Citizen Cider

I’m a big cider guy. These people are friendly informative and out right. good people. They have made a customer for life.

In my humble opinion Citizen makes the best cider in the world right now. I may be biased since they started in my hometown, but whatever. I think I might actually like all their ciders and I must have tried at least 15 and possibly more over my multiple visits. I even like their sweeter ciders and I hate sweet hard cider. Full Nelson is my favorite (probably because its hopped).
As sad as I was when they left Essex for the south end, I must admit it worked out well. Their taproom is one of the best at any brewery/​cidery I’ve visited, and I’ve been to around 130. There’s a nice deck and big garage doors facing west so you can soak up those legendary Burlington sunsets. The taproom is smartly furbished with chunky wood group tables and just the right amount of lighting. The food is good as well, which is surprising since many bars/​breweries only sell food because they are legally required to if they want to sell full pours. I’ve had the fries and the chicken sub. The sub is good, but the fries are world class and now come with a nice garlic aioli. Citizen is super nice to non-​cider lovers as they maintain a full bar and several local beer options, many of which are brewed on this very street.

Stopped in so my daughter could have a GF corn dog, enjoyed a flight and had a great server named Sean. Bringing a 4 pack of the Dirty Mayor back to MN! Great cider and space!

Citizen Cider was probably our favorite part of our Burlington trip. The duder and myself spent more than a couple hours there eating, drinking and playing cards (my purse staple no matter where we go.) Okay first of all, get the poutine fries and the wings. High quality food that tasted great, gotta love a cidery that delivers on the eats, as well. I’ve been drinking Citizen Cider for a few years now, since our first trip to Vermont. We order both flights to try every cider and then proceeded with big boy/​girl glasses. The place was relatively busy and the waitstaff, although clearly very busy, was super attentive. Great foods, awesome hard ciders and overall a pretty sweet experience!

Marvelous. I mean, awesome. We stumbled in during Restaurant Week, having seen the room on their first day (they weren’t yet open). It is awesome. Granted, twenty years from now, it may seem steampunk dated. But for now, it feels like just enough. Not quite as obsessive/​funky as… I won’t say. The music is just emphatic enough: you can hear it, but you can talk. Long communal tables make sense, as they can handle groups of many number.
The vibe is inclusive hipster. The face-​tattoo crowd is sweet, not snarling, and the tourists seemed comfortable (yes, it’s easy to tell who you are – bring your money!) Meanwhile, the overall effect is easy because the staff is ON IT. Super well coordinated and sensitive: they’re all looking out for everything, everybody. As a result, it’s a terrific experience, no matter who you are.
Meanwhile, the cider. It’s awesome. We had a share of their wares back when they were still in Forth Ethan Allen. Man, how far they’ve come. But their signature juice (Unified Press) is all that. Unified. Balanced. Satisfying. Get it. We got 2 flights, so we tasted them all. A great way to explore the range of possibilities with cider.
Food. Wow. They have a short menu but that’s good. Excellent, EXCELLENT fries, with a to-​die-​for garlic-​rosemary mayo. Joe had the patty melt, which was excellent (I had a bite). I got the pulled-​pork tacos, which were FLAWLESS. Lightly pan-​fried tortillas snuggling the pork and a tasty mango salsa. Excellent, piquant maple-​sweetened dressing on a mixed-​green salad.
Honestly, they don’t lack ambition, but they’re not trying to offer fine dining (there are no tablecloths). But what they’re attempting, they achieve, and then some. It’s now a go-​to spot. We’ll be back..

Not the best hard cider I’ve had, but appealing to Burlington locals.
Citizen Cider was a stop in our day of brewery/​taproom hopping while recently vacationing in Vermont. They don’t have a brewery tour, but they did a have a tap/​tasting room.
Located on Pine Street in Burlington, VT, Citizen is situated near other local breweries/​tap rooms in the area. We tried their flight and got several options to try.
Overall, we weren’t overly impressed with the cider. It was a touch too dry in my opinion. I’m not saying Cider HAS to taste like drinking apple juice, but it shouldn’t taste so dry either. However, we did hear that this was the direction many cider drinkers are going (opting for dry over over semi-​sweet/​semi-​dry), so perhaps this is the norm. My favorite that I tried from the flight was their Full Nelson: it was like a mix of champagne, a pale ale and cider. A lot of the other ciders definitely tasted more like beer than cider, so again, the dry route might be how many cider makers and drinkers are going!
Wasn’t my favorite cider, but definitely worth trying and visiting when in Vermont. Local is the way to go!

