Red Hen Baking

Highly recommend. Breakfast sandwich and chocolate almond croissant were very good. So many great fresh bread and pastry options and staff was lovely. There are also some local honey and spreads and other items for sale. And a super cool looking day camp behind the bakery and a pretty little hike from the parking lot takes you to the river. Perfect random find while exploring!

From the moment we walked in and welcomed by the smell of freshly baked bread, I knew all the other positive reviews were right, this place is the real deal. Their croissant sandwich was the best I’ve tried this year. It was beautifully layered with a crunchy outside and soft on the inside. However, the bakery can get quite busy and the small parking lot was full during our visit at lunch time.

流石 Cross Food Reviews The Red Hen is truly an amazing sandwich place. I highly recommend it. I had the Bacon and Brussels, and was amazed how flavorful it was. They somehow toasted the bread to perfection and left no greasy residue. This place is popular so get here early. Little cringe on the outside but worth the visit on the inside. A Well-paved Cross-road ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Red Hen is super solid it's worth a stop if it's not much of a detour but I wouldn't go entirely out of your way for it. Their bread is very very good including their daily focaccia. Sandwiches are great especially turkey cranberry. The turkey tastes amazing, fresh and flavourful with a good thickness. The chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting is INSANELY GOOD. A MUST. IVE NEVER HAD ANYTHING LIKE IT. Frosting texture is perfect it it isn't over whipped and doesn't leave a weird film in your mouth. It's the perfect balance of sweetness and fat and perfectly compliments the chocolate cake which also has the right amount of sweetness. The flavors harmonize beautifully it's so well done. The scone and biscuit were subpar imo. Fairly dry no outstanding flavours or textures. Choc almond croissant is solid.

Came down to try out the bread from Essex, it is crowded on a weekend. We got some bread and some nice brownies. We definitely come for more the next time.

Stayed in Waterbury for two days and both days we found ourselves here! From the decaf lattes, to the earl Grey cake & the lemon butter breakfast sandwiches (if you get this, add bacon!)....I can't give this place enough stars. The staff, atmosphere, and food....all so wonderful. We're sad we live 2.5 hours away! We will be back!!

Everything here is local, fresh, and made from scratch. Red and baking embodies the true vermont feels. When you walk in you are greeted with the fresh baked bread smell. The dining chairs are everything you would expect of a New England charm breakfast joint. You can tell how proud the owner is by all the chalk on the walls. The staff were super friendly and helpful. It felt like everyone wanted to be there and was proud to be there. Unfortunately, I had to take my breakfast to go but I feel like I could hang out here for a while. In fact there were a couple people playing games at the tables. Food: I had the coffee made with honey, which is supposed to be a local favorite. Now I am very particular about my coffee and I was quite impressed. This was a unique flavor and i'm more than happy to have it again. The breakfast sandwich was made with their own bread. I would have chosen a different type of bread for an egg and cheese sandwich but You can taste the home made difference. The sandwich otherwise lacked flavor. Perhaps if I had ordered it with meat It would have been better. It may have needed a little more salt Or some type of sauce To really bring everything out. At the end of the day, if I ever drive through this area again. I will make sure to stop here.

OKAY. This place was hands down the best breakfast we had on our whole East Coast road trip. The pastries were incredible (especially warmed up a bit later) and the hot chocolate was delicious, super memorable, I’d go back just for that. Pricing was pretty fair, we got a breakfast sandwich, almond chocolate croissant, maple cinnamon bun and bacon cheddar scone. All of it was superior. Will go out of our way to come here again!

Coffee drinks are good Fresh pastries and bread daily Love their breads Always busy place Sandwiches are really good and suggest ordering online if you don't want to wait

When we visited Vermont on July 5th, we were on a mission to try a few creemees along the way. We already had one from Little Gordo's in Burlington earlier in the day so I couldn't give these guys a 5 star rating because I found Little Gordo's to be better. The prices were competitive. The bakery was closed but I'm hoping there's another opportunity to give them a try. I say that because there was one seeded baguette left which we were glad to have bought. That deserves a 4.5 star rating. The young lady assisting with orders was personable and nice. There aren't any places to sit but there is a camp area close by (not sure if customers can use the benches). This place is also next to a river walk trail which I thought was a nice touch. I specially loved their sign right outside the ice cream booth.

