Three Needs Tap Room & Pizza Cube — Sometimes a dive bar is more about the spirit of a dive, rather than actually being, you know, a dingy establishment with cheap, crappy beer. While Three Needs has many hallmarks of a dive — including some of the most in-demand pool tables in Burlington — it’s also set in the fairly swanky former space of Parima Thai Restaurant. It has both a killer atmosphere and Vermont craft brews on tap.
Perhaps that’s why Daysies voters named the Needs the top bar and dive bar this year — neither title alone would do.
Whatever you call it, the Needs has been a crucial part of Burlington’s bar scene since 1995. It started as owner Glenn Walter’s tiny brewery on College Street and moved to Pearl in 2012. We lost the brewery but gained the Pizza Cube — essentially a fully functioning pizza spot. The Needs is still a great place to find a dark corner, order a cold beer and enjoy it in peace. And there’s no beating the outdoor patio.
The biz name came from a dream of Walter’s, but those three needs are left to the imagination — indeed, the bar keeps notebooks full of drunken musings from customers. If your needs are good beer, tasty pizza and a great vibe, look no further.
Other Finalists
- Charlie-O’s World Famous
- Finnigan’s Pub
- The Other Place
- T. Rugg’s Tavern
This article appears in Seven Daysies 2025.
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