Nectars Restaurant   

188 Main St
Burlington, VT 5401
802-658-4771

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Nectar Rorris took over this 1958 building in 1975. Five years later, a University of Vermont college band called Phish played at the bar, but this was business as usual as far as Nectar was concerned. Nobody knew at the time that Phish was going to be that big, says Nectar. Decades later the band has exploded, and Nectar's is warmly referred to as the Burlington bar where Phish got its start. Since then, Nectar the man and Nectar's the bar have seen quite a few musicians pass through Burlington on their way to Boston or Montreal. Even B.B. King stopped in to play at Nectars about 10 years ago. Jazz, blues, rock and alternative bands play at this bar seven days a week, every day of the year, and theres never a cover charge. Nectar himself has a reputation in town for making everyone feel welcome; hes also known for helping local charities. Nectars customers range in age from about 25 to 45. Lawyers, judges, sometimes even the homeless come in for a pint, says Nectar. The younger crowd prefers microbrews like Long Trail, Otter Creek and Magic Hat. The older folks prefer Scotch. On weekends Nectar sells a lot of Bloody Marys and screwdrivers. He also manages a truck-stop-like cafeteria, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and specializes in French fries with gravy, homemade onion rings, chicken tenders, hot turkey sandwiches and homemade soups. On weekdays, breakfast starts at 5:45am and the bar closes at 2am. Whats kept Nectar in this exhausting business for a quarter of a century? No one's quite sure, but the local legend notes, if I was smart enough, I wouldnt do it." Undoubtedly, Phish is probably glad he did. --Lauren Kafka