A great local bakery within the Vermont area! They delivery to the local grocery stores and that's how we discovered them! The bread is fantastic. My personal favorites are their sourdough and polenta breads. We managed to stop by their actual bakery today and have enough time right before they closed to grab bread for our ski trip. The parking lot outside is very tight and can be a bit chaotic. Inside you can order coffee, sandwiches, and they have local meats and snacks. I recommend coming first thing when they open as the bread tends to sell out pretty quickly.

My boyfriend and I stopped here for coffee and pastries on a Sunday morning. I had the maple walnut sticky bun, and he had a ham and cheese croissant. Both were fantastic. I only wish there were more walnuts! The cashier was nice and very patient (it took me a long time to choose from all the beautiful pastries). There is plenty of seating inside, as well as a little store with apparel and pantry products. Such a great cozy cafe!

This is an experience and sandwich you don't want to miss. I'm sadly, two states away. My wallet is thankful.

Amazing pumpkin spice latte and apple pie latte! Coffee isn't burnt, milk is perfect, it doesn't taste artificial. Absolutely delicious! Their pastries were perfect- recommend getting them warmed up!

The food is amazing! Best baguettes around. And the croissants are to die for! Definitely check them out if you're in the area! The only downside is how crowded it usually is and the limited seating.

There may not be a more magical, delicious place in the world. As soon as you walk in to this lovely local bakery just off the intersection of VT-100 and US-2, you're greeted by the intoxicating melange of excellent butter, yeast, sugar, spices, dough, baking pastries / bread, and other wonderful things, an instant infusion of happiness on a cold and rainy winter day. This might be the last thing I want to smell before I leave this life. I would die happy! Given the mind-boggling array of options -- all freshly baked -- we had a lot of trouble choosing at the pastry case, but the staff were friendly and patient with us. On our visit, just a small subsection of the offerings included croissants, ham and cheese croissants, pain au chocolat, almond-chocolate croissant, kouign amann, palmiers, cinnamon rolls, foccacia with various toppings, scones, at least a dozen varieties of cookies, and as many varieties or more of bread, including a beautiful pain d'epi. We wanted to stuff our faces with everything! After much salivating and negotiation, we ended up with a relatively restrained maple sticky bun, pain au chocolat, cranberry kouign amann, sweet potato + onion focaccia, and a loaf of polenta bread. All were exceptional. The pastries were perfectly laminated despite the humidity that day, the bread baked with a gorgeous crust, a perfect-for-us crumb, rise, and chew. There's a helpful chart on the website that describes the interior crumb, percentage of locally sourced grains, and percentage of whole grains. (https://www.redhenbaking.com/bread/) Based on the descriptions, we found exactly what we wanted. Red Hen is truly setting a standard for bakeries everywhere.

i've been going here since i was a kid and the food is consistently good. the croissants and the maple cinnamon roll are my favorites. this time, we got a chocolate croissant and the peanut tofu sandwich. the chocolate croissant has dark chocolate, so it's a little rich and slightly bitter. the peanut tofu sandwich is very tangy and delicious and made with fresh bread. you really can't go wrong here. everyone is friendly and the environment is pretty cozy. they also sell cookie dough and local provisions if that's something you're interested in.

All of the food was amazing. Breakfast sandwich on really nice bread, with plenty of good melted cheese. Golden milk latte with maple syrup. A nice place to sit and have breakfast with friends, mellow vibe. Quality ingredients. Also, got some scones to go, and I am so glad I did! Even the next day, the ham and cheese scone was a wonderful breakfast. Would honestly consider coming back to Vermont just to eat here.

Great stop for coffee, baked goods or sandwiches. I visited just before closing looking for coffee, but they were out of my preferred medium roast. Despite the fact they were closing soon, they offered to make a new pot which turned out to be delicious. Baked goods options reduce as the day goes on. Recommended for breakfast or lunch.

