Roma’s Butchery and Restaurant at Royalton’s Fox Stand Inn
Worthy Burger is no longer Royalton’s only spot where you can grab a freshly-made burger at midday. Roma’s Butchery and Restaurant, located in the Fox Stand Inn on Route 14, is now serving lunch.
As of March 2021, Elizabeth Roma is the butcher and owner of the new shop that sells pasture-raised meats (butchered on the premises) that come from local farms. A small assortment of baked goods from nearby bakeries is nestled in a glass case near the register.
The lunch menu reflects the nature of the butchery: a meat-centric selection of sandwiches, and there are fries—regular and sweet potato—to go with that quarter-or half-pound burger. More veggie-forward offerings include salads and a couple of appetizers: sweets and beets with blueberry goat cheese sauce and fried string beans with a maple “not too hot sauce.”
The ambiance is just what you would expect from the New England architecture and charming vibe of the Fox Stand Inn, built in 1814 and added to the National Registry of Historic Places two centuries later in 2015. The indoor dining area is cozy; outdoor dining is an option.
The building has been put to numerous uses over the years. In its original iteration as tavern and inn, word has it that it welcomed the Marquis de Lafayette as he journeyed north to Montpelier. A now unused ballroom occupies the third floor. At one time, Vermont Law School students and faculty crammed themselves into the first floor bar for drinks (a friend might have told me) and maybe dinner. More recently, various restaurants have tried to gain and maintain a foothold. On the day I was there, business, especially for the retail butcher shop, was steady. Individuals and families arrived to shop or to collect a takeout order, punctuated by the afternoon delivery of a basket of freshly baked loaves and croissants.
For more info, including hours, click here. Or check out the Roma’s Butchery Facebook page for photos of the retail space and the coils of homemade sausages.
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