Chez Henri Restaurant & Bistrot

What a great little place. It is tucked away warm and friendly, and the food was very delicious! This little restaurant is a staple for more than many reasons, the staff is extremely knowledgeable and educated about the menu, and the atmosphere is so unique! We were also lucky enough to reserve a table by the wood burning fire, where the owner himself (Henri) took pictures of my boyfriend and I by the fire. Definitely make it a point to have dinner here if you are at Sugarbush Mountain.

What a treat!, between the food, the actual kitschy ambience, (not fabricated, real deal!), and the wonderful owners and staff.
Please enjoy when it is not an overcrowded holiday period, and you have time to enjoy. It is well done old school bistro food, not bent to the whims of the latest trends.
Chez Henri is Really a gem and a highlight of any trip to the area. Plus, pictures with Henri — the most adorable thing you can take home.
Fondue is a real treat and always available even if it’s not shown on the menu. With the high quality bread warmed in the fire, there is no need for other lesser fondue stickers.
Go now!

Chez Henri was opened in 1964 by the same man who owns it today! It is certainly an institution at Sugarbush. And it looks as if nothing has changed at all in 49 years! From the décor to the food to the wine. Some of this is very good, but some isn’t.
First, you are typically greeted by Henri, a warm and wonderful person who always offers to take your picture at some point during your meal. Everyone seems to enjoy that. Many of the waitstaff are well into their 50’s and 60’s, and have probably been there forever. Their service is great. The ambience of the restaurant is a throwback to another era, the décor hasn’t changed but is quaint. There is a fireplace. Comfy chairs that don’t match.
Unfortunately the wine list is absolutely worthless in its descriptions, which is rather odd considering Henri is French. No vintages are listed and the burgundies have almost no descriptions whatsoever. Almost all of them turn out to be Jadot. Henri probably has been stocking Jadot since day one. The list is also not very good.
The food is good. Not modern, just classic French simple bistro food. But many dishes are unfortunately Americanized, with the steamed broccoli and carrots on the side. Having said that, the onion soup gratinee is classic and well done. The duck I had this night was good, if not noteworthy.
I really wanted to give this place 4 stars because I really like it, but the bottom line is that the food, while good, is not great.

Chez Henri is a trip back. Not to when it opened in in the early 1960s, but to 1940’s Paris after the liberation. The warm décor is that: «warm.» Not Hip Hop strobelight contemporary. Classic French music of the period and jazz are played to set the stage «for somewhere else.»
This is a WARM, welcoming place and a romantic state of mind rarely found these days run by passionate people who actually LIKE their customers.
The reviewers who shot it down need to be actively discredited. They might eventually understand the concept of romance. They should have stayed at college-​appropriate-​age Kilington. Sugarbush has always attracted a more sophisticated crowd.
FUNNY STORY
We were late coming up late one weekend, too late for regular service. We called to order two plates of oysters and ducks at Chez Henri for pick up TO GO. The voice at the end of the phone said no problem. We stopped, got our late full orders and they served us there. A class act.
We have been coming to Sugarbush for many years as adults. One learns the difference only with experience. Sugarbush is one hour north of Killington.
Henri and Bernard are the co-​owners and are the genuine articles. For a place to survive this long (since the 1960s) they know how to please the reasonable and knowlegable.
FOOD: Classic excellent Bistro. Starter with great local bakery RED HEN SOURDOUGH BREAD FROM THEIR REAL FIREPLACE. Escargot, occasional sardine specials, THE BEST DUCK ON THE SUGARBUSH MOUNTAIN, both Fruit and Peppercorn, rack of Lamb, etc. Incredible multiple vegetable courses, such as carrot and apple purée, red cabbage with juniper berries, potato tart and haricot vert accompanying one course.
BEVERAGES: Excellent budget French wine list and BOULLION ROUGE for lunch. Boullion Rouge is a unique in the USA beverage that is hot tomato juice /​beef bouillon drink to warm you up after a morning on the slopes. You are not here because you want to order a 1990 Montrose, but they do have some good bottles. They are FRENCH! They know wine!
(Lunch is compromised mid-​week in FEB 2013 due to construction. Lunch is available Fri-​Sun. Call to confirm.
Desserts are very good classics, crème brulle, etc.
Most of the servers have been here for years, friendly and competent. That tells the story. Some have gone on to manage the most expensive venues in town.
It is not Manhattan’s Le Bernardin, but you would not want that here.
— — — — — –
A GENERAL COMMENT ON BABIES NOT APPLICABLE TO THIS FINE ESTABLISHMENT:
BABIES DO NOT BELONG EVERYWHERE SUCH AS IN FINE RESTAURANTS OR LIBRARIES OR BOARD MEETINGS. WE DON’T WANT TO HEAR YOUR PRECIOUS KID IN THESE VENUES.
THEY ARE PLACES FOR ADULTS OR ANYONE WHO ACTS LIKE ONE, NOT NURSERIES. DESPERATE ADULTS WHO WANT TO INVADE THE QUITE TIMES THEY FORGOT OF OTHERS ADULT TIME DESERVE EMBARRASSMENT, BEING CALLED OUT, DEMEANED AND INSULTED FOR NOT GETTING A BABY SITTER.
YOU CREATE AWKWARDNESS FOR THE CUSTOMERS AND THE WAIT STAFF AND THE MANAGEMENT BUT YOU DONT CARE. YOU WANT TO BE DEMI MOORE ON THE COVER OF GQ AND SHOW THE WORLD WHAT GENETICS PROGRAMED YOU TO DO.
IF YOU CANT AFFORD A BABY SITTER, STAY HOME AND SPARE ME YOUR SCREAMING PROGENY THAT CANNOT BE TAMED BY YOUR SHABBY PARENTING AND THE DELAYED, OCCASIONAL, HOPEFUL, SHHHHHH!

