Nectar's

Nectar'sNectar's
Nectar'sNectar's
Bar, Eatery

188 Main St
Burlington, Vermont, 05401-8311
United States

(802) 658-4771 | map
liveatnectars.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.42
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
32
pDev:
20.47%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by gatheredwaters:
Photo of gatheredwaters
Rated by gatheredwaters from Vermont

3.5/5  rDev +2.3%

Jul 05, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.03 by MRVermont from New Hampshire

May 07, 2018
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Rated by Mattybuchs from Vermont

3.79/5  rDev +10.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Good spot for live music or Thursday trivia and an above average tap list.
Oct 02, 2017
 
Rated: 3.05 by jeffreyhill021 from Massachusetts

Mar 19, 2017
 
Rated: 4.11 by MilaMila from Massachusetts

May 10, 2016
 
Rated: 4.74 by Jlmoses83 from Massachusetts

Apr 26, 2016
 
Rated: 4.09 by McGrupp from New York

Jan 15, 2016
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Reviewed by Phigg1102 from New York

2.98/5  rDev -12.9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3.25 | service: 2.25 | selection: 2.75 | food: 3.25
Not really a beer place, I'm a bit surprised its even listed here. They usually have a decent beer or two on draft, but I've gotten a few oxidized beers from them. This spot is a music venue and gets good marks for the vibe because of some great shows I've seen here.
Oct 15, 2015
 
Rated: 3.89 by tim007007 from Illinois

Jul 28, 2015
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Rated by rodmanfor3 from Vermont

2/5  rDev -41.5%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 2 | selection: 2 | food: 2
The home of Phish. Nothing worthwhile.
Jun 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.51 by fastestmanalive from Florida

Jun 19, 2015
 
Rated: 3.68 by TBonez477 from Vermont

Feb 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by richobrien from California

Oct 19, 2014
 
Rated: 2 by yarnbomb from Vermont

Oct 12, 2014
 
Rated: 1.5 by chippo33 from Vermont

Aug 09, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by bobv from Vermont

Jul 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by ivyman from Massachusetts

Jul 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by mmmbeerNY from New York

Jun 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Mikeypnh from New Hampshire

Jun 10, 2014
 
Rated: 2 by Screper from Massachusetts

May 27, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by BierBliss from New Hampshire

Apr 04, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by New_Northerner from Vermont

Mar 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by ELECTRONICAnonymous from Massachusetts

Feb 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by acurtis from New Jersey

Dec 29, 2013
Photo of kingcrowing
Reviewed by kingcrowing from Vermont

3.7/5  rDev +8.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
During the day this is a food place, they used to have excellent food for cheap (gravy fries and turkey sandwiches cut right off the bird) but I haven't been for food since it's been remodeled so it may not be the same anymore.

In the second room they've got a huge bar and a place for a band, I've gotten DFH beers there as well as all your VT locals for fairly reasonable prices. Its a good place because they usually have good music and maybe 10-15 different taps so it's worth checking out the bar if you're there. Upstairs is more of a club, they have less of a draft selection but they still have a few good beers.
May 17, 2010
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Reviewed by BricksandPorter from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +17%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
"Fresh music served Daily" the birthplace of Phish. A fixture in downtown Burlington, has seen some recent renovations (I visited as a young lad, sometime around the summer of '93 and only again recently in 2009) which gives the place a whole new feel. Great ambiance, and nice people. Famous for their fries and gravy and a great selection of beers, this place is a gold mine for good times and great music. Chock full of history, the dining areas, dance floor and upstairs boast ample space for eating, dancing and just plain hanging out. Clean, organized and very modern, Nectar would be proud of how his place turned out. They have some awesome merchandise as well - in fact I am wearing my "Fresh Music served Daily" T shirt as I write this.

Skol!
May 11, 2010
Photo of TheRowan
Reviewed by TheRowan from Vermont

3.25/5  rDev -5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 2.5
Nectar's is a classic Burlington spot. "Good music served daily". It the past two years the beer selection has been getting better as well. I have think the new mgmt/ownership has something to do with this. It i a very loud place most nights and not a place to go and chat about the brew you are sipping on. About 18 beers on tap with maybe 6 of them being craft beers a few from out of state most made in VT!!! Last time i went i had the Brew Masters Long Trail Coffee Stout on tap! have not seen that in any other bar in Burlington. Bad thing was the girl working the bar gave it to me free because i was the first one in her three shifts that week that had ordered one and she wasn't sure if it had gone bad. It hadn't but my ideas on the people drinking beer at Nectar's had. The only way to get bars to serve good beer is if the bar goers buy it. Thanks Nectar's for making a try at it but the UVMers that go there are just dumb. spend the extra 1$ and upgrade yourself.
May 30, 2009
Photo of tittymcj
Reviewed by tittymcj from Connecticut

2.9/5  rDev -15.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 2.5 | food: 4
Walked in, immediate impression was that I was bound to be deaf by the time I left. A couple pool tables, people hanging around them, moderately interested in playing pool, mostly interested in staring at girls.

