My spouse and I dined at Barnyard Wood Crafted Pizzeria for
lunch on a Sunday in late September 2018. Barnyard is open daily from 11:00 am
until 10:00 pm (with extended hours on weekends and reduced hours on Sundays). We
found Barnyard as we drove from Shelburne to the Burlington Airport, and the
restaurant/bar provided the perfect place for a leisurely meal until it was
time to check-in for our flight.
Barnyard Wood Crafted Pizzeria opened in late 2015 in the space
formerly occupied by the Vermont Sports Grill (and prior to that, Hooters;
however, extensive renovations have occurred, so there are no vestiges of the
former establishment.) The owners of Barnyard also operate other commercial
ventures, including the Vermont Tap House in Rutland and Grazers in St. Albans.
In 2016, Barnyard Pizzeria was called “Best New Restaurant” by Seven Days
Vermont.
The focal point of the open-concept restaurant is the huge
gleaming brass wood-fired pizza oven, angled so that customers can see right
into its fiery interior from the moment they enter through the front door. A
multi-sided rectangular bar occupies one side of the restaurant, surrounded by
booths of varying sizes. A high-top communal table divides the bar area from the
other half of the restaurant, which has both table and booth seating. In warmer
months, a private cozy rear deck offers al fresco dining.
As its name implies, Barnyard Pizzeria serves mostly (but
not only) traditional tomato and also white garlic sauce pizzas, available in
two sizes. The restaurant also sells salads, sandwiches, burgers,
mac-and-cheese, and calzones. A full bar is available so that you can have
beer, wine, and cocktails with your meal. Barnyard also allows online ordering
and takeout. To start, we shared the calamari (both rings and “critters”),
breaded to order and served with marinara and Sriracha aioli sauces. Next, we
shared the 16-inch “Sweet Pig” (a white pizza topped with sausage, bacon,
caramelized onions, and corn, which was a delicious combination of ingredients);
in fact, we took a few leftover slices along with us for an evening snack on
our flight. Although we were fairly full, we couldn’t resist ordering the
home-made apple cobbler for dessert, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
We enjoyed our lunch at Barnyard Pizzeria; we wish we had a
similar restaurant in the town where we live.
