Chef Michael Fuller

Located in a restored 1925 Worcester Dining Car, T.J. Buckley’s serves local, organic, seasonal food cooked to perfection by Chef-Owner Michael Fuller. Boston’s Chronicle television show (watch here) calls Fuller’s cooking “brimming with tempting delights!” and lauds his foraging skills, highlighting his diverse selection of local mushrooms.

The open kitchen and vintage decor might evoke the quintessential experience of dining in a quaint Vermont town, but the meals served at this establishment combine classic French training, the finest ingredients, and the Chef’s own original and always-evolving take on New American cuisine. A recent piece in the Brattleboro Reformer says “It all works to perfection.”

The menu changes daily depending on whatever is in season and local. Meat, poultry, fish, vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan options are always available as appetizers and entrees.

Come see for yourself why Yelp.com and other diner-driven sites (such as Trip Advisor, Google) consistently rate T.J.’s at or near five out of five stars, and why Fodor’s calls the restaurant one of the two reasons why Brattleboro is “one of the top 10 best small towns in America.” Frommer’s calls T.J. Buckley’s “the best restaurant in Brattleboro,” while other prestigious sources have said, “nothing beats T.J. Buckley’s” (Country Living) and called it, in a rapturous and extensive review, “one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in a really long time” (Edible/Usable).

A local treasure for 30 years, people also come from all over to eat at this extraordinary spot. New York calls Chef Michael Fuller “a pioneer in seasonal cooking” with “ingredient-driven dishes.” Time Out New York notes T.J.’s unique location in an “ancient diner” and touts its “ever-changing,” menu and “focus on foods sourced within a 15-mile radius.”  Yankee Magazine — in its “Best of New England” issue — celebrates Fuller’s “artistry” and calls the restaurant “memorable…a nightly stage for intimacy.” Country Living celebrates the restaurant’s “exceptional locavore meals served out of an open kitchen.” A 2022 Food Profile in Gannet reiterates the sentiment: “go now so you can go again and again.”