5 Best Restaurants in Waitsfield and Warren, Central Vermont

The menu may be short in this small, rustic-chic space serving French- and Italian-influenced country fare, but the tastiness is immense, with some of the best pasta dishes in the state. Additional warmth is added by its "peasant family" operation, too, with dad in the kitchen, mom decorating the scene, and daughter running the front of house.

Stop by the takeout window of this new-wave snack shack for fried chicken, griddled burgers, and kimchi-stuffed grilled cheese. Stay for the homemade creemees, Vermont's answer to soft-serve ice cream; state classics like maple are always on offer, as are seasonal specials like ginger, cinnamon, lemon, and fresh blueberry. The Bad Larry, a whimsical, Willy Wonka-esque sundae on a cone, tops a tall twist of maple ice cream with maple crystals, maple drizzle, maple cookies, and a cloud of maple cotton candy. And in typical Vermont fashion, most ingredients from beef to pickles are locally made.

Claiming two aesthetics and one menu, this dining experience offers a posh and pretty upstairs dining room with classic white tablecloths or a stony, subterranean "Tracks," with billiards and shuffleboard on the side. Dishes cover upscale versions of regional classics, with a few international flavors, too.

Mexican cuisine rooted in Vermont ingredients makes this a go-to stop for locals and travelers alike—particularly those who just ascended the rugged incline of nearby Camel's Hump, one of the state's highest peaks. Chef-owner Joey Nagy and Georgia Von Trapp, his partner, source much of their local haul from their own Marble Hill Farm, fueling delicious cooking from carnitas and al pastor to fresh house-made salsa and slow-roasted yams in the outside smoker.