Vermont is known for its cheese, but one little red roadside deli outside Brattleboro has figured out what might be its ultimate form: an enormous cast-iron pan filled with hot, creamy mac and cheese.
The first time I drove past Vermont Country Deli Local favorite: Vermont Country Deli years ago, I didn’t know anything about it. What I did notice was the sheer number of cars outside, well before what I’d consider the lunch rush. Whenever I see that many people stopping somewhere that doesn’t look like an obvious tourist attraction, I immediately want to know what they know.
It turns out a lot of them were there for the mac and cheese.
Vermont Country Deli has been feeding locals and travelers since the 1980s, serving everything from enormous sandwiches and pulled pork to prepared foods, baked goods and desserts. But somewhere along the way, its mac and cheese became a destination of its own. Today, people don’t just happen to stop here while driving through Southern Vermont. They deliberately pull off the road for it.
And they’re selling an almost unbelievable amount of the stuff.
Meet Vermont Country Deli in Brattleboro
Vermont Country Deli sits along Route 9 on the western side of Brattleboro, making it an incredibly convenient stop if you’re traveling between downtown Brattleboro and the mountains of Southern Vermont.
The deli has been around since 1986, and its bright red exterior is hard to miss. Inside, the experience falls somewhere between a deli, bakery, country store and prepared-food counter. There are sandwiches being made, hot foods ready to go, refrigerators and shelves filled with Vermont products and a bakery case that immediately makes whatever restraint you planned to exercise considerably more difficult.
This isn’t a precious little gourmet shop where lunch requires reservations or an elaborate plan. It’s the kind of place where hikers, skiers, road-trippers, contractors, locals and families can all walk in wearing whatever they happen to be wearing and leave with something substantial to eat.
That casualness is part of why I like it. But then you see the mac and cheese.
The Mac and Cheese That Put Vermont Country Deli on the Map
Calling this a popular side dish doesn’t really capture what’s happening here.
Vermont Country Deli makes its mac and cheese in large cast-iron pans, with batch after batch moving through the deli as customers scoop it up to take home or eat as part of a meal. The recipe has developed enough of a following that the deli has shared staggering annual sales numbers.
According to Vermont Country Deli, it sold more than 81,000 pounds of mac and cheese in a single year.
That’s more than 40 tons of mac and cheese. From one Vermont deli.
Once you’ve actually stood inside and watched pans of it disappear, that number starts to seem slightly more believable.
Demand has gotten high enough that Vermont Country Deli has at times limited customers to two quarts per party. The deli packages the hot mac and cheese in containers designed to safely handle the temperature, so it’s easy to grab some for lunch, bring it back to wherever you’re staying or take it home for dinner.
Although I’m not sure I’d count on it surviving the drive.
Is Vermont Country Deli’s Mac and Cheese Worth the Hype?
Yes. This isn’t fancy mac and cheese trying to reinvent itself with a dozen toppings or ingredients you have to Google. It’s comfort food.
The cheese sauce is rich and creamy, the pasta is coated in exactly the way you want it to be, and the entire thing tastes like the mac and cheese you hope someone is bringing when they say they’ll take care of the side dishes.
There’s also something about seeing it served directly from those enormous cast-iron pans that makes it even more appealing.
If you’re hungry, though, don’t stop at plain mac and cheese. Add pulled pork. Or brisket.
The combination of Vermont Country Deli’s creamy mac and cheese with its smoky pulled pork is my ideal version of a post-adventure meal, particularly during fall when you’ve spent the day hiking, driving mountain roads or wandering around outside in increasingly cold temperatures.
It isn’t delicate. It’s delicious.
Don’t Ignore the Rest of the Hot Food
The danger of visiting Vermont Country Deli after hearing about the mac and cheese is developing tunnel vision. Don’t.
The prepared-food selection is a huge part of the appeal, and you’ll find plenty of reasons to leave with considerably more than you intended. Pulled pork is one of my favorites, whether you’re putting it on top of the mac and cheese or eating it on its own.
