Just returned from a weekend wedding here and we had a great time! EVERYTHING was terrific...Especially the staff. Everyone was friendly, accommodating, professional, etc. The rooms are mediocre but we knew coming in this isn't the Ritz Carleton. Overall very solid experience. read more

This review is for the inn only. The restaurant at this point in July 2022 wasn't open on Tuesday nights (the only night we stayed). Also, just FYI, most of the restaurants in town are closed Mondays, Tuesdays and some on Wednesdays as well. Or the deli is open till 7pm but you can't order sandwiches past 2pm. ‍ We were only in the area for a day but weird closing times or days were highly prevalent. But I digress, Mad River Inn has lush gardens and thoughtful landscaping throughout the expansive property. It seems like a wonderful place to hold a rustic themed wedding as they have an outdoor chapel with seating and a dedicated indoor hall. The inn, tap room and restaurant are all very tastefully decorated in modern farmhouse style, with a lot of greige (gray-beige) paint that was very popular a while ago. Thoughtful touches are every where. Our check in person was very nice and helpful. We loved our room for our family of three where we could spread out and not be all in the same room all the time. The twin beds were wonderfully soft (my personal favorite) but the queen bed was definitely not as lush. I slept in one of the four twin beds as my husband snores. The bedding was soft and inviting. AC was great as it was a very hot humid day/night. The complimentary breakfast the next morning was next level good served by a very friendly, very accommodating chef. Homemade granola, breads, bagels, pastries etc but also a cooked to order breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and home fries. Juice coffee etc of course as well. So I would actually give this place 5 stars but took off some for not having a dining room open for guests every day and the fact that our whole family mentioned the constant low level banging noise we heard below us as we were all trying to sleep. As there were no guest rooms below us we surmised that it was probably a washer and dryer making the noises. Husband said an easy fix to this is an arrester on the dryer that can be added to lessen the banging. Or skip doing laundry past 10pm. Still would highly recommend. Wish we could have tried the restaurant for dinner. read more

See all

Great food, service, and atmosphere. A bit loud on a Saturday night but was a solid choice.

We just left my cousin's wedding weekend which took place at the Mad River Barn and it was absolutely spectacular. We enjoyed flatbreads, salads, and cookies in the pub on Friday night. The wedding ceremony was outside and the reception in the beautiful modern barn. Sunday morning was a breakfast buffet. The food was absolutely amazing from Friday night straight on through until Sunday morning. The grounds and facilities were beautiful and carefully tended to - and the staff was friendly, attentive, and super speedy. We've been to the pub many times during ski season and it was so lovely to spend time here this summer. I can't say enough how much we enjoyed our time at the Mad River Barn - THANK YOu and that's to the bride and groom Q & A for inviting us! read more

I have never been more impressed by an establishment than I am of Mad River Barn. I had the pleasure of staying here for a wedding this past weekend and here are a few highlights: The grounds are impeccable and romantic. Every detail is well thought out and stunning. Hills of grass and gorgeous trees speckled with flowers, hastas and a bridge over a brook. Just inspiring! The accommodations were amazing. Rustic feel coupled with comfort you don't often find in smaller places. Every detail was perfect down to the weathered barn doors and creaky wood floors. The food!! While the main restaurant was not open for the season, the staff prepared us breakfast every morning and all dishes were simply delicious. Fresh eggs made to order, perfectly seasoned potatoes, crispy bacon. The veggie frittata was to die for!!! They have house made granola that would put most places to shame it is so delicious!! The staff... I cannot say enough about the exceptional service I received. Every staff member had me feeling as if I were the only guest here with personalized attention and the most friendly smiles I have encountered. The wedding venue was simply gorgeous!!! The barn was spacious and beautiful. I was not expecting the to see such a gem and was truly blown away by this amazing space. I cannot wait to see the photos! I will definitely recommend this spot to anyone and everyone. Thank you, Mad River Barn. read more

An excellent spot. Very cozy. Great and efficient service with a very good menu. We'll definitely be back--after going twice in one week.

