Love this building. Surprised they don't take advantage of the upper level! Was in on a Monday night for some pool. Awkwardly asked for ID at door? Totally cool with it, but the 'bouncer' if we can call him that barely noticed us walk in until we were 10 paces past him. Huge selection of local brews. Lots of seating: indoor and outdoor. 2 pool tables. Clean bathrooms. Bartender was a bit cold, perhaps because I'm not a regular? But was knowledgable on available brews. read more

Three Needs is either your favorite Burlington bar, or you roll your eyes when someone brings it up. The place has a Phishy vibe, let's say. Their house-brewed beers are slightly above the brewpub average. I suppose one does have to stop in here to get the full Burlington experience. read more

I moved to Burlington from Central Vermont in the beginning of summer 2014. Once discovering that their first hour of business is "Duff Hour", where the beers are $1 until the keg kicks, I was sold. But it gets so much better! This summer they debuted a beautiful fenced in patio. It's huge! and perfect for a summer evening. I am also a huge fan of their pizza. The calzone is less than $10, and they have a walk-up window out front where you can grab a slice at any hour of business. If you're a pool shark, there is a great scene here and a league that plays as well. My pool playing, bourbon drinking mother approves, and so do I! Thank you Three Needs, my home away from home. read more

This place is so chill! My husband and I stopped by to just grab some drinks, and this place was a perfect spot for it. Definitely coming back next time we are in town! read more

This is the best bar in Burlington and the people are great as long as you don't have a stick up your ass.

Duff Hour.... $1 drafts and slices until the keg was kicked. Absolutely pefect experience with good beer, good pizza and a creative decor. Loved the outdoor smoking area and pool tables. The ladies' room graffiti is highly entertaining. A great hang out! read more

Unbelievably rude staff... Was told I had to leave because I asked to close out my tab "out of turn". Seriously? Will never be back.

I've found a 4th Need for this place, a ventilation system. Went in there on the early side last night, around 10pm and it smelled like a combination locker room, pool, wet basement. I don't expect potpourri by any stretch, but come on .... Beer selection is good. Smell is not good. read more

It's still a 5-star bar, but it was a little odd to visit over Christmas with the out-of-state girlfriend and try to explain how THIS was the sort of bar where I used to always see friends no matter when I stopped in. The crowd wasn't exactly desirables, but it also wasn't quite five o'clock. Since when do all the bars in Burlington open at 2pm? And since when is the Duff Saranac and not Sierra? read more

Cool place, much bigger than you expect. Not a bad beer list. My one complaint is with an employee. I was sitting at a table alone while my girlfriend was in the bathroom. Some customer came to my table and took her jacket, and I obviously responded with a combination of anger and confusion. After the dumb customer gave me back the jacket and the situation was completely over, an employee carrying dirty pint glasses yelled at me because "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT". He then repeated himself several times and acted like he was trying to break up a fight, long after the would be thief was gone. Thanks bro. I'm glad you got you daily chance to be the center of attention. read more

The bartender was efficient and good-natured, played some jams on the stereo. The pinball machine was wicked hard. In a good way.

The OIB: Optical Illusion Bar... Looks like a hobbit hole on the outside, opens up into a spacious ski lodge looking inside. Co-ed bathroom disorienting for a second, then makes sense. Great vibes. Patio with jungle-y painted walls. read more

A bit of a dumpy college dive in downtown Burlington. But they had a coffee stout to watch out for. Really impressive. I've got nothing else to say about this place. read more

I was drunk, and I was taken advantage of. If you go to the pizza window drunk, make sure to make a big deal about giving the server a $50 bill. Otherwise she'll say it was $5 and now you're check-mated because you're drunk and she's not. Most expensive slice I ever ate, and really not that good. Ordering Dommie's now because I was ripped and I'm sad. read more

Cool ambiance, two pool tables in a neat space. Can't wait for their brewery to actually open.

Love this place. Football sundays are the shit!!! When I lived there the owner would put out free hot dogs and home made chili. I was the lone Jaguar fan there and I was always welcome there (unless my team was playing the steelers, there is a TV dedicated to the steelers) but it wasnt too bad even then. On the weekend, it was just another place to stumble into when your time traveling on Church st. Yes it is a dive but most bars in the area are. read more

Exactly what I was looking for - good selection of reasonably priced draft beer in a relaxed bar.

