Big Moose Deli & Country Store

Sometimes we stop in when coming back from a ski weekend. Was not too impressed on our last two stops so I figured I would give it one more try. Got a veggie wrap for wife and a ½ Italian hoagie for my drive home. Bread on my ½ hoagie was not fresh. Not much in the way of meat on it either. The same problem was evident last time I stopped for a sandwich, stale bread. Oh well. Maybe the bakery is not local. (???) Wife wasn’t impressed with wrap either. Seems like menu got a lot smaller. That’s ok. But do what you offer right. Outhouse bathroom was disgusting. Something off a construction site. Maybe they’ll sell enough souveniers and junk for what they lack in quality sandwiches. I tried. I wanna see this place succeed, unfortunately Im done.

This is an overpriced
(understatement)
Tourist trap
I stopped in one afternoon for a quick bite. Deli was closed so i bought a jar of salsa and a maple whoopie pie
$ 15.01
The salsa was expired and $ 9.99 plus tax. I returned it as all jars were expired
I suggest keep on going
Vermont isnt far

Bought a cherry pie for $ 14.99. Was disgusting. More gelatin than cherry filling! What a disappointment! In the garbage it went! Called my mom who bought a cherry pie same day and time as me. Said it was awful and my father won’t eat it only she won’t throw it away like I did!

Pulled pork sandwich was great! The smokey maple flavor was perfect. Comes with a small amount of slaw on the sandwich. If you like a lot of slaw should probably ask for more.
Service was slow. Only 1 person running the counter for both food and normal check out. On a Saturday afternoon in August! Not sure if she was also the cook. Waited 10 – 15 minutes for 2 sandwiches and a hot dog.
Tons of Vermont and non-​Vermont products. I would say probably overpriced but considering you can’t buy most of this stuff at a normal store its to be expected.
It bothered me that they bill themselves as Vermont authentic but they’re in New York! Take pride in what New York has to offer!
Like the other reviews said they only have portapoties. They weren’t gross at our visit but still. If you’re a tourist destination you need to act like it and get a real bathroom.

So, if you’re passing by this place you should probably stop in once. It’s the quintessential tourist trap, and pretty fun to check out. The food is pretty good, but I do have some criticisms.
The general ambiance is very clearly touristy, akin to typical Lake George attractions or the infamous Carolina «South of the Border.» The store has a huge selection of candy, snacks, and general Vermont themed tourist trinkets. Be warned, it is RIDICULOUSLY expensive. I bought a four pack of soda bottles with the carton unmarked. I was expecting to pay around 8 dollars at the most but it turns out every bottle was 3.99, which i wasn’t thrilled about (and we didn’t find out till the parking lot).
That said, the actual deli part of this store is where it shines. The maple pulled pork sandwich is a MUST HAVE. Seriously so good. The bun, sauce, and pork work perfectly together.
Unfortunately, service here is seriously lacking. On both times that we’ve come here, who ever was behind the counter was incredibly unfriendly and cranky. I understand that it might not be the most thrilling job in the world, but as a retail worker myself it seriously isn’t that hard to pretend to be friendly.

This place was terrible. Extremely overpriced for mediocre food. Grinder was pitiful but cost $ 14. Pulled pork was indigestion causing but not particularly flavorful, and they forgot the coleslaw. Soda is at least $ 4 a bottle. They only have 2 menu’s and they are taped to the counter so you have just a few seconds to make a choice and couldn’t even see the prices. There is one table in their dining no room, which is at the back of the store, which is also where you have to get condiments and napkins, and there is only one entrance/​exit. Aisles through the store are extremely narrow, as in two people have to turn sideways to pass. Typical tourist trap junk at the highest prices I’ve ever seen. Sandwich, grinder, 1 bottle soda one can soda, $ 28. Way too much for a less than average tasting lunch.

Lots of fun items out front. Military discount on pulled pork. A geocache outside too. WWW​.GEO​CACHING​.COM.

Great lite country store. Ice cream was still closed for the season but we tried the maple pulled pork and it was some of most delicious pulled pork I’ve had. Great bark on the pork and the sauce was a perfect compliment to it. Would definitely go back!

