Simon Pearce

The food was fantastic tonight. Fried oysters to start. Breaded delicately with two cornmeal cakes and down greens – divine! I had the swordfish which I asked they do with the accoutrements from their standard cod entrée. Cooked to perfection with the right amount of rare.
Service by waitstaff was perfect.
Why the missing star?! The HOSTESS today (730pm June 21!). The person who called for reservation was specifically told he would have terrace seating. Hostess refused to honor this with the statement, «we never guarantee a specific table and on a [nice] night like this, everyone wants to sit outside.» As my friend tried to share he was promised this, the hostess continued with this statement two more times and never once apologized for this error. Her attitude was rude and condescending. While tonight’s meal was great (best I have had here), the hostess was a rude b*tch and needs to learn manners more becoming to a HOSTESS.

Delicious drink and food menu! This place is worth the stop!
I just hope the next time they don’t mess with the seating and the wait… as i believe they forgot us but anyway great time by a fantastic, relaxing view!

I was wowed! The lemonade lavender cocktail was so good. Loved the cheddar soup and seared scallop app. Vanilla crème brûlée was DE-​LISH! The hand blown glass was beautiful, but expensive. Great views!!! Highly Recommend.

What a wonderful location! Just beautiful. And a very handsome restaurant at that.
The Cheddar soup was 5 stars deliciousness. The garden salad a bit average re: dressing. Lamb pappardelle was savory and satisfying. And the crispy Duck was top notch. Note: the sourdough bread served upon arrival is ah-​maz-​ing!
Service staff, although very competent and friendly, would have to be increased to garner 5 stars. Our plates sat finished on the table over 5 minutes. A big deal? Nope.
Not enough room to order dessert. Great value for $$$ spent! Would happily return.

This is definitely THE best restaurant in the Upper Valley. The newly finished bar area is also very nice and offers great drinks. The best menu item is the duck. I have tried 80% of their menu and nothing compares to the duck. If you get anything else, YOU WILL regret it. Just get the duck!
Side note: During the winter, their version of egg nog is divine!

Surprised by all the lukewarm reviews here — maybe I had a much better experience here for brunch than other folks did for dinner?
I had a delightful brunch recently with mentees of mine from California who have gone on to attend Dartmouth, my alma mater. Whether it was the cheddar soup, a nice helping of quiche, a deliciously rich lamb burger, some corned beef hash, or a satisfying omelette, the brunch fare was on point and very reasonably priced given the quality, portions, presentation, and setting. Service was also courteous yet unobtrusive.
The venue is quintessentially Vermont, nestled right next to a waterfall and covered bridge, and features a large retail store that sells glassware handmade in the studios and kilns in the basement — what Simon Pearce is really known for. You can even view the hydroelectric generator that’s powered by the adjacent waterfall.
All in all, a great brunch experience that’s a destination in and of itself due to the picturesque setting and the glassworks.

this restaurant was recommended to me by several associates as a do not miss dining experience. I found the ambience to be lovely, however, was very under whelmed by the entrées.
also, I’ve never been to a restaurant who could ruin the desserts! It’s a great place to go and have drinks and enjoy the view but I would not recommend it for dinner.
gb

My partner and I come here for brunch on weekends. The food is amazing!
I typically get a cup of the cheddar soup and for my entrée I usually get the country fried steak. My g/​f has had the duck confit, omelette with sea salt and ricotta. Typically what she raves about is their French toast. The portion is so large that she has to get a box. The iced tea is extremely addicting. It is a tea infused with apricot. Always my choice of beverage.
The view is very pretty, being able to see the Quechee bridge and falls. We usually peruse around and check out some of the glass blown products after dining, I really like this place!

Great food. Great service. Great view. Needs more vegetarian and vegan options. There is only one lunch vegetarian option.