The bar area is pretty small, lots of open standing space though. The two bartenders couldn't handle all the people efficiently, even though most everyone was ordering vodka tonics. Not a great beer selection, only three or four on tap, a couple bottles. Very loud live music coming from the corner.

Not a bad experience, but not the place to go for really great beers or a good selection. Fairly typical college-type scene.
Feb 01, 2009
Photo of everetends
Reviewed by everetends from Alabama

3.5/5  rDev +2.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
Went here back in August and just realized it was on BeerFly. Took notes but never uploaded anything, so here we go.

Nectar's is a strange place, man. Door man checks your ID and shuffles you into the door on the left. You walk through what looks like an old school Americana diner and then make your way to an opening on the right where the bar is. I went on a night they had a reggae band playing. The crowd was mixed with Rastas, business types, college crowd, and middle aged single men and women. Very strange vibe. Art work all over the walls from local artists was kinda cool. There is also an upstairs that I suppose is the dance floor. It was 80s night up there and quite frightening.

Selection was mostly limited to locals which is nice for an outsider. Switchback, Magic Hat and Long Trail dominated the taps. Prices were suprising I remember, but couldn't tell how cheap they were. Service was ok. Had a male and a female bartender. Female was attentive but the male seemed only to want to get into her pants, so it was at times difficult to get a brew.

Food looked good but I didn't try any. Place was damn smoky so I guess they changed their smoking policy someone mentions below. This is not a beer bar, but you can get a beer at this bar. This seems mostly like a trendy singles scene.
Dec 04, 2008
Photo of NEhophead
Reviewed by NEhophead from Massachusetts

3.35/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
Stopped in at Nectar's a few weeks ago while in Burlington, and unfortunately this place has changed a bit.

Nectar's is a split between a 'dining area' (diner booths, etc.) through the door on the left, and a bar with a few tables through the door on the right. Nectar's is known for offering live music to local bands nearly every night with no cover, so we stopped in for a brew. They offer about fifteen to twenty beers on-tap, almost all local selections. Nothing special (Magic Hat, Long Trail, Harpoon, Trout River, The Shed, Rock Art, etc.), but suitable for a night when beer isn't your top priority...did I just say that? The service was surprisingly great, but usually you'll have to order for yourself at the bar. Over on the diner side, breakfast here is a must if you're visiting Burlington. Typical greasy diner food with a 'make your own' bloody mary bar. As I mentioned at the beginning, it looks like Nectar's has done some redecorating on the bar side with some art sculptures and hanging murals/paintings. This place used to be flooded with Phish memorabilia, after all this was pretty much where the band began gigging regularly. To my shock and dismay on my last visit, all of the pictures/memorabilia had been taken down. Nevertheless, stop in for breakfast, or grab a beer while catching some live music to kill some time, and remember..."whatever you do, take care of your shoes".
Aug 30, 2005
Photo of weeare138
Reviewed by weeare138 from Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +6.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3
Atmosphere is nice and clean and very new looking on the inside. Some cool sculpted art hanging on the walls.
The quality of everything seemed to be in check and everyone seemed to be enjoying what they were ordering.
Service was ok. Small bar area and the two bartenders were having some sort of problem getting something straight.
The selection was average. Magic Hat Fat Angel, Switchback, Long Trail Ale, Trout River Red were the highlights...oh joy! But wait, if your not satisfied with the draft selection, they DO have Magic Hat's Mother Lager in bottles. The best part is when I got my Trout beer, the f'ers charged me $4 f'ing 50! Friggin thieving whores!
Jul 22, 2005
Photo of scottum
Reviewed by scottum from Vermont

3.78/5  rDev +10.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
new review(9-10-04):

Vermont beers are now $4.50. Needless to say I spend quite a bit less time in the place. Plus, they now have a cover on weekends. Still great music and great food, but it costs some bucks to attend now. The service has also slipped quite a bit.



old review (9-17-03):
My favorite spot in Burlington. Vermont beers are only $2.50 a pint before 9:00. A full beer selection is always on tap including a Rock Art, Shed, Otter Creek, Long Trail, Switchback, and a couple Magic Hat brews to round up the large VT selection. Macros from Canada and the states round out the taps with a couple rotating misc handles. The gravy frys are unreal! The other sweet sweet thing about Nectar's is they always have live music at night and there is never a cover. I've seen some great touring bands here. Gotta love a place where you can get three pints of Shed and Rock Art plus an order of gravy frys for around $10! Nectar's is a must stop when in Burlington!

old numbers:

a 4.5
q 4.5
s 5
s 4.5
f 4.5
Sep 17, 2003
Nectar's in Burlington, VT
Place rating: 3.42 out of 5 with 32 ratings