Vermont can be a magical place in the wintertime. The utter silence broken only by the crunch of snow under the feet; the sweet smell of woodsmoke in the crisp, clean air of a town more than 1,000 feet above sea level; mountains in every direction, including some with ski slopes enticing lovers of winter sports; a homey diner serving heaps of comfort food including breakfast dishes with tasty local maple syrup.
This could certainly describe many spots in the Green Mountain State, but it fits the little town of Londonderry to a T, and this laid-back southern Vermont community often gets overlooked by tourists in favor of such better-known towns nearby as Manchester, Weston and Grafton, which in some ways gives it more of a “real” Vermont feel to it.
And in case you were wondering, the diner here is truly something special. Maple Leaf Diner happens to be a local favorite that also caters to visitors to this beautiful region who are looking for a taste of the Vermont of yesteryear.
There aren’t many dining options in Londonderry’s section of Vermont. Even in the well-known villages like Grafton and Weston, there are two or three restaurants each – while other nearby towns such as Belmont and Wardsboro have no restaurants at all.
Londonderry does have a handful of dining spots, including the Maple Leaf Diner, a place that feels like a sort of community center, especially since the owners also run an attached country store called Mike and Tammy's Main Street Market and Deli, which sells everyday goods along with a variety of food items and local beers.
The restaurant doesn’t have the look of your classic diner, as it’s not in a train-like dining car or a lunch wagon. Instead, it resides in the type of weathered old clapboard structure found in so many small Vermont villages.
In fact, if it weren’t for its inconspicuous sign along the road, it might be tough to figure out whether this is actually someone’s home, especially considering that the sign for the store is also pretty understated. Then again, Londonderry is not a flashy resort town, so the diner and shop fit in perfectly among the other little businesses that line Route 100 and 11 in the center of town.
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PHOTOS: Maple Leaf Diner in Londonderry, Vermont
While it may not look like a traditional diner from the outside, inside, the Maple Leaf has the look and feel of a classic one, with a counter and seats on the left side and comfortable booths along the right wall, facing the street.
Like any good diner, food is prepared behind the counter here, and a well-worn hood vent dominates the space, while a whiteboard on the back wall shows the specials of the day including baked goods, soups and meals.
The front door (which is technically a side door) opens up right by the counter and the booths, so on a winter day you may feel a gust of cold air whenever someone walks in or out, though with it comes that unforgettable smell of woodsmoke coming from nearby homes, which makes the brief blast worth it. On the far end of the diner’s single room is a short walkway that opens up into the store, so patrons can wander into the shop without having to go back outside.
It's pretty tough to find an old-school diner that serves deliciously hearty food, though some are better than others, and the Maple Leaf serves up the kind of dishes that are everything you want from a diner: freshly-made, piping hot meals that stick to your ribs without putting a dent in your wallet.
This is a breakfast and lunch spot only, and the breakfast dishes include stacks of pancakes or French toast with real, local maple syrup; plates of eggs with bacon, home fries and toast; and a biscuit with eggs and home fries all smothered in savory sausage gravy, while corned beef hash, eggs Benedict, omelettes, breakfast sandwiches and more are also offered.
A dish that straddles the line between breakfast and lunch is a particularly decadent version of the classic Monte Cristo, with ham, turkey and Swiss cheese stuffed into two pieces of French toast and served with maple syrup, and it comes with a pile of home fries so big that it’s unlikely you’ll finish them all.
Some of the lunch items offered include a trio of outstanding open face sandwiches — turkey, roast beef and cheeseburger — and the rich brown gravy used on the sandwiches (and the fries if you wish) is so tasty that it might keep you from looking at the rest of the menu. But there are other options to look at, including a meatloaf plate, pot roast, a shrimp basket, club sandwiches, hot dogs, tuna melts, grilled cheese with bacon and a tomato and sides such as an absolutely sinful plate of gravy cheese fries and a very old-school plate of fried mushrooms with ranch dressing.
Drinks include some retro drinks such as sarsaparilla and cream soda.
After dining at the Maple Leaf, stepping next door into Mike and Tammy's will give you the option to buy some desserts to go, including homemade doughnuts and pies, but there’s much more than dessert here. You can also stock up on soups, meat, bread and so much more, and this being Vermont, you may just find some highly coveted beers sitting in the refrigerated cases at the far end of the place.
While the occasional arrival of legendary beers from Stowe’s Alchemist Brewery Heady Topper and Focal Banger to Boston-area stores can often lead to stampedes causing them to sell out in the blink of an eye, there’s a good chance you’ll find those beers (and other seemingly impossible-to-find Vermont brews) quietly sitting in the cases here without a mad rush, since regular distribution of Vermont’s award-winning beers throughout the state make them so much easier to find.
With ski season ramping up, Londonderry will start seeing its fair share of visitors, thanks to so many downhill ski areas nearby, including Magic Mountain right down the street, along with such popular spots as Stratton, Bromley, Okemo and, a bit further out, Mt. Snow and Killington (and plenty of places for cross-country skiers and snowshoers nearby as well). But Londonderry doesn’t see the crowds that ski towns such as Ludlow, Manchester and Wilmington/West Dover get, so it's a good place to look at if you’re into winter sports but also want a bit of peace and quiet.
And right in the middle of town is this wonderful diner which is loved by locals and skiers alike and is a perfect place to go for a classic Vermont experience in a particularly scenic and unspoiled section of New England.
Maple Leaf Diner, 1846 N Main Street, Londonderry, VT, 05148. [No website.]
