Chef-driven, wine-list-considered, view-when-the-light-drops. Reservations recommended at all of them; required at three.
One of Vermont's original farm-to-table dining rooms, inside a Gilded Age Webb-Vanderbilt farmhouse on the 1,400-acre working estate. The kitchen builds the menu around what's coming off the farm that week — Shelburne Farms cheese, its own maple, market-garden produce. Breakfast runs 7:30 to 11 on weekdays; dinner needs a reservation, especially for the porch. Open May through mid-October only — call ahead in shoulder season to confirm it hasn't closed for the year.
An 1891 waterfront inn on City Bay with two different meals depending on the season. The main dining room runs nouvelle American year-round and takes dogs everywhere except inside; the Pier Bar — built out over the water on three sides — opens Father's Day through Labor Day only and is the better seat if the timing lines up. Weekend brunch draws a line by 10. Reserve through Toast or call ahead for a table on the pier at sunset.
A French bistro on the corner of Church and College that's been open long enough to count as one of Burlington's originals. The sidewalk-table people-watching rivals the food, and live music most nights spills out onto the Marketplace. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Go for a late lunch if you want the corner table without the wait that shows up by 6:30.
The Burlington outpost of the Waterbury original, on Cherry Street next to Hotel Vermont — a nightly-changing menu built on Champlain Valley producers and Green Mountain ranchers. Dinner only, 5 to 10, bar open later. The Butcher Room in back runs a private chef's-choice dinner for parties of six to twelve if you're planning something bigger than a Tuesday reservation. Book ahead; this is the table locals point out-of-towners toward first.
Saint Paul Street's Italian room — imported ingredients, a wine list that doesn't cut corners, and two sister spots on the same block if you want to turn it into a crawl: Sotto Enoteca for wine, Pizzeria Verità for Neapolitan pizza. Dinner only, 5 to 9 nightly. Reserve for a Friday; walk-ins have a real shot midweek.
Bank Street's classic Chinese kitchen — hand-pulled noodles and a menu built for sharing, not the Americanized version most of Vermont settles for. Lunch runs Wednesday and Thursday only, limited seating; dinner is Wednesday through Saturday starting at 4:30. Reservations are more than a suggestion on weekends. Worth working the short week into your plans.