Food is amazing! Smash burger is crazy good! Chicken is the best I've ever had. Beers are big n cold! Love this place!!!

I've been visiting the pub at Mad River Barn for several years and the food only gets better with each visit. We prefer to sit upstairs in the pub, which can get loud, compared to the lower level restaurant which is lacking in atmosphere. Do yourself a favor and don't order the burger (which is amazing), but try something new off their menu as you won't be disappointed. Their specials are always incredible as well so consider them as an option. I do wish their menu offer better descriptions of each item as I feel they don't do it any justice. Ask your server for a better description of the meals you're considering to help make a decision. Sorry I didn't get any pics of the food, it was too good to pause and take one. read more

Food and service was great. Kid friendly environment as well. Definitely worth a trip while in the area skiing or hiking.

Love the Barn! Awesome smash burgers, solid fries, good live music, friendly staff, just a great apres ski or hike place.

Pre-Covid, this was our family go-to but with post-Covid updates (including removal of the air hockey table), it's lost a bit of its charm. Still great food & drinks, but not quite the same family experience it once was. read more

Couldn't have asked for better hospitality and general environment for a ski weekend with extended family. After the ski day we would lounge on the couches by the fire place enjoying excellent cocktails and really good bar apps. Particularly loved the sweet potato fries! For dinner we ate downstairs - a more quiet option for dinner. The chef there knows what hes doing. Food is fresh - they clearly buy local. The rooms themselves were very clean and comfortable and we had plenty of space for our gear. Highly recommend esp for people who want more than just a room as it has the bar and restaurant! read more

The Mad River Barn is a place of many parts. Amazing food! Great drinks! Full service bar! Friendly atmosphere. This place gets busy. For obvious reasons. The ambience is classy and roomy. The food is incredible and consistent. It's charming without being kitschy and a real treasure in the Mad River Valley. I can't recommend this place highly enough! read more

We came to stay at the Barn for a long weekend. It surpassed my expectations. It is very rustic, the bedrooms were basic and comfortable, exactly what we needed. Perfect for a family. The breakfast was wonderful and we ate here one night and the food and service was 5 star. We had an amazing time. read more

We were looking for a place that had good wings and bar food and Yelpers recommended Mad River Barn. We got there and the parking lot was full. They were packed inside and we had to wait for seating to open up so I went to the bar and ordered a Manhattan with Bulliet bourbon. It was pretty good so I ended up having 2 before the evening was over. A table finally opened up, well a couch with a table in front of a TV so we were able to watch the games. They have several table games for the kids right in the seating area and that got pretty loud at one point. I wouldn't say the wings were that great compared to the wings I had at Worthy Burger a couple days before. I hate to compare the establishments but Worthy set the bar really high with their wings. My friend ordered a chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and veggies. She loved it. The waitress was very nice and accommodating to us. The reason for the 3 stars is the noise level with the table games and my wings were not fried crispy as I had asked for. It was a very friendly place like all the other places we visited in VT. read more

Clean, cute, and the extreme ease of check in /check out is a plus! Perfect place to lay your head between leaf peeping days!

*Vermont Vibe * Pub and restaurant upstairs all in one place * Beds and pillows very comfortable * Friendly staff and family feel * Good size parking lot * The most delicious country home breakfast buffet * WIFI ! Try to get a room upstairs because you can hear everything upstairs. Would come back especially during fall! read more

Mad River Barn - New American Near Me - Waitsfield, Vermont

See all

We stayed here for one night during the fall and had a wonderful experience. The staff was extremely helpful, we were given a choice of two rooms, the bed was comfortable and the sheets and towels were soft. Very clean and fun decor. The room didn't have a TV, which was fine by us. The restaurant/bar was great. Food was delicious and they were very accommodating with dietary restrictions. The lounge and game area is very fun. Loved the big fireplace as well. Having been to the restaurant during ski season, it is a fun, energetic spot after getting off the hill. We live close by and would definitely return again for a get-away. read more