Great place, I highly recommend it for lunch. Get an Onion Soup, a burger and a glass of wine. It barely sets you back more than the lodge and it’s totally worth it. Like dining in a ski museum. I’d be really sad if it was to ever close, Henri is the nicest guy in the world and Bernard is great too. They’ve had the same people working there forever so they’re obviously doing something right.
As far as Paul’s review, there is no way that a four person party plus one bottle of wine could ever go for over $ 500 at Chez Henri. They must have left a very buzzed and generous new years tip or something, like 100%.
The food isn’t all excellent (but pretty good), and the staples certainly are. Stick to Steak au Poivre or rack of lamb if you like bistro classics.

I’m puzzled why some people like this restaurant. When we went, the food was bland and completely overpriced (over $ 500 for a meal for four people with one bottle of mediocre wine). They seem to be trading off their location in Sugarbush Village; I’m not sure that anyone would go there otherwise. We would definitely not return and, in comparison to so many other places that we visited, came away feeling ripped off. I would rate this restaurant with no stars if that was possible.

We had truly delightful dinner here. The food is good, the service better, and the setting ideal. It’s not five star cuisine, but it really is a very enjoyable place.

Excellent!!! The service was outstanding, food was amazing, and the atmosphere was pleasant. Would definitely go there again!

I get that the other reviewers gave 5 stars because its a tradition, but don’t go thinking it’s a top notch French Restaurant. The décor is Vermont quaint, but could use some serious updating. The food was okay, but not 5 star. I know my opinion shouldn’t take into consideration outside influences, but there was a party of five cackling in my ear my whole dinner. Drunk Cackling. Is that how you spell cackling?
Anyway, it really ruined the mood for what was my birthday dinner. I think that everyone was glad to see them leave, too bad it was when we were having desert. I had the bouillabaisse, and thought it was flavorless. It was served with a dish of 2 aioli type things and some cheese. Maybe I was supposed to add them to the broth? Would have been helpful to know that. There was also a small plate with a scoop of some delicious potato gratin (I could have eaten a plate of it) 2 broccoli florets, 2 slices of carrot and some kind of pickled cabbage?
I felt that the prices were a bit high for what you got.
All in all, wouldn’t really recommend it, and wouldn’t go back. There are too many other places to go!

This is a great place — and I go as much as I can. It’s open seasonally for lunch and dinner, it’s family friendly and although it’s a bit out of the way, you can ski to it. Make a res, since it fills up in season.
I’m a sucker for the whole European ski thing, and this place delivers on all counts — ambiance, food, service. There’s a bistro and a dining room — with two menus — I love options. Prices are what they are — and I’d say they are fair.

The place is run by what looks like a pack of very old French men. I think Henri is on site too, shuffling around and cutting bread. The interior is a bit faded, but in a shabby chic, warm and cozy way, with a massive fireplace, nice booths, etc.
We had an excellent dinner of wine, fondue, salad, beef au poivre, and several fantastic desserts. The salad rocked, and the sauces were all incredible and unique-​green peppercorn, espresso cream, etc. There were no fewer than four delicious sides accompanying the entrees, but the portions were not over sized.
Maybe I’ll get in one more ski weekend and will hit this place for lunch. If so, I’ll report back.

I think Chez Henri is the reason we’re doing our annual trip to Vermont this year. Don’t get me wrong — in itself, it’s great, but not worth a trip across the country. But each year on our first night in Warren we have dinner in Chez Henri, and that dinner has come to embody our annual ski trip, one of my family’s few traditions. The restaurant with its low ceilings and dimly lit dining room, the wood fire, the relatively few other diners, the tasty appetizer on a table lit with candles (the candleholders are elaborate, and we play with them every year more than is probably appropriate for men in their 20s), the wine, the banter with my brothers that amuses and occasionally irritates my dad, the tasty main course, the warm desert always paired with a port or muscat, all of that I remember when I think of Sugarbush, and all of that I look forward to and wouldn’t give up.