Prohibition Pig: Smoked Meats and Craft Beer in Downtown Waterbury

Waterbury, Vermont is a small town with an outsized food reputation, and Prohibition Pig is a big reason why. Since 2012, this downtown smokehouse has been serving Yankee-Southern barbecue -- meats smoked low and slow in-house -- alongside classic cocktails and fresh beer. It is the kind of place that anchors a town: the restaurant locals bring visitors to, the one visitors plan trips around, and the dinner reservation that makes a Waterbury day complete. Waterbury's food scene punches absurdly above its weight for a town this size, and the Pig is exhibit A. It is the rare restaurant that locals never tire of and visitors never forget.

The restaurant sits in the heart of Waterbury's historic downtown district, in a building with real bones and a room that feels like a proper tavern. Inside, the formula is smoke plus hospitality: brisket, chopped pork, ribs, and sandwiches, all smoked in-house, served in generous portions. The menu leans Southern with a Yankee accent -- hence 'Yankee-Southern' -- and the kitchen takes the barbecue seriously without taking itself too seriously. Come hungry; the portions do not mess around. Low-and-slow smoking is a discipline, and the Pig's pitmasters practice it daily. The bark on the brisket, the pull of the pork -- these are details you can taste, and they separate the serious from the dabblers.

The beer program is the other half of the story. Twenty-plus craft beers flow at the restaurant, and right behind it on Elm Street sits the house brewery -- a second, distinct experience with its own kitchen serving Latin American favorites and its own tap list. Two doors, one block, endless options: dinner at the restaurant, then a nightcap at the brewery. The brewery side has its own personality -- more casual, more beer-forward -- and regulars have strong opinions about which side is better. The two-location setup is a genuine asset: same ownership, different moods. Dinner at the restaurant is the full experience; the brewery is the casual sequel. Doing both is the pro move.

Wednesday nights at the brewery have their own tradition: live bluegrass from 6 to 8 PM, every single week. It is the kind of standing gig that turns a brewery into a community living room -- pickers on the corner, pints on the tables, and a crowd that knows the drill. If your trip includes a Wednesday, plan around it; it is one of the best free nights out in central Vermont. Bluegrass Wednesdays have become a local institution-within-an-institution. The pickers are good, the room is warm, and the beer is cold -- the holy trinity of a weeknight out.

The Pig has earned its reputation the hard way. Seven Days readers named it the area's best brewpub three years running, and it comes from the same folks behind Hen of the Wood -- which explains the kitchen's confidence and the room's polish. This is barbecue taken seriously by people who know food, in a town that has become one of Vermont's essential eating destinations. The Hen of the Wood connection explains a lot: the same hospitality DNA, the same kitchen seriousness, applied to barbecue and beer. Waterbury is lucky to have both.

The smoked meats are the headline, but do not sleep on the rest of the menu. Burgers, sandwiches, and sides round out a list built for sharing, and the cocktail program holds its own against the beer -- classic cocktails done right, the way a good tavern should. Whatever you order, save room for one more round, or plan to take the box; leftovers are a feature, not a bug. The cocktail list deserves more attention than it gets -- these are properly made classics, not afterthoughts. A good old fashioned alongside smoked brisket is a combination worth traveling for.

Practical details: the restaurant is at 23 S Main St, Waterbury, VT 05676, phone 802-244-4120. Restaurant hours are Monday through Friday 4 to 9 PM and Saturday-Sunday noon to 9 PM, with the bar open until 10 PM. The brewery at 2 Elm Street is open seven days, with kitchen hours Sunday through Thursday noon to 8 PM and Friday-Saturday noon to 9 PM. Two locations, one block apart -- check both before you go. Parking downtown is easy by city standards, and the walk between the two locations takes about a minute. Logistics handled -- now focus on the important decisions, like brisket versus ribs.

Waterbury is Vermont's great crossroads town -- Ben & Jerry's, Cold Hollow Cider Mill, and a cluster of breweries all orbit it -- and Prohibition Pig is the dinner reservation that ties the day together. Do the factory tour in the morning, hit the cider mill at midday, and land here for brisket and a pint. It is the classic central-Vermont itinerary, and the Pig is its anchor meal. Extend the day with the town's other anchors: coffee, bookshops, and the reservoir views all sit within a few blocks. Waterbury rewards the wanderer.

A couple of tips from the regulars: the restaurant and brewery are a short walk apart, so do both -- dinner on Main Street, then a nightcap around the corner on Elm. The bar stays open later than the kitchen, which makes the Pig a natural last stop. And if there is a wait at dinner, the brewery is the move while your table turns over. Large groups should call ahead -- the Pig handles parties well, but a heads-up ensures the right table. The bar area also works for walk-ins willing to wait a beat.

Smoked meat, fresh beer, live bluegrass, and a Main Street address: Prohibition Pig is Waterbury doing what Waterbury does best. It has been at it since 2012, and it is not slowing down. Come hungry, stay late, and thank us later. A decade-plus in, Prohibition Pig has become what every great local restaurant becomes: part of the town's identity. Eat here once and you will understand why.