This is a great place to bring with kids. They have plenty of menu options for kids, and there are enough places for the kids to round around, while the grown ups finish their meals. We had the Hanger Steak and the Housemade Veggie Burger. The Hanger Steak was a little overcooked, but was okay. Fries were good. Overall, the dish as a bit dry, as I tried to scoop up any bit of the gremolata sauce as possible. The Veggie Burger was a little mushy, but the flavors were good. We'll probably come back again. read more

Mad River Barn - Hanger Steak - New American Near Me - Waitsfield, Vermont

See all

My review is for the pub menu and not the main dining room. They should call this the Mad House Barn. It was packed when we got there around 5 pm. Since we didn't have reservations, we went up to the bar area. In this area are a bunch of table where you have to hover like a vulture and find a spot. We were fortunate that a family of four allowed my wife and I to sit with them. Now to the food. The burgers that the family we joined looked good. I ordered the maple chicken (per my server's recommendation). That was one darn good chicken. All that was missing were the waffles. But the mashed potatoes and green beans that came along with it were very good too. The maple sauce was not overbearingly sweet. It was the right balance to complement the charred chicken skin and moist chicken. It was really good. Unfortunately, my wife's chicken pot pie was (as my wife said) chicken soup in a bread bowl. It wasn't a pastry, but literally a bread bowl - disappointing. So how in the heck am I going to rate this place? I found it too chaotic for me. When I spoke with the family that we sat with, they thought the same thing too. read more

Family birthday dinner. Casual, simple fare. Our server was very funny and efficient. read more

My boyfriend and I came up for a weekend visit to celebrate my birthday. We've been a handful of times for dinner, drinks and games (the bar is located in a huge game room!!) and have had a fantastic time. It is also a bed and breakfast, so I've longed to stay there for some time. We had a fantastic weekend! PROS: 1. Food, beer list, staff atmosphere is great. It is super cozy and you do really feel as if you are home. 2. A wonderful cooked to order hot breakfast is included with your stay. The waitress (forget name!) is very friendly and accommodating. Food is very good! 3. It's close to Sugarbush / Mad River and other hiking options. It's also close to town if you'd like to venture out for anything. 4. Pricing is super reasonable- from stay, to food, to drink. 5. Rooms are very clean (we stayed in Barn) and super comfortable. It's fantastic to be able to have dinner, drinks in comfy clothes and walk through two doors to head to bed!! The only CON I have is consistent with other reviews. We knew this is a kid/family friendly place- which can bring added noise / diminishes the romantic factor is you are traveling as a couple. However, I actually enjoy it (we do not have kids) and it's refreshing to see the kids having a great time too! However, it is ridiculously loud - you can hear everything from your room (and the noise wasn't due to kids- just nature of the buildings- sound travels like I've never heard it travel before!). We could hear the folks in the room next door having a light tempered conversation and could make out every word (at 10:30PM!). You can hear anyone on stairs, conversations in the lobby (if someone is checking in) etc. This wasn't a deal breaker for us- we would totally be back- but I likely would not stay during a busy time (more people = even more noise). We stayed in April when skiing was tailing off and mountain biking/hiking wasn't up to speed yet. Thank you to all who made our stay fantastic! See you all again soon! read more

Love this place! The staff is wonderful, we loved the bartenders and had a great time at the restaurant. The rooms are cozy and quaint in a great location. I'm not sure I could stay here again unless I was able to stay on the second floor, it's incredibly loud. Everyone in our group was woken up every night by the room above us simply walking around or people going up the stairs, far beyond typical foot noise. Voices carry very far too. We are young and not usually bothered by noise but it was pretty extreme and was a bummer to not get good sleep after a big day of skiing. I love the buildings charm and would love to come back, but I hope they might consider rugs or something else to help with the noise. read more

Yum!!! We had a scrumptious dinner at the Mad River Barn, seated in the stunning pavilion. We started with a beautiful salad of local veggies, large enough for us two salad lovers to share. The brisket sandwich on freshly baked naan was fabulous, and my wild salmon on cauliflower purée was out of this world. Tables are safely spaced, and even though we were technically outdoors it felt like we were actually dining out at a restaurant, just like the old pre-covid days. And the staff is wonderful. We can't wait to go back. read more

