Good memories completely ruined by my trip back this weekend. Went in around 9. They had remodeled the place and music was playing loudly (downstairs), tried to ask how I can just get gravy fries as the counter disappeared. Asking a young woman (or trying to) I stepped aside to let someone pass by us (I was blocking a lane) which got my arm grabbed and a "honey (?!!!!) you have to be on that side, there is a cover". Wait, what? Because I stepped a half step back to the right, instead of a half step back to the left, warrants a grabbing and scolding? WTF is wrong with this place and this employee? You think I'm going to try to dodge a $5 cover charge? I just wanted some damn fries. Wish I never went back to have the memories ruined.
Review Source:Nectar's is definitely overrated.
Why did I not listen to my trendy little airport shuttle driver who told me all of the fun/cool things to do in Vermont. He specifically said, "Don't believe the hype and go to Nectar's. You WILL regret it".
To the people in my group, "Oh, it will be fine", I said.....famous last words.
After dinner, a group of us strolled in. After all, you always hear about Nectar's being the place Phish sort of got their start. Well, I guess if you want to go inside and get that vibe of being where they got started, be my guest. It is definitely not my cup of tea and I really wish I would have listened to my trendy shuttle driver.
The place was dark, sticky floors, flies everywhere; drinks served in plastic cups for WAY too much money! The staff seemed as unhappy to be there as we were. I kept reading that they were the only place where there was live music. Totally untrue! There are 4-5 places on Church Street that had live music and were much more enjoyable than Nectar's.
When we walked out after one drink, the folks in my group said, "Thanks a lot, Shannon. Oh it will be fine, she says!!! Last time we listen to Shannon on a place to go". Luckily, I made up for it by taking them to the other places my trendy little shuttle driver suggested. Thank you trendy little shuttle driver, thank you.
Fantastic gravy fries!!!! A must-have, in my opinion.
I get some every time I go back to visit.
You dont even have to go inside, b/c they have a little take-out window right off the kitchen. And they are open late.
They have a lot of bands come through, but I have less experience with that, as it isnt usually the type of music I listen to.
But the gravy fries!!! Definitely worth getting!
Yummo!
So I've stopped in here a couple times and even for one of their 80's nights as I thought it would be a fun time. I've enjoyed myself, but this place really isn't my style anymore. It was overfilled with young college kids who were more concerned about downing as many cheap beers as they could before closing time came than anything else.
The sound system is good and there is certainly plenty of room even when it gets crowded. The only weird thing with the music was the DJ. He seemed a little to sketchy to be in this bar and also didn't seem to understand that on a so called 80's night you should probably play at least a majority of your songs from the 80's instead of every third one.
Loud live music every? night so if that's what you're looking for sweet. I'm not big into live music but after enough beers I can dance to anything so it works for that.
Free wings during Red sox Yankees games are a friggin joke!!! Â Sat there for an hour and we got 3 wings and spent at least 12 dollars on a crappy sweet tea mixed drink that was on sale and a pabst. Â
Go to RJ's pay 3 dollars and 50 cents and you can have 10 wings in under 4 minutes.
Two for one burger nights are every Sunday and Monday until midnight. Unfortunately, burger nights also coincide with Metal Mondays. Not the best atmosphere to enjoy a burger when the band is tuning up and you can't even hear yourself chew. The few tables near the window are also exposed to the cigarette smoke drifting in from the loiterers outside. The burgers are quite juicy, but lack any flavor. A little salt and pepper would be nice. The gravy is absolutely disgusting. I don't understand the hype over the gravy fries because the gravy is cold, congealed, and bland. The service was terribly slow and the only other patrons had their burger orders flip-flopped. There's plenty of noteworthy bars to get half-off burgers in downtown Burlington, but Nectar's is not one of them.
Review Source:You take the good,
You take the bad,
You take them both
and there you have Nectar's.
First, take the good:
- if you're stuck downtown, this is one of the better places to hear live music. The bands they attract aren't always the greatest, especially because it seems like everyone's trying to be the next great jam band (seriously, can anyone write or sing a lyric anymore?), but some nights you'll luck out and hear a great new talent.
- Burlington is filled with white people and if there's one thing white people like, it's trivia, and the best place in town to get your trivia fix is Nectar's. Hosted by TopHat every Thursday night, their Trivia Mania is worth showing up for and doesn't give you a headache like RiRa's Pub Quiz.
