Three Penny Taproom

 

 

Fantastic beer on tap, huge tap list, and delicious food; there's little to improve about this place.

You can expect the Vermont stalwarts like Hill Farmstead on tap, but also specials. On my visit, they had all of the Peche Mortel variants on tap from Peche Mortel Day.

Service is a bit slow but very friendly.

Menu is small and limited, but there isn't a dud to be found. Local rotating cheese boards and charcuterie are a must-try.

Indoor and outdoor seating, but this is ultimately a relatively small place in the heart of Montpelier. This has to be on your list for any trip through the area.

I knew this was going to be a solid pub, but I didn't think it'd be this great.

We lucked out getting a window seat just before the dinner rush, and good thing too, because they were maxed out from then on out, having to turn away dozens of people if not giving those without reservations hours long wait times.

It's almost got a saloon feel inside, with dining booths on the one side, and an old school bar on the other. They've also overtaken a sizeable portion of would-be parallel parking spots just outside for an elevated platform with additional seating, likely in light of the pandemic.

The cod cakes, mushroom carbonara, and burger + fries were excellent, but what was most jaw-dropping was the fact that Double Citra was on draft while Hill had already sold out of its cans in 3 days flat. Not only was this hop whale available on draft, so were two dozen other stellar beers, many of which were just as rare or hyped, at least to me. I was in a sort of paradise, having trouble choosing from the taplist, as every option was just top notch.

Service was working their tails off, still masked and dealing with the occasional fussy anti-masker with firm poise, while frequently checking in on us as well as you could ask.

What an excellent stop. I couldn't recommend it more.

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We returned in 2022 looking more forward to eating and drinking at Three Penny than perhaps any other place on our itinerary. Maybe my highly positive first impression set them up for failure, or maybe they really have gone downhill this much, but I kept reserving my judgment for things to turn around. Unfortunately, they never did.

We sat on the bar side this time, and while the space was nothing impressive, it was a perfectly fine pub atmosphere, and the crowd was rowdy. If that had been it--all other things remaining the same--I'd still come away loving it, but sadly it was not.

The bartenders couldn't be bothered to serve us, taking over five minutes before even making themselves available to us, and not to take our orders, either, but to toss some menus at us and walk back to socialize. And they weren't even busy with customers, but instead fucking around with other waitstaff and cooks. The one bartender who was most attentive to us was being trained, so that could be forgiven, but he brought us the wrong beer because he wasn't getting the support he needed from the guy who was supposed to be showing him the ropes.

That said, the beer list was still decent, but not quite as impressive as it was last year. The most disappointing part, even more so than the service, was the food menu. It was tiny compared to last year's, and there wasn't a damn thing on it that sounded good. Then what food we did see come out for other patrons only confirmed my suspicions--something happened to this place since last year, and whatever it was, it wasn't good. It's actually even more mind-blowing than it would have been had this been our first experience last year, considering the pandemic was still in full swing at that time, and they were excelling despite that. So anyway, instead of spending more time here and eating, we just went to The Mad Taco for a better time.

My original score was a 4.7. It pains me to have to drop it so far.

A standout as a craft beer pub in Montpelier. Welcoming staff. Can get quite busy depending on time of year and day of week. If in the area definitely check it out.

What I had: Sixpoint Apollo Wheat, Ballast Point Yellowtail Pale Ale, Dieu du Ciel! Pénombre IPA Noire, and Grassroots / Three Penny Song of Spring on tap, sample of Founders Doom Imperial IPA, Gueuze-Braised Rabbit and Spaetzle, Spring Chicken Stew and Pastry and white wine for the wife, Old Rasputin Brownies to split.

What I liked: Exceptional food, beautiful dining room, first-rate table service from our waiter, solid and clearly visible draught list, good music, lively atmosphere on the bar side.
What I disliked: We had a group of seniors staring at us the entire time that we ate, which made things a little uncomfortable. Unlike our waiter the bartender was surly and seemed bothered when I asked for samples. He also took forever to bring the check. The tap lineup, while very good, didn’t blow me away.
Would I go back? Yes. Despite its shortcomings this is still a great beer bar and resto.
Overall Rating: 82

 

 

A must-visit if you're in Montpelier, from the fantastic selection of local beers to the delicious food. Their burgers are top-notch and I highly recommend getting the TPT Fries (fries with house sauce and carmelized onions), which are absolutely delicious.

The taplist is phenomenal: expect to see plenty of Lawson's and Hill Farmstead. Don't be afraid to ask if they have any Heady or Focal available as well. When I miss out on Lawson's bottle releases, I can almost always catch it on draft here. Cool atmosphere (especially during big soccer games) and just an overall cool place.

 

 

Living closer to Burlington, whenever I find myself in Montpelier - sometimes I check TPT out as I don't mind personally the "older pub-like" mentality of this place. However, compared beer bars in Waterbury and Burlington, this place is over rated. Food is good at best. Service is good. It's loud and not a place to take young children. More stuff popping up in Barre and Burlington, save your money for those places.

The beer selection and quality are great, one of the best tap lists around. I was a little surprised at the small size of the pours. An 8 oz pour of a HF DIPA was $7 - delicious but costly. The service was prompt and friendly. The food we ordered was good but quite expensive. It's a nice pub with great beer, good service and decent food, but all at fairly high prices.

 

 

 

A little grungier than I would have thought

 

 

Three Penny is always my first stop in Vermont, on the way to Waterbury. For me, it' the gateway to the Northern Kingdom. Friendly & welcoming atmosphere, with great comfort food, and one of the best taplists in all of Vermont. Always 4-5 HF brews on tap, plus regulars like Lawson's SOS & Super Session, as well as various other locals. A must stop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great place with an awesome selection of VT brews and selected high quality American and import choices. They usually have Heady and Focal Banger in cans and always have some options from Hill Farmstead and Lawson's on tap.

The vibe is comfortable. Nice bar and separate dining room. Big window views of the main street.

The food and beer is very high quality and they make sure to provide local and well made menu items. Menu is not huge, but has a pretty good variety. Burgers are great. Fries are great.

Service at the bar is always great. Knowledgeable staff, very friendly, no hipster vibe at all. They are helpful with decisions for food/beer and are quick to offer a taste from the taps to help with your decision.

 

 

 

For a little place in the middle of almost-nowhere (this is the smallest state capital in the US with under 10,000 pop. and surrounded by farmland), this place has a surprising selection of good beer on tap.
It's definitely a find for beer lovers.
And the food is good too. Again, not a huge menu, but for a small town, they do a good job of serving "pub classics" like burgers with peanut butter and fried pickles as well as more common fare.
Like their close neighbor, Heady Topper, I was determined to be disappointed in what I expected would be a trendy, overrated place. My only disappointment was how wrong I was... This place carries its weight just like Heady Topper proved damn good after all, too!

 

Went here on Monday after we got Heady in Barre. Great vibe overall and a cool place that could fit into any urban city. Tons of beers on tap and the service was spot on the entire time. Drank Hill Farmstead, Crop, and Lawson's. Had a seared tuna sandwich that was SPOT ON amazing. Would go again in a heart beat, the best place in Montpelier.

 

Great stop with a solid list of brews that can't fail.

Excellent and even roomy to some degree, like walking into an old school soda joint or candy store, with a great vibe.

Tap list is classic Vermont and full of lots of goodies and all in one place. Lost Nation, Alchemist, Lawsons, Hill Farmstead and so forth. Then there will be a couple of other taps that will easily add to make it even better.

Staff here are really friendly, almost too much, but also the food here is real solid as well. Definite must stop if in the area. Tap list changes relatively leisurely I notice too.