Cafe NOA — Restaurant in Montpelier

We live near this place and want to love it. But it feels like some things were not thought through. I hope these comments are taken in the spirit of wanting the business to thrive.

They are situated on a pedestrian path with dozens of people walking by at any moment… and they don’t offer lids for to-go coffee. And politely asking for one seemed like the first time they’d even thought of it.

You think, OK, maybe they’re cutting down on single-use items, but they exclusively use disposable plates, cups, forks, etc. even if you’re dining in. Which creates a lot of waste and feels very “cheap.”

Additionally they are closed on Sundays, yet leave their sandwich board out on that same path 24/7. I saw probably 5-6 people looking inside confused on a beautiful Sunday morning, obviously drawn in by the sign, only to find out they were closed. So many people take walks on the weekend… seems like such a missed opportunity for breakfast.

The ordering flow of the location is odd too. Not obvious where to stand, create a line, pick up the food, etc. Considerations like that really make a place feel easier to frequent.

I will say I have no complaints about the food or coffee, but neither stood out either.

Overall I think this place just needs to optimize for its location and do better with drawing in customers. Make it impressively cozy, dim, and warm in the winter. Bright and breezy in the summer. Make it a destination to walk to on the weekend. Hire a sign painter to make your branding eye catching and charming. Would love to see this place thrive in...

Truly an experience! We came in winter and the view of the hill in the distance with the snow-sdsted trees and picturesque little houses was breathtaking. Just like a Bob Ross or Thomas Kinkade painting.

If you can, make sure you get the little table in front of the window. Check the photos I posted...

Anyway, onto the food. We got the breakfast sandwich with Applewood Bacon and Vermont Cheddar as well as the B.E.L.T. sandwich. Both were incredibly flavorful.

If you like cheese, the breakfast sandwich is oh-so-cheesy. And the B.E.L.T. sandwich is huge (much larger than the basic breakfast sandwich). The sourdough bread added a certain "je ne sais quois" that just made the whole thing delectable.

We arrived around 9am on a Sunday and the place was completely empty. We felt bad because the place is sooo good, but thankfully by 945am they started getting a big crowd.

Not sure if that happens every Sunday, but if you arrive early, you might have the place all to yourself.

HIGHLY recommended! We...

Absolutely beautiful building but my experience with the food was so surprising and poor… i ordered the Bahn mi they had advertised as a special (what meat eater doesn’t love pork belly?). The sandwich I got was just plain bad. Good bread with a bunch of iceberg lettuce, some shredded carrots, and three of the tiniest pieces of bacon I had ever seen… and a few pieces of cilantro. I actually brought it back to the staff because I thought there had to be a mistake. They told me this was the sandwich and they could make me more bacon if I wanted. For the first time in my entire life I was so shocked by an order and the cost that I actually asked for my money back. Staff were polite and refunded me. Maybe it really was a mistake though? Everyone behind the counter looked between 17-19 so maybe they didn’t know better? I wanted to like it but if this is what each dish is like then it is not...