This place is authentically wonderful!
The food was fabulous.
The service was excellent.
The warm cozy barn rustic w/​a bit of elegance for ambiance was terrific.
Topped off with a water damn, big windows, interesting retail…
and a couple dudes downstairs blowing glass.
Simon Pearce, cool stuff. Clearly a place built by an artist that stays true to his roots and vision.

My boyfriend took me here for our anniversary. I had heard all the rants and raves about Simon Pearce and was excited to figure the restaurant out for myself. We had a reservation and were seated almost immediately (with no wait).
*FOOD ORDERED ⁵⁄₅: I ordered a crisp duck entrée, which turned out to be superb! The duck was well cooked and well-​marinated! I especially loved the mango sauce to pair with the duck. The skin of the duck was crispy and not too fatty. I also got the crème brûlée as dessert. It was among one of the best crème brulees I had ever had (made with real vanilla beans)! :)
*ENVIRONMENT ⁵⁄₅: The setting of the restaurant was very romantic. We had a table next to the waterfall (even though it was covered in snow at the time). I can imagine this place is very beautiful during the summer!
*SERVICE ⁵⁄₅: Service was phenomenal! The waitress was very attentive and ensured that we had everything we needed at our table (whether it was getting refills for drinks or providing us with more bread at our table).
*OVERALL ⁵⁄₅: Although the prices for the entrees are a bit on the expensive side, you definitely get the quality that you pay for. I would definitely come back again!

I don’t get the hype. Well recommended by a few friends. The view of the waterfall is great. The glass shop was really amazing to see. But the food at the restaurant was underwhelming. I got the seared sesame chicken which turned out to be essentially chicken tenders. Bland dry and needed a lot of sauce to make it edible. Salmon was dry. Nothing was horrible but nothing was great.

Wow! Very cool restaurant inside a glass making shop. You can walk around and see glass items being made and they are available for purchase. Though they’re quite expensive-​not sure if it’s worth buying. They also have a hydroelectric plant in the basement that draws power from the damn. Pretty incredible how much they allow you to walk around. The food was ok, very pricy for what it was. I may come back for the ambiance.

The restaurant was extremely busy when we visited, no bookings required, so whilst we waited on an available table (they give you a pager) we opted to your the showroom.
Quality glassware, all handmade on the premises and you’re able to view the process. The price of purchasing some of this stuff is prohibitive ($USD500) for some pieces. It is quality though and will certainly last — unless you drop it: p
The restaurant service and food was delicious and we were well looked after.
Great range to choose from in food and drinks.
It is located right next to the river and there’s a covered bridge and a waterfall that goes over the dam wall (created for hydroelectricity). Absolutely picturesque.
Recommended as a place to visit.

Breathtaking views. This place gets busy quickly so if you don’t have reservations I’d recommend coming right when it opens, which we did for brunch and snagged a spectacular table overlooking the water.
The menu offers plenty of indulgent choices. We started with the beignets. Excellent choice. Hot, sweet and served with apple butter and a dipping sauce.
I had the famed Vermont cheddar soup and kale & apple salad (with a few sausage links on the side, no salad is complete without meat). The cheddar soup was hot, luxurious, and subtle. The kale salad was fresh, and served with a sweet apple vinaigrette.
My husband ordered the country fried steak. Amazing. The outside was crisp and flavorful. The hash is was served with was incredible. Major winner all the way around.
Downstairs you can watch them do some glassmaking and snap a selfie off the lower level right in front on the waterfall so bring your selfie stick.

Good place for brunch or dating dinner. Staff are friendly. Seafood such as scallop and fish are good. The lamb shank is tasty. Appetizer portion is small. But entrée is good portion.
Wine and coffee are all good. The dessert we tried is just okay. Not really worth the money. Overall we had a wonderful experience.