The sesame chicken has developed its own loyal following, and the sesame noodles are another option I watch for when they’re available. You’ll also find rotating hot foods and deli items that make this an easy stop when different people in your group want completely different things.
That’s one reason Vermont Country Deli works particularly well for road trips. You don’t need everyone to agree on one restaurant or one kind of meal. Walk around, see what looks good and build your own lunch.
Just make sure somebody gets the mac and cheese.
Then There’s the Bakery Case
You could leave after acquiring several pounds of cheese and carbohydrates. But the bakery case is right there.
Vermont Country Deli makes a huge assortment of baked goods, and this is not the place for tiny, overly styled desserts. Think enormous cookies, brownies, whoopie pies, pies and the kind of baked goods that look like somebody’s grandmother decided nobody was being adequately fed.
The cookies in particular are difficult to ignore.
This is where my road-trip strategy usually starts getting questionable. I convince myself I’m buying something “for later,” knowing perfectly well there’s a good chance I’ll be eating it in the car within 20 minutes.
If you’re taking your food somewhere else for a picnic or stocking up before heading farther into Southern Vermont, add a few bakery items to the bag. You’ll thank yourself later.
Or approximately 20 minutes later.
Why Vermont Country Deli Is Such a Good Southern Vermont Road Trip Stop
Location is another reason Vermont Country Deli has become such a useful stop.
Brattleboro sits in southeastern Vermont near the Massachusetts and New Hampshire borders, making it a common gateway for travelers coming into Vermont from southern New England. Route 9 then heads west from Brattleboro across Southern Vermont toward Wilmington, passing through the Green Mountains and some of my favorite scenery in this part of the state.
That makes Vermont Country Deli particularly convenient if you’re heading toward Wilmington, Dover and Mount Snow.
Stop on your way west and you’ve solved lunch.
It’s also an excellent fall road-trip stop because nothing about it requires a big time commitment. You don’t need a reservation or a formal meal. Pull in, grab mac and cheese, add whatever else catches your attention and continue exploring.
Just be prepared for company. If the parking lot is packed, you’ve probably arrived at the same conclusion as everyone else.
Make It Part of a Southern Vermont Fall Day
If I’m building a fall day around this part of Vermont, I’d start or end in Brattleboro and use Route 9 as the backbone of the trip.
After Vermont Country Deli, continue west toward Marlboro and stop at Hogback Mountain Scenic Overlook for its famous long-range mountain views. From there, keep going toward Wilmington, where you can walk downtown, browse the shops and galleries and spend some time around the Deerfield Valley.
Or do the entire route in reverse and make Vermont Country Deli the reward after a day outside.
That’s arguably the better plan. Mac and cheese tastes particularly good after you’ve earned it.
What to Know Before Visiting Vermont Country Deli
Vermont Country Deli is located at 436 Western Avenue in Brattleboro, along Route 9 west of downtown.
Because this is a popular roadside stop, it can get extremely busy around lunch and during peak travel periods. Fall weekends are an obvious example, particularly when people are traveling between Brattleboro and the mountain towns farther west.
The prepared-food selection can also change, and high-demand items can sell quickly. I wouldn’t assume every item mentioned here will be waiting every time you visit.
Check Vermont Country Deli’s official website for current hours, menu information and other details before making a special trip.
Then arrive hungry. That’s probably the most important advice I can give you.
Is Vermont Country Deli Worth the Stop?
Absolutely, and not simply because it’s convenient.
I love places that become destinations almost accidentally. Vermont Country Deli isn’t perched at the top of a mountain or occupying some elaborate historic building. It’s a bright red deli beside a busy Southern Vermont road.
And yet people line up.
They carry containers of mac and cheese out the door. They leave with sandwiches, pulled pork, sesame chicken and cookies the size of their hands. They tell other people about it, who eventually find themselves driving past the same crowded parking lot and wondering what everyone else knows.
That’s exactly how I found it years ago. Now I’m one of the people telling you to pull over.
Get the mac and cheese. Put pulled pork on top. Add an enormous cookie for later.
And if “later” turns out to mean before you’ve left Brattleboro? I understand.
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