Stopped for a quick take out lunch. Although very busy- staff was friendly and efficient. We order a large ice coffee- bold and cold, two BLT sandwiches- yummy fresh bread and assorted pastries that caught our eye as we waited. It was about 15 minute wait, just as we were told to get sandwiches. All delicious and worth the wait

Baked goods were fresh and very tasty (we tried a galette, and scone, and the chocolate croissant) and I'd have anyone again although the scone was first among equals. Coffee was hot and very good. Would stop just for that. In fact we stopped back a second time an hour or so later to get our daughter a breakfast sandwich. That took maybe 10 minutes although the place was hopping. Overall chill atmosphere. Definitely recommend.

Delicious food and beverages in a comfortable atmosphere. Reasonable prices for what they serve. The best sandwich I've eaten in ages. They're so good at what they're doing! Can't wait to come back next time I'm in VT.

Best bread, pastries, sandwiches, coffee - perfect stop as you're driving north or south on I-89. Comfortable coffee shop - - love this place.

If you are looking for basic sandwiches made with your choice of ingredients, this is not the place for you. My BLT was made with tomato jam, though the bacon was crispy. Every other sandwich had what my husband cakes "frou-frou" ingredients. He asked if he could have a breakfast sandwich with a croissant instead of sourdough, the woman said no. My sons enjoyed their roast beef and summer toasty sandwich. We also thought they were preparing all the single sandwich orders before ours, even those that came in after us.

Red Hen is a unicorn here in central VT. The bread is exceptional, for any place in the country. (I dare you to find a better loaf of miche in New England.) The pastries are excellent for Vermont. The creemees? Maybe the best in the state. For some people, Red Hen is the only reason to stop in the Montpelier area on a New England road trip. You won't find an equal sandwich or baked good unless you drive an hour and a half to Bristol's Minifactory. After that--might as well keep driving till you hit Boston. The only low point? The coffee just isn't great. Not sure if it's the beans, the equipment, or the baristas, but it's just not on par with the rest of the place. For some of that fig bread, though, I'd gladly chug gas station coffee.

What's not to like? Great coffees/teas and baked good. Plus they had some ready made Maple Ice Cream Sandwiches in their cooler, highly recommend those. We've had the Epi Baguette from there a couple times and it was hit or miss. We love how cute the loaf iseasy to eat by just tearing it up. This last time it was a bit over baked and tougher than our first time there. I don't have a picture of this last baguette but I did have a picture of the first one which I have attached below. There is a lot to choose from so we will be back to explore the menu some more!

We love Red Hen! Food is always delicious (love the breakfast sandwich, pastries are excellent, and can't forget the maple creamees!) and service is friendly. This is a community-focused business doing a lot of good in the world and we are proud to support them.

Everything here is great! We ordered several pastries to go including the onion focaccia. I could live in this place and staff was friendly!

Absolutely fantastic spot! I first considered going here based on seeing it on Yelp when I was driving by but it wasn't until a few locals in Burlington told me this was THE SPOT that I decided to make it a stop on my way back down to New York. I'm so glad I did! The meat pie was absolutely fantastic. It must have crack in it or something because it was ADDICTING. They gave me a sample of their delicious potato bread and the chocolate chai was excellent as well. Cute, homey ambiance and great service. I will come back anytime I'm in Vermont!

Delicious bread and pastries. We got a baguette and a 3 Millers loaf (whole grain sourdough) and loved both. We also got a box full of pastries that didn't really make it home.

Amazing little jewel on Vermont! Crispy pastries and wonderful bread..we even took some baguettes, pies and pastries home! Highly recommended if you are in the VT area

