Switchback Brewing Goes Barbecue With Expanded Menu and Rebrand
“Just under a year after opening its on-site beer garden and tap house in Burlington's South End, Switchback Brewing has given its restaurant a new focus — and a new name. At the Switchback Beer Garden & Smokehouse, the menu is all in on barbecue, with house-smoked meats and Southern-inspired sides such as braised collard greens, maple corn bread, and Cabot Creamery mac and cheese.
When it opened in July 2024, the restaurant offered a small menu of beer-friendly food that reflected the influences of both Germany and the American South. Chef Chris Cantrell, who grew up in Knoxville, Tenn., bonded early on with managing partner Josh Weber, who's also from the South, over their shared roots. "His use of Duke's Mayonnaise and Wickles Pickles made it basically a no-brainer to hire him," Weber told Seven Days last year.
The two have now expanded their barbecue offerings to include platters and sandwiches made with house-smoked meats such as brisket, pulled pork and St. Louis-style ribs. While some menu favorites remain, such as the jumbo Bavarian-style pretzel, smash burger and McKenzie Switchbrat sandwich, the new items help distinguish Switchback from its neighbors on Flynn Avenue. Citizen Cider's Press House Pub is planned to open in the same parking lot this summer.
"This side of town has been craving real [Southern barbecue] for years; it just needed a couple of Southerners to bring it to life," Weber said in a press release. With what he called "a proper Smokehouse," the team is "proud to bring that bold, slow-smoked tradition to Burlington's South End," he continued.
The new menu isn't all meat: Vegetarian dishes include black-eyed pea hummus topped with chowchow, a lightly spicy Low Country spring rice bowl, and loaded fries slathered in Karsten Premium Lager-infused Cabot cheddar sauce.
The family-friendly restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating and serves Switchback's full lineup of beer, along with nonalcoholic drinks and cocktails.”