Best Happy Hour in Burlington
Burlington, Vermont — updated August 21, 2026
Where to drink early in Burlington, from a Cherry Street bar that opens an hour before the dining room to South End taprooms with named weeknight pint deals.
Listings verified
Happy hour in Burlington splits along two lines: downtown restaurant bars that open around 4 or 5pm, an hour ahead of the dinner rush, and South End breweries that have been pouring since noon and run named weeknight specials instead. The distinction matters if you finish work at 4:30 and want a seat. Below, the places are ordered by how directly they answer the early-drink question, with review counts noted so you can tell a settled rating from a promising one.
1. Hen of the Wood - Burlington
The bar here opens at 4pm every day, a full hour before the dining room starts at 5, which makes it the most reliable early seat downtown. That gap is the whole appeal: you get the Cherry Street room and the bar list before the dinner crowd arrives. The bar stays open until 11pm daily, so it also works as a late stop. At 4.7 from more than 1,300 reviews, this is a proven rating rather than an early one, and the menus change daily, so treat any specific dish you have heard about as subject to the kitchen's mood.
2. Switchback Brewing Co.
The only place on this list with published weekday pint pricing: $5 E-Z Pints on Tuesdays, $5 Switchback Ale pints on Wednesdays, and $5 Citra Vista pints on Sundays. Draught pours otherwise run 8oz and 16oz sizes across the board. The kitchen, which does Southern-style barbecue, closes at 8pm, so an early arrival is the point rather than a preference. Note that Yelp lists the taproom as closed Mondays and opening at 5pm on Tuesdays. It holds a 4.6 across 391 reviews, a solid sample for a Flynn Avenue brewery.
3. Pizzeria Verità
Wednesdays bring $5 off margherita pizzas, which is the clearest early-week deal downtown for anyone who wants food with the drink rather than after it. Doors open at 5pm Sunday through Thursday and 5pm to 10pm Friday and Saturday, seven days a week for dine-in and takeout. Arriving at open is the move on a Wednesday, since the discount and the small St. Paul Street room work against each other later on. The 4.7 rating rests on 971 reviews, enough volume to call it settled.
4. Foam Brewers - Burlington
Foam opens at noon on weekdays, which makes it the default answer for a drink before 4pm anywhere near the waterfront, and Saturday service starts at 10am. The pour list rotates, and the food side is built around cheese and charcuterie rather than a full kitchen, so plan accordingly if you need dinner. Later in the week the taproom runs to midnight. With a 4.7 from more than 1,200 reviews, it is one of the best-documented ratings in the city. Lake Street parking is the usual constraint on a summer evening.
5. May Day
The highest-rated place here, 4.9 across 229 reviews, though that count is smaller than the downtown veterans, so read it as strongly promising rather than long-proven. The Old North End restaurant opens at 5pm and runs seven nights a week, with natural wines and craft cocktails alongside seasonal food. Sunday night is the one to plan around: $10 patty melts, available that night only. A portion of the dining room is held for reservations through Resy and the rest is kept for walk-ins, so an early arrival is a real strategy.
6. Devil Takes A Holiday
A St. Paul Street cocktail lounge with the earliest weekend start downtown: 4pm on Friday and Saturday, and 2pm on Sunday, when it runs until 10pm. Monday through Thursday it opens at 5pm and goes to midnight; Friday and Saturday it stays open until 1am. That Sunday afternoon window is unusual in Burlington and worth knowing about. The 4.8 rating comes from 153 reviews, the thinnest evidence base on this list, so the number is encouraging without being settled. Expect an upscale lounge setting rather than a taproom.
7. Burlington Beer Company
Open seven days a week from noon, which puts it in the same afternoon category as Foam but with a full food menu attached. Sunday service ends at 8pm, Monday through Saturday at 9pm, so this is an early-evening room rather than a late one. It sits on Flynn Avenue, a short walk from Switchback, which makes a two-stop South End afternoon straightforward without a car. The 4.6 rating draws on 910 reviews, a large enough sample to trust.
8. Queen City Brewery
The Pine Street tasting room pours from more than 16 taps and leans toward classic beer styles, which is a different proposition from the hop-forward taprooms nearby. Hours are 1pm to 8pm Sunday through Thursday and noon to 9pm Friday and Saturday, so the window closes earlier here than almost anywhere else on this list. There is no published food program in what we could verify, so eat first or plan a second stop. The 4.7 rating comes from 266 reviews, respectable but a smaller base than the bigger breweries.