Wasp's Snack Bar

57 Pleasant St., Woodstock, VT - (802) 457-3334

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Posted By Michael Stern on June 1, 2008 1:21 PM

For a while several years ago, Wasp’s had no sign outside at all. That was fine with the staff and the regular customers, who really weren’t all that interested in crowding the shoebox-shaped wooden diner with accidental passers-by. This is their place, and there seemed no need to advertise it to others.

The sign is back, and Wasp's has new owners. Still, it is not likely to attract casual tourists looking for a charming Vermont meal. This is a place for serious diner fans and long-time local customers. Wasp’s is not a beautiful eatery, not even beautiful by diner standards; and in a town like Woodstock, which is famous as an example of picture-perfect Vermont, its plainness is all the more glaring. But for us, and for others who appreciate the homely charms of an old lunch counter in a wood-frame hut, it’s a prize.

Once a maple syrup shop, Wasp’s is small enough so that once you are inside, you are part of the crowd. At its ten-stool counter, where workmen, housewives, dowagers, teenagers, artists, and eccentrics congregate at breakfast and at lunch, conversations tend to be town bull sessions at which just about anyone’s opinion is welcome. Morning discussions take place over eggs, hash browns, and coffee; and at noon meals are mostly hot dogs and hamburgers, good grilled cheese sandwiches and cups of chicken soup, and coffee and chocolate cake for dessert. It isn’t spectacular cuisine, but it’s just fine – and just right – in this charming little place that offers an honest meal for a couple of dollars, with a taste of old Vermont thrown in for free.

In July, 2006, we received this note from Jill E. Johnssen, proprietor of Wasp's for the last four years:

We do lots more than grilled cheese and hamburgers. I am not a formally trained chef, although my late father was, but I have always cooked for a living, and also love to eat. While I will agree and even stress -- our diner is a dump to look at -- I feel that our food is mostly something special. Our menu is very simple, because we cater mostly to working folks. But our specials are quite "special". We regularly have calamari salad which I batter myself, with a lime mint soy dressing for the greens, and a chipolte aioli for the calamari. Alongside home made corned beef hash, you will find huevos rancheros and southwestern eggs benedict. We also have the bahn mi sandwich as well as kefta and fish tacos. I make all our soups, sauces, baked goods, salads, and anything else I can come up with, and have time for. There are only two of us, myself and my best friend Bobbi Jean who work at the diner, so yes, our hours of operation are sometimes sporadic. If one of us is ill, we have to close. We are far too busy, for one person to handle the diner, and Bobbi washes all the dishes by hand, while I run the grill AND cook and bake at the same time. Anyway, though it sounds like I'm tooting my own horn, I really wanted your website to know that while we're not always the sweetest and nicest girls at the diner (at first). We do work awfully hard and try to make sure people leave full and happy and not just on grilled cheese and burgers. Although, we make lots of those too! I'm not at all sure that this email will get to anyone who even cares about our little old dump of a diner, but I did want to at least reply to someone about the review. Wish I had more time and money to make the place prettier, but I'm too busy COOKIN UP A STORM.

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Posted By Marion Mayer on July 31, 2009 2:16 PM

We loved our two visits to Wasp's: friendly, fast service, good conversation with both staff and other diners. With 10 stools you can't help but get chummy with strangers. To call this place a "greasy spoon" is like calling the Mona Lisa "ticky-tacky tourist art."

I chose the homemade granola on my first visit and received a generous handful of the crunchy stuff plus Greek yogurt and a good selection of fresh fruit. Friday is eggs Benedict day, with a line out the front door of folks waiting to order. The eggs were prepared perfectly and the hollandaise sauce was tangy.

One interesting thing I witnessed while sitting down by the grill is that if you order a muffin it is split, buttered, and grilled a bit to make it all warm and yummy before serving. If I wasn't already so full I would have ordered one too! My husband ordered the omelet of the day and they come stuffed with a variety of ingredients, all wonderful.

A word of warning: Wasp's does not appear to be open on weekends and is only open until 1 pm Monday-Friday. Amazing to find a restaurant owner who actually spends time with their family on weekends. Hit this place early in your day.

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