Sweetwaters Came Back. You Should, Too.
When I was at UVM and in the years afterward as a young professional, Sweetwaters felt like a place you'd go to mark an occasion, or just to feel like you'd arrived somewhere. The bar was always busy, it was loud in a good way, and sitting at that corner of College and Church Street with a glass of wine felt like the right way to be twenty-something in Burlington. I went back many times in the years that followed.
Then, like a lot of things, it seemed to drift out of the rotation. The years go by, new places open, habits shift. By the time it closed in September 2022, it had simply been a while.
What happened in the past few years has been a bit of a revolving door: Pascolo Ristorante moved in from up the street, ran a three-year stint, then returned to its original home…leaving the space empty and, as it turned out, available. Original owner David Melincoff still held the lease. He brought in new partners, including Jessee Lawyer, the chef who had spent nine years in that kitchen and was now returning as co-owner and managing partner. "Sweetwaters always felt like my home," he told Seven Days when the reopening was announced in January. They opened about a month ago.
Mike and I went Monday evening, Memorial Day, and Church Street was quiet in that post-event way, like the city was catching its breath after the marathon weekend. It was a gorgeous night, so we took a table outside and settled in for exactly the kind of meal the experience called for: classics and comfort food.
But first, a drink. I had the Corvezzo Pinot Grigio, lovely on a summer-ish evening. Mike ordered the classic margarita. Both were exactly what they should be. We split a Caesar to start, which they kindly served on two plates…always a small but thoughtful touch. It's listed as a Napa Cabbage Caesar, though it tasted like the classic, and was well-dressed with good croutons. Hit the spot.
For entrees, Mike ordered the fish and chips and came away impressed…a couple of large pieces of white fish in a hearty-but-light Switchback beer batter with real crunch, a heap of fries, alongside a house coleslaw and a lemon-caper tartar sauce. He said it was some of the best he's had.
I almost ordered the Shirt Sleeve…the almond-and-cornflake-crusted chicken wrap that was a fixture on the old menu and, based on how many were coming out of the kitchen, is clearly still a draw.
But instead, I went with the BBQ Pork Belly Burnt Ends, made with Richard's BBQ Sauce. Richard’s is a Vermont staple and my favorite barbecue sauce, which factored into the order. The pork was juicy, with the right amount of fat and flavor, and more than I could finish. The maple cornbread was a surprise standout of the night: dense, moist, and enough maple to remind you where you are. The coleslaw on both plates was vinegar-based. I'm usually a mayo person, but this one was tasty enough that I didn't mind it.
The menu is large, both in food and drink options, and built for a table that wants to share. As someone who views nachos as a staple, I was delighted to find not one but two versions on the menu: a pulled pork and a barbecue buffalo chicken. Add poutine, mussels, wings, a pretzel with seasonal beer cheese, and several more options, and you have a shareable menu that could easily turn into the meal.
And in a moment when restaurant prices can sometimes be hard to absorb, Sweetwaters is doing something worth mentioning: the pricing is fair, with most of the menu between $16 and $26. For what you get, it's refreshingly reasonable.
If downtown Burlington is somewhere you've drifted away from, Monday night was a reminder that it doesn't have to be. We didn't see much in the way of what's kept some people away, and the corner of College and Church felt like it was in the right hands again. Sweetwaters is not trying to be a different restaurant than it was, but it’s not frozen in time, either. From where we were sitting, it's off to a solid start.