- if you appreciate music history, it's cool to be able to check out the birthplace of Phish.
- the drink specials often allow you the opportunity to get something on tap for $3 or less.
Now, take the bad:
- the food. This is a nightclub pretending that it is also capable of being a  restaurant. If you're going to eat, I recommend something difficult to screw up like a hamburger with fries. Even then, expect that they might screw it up. And don't expect anything healthy; they don't offer healthy. If you want a piece of history, go for the famous gravy fries.
- The food prices. That aforementioned hamburger and fries costs $9.50. $10.50 if you want cheese with that. $11.00 if you want VT cheddar cheese. $11.50 if you want onions. $13.00 if you want bacon. And I suppose not everything is unhealthy. You could substitute a side salad for those fries, but then you're paying $14.50. I recommend eating at home and ordering a nice Switchback with a plate of gravy fries.
- As previous commenters have mentioned, Nectar's underwent an extensive renovation in the last few years to try to modernize the place. I think they did this to make it less hippie and more hipster. Honestly, it doesn't really matter because it's still just a nightclub. But, what I don't like is the flimsy tables and chairs with which they replaced the solid booths and tables. Good luck finding a table that doesn't feel like it's going to cave in should you dare to use your knife at any point, or rest your elbow on the table. They definitely cut some corners with the renovation.
And there you have Nectar's.
I do love that Nectar's has live music every night, most of the time the bands are pretty good. Sometimes they bring good out of town music in that I am willing to pay a ticket price for. The drinks are a tad pricey and not that good but who cares when you can order bacon and bleu cheese fries at 1am? Probably the best live music venue in at least the downtown Burlington area
Review Source:Yes, they changed like a billion years ago get over it! And thank goodness they did. Old Necters was tired and dirty.. All it was good for was grabbing some gravy fries and gettin the hell outa there before you got coodies.
Now it has grown and under new ownership, woken up from it's comma and joined the 21st century. The place upped the food quality but retained the gravy fries of years past. This isn't my favorite place but it's not bad. Roomy, pool tables, lounge areas, band... It's A-Ok.
oh nectars. Â what happened to you? Â you used to be so laid back. Â so free spirited. Â so fun. Â i loved the cafeteria style counter. Â i loved the outside window. Â i loved the feel of the place. Â of course- this was back in the mid-90's. Â i guess things have changed.
on my recent trip to burlington, this was a must for me to visit. Â when i walked in- i didn't even recognize the place. Â there was stainless steel everywhere. Â the setup was weird. Â and there were about 25 choochy, beefed up UVM loser security guards trying to look all intimidating. Â
i will always have a soft spot in my heart for nectars and i'm glad i brought the old man here. Â but i have no need to ever go back.
Gravy fries with cheese please, killer. A must do in Burlington. I recently visited Burlington and tried Nectar's and Al's in the same day and the winner is easily Nectar's. Al's has a better french fry but the overall combination is hands down better here.
One important item to not over look is the Styrofoam container the fries come in- it acts like a performance enhancement drug and adds a special something to moisten them em up and keep them loose. They also travel very well.
The menu has changed over the past couple of years and worth a look. Â Pulled pork sliders were tasty. Â
Dont forgot to check out the hooded sweatshirts.
Just like another reviewer mentioned, "Nectar's is a shadow of its former self." While this is the historic birthplace of Phish, you wouldn't be able to guess that now from the posh lounge decor the new owner has implemented. Trying to class up this joint has truly killed the beauty of it. I used to walk here all the time in back in high school for the gravy fries (the one thing that hasn't changed....try em') and used to love the homey and slightly run down feel of the place. The cafeteria line, outside ordering window, lumpy duct tapped booths, and torn up pool tables made this place a great Burlington landmark. The renovations and menu changes have effectively ostracized the community that once made this place awesome. That said, the bar side hasn't changed too much, and live bands still play here almost every night of the week. I guess I'm just too nostalgic to get past the changes that have been made to the lounge side.
Review Source:Nectar's is a shadow of its former self. Â I even say that as a person who only has been going there since 2002. Â Nectar sold the place a few years back, and the new owners decided that decking the place out in stainless steel and low euro-style couches was the best way to improve its looks.
No longer the dingy, cafeteria-style comfort food mecca of downtown; Nectar's now ditched their outside service window, removed the cafeteria ordering area, and shrunk their menu down to an insert on your table. Â
Live music still on the bar side of Nectar's every night, which is a plus. Â However, that does nothing for the travesty done upon the eating side of the establishment. Â Move along, nothing to see here...
