The route to dinner starts among bakery goods, snacks and bottles of beer. This Northeast Kingdom stop puts its restaurant in the back of an attached country store, so a meal begins with a little browsing before the room opens up into pizza, draft beer and a choice of indoor or outdoor seating.
It is a useful combination on a day spent driving the back roads, looking at foliage or coming in from a hike. Local diners, families, road-trippers and groups gathering from different corners of Vermont can all settle into the same easygoing, rustic setup without it feeling overly formal.
The pace is generally relaxed rather than rushed. Food can take 30 to 60 minutes during busy periods, which makes this a better place to claim a table, order a beer and let dinner unfold than to treat as a tightly timed roadside dash.
Pizza with a few left turns
Pizza is the main event, built on a crisp, flavorful crust and specialty combinations that go beyond the familiar pepperoni-and-mushroom routine. Fresh, high-quality ingredients give the pies enough substance to stand up alongside the beer list.
The Green Mountain Special is a strong starting point. It has the balanced, full-flavored character of a house favorite rather than a novelty pie assembled just to catch the eye on a menu.
Then there are the more playful names and bolder ideas. Bangkok Disco has become a much-mentioned specialty choice, while Mike's Revenge is a popular option for taking onward when the rest of the drive is still ahead.
Scott's Revenge takes an especially distinct path, pairing shrimp with a spicy sauce and a Cajun edge. The heat is notable, so this is one for diners who actually want their pizza to push back a little.
A cheddar, apple, maple syrup and bacon pie puts several Vermont pantry staples onto one sweet-savory canvas. It sounds like a lot, and that is precisely the appeal: salty bacon, rich cheese, fruit and maple all pulling in different directions while still belonging on the same slice.
Plenty for the nontraditional pizza order
Vegetarian diners are not limited to picking toppings off a standard pie. Margarita, artichoke and classic vegetable pizzas give the menu a broader meat-free lane, helpful when a table is trying to accommodate several appetites at once.
The homemade Caesar salad is another useful counterweight to the pizza order. It is large, fresh and substantial enough to hold its own rather than arriving as a token green side dish.
Wings are worth a detour, especially the maple BBQ version. They arrive crispy, saucy and pleasantly messy, with a sweet-smoky profile that works well next to a cold Vermont beer.
Fresh in-house fries, nachos, steak-and-cheese subs and other sides fill out the menu for a group that wants more than a round of pies. It is easy to picture a table mixing a specialty pizza, a large salad, wings and fries rather than asking everyone to agree on one thing.
Beer that rewards a slower meal
The craft-beer program is a major reason to stop rather than simply grab takeout. Rotating drafts include Hill Farmstead at times, along with other Vermont and regional beers, giving the bar side of the room some real depth.
Hill Farmstead is a recurring presence, not a promise for every visit; the draft lineup changes. Still, a pizza-and-pint order here can be as much about trying a local beer as it is about choosing the right pie.
Staff can help steer the beer selection, which is particularly handy when the board has more choices than a quick glance can sort out. The setting supports lingering over a sample, a conversation and the arrival of dinner.
The country store is not just an entrance
The attached store gives the place an extra layer that a stand-alone pizzeria would not have. Before or after the meal, there are bakery items and snacks to inspect, along with bottles and cans of beer to bring along.
Cider tasting has also been offered in the store area, adding another reason to pause rather than walking straight through to the dining room. The front-and-back arrangement is pleasantly informal: a country-store browse on one end, a pizza-and-beer meal on the other.
For travelers, the retail beer selection is especially practical. A draft pint can stay with dinner, while a few packaged beverages can go into the car for later, subject to the store's current selection.
Inside, outside and onward
The seating options suit different kinds of stops. Inside, there is dining-room seating along with bar or counter areas; outside, a patio or terrace gives groups another place to spread out when the weather cooperates.
Dogs can join their people in the outdoor area, a welcome detail after a day outside. Families and casual groups fit naturally here, but the room also works for two people who simply want a good pie and a local pint without turning dinner into an occasion.
Takeout is available for pizza and other menu items. A hot pie can make an excellent passenger for the next leg of a Northeast Kingdom drive—though it may not survive untouched until the next town.
A sensible stop after time outdoors
This is the sort of place that slots neatly after a hike, an afternoon of leaf-peeping or a long ramble through the Northeast Kingdom. The menu is hearty enough for hungry outdoor appetites, but the salads and vegetable pizzas keep the meal from becoming all cheese and dough.
A side or free parking lot is available, with room reported for a larger vehicle such as a van. That adds a small convenience for travelers arriving with more people, more gear or a fuller day behind them.
Come for a specialty pie, but leave room in the plan for the less obvious pleasures: a maple BBQ wing, a big Caesar, a rotating Vermont draft and a few minutes spent browsing the store before heading out again.