We had a wonderful experience up in the Pub. Very relaxing setup. The food and service were great. If you like wings, the Cajun dry rub was great. read more

Mad River Barn - New American Near Me - Waitsfield, Vermont

I was very disappointed with the service. The food was good, but when I asked if I could get a burger to go at 9:10pm for my son at home they said they are sorry and the kitchen closed at 9 pm. The owner said the hours are posted, I guess that is fair . I guess the management should be flexible! read more

We just had a perfect wedding weekend! Our son and daughter in law picked the perfect spot! Fantastic wedding venue, the hosts Heather and Andrew were so accommodating! Their staff is the best! We made the wonderful memories with family and friends... we cannot thank them enough! Perfection and that is no exaggeration! read more

Mad River Barn - New American Near Me - Waitsfield, Vermont

Love this place! A real bar in the Mad River Valley! Great bartenders, great food, and happy people around a fireplace. I won't make complicated...My cheeseburger was excellent - perfectly cooked, great bun, and some kind of creative cheese. Great beers on tap and many other options for scotch or bourbon connoisseurs. read more

The food and pub was great, would definitely come back for that. The accommodations left a lot to be desired. No mini fridge or television, basically a room that wouldn't get warm enough, with beds to sleep in, and a bunch of trolls stomping loudly above us all night long. If I was rating the restaurant and pub this would be a 5-star review. read more

Upscale restaurant with some great food. The service was impeccable! I started with the wings, nothing special, very greasy and fatty, I would skip it. Next was the roasted chicken, very good with a side of mashed potato and seasonal vegetables. The chicken has a nice balsamic or that nature topping that was very pleasant. The restaurant had a party downstairs and then they were allowed to roam the whole restaurant disturbing the other guests. I was forced out of my table by the party guests who placed their empty drinks and plates on my table with no regard to me whatsoever. If they can protect the rest of the patrons from the party guests, I think my experiences would have been more than average. The service and food saved the experience. read more

Love this place and this review is long overdue! My fiance and I stayed at the inn for a quick getaway. This would be an amazing place to bring your kids for a family vacation or a couples weekend like ours. The room was so fun! Amazing design with interesting recycled materials. We enjoyed the restaurant with friends who were in town. There were lots of families there and the kids all looked like they were having a great time with the air hockey table. We had drinks at the bar and were well taken care of. We felt very welcome and not at all like it was "locals only". The bartenders told us all about things to do in the area, made me an awesome hurricane and recommended a delicious VT beer to my fiance :) read more

A truly perfect Vermont dining experience. Hand's down, one of the best filet's I've ever had. The steak was cooked perfectly to Medium Rare with a delicious sauce, tasty vegetables, and garlic smashed potatoes. They had several beers on draft including a one-of-a-keg Lawson's specialty brew that had a nice amount of hops without a bitter after taste. They've got a great shuffleboard upstairs in the bar, air hockey table, and large screen TV paired with comfortable upscale bar atmosphere (think Ace Hotel in NYC). I stayed at the hotel in their 'Bunk Room' which was completely renovated and far from what one might expect! The room was incredibly clean accommodating up to 6 guests (perfect for a group of friends on a ski trip) in one room for a very fair price! The Tempurpedic bed was the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in and the shower and bathroom were kept perfectly clean. Please note: No TV in the room, but the bar area above the restaurant is a perfect place to lounge around and hang with your group of friends. Shuffled board and air hockey tables are free. Tip: Whether you're passing through the Mad River Valley or planning a ski/golf getaway I would highly recommend this inn & restaurant. read more