I have not been here in a couple years. They have done some renovations since I have been gone. They made the place more modern. I am not really a fan of it. The old style was more classic. It feels very un-Nectars if you know what i mean. They also jacked up the price of their cheese/gravy fries as well as changed the portions. Booo. Drink prices arent terrible and they usually have live music. I used to make this place a staple of my late nights, but probably not any more.
Review Source:One of the person that I met at the 3 penny taproom refer me to go to this place because guess they had 80's music on sat so me and my friend decided let go check it out. First we want to the 1st floor and check out the concert they were having. The music was decent but evenually we decided let go upstaire and see what is going on. They were playing 80's music and "Michael Jackson" song was paying "thriller" and everyone want crazy. Personally I have the same feeling about Michael Jackson when he was alive or dead but somehow when he die and now everyone love him but when he was alive everyone thought he was a child molester. Go Figure. Anyway we stay on the 2nd floor all night and it got pretty full fast and everyoe was having fun. We ended the night at 2am and head home afterward.
Review Source:Ugh! Â The gravy fries here were disgusting - a salt mine. Â The sheer saltiness of the fries burned my tongue. Â And I usually love salty food, but the amount of salt in the gravy felt like a joke. Â We also had the open face turkey sandwich and the pulled pork sandwich, both of which were ok. Â (The pulled pork turkey sandwich fared better than the open face turkey - which had been drizzled in salt gravy).
Review Source:i love this place for chilling food watching sports and dancing or live events. Â its a one stop shop. Â one size fits all type of bar/restaurant. Â minimize simplify order. Â hot waitresses. Â definatly a great place
not the same as nectars was back in the day. Â it used to be more a cafeteria style restaurant diner with bottomless cup of joe and cigarette smoke thick in the air. Â its come a long way since then. Â i miss the smokey days.
i love nectar i wish he was still around. Â such a great businessman. Â we miss you nectar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I use to love the food at Nectar's. They had some of the best Veggie food in town, but now the Veggie menu consists of a $5 grilled cheese. I mean you can't just keep pushing gravy fries and call that the menu. The beer is great though!
I love the renovations, but they need to install a double door by the new lounge....VT is cold in Winter!
What happened to this place? When I was hunkered down in Burlap without much dough for way too long, I could always resort to an absurdly cheap, gut-busting portion of their signature gravy fries. They still serve them, but they're more expensive and are somewhat lacking. Nectar, the man himself, sold the place and current management seems to have given the whole darn place a yuppie-sensitive face lift. Gone are the retro booths and cafeteria style ambiance on the restaurant side. Conversely, the bar side is okay, but lacks that good dive vibe that made making an ass of oneself under dark lights and a cloud of strange odors while dancing to the many sub par bands that played (and continue to play) there so absurdly right. Didn't that jam band GrateDeadPhishful used to play there?
Review Source:Big place, sports on tv, but no sound cause the DJ's music takes priority. Â Good selection of beers local and such. Â I went on a Monday, so no live music. Â Gravy fries were a good beer compliment, but imho, nothing super special, although they were marked as 'World Famous' or something like that. Â It's near a university so you get a young crowd. Â If you need a bite and drink late night and you're looking for something a bit lively, this is definitely a place to check out.
Review Source:4 stars for nostalgia.
would've been 5, but what in gods name is a "mapletini?" gross. and the new interior just makes it look like any other bar...it used to be it's own place. but, red walls with black and white 8x10 movie stills? did a 22 year old with his first apartment re-decorate?
gravy fries are still delicious, though...those account for about two of the four stars, they're that important to an inclusive burlington visit to me.
What the heck?? They CHANGED NECTAR'S!!
Actually, it's not bad, once the initial shock of OMG!
The restaurant: they closed off the grill so you can't see it - the whole place is table service now. All the tables are brushed strainless steel (I think) as are many of the stool-height chairs. There are some lower tables with what might be church pews for seats. 4 brand new HDTVs are well spread out. Almost all the walls are a dark red/maroon.
I didn't get a great look at the stage/bar section tonight but the stage looks a little bigger. No other big changes.
Bathrooms: Men's room is all new.
Food: improved. I had a "Nectar's Burger" with american cheese and jalapenos with a side of fries plus a soda for $10 even.
When I walked out afterwards though, my thought was "Nectar is loooong gone" which is kinda sad
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