. We also ordered a Kale Caesar Wrap, Mac & Cheese, & Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich. The Kale Caesar Wrap was light and the chicken was super tender and fresh. The Mac & Cheese was pretty standard but great for kids. The Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich was on wicked good bread and cheese was great with the tomato & basil. This is a great place to catch a late lunch or quick dinner!

Delicious food and friendly service. We had mussels as an appetizer. They were clean and fresh; no grittiness at all. I got the chicken ravioli, which was cooked perfectly. My husband got the roast duck and left nothing behind it was so good. We were stuffed but had the sweet pea cake for dessert. The cake was the only part that was just ok. It had too much icing and could, but there were plenty of other great looking desserts.

My friend and I came here on a Sunday night (Valentine’s day) and since they don’t take reservations we had to wait. The host said 45 min but I think it was only about 30 so not a big deal– we stood in the bar while we waited. I got a tres amigos which was very good. I’ve never seen a bartender hustle the way the ladies at the bar hustled being as it was very busy. they also have to make hand crafted cocktails so it takes time! the décor is nice– I liked the rustic look– which was sophisticated enough while not being intimidating– it’s still a family place.
As far as the food goes… the menu is a little all over the place but that can be good since everyone is bound to find something they like. my friend was disappointed because she wanted the mussels appetizer which they had just ran out of. she opted for a salad and I ordered the slider (why this is only ONE slider but listed under appetizers is beyond me though). the slider was good but not amazing. this meal was my cheat meal for the week so I got the chicken ravioli which was WAY better than I anticipated. I’m not sure what I thought it was going to be but it was killer although VERY filling. I think the whole dish was only 4 raviolis but they’re huge. my only complaint was that there was WAY too much sauce, which is normally a good thing but it felt wasteful, seeing how much I physically could not eat. anyway, try it out– you won’t be disappointed.

Nice place to hit after a day skiing. Hits the spot. Very popular, so can be a long wait.

The place to enjoy a great meal!
The service is great and the food is amazing! The meals are tasty and fresh! You will definitly have for your money!
In a week, we came 4 times!
It is a super nice place!!! The music at the bar is so cool. Enjoy guys!

Came here twice during my stay at Stowe. Food is excellent, service is great and choice of cocktails and beers is amazing. I would refommend this place 1rst to anyone who is travelling in Stowe.

I. Love. This. Place. We went two nights in a row. The pizza is icredible and our server had great wine suggestions! The staff is SUPER welcoming, especially the hostess that recommended us to have the apple dessert with cinnamon ice cream. Amazing. We will definitely go back next time we are in stowe!

Excellent beer selection! The poutine and jerk wings were amazing! Gets very crowded but a vibrant bar scene!

This was one of the few places I found not through my Unilocal app, but by shamelessly eavesdropping on an employee at AJ’s Ski rental shop. She asked a customer if they planned on coming to the Bench that night with such enthusiasm I figured coming from a local it must be a sure bet.
Only issue was the wait, and the crowd. Table for 2 on a friday night was just about an hour, but we managed to navigate our way through the masses in front of the bar and score a couple of unique hoppy IPAs.
When we finally got a seat, everything just got better and better. For starters, went with the poutine; Ive always been ambivalent about this dish but the Bench’s version was perfect. Fries stayed crisp and didnt turn to mush underneath the flavorful gravy. For dinner we got the pulled pork sandwich with a side salad and the ½ duck entrée, both were amazing. The coleslaw that came with the pulled pork had an awesome tang to it and was my favorite part of the dish. Halfway through I just added it to my sandwich… extreme bbq goodness.
We were too stuffed for dessert. Our waitress was wonderful, and the ambiance here while a little on the dark side in terms of lighting and loud in volume seemed trendy but very laid back as well. Stowe seems to have lots of good eats and this is one of them.

We sat late, with our 5 month old babe, and had a great experience. Drove up from CT and we will be back, a lot.
Update: we came back with Sam as an 8.5 month old and the server remembered us, gave just as great of service as we remember and the food wa amazing yet again. Great beer selection too! Top notch place

Two words– Extremely disappointed.
We’re a big party 8 of us plus a baby in a high chair. So two of us got there first to make sure they could accommodate us. They were sat, ordered drinks and then the rest of our party got there. As we’re looking through the menu we asked for another beer menu since we have a lot of beer drinkers and the server looked at us confused and like we were inconveniencing her to go grab another menu. Ok strike one.
As we’re looking through the menu the manager (I guess) comes over and says we can’t sit there because we were blocking the handicap entrance and fire exit. Which I totally get but then why sit us there in the first place? We were up front with how many of us there were it’s not like more people joined us later or anything like that. So strike two.
Strike 3: they move us to another table and as we’re getting settled notice that there are only 7 chairs. We ask the hostess if we can grab another chair to put on the end so we could all fit. The manager came over again clearly frustrated with us at this point and said we couldn’t put a chair there bc we would be blocking the aisle. Again, I totally understand the rules and the need for them but why put our party in tables couldn’t fit our party not just once but TWICE.
Not going to lie, I was pretty bummed about not getting to try this place since it switched over in recent years but until they can figure out their available seating arrangements especially for bigger groups I won’t be giving it a try again anytime soon.

