The Whiskey Room — Restaurant in Burlington

After a relaxing dinner elsewhere with exactly one low-ABV cocktail, my friend and I stopped by for what we thought would be a chill glass of whiskey to end the night. We were greeted warmly outside by the server who invited us in and told to grab a seat, browse the menu, and order at the bar whenever we were ready. We were looking forward to some whiskey and conversation.

Then, out of nowhere, the bartender who reeked of booze and looked like he’d been using the shelves for personal sampling, lurches over and says he “watched us walk in” and decided we’d had too much to drink. Just like that. Zero conversation, zero questions, just pure drunk condescension. We were calm, sober, and respectful. It was so baseless it felt like we were being pranked. It was clear that the only one too drunk to serve at this bar was the bartender himself.

If this review gets a response trying to justify it, just know: gaslighting sober guests who were clearly fine while stumbling around and slurring through your own customer interactions isn’t the flex you think it is.

Hospitality requires professionalism, not preemptive judgment from a bartender more interested in sampling the stash and flashing his ego than good service. There are plenty of great spots in Burlington where you’re treated like a guest, not a nuisance. This is not...

We went there twice. The first time I ordered a cocktail that contained "Chartreuse." I watched as the cocktail was made and they used Genepy. While I understand Chartreuse is hard to source right now, I'm also paying a premium cocktail price for premium spirits, if you don't have the ingredient you should be up front about that, change your the menu or decrease the price.

The second time the experience was much worse. We arrived with 7 people to find several empty seats at the bar, two empty two tops and an empty four top. We were told despite our offer to split up or to simply stand at the bar that they were was "at capacity" and it was a "numbers thing" and that they could not accommodate us. This was at 7:30PM. The place was half full.

Needless to say that is the last time we will be visiting. There are multiple better cocktail establishments in town. The Gryphen, Drink, and Devil Takes a Holiday to name a few within walking distance. Do yourself a favor and...

Delicious food, great whiskey, good selection and wonderful atmosphere. The staff are a bit locked in to a particular routine or viewpoint which was a bit challenging - specifically referencing when we walked in, rather than simply saying 'hello' the staff member automatically tried to turn us away due to being at capacity (when we had a reservation) and our waiter continually recommended lower dollar whiskeys despite my repeated asking for more top shelf options. Neither of these issues are reason not to go here, as the food and drink is well worth the trip, but a little staff training would go a long way - be friendly during first impressions and do not judge your customer's budget, especially if they are clearly and repeatedly asking for more expensive options (as this is one of the only places in vermont where many of these whiskeys are available)....