This is a really, really popular fine dining choice for dates, graduation and other big events for Dartmouth students, but I’ve never really been blown away by this place’s actual food. The first time I went, it was with a group of friends and our parents. I ordered a dish with scallops, and mine must have been slightly undercooked, because I wound up quite ill later that evening. The dessert was excellent, though, which was nice.
The second time, I was on a date and we went for lunch. He got a burger, which he really enjoyed, but I was again somewhat underwhelmed by my meal. We both ordered drinks: he got bloody Marys (no surprises here; those things are pretty much the same everywhere) and I ordered a fruity cocktail (pretty good; nothing terribly inventive, though, by big city/​foodie standards).
Honestly, it’s not bad food, but the expectation that comes along with it ends up making this place significantly overrated for what it delivers. The concept of most dishes is pretty good, based on what I saw on menus, but execution was choppy (I can’t imagine it’s terribly easy to find really great kitchen staff in rural New England).
With that said…
The location is stunning! Wandering around the store and hanging out at the back next to the river is great in all seasons. It’s a very New England type of experience as far as the setting goes, and I can see the appeal in the rustic setting alone.

Meh I was so severely underwhelmed by this restaurant. Simon Pearce is a popular choice for fine dining in the Upper Valley area. Having heard a ton of really amazing things about this place, I was really expecting this place to be awesome, but the food ended up being okay. The view is admittedly pretty spectacular, but all in all, it’s fine and pricey and I probably would not return.
Let’s talk about the pros first. The view here is gorgeous. If you get to sit on a window seat, you’re overlooking a beautiful waterfall in Quechee. It’s stunning. Come at sunset and you can see the sunlight refract off of the waterfall. That’s pretty great.
The food however left a bit more to be desired. Service was alright though on the slower side, though our food came out pretty quickly. I ordered a swordfish which came with the most bitter broccoli rabe I’ve ever had. Broccoli rabe is admittedly supposed to be bitter, but I think with effective blanching and cooking it can be made to be a bit more bearable. This one was not so bearable. The swordfish chunk was a generous portion but honestly just didn’t taste like anything. It was moist but bland. The herbs weren’t really rubbed into the fish… they were just on top of the fish. Meh. Just underwhelming in general.
To be fair, I probably messed up with my ordering. I had a bite of a quiche my friend had which was pretty good. The swordfish and the dish itself wasn’t bad… it just wasn’t anything amazing and from a fine dining experience, it just wasn’t all that delicious which is my quip with the place.
tldr; fancy restaurant with beautiful views, but there are some other «fine dining» places I’d rather spend my money on in the Upper Valley

First off Simon Pearce is located in the most beautiful location in Queche, VT. The views were so picturesque that I had to stop and stare for a while. It is half a restaurant and half a glass blowing shop. They have the most beautiful unique glass pieces.
If you can, request a table near the waterfall. It is so magical it takes your breath away. The views at this place are worth every penny you spend. It ain’t the cheapest restaurant in the area!
But dear god the Vermont cheddar soup. Let’s talk about the soup. I still have dreams about this soup. I honestly think this may be the best soup I’ve ever had. It tastes like cheesy fondue soup and comes with some crusty bread for dipping. Anyway go here for the view and the soup. Both will blow you away!
I also had the halibut and it was cooked well. The cheese plate was well balanced and delicious as well. The service for me was a bit hit and miss. One night I has the nicest waitress and the next not so much. But if I had the opportunity to come back– I would in a heart beat

My husband and I have been here several times over the past few years and the restaurant has seen better days. The wait times are insane, even at 2pm, I guess that’s what happens when word gets out. It’s not a huge deal because you can busy yourself in the shop and workshop on the lower level but it is a pain when you’re told the wait is 30 min and it turns out to be close to an hour.
Also, the food and service have definitely gone downhill. The service is slow and inattentive, and it seems like there are only a handful of waitstaff working at a time. The food prices have gone up while portion size has gone down. Disappointing. I’ve walked out hungry on our last few visits.
We’ll likely keep coming here because it’s part of the experience of Simon Pearce and we’ve had a lot of good memories here. Also because we’re huge fans of the Simon Pearce catalog and love picking up a few pieces every year. However, if you’re looking for a real quality meal in the area, you could probably skip this place.