Great restaurant with your typical bar food with a twist. The truffle fries were excellent definitely a must have. Good selection of beer. Cannot go wrong with this place for a nice dinner out.

Great food, beer selection, and service. Cozy atmosphere that’s perfect after a day of skiing.
The duck entrée was a highlight, and the poutine was hard to hate. Paired with a Heady Topper, and zero complaints.

The half duck roasted in the wood oven was way beyond expectations. As was the coffee oatmeal stout. Generous portions. Excellent service. We got there early (5pm) and did not have to wait… but after 6pm the line was out the door.
I would recommend the restaurant and I plan to return to sample other items on the menu and huge beer list.

There is plenty of seating inside so don’t let a full parking lot scare you off!
Was seated right away! Craft beer & ciders were 16 oz for $ 6 for the most part — some $ 7 & a couple $ 5. There are 25 beers on draft.
We had the Salmon burger & Grilled mozzarella, tomato & basil sandwich with a balsamic reduction– both samdwiches came with a huge pile of fresh cut fries. Whole menu looks great– certainly worth a try!

Honestly, this could be the BEST place to grab some grub while hiking/​biking/​drinking your way through the Stowe/​Waterbury area. They are relatively new to the area and bring some much needed fresh air.
The beers on tap are local (Hill Farmstead, Lost Nation, Shed, Zero Gravity, etc) as well as most of the food on the menu. You even find some Québécois influence in the Poutine app!
I am very impressed by the price point of this place for how dedicated they are to using local ingredients. All entrees are under $ 20, including the WILD salmon and local duck. They have a wood fire oven to bake their pizzas which are great for sharing.
For a lighter lunch or dinner option, most sandwiches and burgers are under $ 12. I recommend the BBQ pulled pork sandwich or the Misty Knoll turkey burger with a Lost Nation gose to cool off from a hike up Mansfield.

I was lucky enough to stay less than a mile down the road from the Bench on my visit to Vermont. It was here that I tried my first Heady Topper of the trip as well as some other great Vermont beers on tap. The bartenders are attentive, knowledgeable about the beer, the food is fresh, and place is clean.
I ended up coming here a total of three times which says a lot because I stayed in Vermont for four nights. I was lucky enough to learn some great info about the Alchemist while I was here including the fact that their new brewery is going to be right down the street! I was able to try some great beers by Zero Gravity, Foley Brothers, Finback, and Frost Beer Works. On my 3^rd night here, the manager even gave me a couple of free samples. My only minor complaints are that the bar is small and the food was pretty average for the prices but still good nonetheless.
For a tiny bar in Stowe, you can’t beat the beer selection and who knows? You might just get lucky and find some Heady Topper and Sip of Sunshine if you come at the right time.

Vengó desde boston por vacaciones a stowe por una semana.
Es la segunda vez que entró en el restauran y la verdad la experiencia fue bien grata. Una gran selección de cervezas. La primera ordene una pizza de pepperoni y es una de las mejores que he comido., la pizza es hecha en un horno de ladrillos y barro, sin dudas el sabor es distintivos.
Hoy he ordenado un pato y sin exagerar es el mejor que he comido, es un pato hecho al horno acompañado de espárragos. Tiene un sabor único y es bastante jugoso.
El personas es bien amigable y disponibles a explicar bien lo que hay en el menú y el sabor de los 28 tipos de cervezas.
Lo único es que las cervezas necesitan estar un poco más frías ya me no están a 38 grados para estar en su punto. Creó que ya que estamos en verano y estos días han sido bien húmedos la cerveza no llega.

This place is awesome-4.5 stars! After a very long drive from Philadelphia my friends and I were in desperate need of a good meal and a tall cold beer.
Our server was excellent, she was the perfect amount of attentive without being overbearing. The tap list is pretty good, not the most extensive I’ve seen, but I was pleasantly surprised for small town Vermont. Bench serves up a lot of local brews and there is plenty of variety to choose from.
We ordered an appetizer of poutine, so tasty. Most of us ordered burgers, which definitely hit the spot.
All in all a wonderful meal, good beer, and great service. If I find myself back in Vermont I would definitely return.