Features
Everything on our menu is great, but we always like to feature a couple of items that we are particularly excited about.Summer Tartine
$6.50
- Summertime is tomato time around here. This is one of our favorite ways to enjoy the local bounty. A thick slice of our potato bread smeared with olive tapenade; topped with slices of Pete's Greens tomatoes, Maple Brook feta, and olive oil.
Top of the Mornin’ to Ya!
Enjoy a little breakfast in the morning (or afternoon). Our breakfast pastries may do the trick for you, but for a more traditional breakfast, try these options.
Our Breakfast Sandwich
$4.25
- Featuring farm fresh eggs, Cabot Cheddar, and lemon chive butter on Mad River Grain Bread. A great start to the day. Augment it with spinach, sausage, bacon, or ham if you wish!
Toast
$2.50
- Two slices, butter, your choice of our bread
- Add Peanut Butter $1.00
- Add Jam $0.65
Café Classics
Our coffees and espresso drinks start with the carefully selected and roasted beans from the team at Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea in Waterbury. We take pride in honoring their work by handling our coffee carefully. We source teas from both Vermont Artisan and Stoneleaf Tea in Middlebury.
Other Hot Drinks
In addition to traditional coffee and tea, we serve chai, Champlain Orchards cider and seasonally available flavored espresso drinks using house made vanilla milk, Fat Toad Farm caramel, Side Hill Farm maple pumpkin butter and local egg nog.
House-made Soups of the Day
Our soup masters keep the cafe supplied with a variety of soups featuring lots of local ingredients. Each day, we offer a vegetarian and a meat option.
Some of our "Greatest Hits"
- Beef goulash
- Chicken tagine
- Mulligatawny
- Potato kale
- Hungarian cream of mushroom
- Tomato bisque
Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
- A celebration of some great local ingredients. Organic Black Beans from VT Bean Crafters, beef from NE Family Farms, and topped with creme fraiche from VT Creamery. Just a touch of heat. A perfect winter soup!
Beef Goulash
- Hearty and filling. Local beef from Black River Meats, flavored with Hungarian paprika and toasted caraway, finished with Crème Fraiche.
Hot Sandwiches
Panini-pressed sandwiches served with a pickle during all hours the cafe is open.
BLT
$4.90/9.75
- Nothing says summer like a BLT, and it doesn't get much better than our's with local tomatoes and bacon on toasted Waitsfield Common (or your choice of bread).
Grilled Cheese
$2.50/5.00
- Cabot Cheddar on Cyrus Pringle Bread.
Mister Piggy II
$3.75/7.50
- Cabot Cheddar, VT Salumi Ham, red onions and sriracha mustard on Waitsfield Common.
Rachael
$4.50/9.00
- Our take on the Turkey Reubin with North Country Turkey, kraut, swiss cheese, and TI Dressing on Alice’s Rye, grilled.
The Kermit
$3.90/7.75
- When fresh spinach comes back in season at our local farms, we bring back The Kermit. Packed with spinach and featuring basil pesto and Cabot cheddar on Cyrus Pringle bread
Made to Order Lunch Sandwiches
Delicious cold sandwiches served with a pickle. Choose from one of our signature creations or create your own custom sandwich from our build-your-own menu. Sandwich bar closes at 5:00.
Ham on croissant
$7.50
- It really doesn't get much better than the simplicity of these two great foods sharing the stage together. VT Salumi ham with our croissant, a touch of dijon mustard and mayo, and a leaf of lettuce.
Summer Tartine
$6.50
- Summertime is tomato time around here. This is one of our favorite ways to enjoy the local bounty. A thick slice of our potato bread smeared with olive tapenade; topped with slices of Pete's Greens tomatoes, Maple Brook feta, and olive oil.
Egg Salad
$3.50/7.00
- Our own egg salad made with local eggs on the bread of your choice.
Greek Hummus
$3.50/7.00
- House-made hummus, VT feta, pickled red onions, Kalamata onions, organic spinach, on your choice of bread
Turkey Pesto
$4.00/8.00
- North Country Smokehouse Turkey, North Country Smokehouse turkey, pesto, mayo, and lettuce on your choice of bread.
Salads
Choose from spinach salad (which you can augment with tuna and/or egg salad) or one of our specials that we change with seasons. Favorite creations include our kale salad and our butternut squash salad, but we make several others when inspiration hits us!
Kale Salad
$4.00/8.00
- A perennial favorite featuring local, organic kale and local hard boiled eggs.
Spinach
$3.50/7.00
- Organic spinach, Kalamata olives, VT feta, house-made croutons, vinaigrette.
Pastries
Of course, no meal at Red Hen is complete without a little something from our pastry case. This is a bakery after all! Our pastry list is so long we devoted an entire page to it.