Stopped in as part of a brewery tour / pub crawl - we were given a pint of something with an orange in it and it was delicious. Pool tables were set up and there is an outdoor patio section to hangout at. Definitely recommend stopping by for a drink here. read more

"Duff Hour" is swell, They've got cheap house brews, and a pinball machine! Also Simpsons, Phish, and Dead memorabilia all over the walls. What's not to love? Also, a less college type scene and more actual VT folks give this place a nice vibe. Hole in the wall and a little bit of a dive? Sure, but they give this place it's character. read more

Super loud at busy times, but a great place for weeknight drinking. In-house brews are tops, especially the Chocolate Thunder Porter & Coffee Stout if you like dark beers. More for regulars than tourists. Don't forget to tip. read more

Not a very cool place. The staff is unpleasant & the crowd is shady. They do have a pool table.

Hands down the best bar in Burlington. The exposed post and beam interior is cozy and cathedral ceilings expose a beautiful brick gable with a stain glass window. The real win is the back patio, a really well done tropical landscape artfully adorns the small courtyard and posting up with a pint and a few friends is a great getaway from the church st patio culture. Pool tables, foosball, booth seats a large bar and coed bathrooms....what more could you want? The draft selection is diverse and crafty and you'll find no PBR or Bud Light on this line up. Reminds me of something you'd find in Denver or 'Frisco. The diverse crowd speaks to the overall hospitable environment. Everyone from us tie-wearing after-workers to the college hipsters and crusty locals bump elbows in this harmonious fusion of libation. A unique $1.00 pint special kicks off each weekday when they open, I say unique because this isn't Genny cream their pouring for a dollar, it's a local craft beer!! But you better be there within an hour of opening or your likely to find it run-out until tomorrow. The staff feel like they are a tight group but you never feel like your infringing on their time, friendly, courteous and engaging instead. I can't wait to see the finished, high end whiskey/beer bar opening in the adjoining space off the main bar. Three Needs indeed!! read more

Came in as part of a tour, and left wanting to try more. There is a great beer selection, but try the Three Needs label first. I will be returning. read more

The "Needs" is the best bar in B'town. Best staff, best vibe, etc.. A real bar for real people. Tasty beers and a great mix of music. If you are in town stop by or you will regret it. read more

This place does have good beer, but that's about it. Service is OK and at least they have glass unlike some other Burlington bars. Music seemed like just the radio. My GF ordered a glass of wine and it had definitely turned to vinegar. Ok to have a beer or two but not to spend the night. read more

I love this bar so much. There are pool tables galore, great music, cute bar tenders, and awesome beer lists. I only give it four stars because of the crowds on the weekends. It's nothing against the place but it's really crowded and a bit frat-y. Regardless the bartenders serve with a smile and my friends and I will be back many times over. read more

I went here during Duff Hour as I have many times before. Myself and three others were buying four beers. Before we had even finished paying the bartender snapped at us for not tipping after we had already been tipping 100% on our beers previously. We hadn't finished the transaction when this happened and she then gave me back incorrect change after being extremely rude. When I spoke to the manager about the situation she said people often don't tip here and the bartenders get defensive, which is understandable but I believe tipping is optional for good service. When I said this to the manager she got defensive as well and told me to come back when she's bartending and she would "make sure to be nice" to me. I also addressed the incorrect change I received. She then came over and slapped the money owed to me down on the table in front of my face and asked me "if this made me feel better". I have worked in customer service my entire life and was a frequenter of the Needs. This was one of my favorite bars and I guarantee I will not be back. This was one of the worst experiences I have had at a Burlington bar. I have no interest in going to a place where the bartender is rude and the manager does not have the decency to respect a customer. read more

Had an alright time, pizza is okay if you're drunk it was ice cold. Ken's pizza bar a couple blocks away is way better

Poor service, rude bartenders, overcharged me by $20 which I didn't see on my account statement until much later. Haven't been back since after the bartenders were incredibly rude. read more

