I was kind of expecting bad food because the dining room felt like part of a musty basement and there were no savory aromas emanating from the kitchen.
However, we sat on the lovely deck overlooking the mountains and enjoyed quite a decent meal. I think that the prices are too high to attract many locals in this location- outside of town. And please do not misunderstand, they did a good job renovating the D.R. - but it still is situated ground level and or half under ground.
The salad was very fresh, with a good home made vinaigrette dressing, and the warm goat cheese on it was delicious. The home made rolls were HOT from the oven and quite yummy. The chicken wings were a bit dry, but nice and CRISP. The sticky honey B.B Q. sauce had just a hint of heat. You can get 3 types of sauce on the wings and one of them comes with a warning.
My husband enjoyed his rare tuna entree, though I am not a fan of placing fish on top of salad. For the price, I think it could have come with a starch.
If you are a wing fan, this might be worth a try, or if you are not intimidated by many $32.00 entrees...Nippers is definitely worth a try. We will probably return.
I've known the folks who own this place for over 10 years and my dad helped install the kitchen. Â While visiting home for Christmas my dad took me and my wife out to eat here. Â After living in Vancouver, BC, it's a shock to eat in Manchester. Â The truth is you'll never get as fancy food here as you will back in the city. Â I had a great french onion soup, and a venison special that was cooked to a perfect medium rare served with mashed potatoes and zucchini. Â Is it the bone marrow dish with a side of frozen pureed beets and 4 different varieties of radishes that I might get at my favorite high-end place in Vancouver? Â No. Â Is it unpretentious, good food in small town vermont that I would go back to over and over again for a solid, well priced meal? Â Absolutely.
Review Source:Just north of Manchester's bustling city center is a real Vermont breakfast. I'm talking chickens roaming free outside, a kitchen garden out back and the family working as a team to operate the restaurant.
Don't blink driving by or you'll miss the unassuming hanging sign that says "Nipper's Cafe." It's inside the Stamford Motel. Enter through the office door.
Nipper's Steakhouse is a bit of a misnomer as they serve breakfast in addition to dinner but there  is no steak on the breakfast menu.
The hostess station is right inside the door and the hostess gave us our choice of two-top. The tables have plenty of space between them and are set with linens and a glass top. It's a small, intimate space with a large fishtank and stocked sideboard bar as focal points.
Our omelettes were delicious. Real, local ingredients and made to order. Both omlettes had ingredients that had not been previously frozen and the cheese was grated in house. There was no tell-tale cellulose powder involved.
The menu is short and straight up breakfast. Eggs any way, with or without hollandaise, toast, hash, breakfast meat, veg, french toast and pancakes. The Rye toast is generous. The bacon is thick-cut, smokey goodness.
Minus a star for the sticky, dusty hot sauce bottles with a solid layer of dried sauce at the tops. And if the menu gives a quantity, plate that quantity. If a side of bacon is three pieces, send out three pieces.
Overall a great, welcome find in the Manchester area for fine dining at a fair price with friendly service.
Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Breakfast ends at noon.
Get reservations for dinner.
I'll be back.
Nipper's Cafe is a great surprise. Part of an quaint looking hotel/motel, it has a beautiful porch with an impressive array of potted plants, herbs, flowers, and succulents. I've only had breakfast here and the menu offers a good variety of options, very tasty, and reasonably priced.  According to my wife, the grilled grapefruit is a must-try; it's has a ceme brûlée like crust and is delicious (I don't like grapefruit but my wife has a more discriminating palette so her opinion is more reliable than mine).
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