We had a dinner reservation here on a Tuesday night between Xmas and New Years. Reservations are recommended as the seating area is modest. There is a pub upstairs, more on that in a minute. The ambiance here is laid back and charming. Nice decor and the service was good. This place is good for groups as there were 2 or 3 large groups with kids. The fare is above average. We had two appetizers: lamb chops and meatballs. Both were excellent. I had a burger. Beef was delicious and cooked perfectly. Fries are weak. It is my only complaint. They had been over cooked. We did not try the wine, but the list was good. We had cocktails and beer. The beer selection is excellent with a mixture of local (Vermont) beers and traditional beers. Nice selection of draft beers. After dinner, we decided to stop upstairs at the pub. It is delightful! A mixture of areas to gather. They have a big fireplace with small couches and seating areas around the bar, and another larger attached room with larger tables/seating with billiards, football, and table games for entertainment. The games that I saw were trivial pursuit and old school monopoly. The bar was well stocked and included an excellent selection of single malt scotch, bourbons, and other libations. They made an excellent side car too. The service was excellent. It made for an excellent evening. Thank you. read more

We just had to come back for another dinner at the Mad River Barn, this time bringing along a friend. The food was exceptional, as it was before. The truffled mac and cheese was delicious, I loved the veggie risotto, but the maple glazed chicken was everyone's favorite. The mashed potatoes were outstanding, due to the clever use of chèvre cheese! The bar tender was awesome. We chatted with him briefly while waiting for a table, and had the bbq wings at the bar. So good! They have a good beer selection, but I'm not an IPA fan. I might be the only one left in America, but I'd love a selection of local beers of another style... So I had a perfect gin and tonic instead! This is our new favorite place in the Valley and will be back over and over. read more

Love this place. Beer selection is great and food is awesome and modern with out being too trendy. Family friendly as well as being a good watering hole. Just a great vibe all round. read more

I just stayed there as part of a family gathering over a weekend, and I can say that Andrew and Heather were not only fantastic Hosts in accommodating all our needs. The Rooms are charming with a nice mix of Modern and reclaimed rustic, the food was delicious the bar friendly & most importantly, atmosphere is very relaxed! And that is saying a lot with all the family we had there. I'd like to say a special thanks to the breakfast crew - who were extra nice to us also ! When I come to Waitsfield again - I will definitely stay there ! read more

The food was amazing and the atmosphere was so cute. Nicely decorated with friendly service. read more

Mad River Barn - What a great place for dinner. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was so cute. - New American Near Me - Waitsfield, Vermont

I booked a dinner for 20 people. It was my husband's 50th birthday. The table was ready when we arrived on time. So that was a plus. I had spoken with the manager earlier that day about serving the appetizers right after drink orders were placed. That did not happen. Then 15 minutes after drink orders were placed, I was still being told that they were working on the apps. I asked that they pace the rest of the meal so that we would not feel rushed. Ha! The apps were set down and 5 minutes later the salads came and while the salads were still being eaten, the main course was set down. Then the waiter came around and said "anything else? All set?" This is a problem since I had specifically discussed dessert with the manager. It was on our menu. I had to ask that they bring menus back out so people could order dessert. The food was just ok. The cheese tray was quite good. People liked the arancini balls. The Kale Caesar was bland. The burger was just ok. The flatiron steak was tough. The fries were over-salted. And the brownie sundae was awful. It was a strange consistency - like brownie batter that was half baked from a box. I guess for a small party, apps and drinks? Sure. But I would not eat here again. I had a check over $1000. You would think having a manager check in on us would have been a no brainer. --------- Since my initial review, above, I received a message from the manager apologizing for his absence. Had Andrew been there, I am confident the evening would have been more pleasant. read more

I was really disappointed. The venue is decorated so well but for a dining experience it was really rough. The food was cold, and we had some speculation that the 26 dollar chicken dish my girlfriend had ordered was undercooked... We would have brought it up to our server but we just wanted to leave. It was super loud, children running around and playing on the floor feet from our table. I was surprised the wait staff didn't say anything to the parents that were with the children because someone could have easily tripped. There was also only one bathroom for the entire dining area, and it was filthy. We also had to wait a very long time for our bill, and when it came it was a bill for another table. The one bright side was that the drinks were decent, but very pricey. I wouldn't go again. read more