This place is crazy! Outside the storefront you see a giant moose, cow, antique items. It all just seems so overwhelming which is what adds to the quirkiness of the place. They have soooo much to offer. They have a huge variety of jams, syrups, different flavors of honey, etc. As you keep walking through the store, you will find even more random items to purchase. They sell tshirts, mugs, signs, souvenirs, and old-​school candy.
However, their biggest attraction is what they serve from their deli. Their signature item is this amazing pulled pork sandwich, which I had with coleslaw on top and their maple bbq sauce. I’m usually not too fond of pulled pork but I thought this sandwich is worth the stop to the deli.
The elderly man (the owner?) behind the counter was super friendly and social. He’ll talk to his customers and direct them to whatever they’re looking for. There is also a small dining area at the back of the store if you don’t want to just take out.
The only problem is that the place is a bit narrow and it can be hard to navigate through the store. Also, the deli is right when you walk in so that’s where the line forms with people blocking your way in or out.

Appearance and atmosphere: Small, narrow aisles, shelved packed with stuff unique to the region. Counter where they take orders is small. No large menu displayed. (They do have simple printed menus). There is a small dining area in the back of the store, but it was really inadequate for the traffic going through the store. Seems to me they could make a lot more money expanding and putting a larger dining area in there.
Service: Food is made to order, took about 20 – 30 minutes to come out, so this might be an issue if you’re in a rush, but we weren’t, so it was all good.
The old dude working the counter was a bit brusque, not terribly helpful, seemed to be annoyed at being there, or at the large line, i’m not sure what his issue was (not just to me, but to the majority of the people in the line). I wasn’t offended by that necessarily, but it was annoying to see him suddenly be a sweet nice gentlemen to a blonde cutie moments later. Whatever, I’m here for the food.
On to the food:
I had a pulled pork original on a roll with coleslaw with spinach and horseradish mayo. I think the little flyer said all their toppings were free, which was not advertised well, most people in our group missed that one little line and got just a simple pulled pork with coleslaw on a roll.
Quantity: coming from a fatty, it was a good, generous amount of meat. Tasty, too, with good smoke, sweet, and vinegar flavors, nothing overpowering, allowing the flavor of the meat to stand out. Roll was nothing special, but it did it’s job, which was to hold that meat in there.
major CON: As many have noted, there was no bathroom indoors available for customers. A few port-​a-​pottys outside. Probably explains why the dining area is so small, I’m pretty sure NY regulations make establishments provide restrooms when there is seating for a certain amount of people. I just can’t understand why it would be such a big deal to add a few bathrooms. It may also be purposeful, to make this establishment a take-​out place and to discourage diners from staying.
Overall, 3.5 stars for the food, 2 stars for the attitude and bathrooms, I think 3 is fair.

Excellent deli, moose trot was amazing. Awesome place for jams, syrup and bacon sunscreen. Toilets are a nightmare.

Man, why are there so many people giving 1 star reviews because of what’s inside the toilets? What did you expect?!
Anyways…
This was one of the most memorable sandwiches of my life. Drove by, saw the big sign for Maple BBQ Pulled Pork, and had to turn around. You can’t ignore something like that.
Wait was a little slow — it’s a country store, not a McDonalds — but was worth it. Overstuffed with meat. Sweet, sticky sauce. Tangy coleslaw. I miss that sandwich.
Only looking at this page now, because I am strongly considering the two hour drive it takes to get there, just to grab another one.

PORTA POTTIES. Smelly, nearly-​overflowing, look at other people’s turds and used tampons, no place to wash your hands, porta-​potties. Seat opening that’s wide enough for a small child to fall in, porta potties. That’s what passes for a public restroom at this place. I love a cheesy tourist trap as much as the next person but not at the risk of dysentery.
If that’s not enough to deter you, then be aware that the food (including pulled pork) was average to below-​average, and there were no vegetarian options other than the wrap sandwich (the «Old Maid» of vegetarian cuisine). The only plus was the kettle corn.