The ciders were so good! We tried the tasting flights and really enjoyed all 5 that we tried! Fun atmosphere and lots of yummy snacks and sandwiches if you’re hungry. We enjoyed the fries and cheese plate.

Cider (⁵⁄₅): We ordered two flights of five ciders each for $ 14 total, which allowed us to try everything on the menu. Not surprisingly, my favorites were the ones that were fruity and not at all beer-​y: the UP, Plum Intended, American, and Dirty Mayor. The specific fruit notes were totally discernible. I could drink any of those, and we later cooked with the UP and thought it was great in that context, too.
Food (⁴⁄₅): The poutine fries ($ 11) could serve at least 3 people. The fries were fresh and crispy. I thought the duck fat gravy had an interesting flavor. They were slathered in a cheese sauce with some cheese curds sprinkled around. I would order them again! The pretzel ($ 6) was warm and pretty sizable. We paid an extra $ 2 for some cider cheese dipping sauce, but it was served ice cold (like, condensation-​on-​the-​metal-​cup cold). We told the waitress, and she got it heated up. Kind of a quality control issue, I think.
Service (¹⁄₅): Usually I don’t get bent out of shape about service, but it was remarkably bad. We seated ourselves and waited close to 10 minutes for anyone to greet us. No water was brought to the table, so I had to go up to the bar to ask for some. I also had to get silverware for our table from the bar. The waitress didn’t check back in at all. During the cold cheese situation, she brought it back to our table and set it down without a word. It took forever to get the check, to the point that we pooled cash to make sure we didn’t have to wait on a credit card. The place was also super cold; everyone was still wearing their winter coats and hats inside.
Ultimately, I wanted to come here because while I don’t like beer that much, I still want to have the brewery experience sometimes. I would definitely purchase their cider again. I might dine in, although the environment was a little too-​cool-​for-​school for me.

If and when I make the move to Vermont, Citizen Cider will be one of my regular places. They have some of THE best cider I’ve ever had… Especially their drier varieties. The truly dry ciders are hard to find and they do an exceptional job. They sell cans (and by the case) so if you don’t have the great fortune of living in Burlington, you can take it home with you.
Their tasting room is great in the summer with the garage doors and open deck. They have some small plates that are also to die for. If you’re in Burlington, this place is a must-​do.

I came to Citizen Cider with my wife and mom after spending the day visiting Burlington. We arrived around 4pm and the place was packed.
Cider (⁵⁄₅): The cider is fantastic. We ordered two flights of five samples allowing us to try all of the ciders they had on tap. Unified Press, Plum Intended, The Americran, and The Dirty Mayor we universally agreed were excellent. The Wit’s Up and the Citizen Cellar: Second Pour we left unfinished and mostly untouched. We ended up buying at least a bottle or two of each of our favorites.
Food (⁴⁄₅): We ordered Poutine fries and their soft pretzels. The fries were great. The pretzels were also quite good. The cider cheese they were served with was ice cold. We ended up having to ask to have it warmed up. They were unsure about whether it was intended to be cold, but as the consumer trying it both warm and cold I can definitely verify it should have been heated. This was plenty of food for three people, more than enough really but we still ate it all.
Service (²⁄₅): We waited for about 15 minutes before our server came to take our order (at the onset this place was very busy, by the end of our visit the place only had a few people left in the tasting room). The server stopped by twice after this. Once to deliver our drinks and a couple minutes later to deliver our food. They never stopped back to see if we wanted more of anything. We sought someone out at the bar to have the cheese dip heated up and again had to track someone down to get our check.
Space (³⁄₅): I liked the space. There’s a bar, a few communal tables and a few high top tables around the outside of the room. When we walked in the room was full of people, but they turned off the heat at some point I think to clear the room. The few remaining people were all wearing hats and their winter coats by the time we left.
I’d definitely come back to pick up cider from Citizen Cider the next time I’m in Burlington, but I probably wouldn’t stick around unless I had ample time and the temperature outside was moderate.