Supporting an employee-owned co-operative is a way of life here in Vermont and that's exactly what you do when you stop in at Red Hen. The consistency in the quality of the baked goods, breads, coffees, teas, sandwiches, and their ice cream is really commendable. From the hearty Italian bread I would ask my sandwiches to be made on in high school (my school bought their bread which is incredible because we were being offered Vermont-made products for lunch) to the almond croissants that I covet, there never seems to be a bad bread day in their kitchen. Unfortunately, the almond croissants seem to be coveted by many so it's not a sure chance that you'll get one. The other day, they were out by 11am which made me sad, but it's good to know that they're having a pretty steady flow of people eating in the cafe. Something that Red Hen started doing last year is ice cream! You should be able to tell from my reviews & check-ins that I'm an ice cream girlie, even though I'm lactose intolerant (oops). They're maple rivals all of the sugar houses around and, dare I say, I think that Red Hen does it best. Not too sweet but just maple-y enough, Red Hen lovingly packs their ice cream into a housemade waffle cone THAT DOESN'T LEAK! Maple is their standard flavor with another one on rotation until they run out. I was fortunate enough to snag a cone of their Earl grey ice cream and, boy, was that to die for. I had to take a star off because of Camp Mead. Camp Mead is a big summer favorite hangout for many on Friday nights, on the grounds just behind Red Hen. They have live music, ice cream, pizza, drinks, and some other things there, but it's just not my thing (which is perfectly okay because not everyone likes the same things). Because of the high volume of traffic--both people & vehicles--on Friday nights, it can be a royal pain to find parking and to get out of their lot. However, that's a small inconvenience which is readily eased by a maple creemee :) Overall, Red Hen is a great little place to have a meeting, get some work done, chat with friends, grab a bite to eat, or enjoy a sweet treat during these hot summer days. I highly recommend that you check them out if you get the chance!

The breakfast sandwich is AMAZING! The bread is so delicious. I also had the doughNot, and that was fantastic as well. My friend loved her maple late!

If you're extra particular about your carbs, this is where you'll want to spend them. The earlier you get here, the better the selection will be; everything here is good, but some things are great. Like: Honey Lavender Scone! Almond Croissant! Pain Au Chocolat! Maple Cinnamon Bun! These sammiches on fresh baked bread were amazing too: Ham & cheese on a croissant - classic, but w/that croissant - amazing Breakfast sammich, add bacon was grilled within an inch of its life. Exactly the way a patient sammich maker with pride would do it. Turkey & Cranberry - that bread made it super good! Save up your carb expenditure. Spend it all here. You'll be so glad you did.

Tried the Red Hen deli for the first time today to grab a sandwich to-go. Let me begin by saying that the bread was AMAZING. But the bread was truthfully the only worthy part of the sandwich. There was essentially NO Turkey on the sandwich at all. They weren't even willing to accommodate "substitutions" in my request of adding cheese to my sandwich. As a Vermonter, cheese is sort of a staple on a Turkey sandwich... in my opinion. I'll definitely be back to buy fresh loafs of bread, but never again for a sandwich.

Amazing breads and pastries. They make a nice selection of breakfast and lunch grilled sandwiches on their own bread and they make nice coffee. Really enjoyed our breakfast on several days visiting.

We're local and we love this cafe. Consistently excellent pastries, crusty breads with a flavorful and chewy crumb, and we are loving the new creemee window. If you like sweet espresso drinks, try the Bella Mina! The croissants are some of the best in the area too and their weekly wood fired pizza topped with locally sourced and seasonal ingredients is always memorable. As some reviewers note, the sandwiches do tend to run a bit lean for the price point (if you love Red Hen bread and want a Dagwood size sandwich head to the Hunger Mountain Co Op deli) but they're tasty and there's always some good sides and salads available to round out the meal. Staff is super friendly and knowledgeable and we're glad to support a business that fairly and fully compensates its employees. If you're in the area definitely stop by!

I still dream about this bakery. Stopped on the way to Canada and live several hours away but i haven't found better breakfast snacks since

I live in Phoenix and have not eaten here. But when I mistakenly purchased a gift card to this "Red Hen" instead of the intended Red Hen, the staff kindly responded to my call and refunded my purchase. Thank you!

A perfect lunch stop on the drive down 89 from Stowe. Delicious large sandwiches, yummy breads and desserts. Eat in and take some to go- especially the carrot cake! Filled with locals and passers by. Will definitely make it part of any return to NY from Northern Vermont.

This place is so sweet! Exquisite bakery presentation and unique loaves (including those shaped like leaves and branches themselves!). Wide coffee and espresso variety and many made to order sandwiches. Surrounded by a very cute, inclusive community walk and play area. They place huge emphasis on locally sourced ingredients and giving back to the community (all tips are given to the chosen charity!). Clearly loved by locals.

A Middlesex classic and anchor of the Camp Meade "complex." You really can't go wrong here. Great baked goods, I'm a fan of the savory offerings, good coffee, lunch options, Cree-mees. Staff is usually very nice and accommodating. Overall a great place and a staple for our family.