I saw the sign on the street advertising maple pulled pork sandwiches and immediately turned the car around to get one for the road.
I ordered one at the counter and they told me it would be ready in a couple of minutes. I was happy to know they made it to order. Wandering around the store for a few minutes, contemplating bacon soda, buffalo wing soda, and maple BBQ sauce, I ended up with organic maple popcorn that was wayyyy better than I expected — not too sweet, not too salty, a tiny hint of butter. I have made the 4 serving bag last 2 days and it’s been hard to stop munching. I think I like it even better than the fancy, expensive dessert popcorn I had at One if By Land Two if By Sea in NYC.
Now for the sandwich — probably the best I’ve ever had in the northeast! Definitely stop here and grab a sandwich. It was HUGE with the perfect amount of sweet maple sauce. The meat was tender and pink in some places.
I wish this place got rid of their tourist knickknacks and put down some tables and expanded their menu to a few more sandwiches!
The counter boy was really thoughtful and offered to pop the cap on my root beer bottle, too.

Sooo many goodies, I was a kid in a candy store, literally!
I pulled into this darling shop for 2 reasons. 1) Curiosity. 2) I was lost.
5 minutes later, I had my directions to the state sign (I was on a photo op mission) and a bag of $ 7 maple flavored jelly beans and $ 10 maple flavored taffy. Spendy? Sure. But it’s a novelty and I’m not going to find maple candy back home.
The store reminds me of «Christmas at the Zoo» or «Sleighbells»…only instead of Christmas stuff — which they probably had to — the store is full of everything maple. It’s got every kind of souvenir you could conjure up. From tacky to darling and everything yummy.
Doubtful I’ll be back on that corner of the country any time soon, so I’m really happy to have stopped in and gotten myself some goodies.

THE MOOSE IS LOOSE AT THE BIG MOOSE DELI!
Vermont’s first Welcome Center /​Country Store is actually located in Hoosick Falls, NY which is several miles from the state border. But pay that no mind when you see the Big Moose on the horizon, because if you’ve been holding back on stopping on your way to Vermont, this is one place worth checking out on your way in or heading back home. Need a reason to stop here other than using their port-​a-​potty that is around the back, then read on!
This place is jam-​packed and wall-​to-​wall with enough Vermont Country crap to find someone that last minute gift that may prove that you came back from Vermont, but may not be proof enough that you actually missed them while you were gone. They’ve got enough trinkets, knickknacks, doodads, and tchotchkes for you to bring something back to add to your grandmother’s curio cabinet. It may be worthless and cheap, but nothing says I love you like a moose magnet.
Forgot to grab a bottle of maple syrup when passing by the Vermont Country Store? Get it here and be prepared to pay through your Jellied Moose Nose, because they know that this is your last chance to get the real thing and your next stop will be the less than authentic bottle of Aunt Jemima from Price Chopper. Want to stock up on «moose» jerky? Closer examination will make it clear that you’ve just been jerked by someone swindling ordinary beef jerky in a moose themed package.
Want to know what you can here that’s the most hard to believe? The puled-​pork sandwich here is worth it for me. You’d swear that you were getting BBQ from some southern style found down in Tennessee where the BBQ sauce has the right balance of tanginess and spiciness that will leave grinning like an idiot with a saucy smile stretching from ear to ear. It’s too good to take back to your car and to eat en route, so grab a seat before you grab your sub. Driving while chowing down on one of these can be hazardous as you will not be giving your full attention to the road and you might end up plowing into a real moose.
So stretch your legs and get out and take a few silly photos. Make sure to stop when you see the moose covered roof, because this is your last taste of Vermont. This is also maybe your last chance to grab some good roadside food for quick a stretch too. Don’t leave anything to chance and taste the pulled pork that everybody is raving about from here to Vermont!

If its jarred or canned they have it! Jams, butters, sauces, pickled things like well, pickles but veggies of all sorts too. Hot sauce, BBQ sauce. Maple syrup. Jerky. Old school candies. Local items are the specialty.
Homemade pies & cookies.
This place is chock full of food novelty and old school pantry items.
Kitschy décor in & out but the service is friendly.
Worth stopping on the way to where ever your heading to!