I have to say I’m not a fan of cider but my wife is, so decided to stop. I was wrong on some of the ciders and apologize to those who do love cider. They do have very good beer, so if cider is not your thing there are other options. We had French onion soup and it was very good. They do have more food, if you go parking is limited and before 5 is better. Our bartender Jordan was excellent.

This is a cool spot. I was in Burlington with my in-​laws and my brother in law’s girlfriend has a friend who works here. She met us here and gave us an unofficial tour of the brewery, which was cool. I only tried one of the ciders but it was interesting… tasted very champagne-​like. They also have beer available, including some good IPA’s.

Do you love cider? Do you want to try 10+ funky funky ciders? They’re very light, refreshing ciders– some were almost clear! Some were not to my taste but they had so many options that you’d find one you like. Lots of hoppy options and a rose. They have a great tasting room in a not as pretty neighborhood (though very safe. This is Burlington, it’s just not picturesque downtown). They’re also close to two other breweries for tons of afternoon fun.
We had the ginger cider in cans around town during our weekend in VT and it’s definitely my favorite of their offering.

Can’t beat going to the source of some excellent hard cider and get excellent food to match. I have been a huge fan of Citizen Cider since they moved to the Pine St. corridor. The cider is serious and hardy good stuff to drink. The food is substantial to match the kick of the cider. I enjoy their pretzel, burger, and chicken biscuit with a flight of the cider I enjoy at home and the Cellar brews. The place has a fun atmosphere and fits well as a different beverage along the Beer Corridor.

Formule dégustation qui permet de choisir 5 cidres parmi ceux proposé à la carte et ca c’est cool ! Il y a du choix et pour tous les goûts. Pour 7 $ c’est intéressant.
On a cependant pas super appréciés ceux que l’on a pris, trop d’alcool prononcé mais c’Est peut être une histoire de goût.
Pas emballé dans l’état

On my last visit to Burlington I stopped by Citizen Cider for some pre-​dinner drinks. The location of the outdoor seating was a bit odd overlooking a parking lot, but we were grateful to sit outside on a hot day.
My husband and I decided to do a flight to try several of their cider options. There were a few we really loved, but most we felt were too fruity for us. If I came back, I’d stick with the favorites. Seems like they have a great vibe going at this place and really do stay connected to the community. Good spot!

Great place for a tasty cider! The deck is awesome on a sunny summer day.

I could go on and on about Citizen Cider but all you really know is that if you like real crafty cider and are in Burlington this is the only place you need to go. The food is pretty damn good too. Get a flight, or the better option is to get two and try everything. If this was closer to home I would live here. Lots of funky limited release ciders are available here, check the chalk board and the bottle list. bring LOTS home.

This place IS the best Cider House in all of New England. Came here the day after July 4 and had the best experience:
Why you may ask…
+doesn’t close RIGHT at 6pm, they now close at 7pm!!!
+amazing ciders in the flight, loved the hoppy grapefruity one and the Ginger one is the BEST
+cheese boar is on fleek
+great service
+lovely new, large space in the hippest part of Burlington
+easy parking
+great vibe, great people
+CHANGING TABLE IN THE BATHROOM– WHAT?! love it!
Will be back.
Thank you Citizen! Come to Boston more!

Came here for restaurant week. I had 2 sliders (veggie and tempeh), fries and cider… very good, one burger had way too much sauce though. I preferred the veggie over the tempeh burger.
I loved the décor! The staff was friendly.

What a great find on Pine Street.
My brother brought me and my husband here to sample the well regarded hard ciders of Vermont.
Of course we wanted to try as many as possible so we opted for two of the samplers!
Seven dollars for a flight of five. Great deal!
I loved sitting on their long communal tables, laughing with my loved ones and enjoying well made cider.
My favorites were the Unified Press (light, thirst-​quenching and crisp), Quince-​idence (Love that sweet dry quince tang in the cider), and the Americran (cranberry infused cider?! Genius!).
The Dirty Mayor was cider infused with ginger and lemon peel was repulsive at first sip but won me over on the second and third taste. Tasted more like a ginger apple cider.
What a wonderful way to spend an evening.