As I’ve mentioned in a lot of my recent reviews, 2025 was a year of my trying to take a lot of the local places that I’m frequently driving by and saying “I should check that place out!” and actually, well, checking the place out. In this case, we were doing a day trip down to Connecticut, and wanting to grab breakfast on our usual route to catch Interstate 91 to parts south of here. Usually, that means a visit to The Barn Café or The Daily Grind in Claremont (neither of which I’ve reviewed, but the Daily Grind has the same excellent menu and food as their sister restaurant Frazer’s Place). However, both were looking more than a little busy, so we decided to cross the river and check out one of our perennial “should try” places, Exit Ate in Weathersfield, VT.
Exit Ate is located right by Interstate 91’s Exit 8 (I’m not a great fan of pun names, but it works well here). The location itself has been a few different restaurants and businesses over the years (at one point it was a pretty decent “Country Store” that we’d hit up before trips up nearby Mount Ascutney), but it’s had the Exit Ate name for several years. After a change in ownership and some remodeling, it re-opened with its current owners and menu in early 2024, and it’s one of the more notable options for that stretch of interstate. Inside, it’s got the “country charm” motif down pat (with those painted “Homemade pies” signs and the like), with two different dining rooms, a small counter, and a handful of wait staff rushing around delivering food to tables.
The breakfast menu at Exit Ate is your classic American Diner fare, with a good selection of egg specials, omelettes, pancakes, Benedicts, and the like. One particularly item I rather enjoy and that Carol ordered up on this visit was country-fried steak, and the version at Exit Ate is quite nicely done. Good, rich country-style gravy, with a good crisp on the country-fried steak. Good house-made proper home fries. House-made raisin toast. Overall, a great breakfast, and something I’ll have to make sure to get myself on a future visit (I’d always order this at the now-defunct Country Kitchen over in Newport, and miss it; it’s one of my favorite breakfasts).
For my breakfast, I did almost as well. Every once in a while I get a craving for a simple Western Omelette (three eggs, diced ham, onions, and bell peppers), and the version at Exit Ate was nicely executed: a good, light and fluffy omelette, good fillings (including a nice layer of Monterey Jack), and the same great home fries as the country-fried steak.
Overall, we really liked Exit Ate (despite the pun name), and it’s already made it into our regular rotation for breakfast spots, I’ve even been back once already during a trip to Ludlow Vermont. It’s definitely a great spot, and worth checking out.