I'm not local to Vermont, checked this place out during a trip due to some recommendations from locals I met throughout. It was one of the highlights for me, both in general and in regards to food. The people working their are kind, they seemingly pay their staff well, and give them health coverage as they have a "no tipping" policy but instead an optional donation to an organization. The place has a coffee shop atmosphere but they do sell some market goods in there and have some of their merch. Their sandwiches aren't special in regards to using a ton of ingredients or unique ones but I thoroughly enjoyed mine. They stick to simplicity with food that both looks and tastes fresh and they do it right. Their pastries and bread selections are really nice, I especially liked their Kouign-amann. If you're there for breakfast, I recommend the egg sandwich and add greens, ham, and their in-house hot sauce; it drives the price up a bit but the base price is roughly $5. Their maple creemee was also a nice touch, I was adamantly against the idea it'd be any different from soft serve but I was wrong and am happy to admit it. Overall I'd suggest anyone in the VT area or VT-adjacent to check them out.

Great local place for coffee, pastries, bread, soup and sandwiches and more. Employees are always friendly.

The best bakery in Vermont! The sandwiches and the pastries are amazing. Everyone was so kind and it's a really nice place. 5/5

The gem of Vermont, the pastries and food is delicious. The service was very nice and responsive

I had a scone and a breakfast sandwich- two thumbs up! The sandwich was so good with the fresh bread, and I loved the lavender scone. Exactly what we were looking for as we grabbed a quick breakfast to go on our way through town.

The smallest breakfast sandwich imaginable! Including $3 extra for bacon. Way overpriced.

This place is the reason people make fun of Vermont. Happy to be back in the green mountain state.

$15 for a skimpy, sloppily made roast beef sandwich on dry white bread. Serious decline in quality here, could get a sandwich twice the size and $5 less at any other local deli/bakery.

Hands down the best pastries in the area. Great selection of artisan breads. The baristas are well trained in their craft , the Bella Mina is amazing! The staff can be oddly detached, even brusque at times but always professional and competent. Definitely a favorite stop whenever I'm in the area

Live close by. But hardly come here. Why? The breads are awesome. As are the scones and other pastries. 5 star As a cafe - not so much. Two stars. Egg sandwich is not fried egg. - looks nuked, like McDonald's. And 9$ for one egg and ham..... nope. Takeout cups for tea (I don't drink coffee) are flimsy and the lids pop off and they fall apart. I burned myself a couple of times before I stopped going. They are SLOOOOWWWWWW. order on line and pick up or you will wait forever

I have a bone to pick with this company. I was driving through middle sex with my daughters, and we all agreed we wanted a sweet treat. So, we decided to stop by the creeme stand and pick up 3 vanilla cremmies. To our disappointment, instead of kind, cheerful workers, we had rude and disrespectful ones, especially a girl named ellie, who was incredibly rude from the start. My tip for you... train your employees to be more polite and kind, because we DEFINITELY will not be coming back. Do better!!!!!!!!

Fantastic baked goods. Always a crowd so get there to the early side so you have a better selection. Not the most friendly staff in my 3 times I've been there but it's not like they are nasty or anything like that. Probably just tired with how busy they are LOL. Honestly, I don't care as their product is that good!!!

Heaven, I'm in heaven...la allaaaaa...laaa...singing with a delicious scone in my mouth. Tasty factor, OFF THE CHARTS. Lovely maple oat milk latte, too. The turkey cranberry sandwich, not a fan but the rest of our treats, heavenly, truly.

Very nice shop with plenty of outdoor seating during COVID. The bread is baked fresh there and is excellent. We ordered 4 sandwiches and everything tasted fresh and delicious. There is a play area for kids right next to it which was a plus!

The Whoopie Pie has a nice cake texture, but not super sweet. Tastes like dark chocolate cake, with a lightly sweet cream filling. It's definitely not marshmallow fluff. Their scones have always been great, but I recently had a warm bacon cheddar scone... even better. Yum! AND... add to their regular line up, the chocolate kouign amann! Sea salt sprinkled between the layers of croissant dough. DELICIOUS!