We had a terrible 3 night stay here. BE SURE TO READ ALL POOR REVIEWS on other trip review websites beforehand! We saw positive reviews (restaurant mainly), but I wish we had found them ALL beforehand - especially the owner's responses. If you have any complaint (even small), be prepared for her wrath! We booked back in Nov for a ski getaway in Feb. We have had many great stays in the Sugarbush & Stowe areas and looked forward to trying a new venue. I called and spoke to the front before booking and all seemed fine. You can HEAR EVERYTHING in this place from your room. From the owner yelling at an employee over a scheduling conflict (we heard him yelling & swearing over an hour about this), to people thumping up and down the wooden stairs, to children running around unsupervised, to staff discussing/investigating an odd smell on property, to conversations from the privacy of other rooms. We knew we may experience some extra white noise due to an old building, but this was beyond imaginable. Ultimately, the guests lacked any consideration for other guests and the owner basically shrugged her shoulders saying look elsewhere. Shocking, to say the least. Noise wasn't even the most disappointing element of our stay, it was the owners' reaction. It was SO loud after the first day that we tried to have our room moved. We were in B7 that is right atop the stairs - we constantly had the room shake with people banging and running down the stairs/halls. There were kids up loud late into the night (11pm+) and we could even hear parents coming down to the room reprimanding them. Then, early in the morning (around 6:30/7am) we woke up to kids yelling and bouncing off the walls in the hall. Unfortunately, the owner, Heather, said all other rooms were booked when I requested a room in a better location. She said we should have looked at the website to see that it's "family friendly". For the record, our complaints were not kids in general - but the LOUD disruptive noises we were experiencing. The majority of our stays at many inns/hotels have been family friendly, but never experienced this level of noise. I do not think "family friendly" normally means "be loud, run wild, let kids go unsupervised, who cares!" There was no apology or suggestion of quieting them down, just a "it's an old building, you should have read the website." The website does not depict the experience we have had. It should be much more clear about the NOISE and lack of consideration. It is simple common courtesy. We tried to find other accommodations without any luck. On our second day, we came back from skiing to a pleasant quiet and took an afternoon nap. We were woken up my the other owner, Andrew, yelling at a member of the staff about her schedule. We experienced this directly from our room over an hour - periodic yelling, swearing, etc. We are pretty lenient, but even this felt unprofessional for guests to witness and made us uncomfortable. We went to dinner offsite for an extended time so didn't witness much through the evening. At 11pm, we woke up to loud noise outside our room which was apparently a group that checked in. Frustrated, we went out to tell them to quiet down and in return the owner Andrew said he was just moving new guests in. Seriously? I know people are excited, but that kind of noise at 11pm? Enough to wake and keep us both up? This isn't a party town, it's a ski town - in all our years of skiing, people commonly wind down or at least respect those that are resting to wake up and ski. We were up the rest of the night which left us unrested and not able to ski the next day. We had dinner commitments that night otherwise we would have left a day early. We counted down the hours and left first thing the next day. We were excited about this stay as the decor is appealing and it appears nice on the outside. We even had a good dining experience in the restaurant previously, which made us want to stay here. The inn's esthetics do not match the owners' behavior nor hospitality. I do not recommend this inn to anyone. **UPDATE: Heather's reply below is not accurate. She said she'd only let me out of my reservation if she found a replacement, which she did not. To claim she offered to just let us off is a lie. We would have left immediately if so, but unfortunately had just given her $700. Also, she wasn't there for the two incidents we had with her husband that she claims she was, so again another lie. We have a recording of one as proof. Two things I agree with: first, life is too precious - and frankly that's why I think others should know our experience so they don't waste their time here! Second, an educated consumer is a good consumer - unfortunately the website does not give proper insight here, but the owner's attitude in responses does... so BEWARE of this venue if you are single or couple that would like normal hospitality & a decent night sleep to ski, as it is quite obviously for long time guests and family only! read more