Located in the artist infested South End of Burlington, Great Harvest Bread is a real BTV gem. It’s a big, sunny, high-ceilinged space with a wide open kitchen so customers can see the baking action. When you enter you’re greeted by cheerful staff, who usually offer you a sample of one or more of the many breads available that day while you contemplate your order. We arrived with all three kiddos in tow close to 4:00pm – sadly too late for the lunch menu which closes off at 3:00 everyday. A shame, since the sandwiches look amazing, but we were still in plenty of time for an after school snack of … soup!
Great Harvest generally has one soup special per day, and we were lucky enough to land on Pumpkin Cheddar Ale. We are in the middle of what I think of as Soup Season, and though their soups always have a seasonal focus, this one is, I think, the perfect fall-in-Vermont thing to eat. After all we do know (and love) our cheddar, and our beer. Creamy and ever so slightly herb-y thanks to the love of my soup life, sage, it was absolutely delicious. Complex and hearty, my husband and I agreed we’d be happy eating giant bowls for dinner, but the kids were won over as well and asked when we could go back and have it again! We were literally scraping the bottom of the bowl.
Great Harvest Bread emphasizes whole grains, local ingredients, and healthy stuff, but they also make amazing baked sweets that are always available. Everything looked so good we went a little crazy, and when we finally made it out of there we were loaded up with cinnamon rolls, garlic cheese bread sticks, and baked whole wheat buns stuffed with pepperoni and cheese. Omg.
If you go for lunch be prepared for a crowd. Seating is limited, especially during the busy mid-day hours, but get in that line and get some of whatever’s in the pot that day. Kid and family friendly, they even have a corner with toys and books for little folks to get into while soup cools off, and parents unwind.