Zero stars because of a very uncomfortable experience with the employee who was working at the door on 8/30/14. My husband and I were visiting from out of town and decided to stop in because it is listed as a "brewery" on Yelp, and we are doing a tour of microbreweries in the region. We got there and it looked more like a college bar, loud music, etc, but we never got to find out whether or not they make their own beer. There was a group of three people in front of us, and as one of the women was entering the bar, she stumbled against the door. The employee working at the door loudly told the whole group (and the rest of the street) that they could not enter, because she was "too drunk". She politely protested that she had just taken a wrong step - not slurring her words or otherwise appearing intoxicated - but he told them all to go away. Then my husband and I got to the door. He checked our IDs (we both have some gray hair, so this wasn't a big thing) and then he searched our shopping bags that we had with us because we are tourists and were out walking around all day. We had bought bottles of beer at other breweries, and would have been more than happy to check them, or simply not enter the bar after we learned that it was against policy. But this guy got really loud and uncomfortably close to me, and shouted that we weren't allowed to have the beer in our bags, and that he was actually supposed to confiscate it - which is not the law. A poorly trained 22 year old would-be bouncer cannot take away the legally owned beer of a 35 year old woman on a public sidewalk. He could politely tell her that it isn't allowed inside his place of employment, but that's not what he did. I recommend not trying to go to his place until they hire someone who is not aggressive towards potential customers. read more

Went there tonight with 7 others. The bartender was very rude as if we were taxing him for serving us our beers. One from our party noticed the rudeness of the employee and responded with a statement the involved a lack of tip. The bartender therefore attempted to charge our party an extra $20 for an additional beer. When the member of my party refused to pay the extreme and false extra amount, the bartender seized the drinks from our hands and claimed they weren't paid for, then proceeded to have the entire party removed from the premises. I will NEVER return to this establishment. Being a former bartender and member of the food service industry for 10 + years, I was appalled at the lack of respect given to the paying customer, a customer who would have spent a considerable amount at 3 Needs. read more

This place is awesome! It is very large and caters to mostly college students. It is one of the biggest bars I went to in Burlington and is very busy on the weekend. They even had a line out the door! I think they just made us wait outside to make it look busier than it was because it definitely wasn't at capacity haha. They have pool, foosball, maybe ping pong too? I forgot but they have a lot of activities and it feels very roomy inside with the high ceilings. It feels like you're in a big city, but in the small city of Burlington. read more

please train the bartender stella to have some manners and not bark passive aggressive insults at people when they tell her they're coming right back to tip her. this is clearly a trend and not the first time i've heard of it happening. if you don't interact well with others, maybe bartending isn't the job for you read more

Not a fan of one of the bouncers, or the atmosphere on a busy night. Lots of rowdy college kids and ordering a drink is a lifelong quest. The issue with the bouncer is he's kind of a dick lol. I have an Indiana license and he spent a full seven minutes inspecting it. I've never had that happen before. He consulted a book, took it inside, took his sweet time before declaring me legal (thanks). The issue is there's a slight ripple on the laminate on my card which sucks for me I guess but I haven't had an issue at the multitude of other places I've gone to drink or buy alcohol. And then there was the time we were ordering pizza outside in the cold (both of us were 21) and asked to wait inside because we were told it would take a while by the pizza guys and they were sorry. We said we could show our Ids but for some reason the same bouncer wouldn't let us in? It was weird. Anyway, the pizza is good. Sometimes it can be outrageously greasy in a disgusting way. I like ordering a whole pizza and taking it home because it reheats very well. read more

ran out of pizza and didn't tell anyone in line at 3 am and let all the people in line get right up to the window and told us they were sold out and slammed the window on us. read more

The Needs is awesome. Duff hour is the best deal on beer in town, and $1 slices for an hour after can't be beat. The pizza cube makes excellent, creative pies, better then any other bar pizza in town. The back patio has expanded recently and is a great place to relax. Great pool tables as well, sometimes a line though. Pro tip: On a weekend night when the place is crowded, head to the back bar in the Frank Lloyd Wright room for a quieter vibe and free pool. read more

This place is awesome. If you want to drink in a Burlington bar, but not mingle with the frat/college scene, then this is the place for you. It does fill up with the aforementioned crowd after 10 pm on weekends, but it is impossible to have a bar in town that does not. read more

pretty standard. definitely the hippy crowd for the most part.

My all-time favorite bar in Burlington! The atmosphere is great, they have pool, and pizza! Drinks arn't all to expensive and the social scene is great. I love to start the night here! read more

After 10 years living in Burlington, tonight I faced the worst bartender of all. The bartender at three needs was extremely rude and impolite. I did not get a word out before he was asking me "what do I want?!" " we are busy" very unimpressed and disappointed...thought this was one of my favorite places....I left angry and upset. read more