Pascolo Ristorante will end a three-year run at 120 Church Street in Burlington on December 31 and reopen in its original, smaller subterranean home at 83 Church Street in January 2026. Jed Davis, owner of the Farmhouse Group, which owns Pascolo and four other Chittenden County restaurants, confirmed timing details by text. Pascolo’s move leaves the 140-seat restaurant at 120 Church Street, the former longtime home of Sweetwaters, empty and back in the hands of David Melincoff, who owned Sweetwaters when it closed in 2022.
In an email about the future of the space, Melincoff said, “All ideas are on the table — including the possibility of bringing back Sweetwaters in some form.” Over the phone, he elaborated that he’s open to “people coming to us with their ideas, including iterations on Sweetwaters.”
The 83 Church Street space to which Pascolo will return was its location for close to nine years. That restaurant has been vacant since August, when Riko’s Pizza closed after less than eight months in business.
Davis declined to elaborate on the reasons for Pascolo’s move beyond saying by text, “Over the past couple of years, our guests have often commented that they missed the ambiance and warmth of 83 Church. The space became available, and we decided to return home.”
He said customers can expect the “same menu, same staff, same everything… plus a few little surprises.” The restaurant at 83 Church Street has a wood-fired pizza oven, which 120 Church Street lacked, so diners may see a return of Pascolo’s popular wood-fired pies.
In addition to Pascolo, the Farmhouse Group owns Farmhouse Tap & Grill in Burlington and Williston, El Cortijo Taqueria in Burlington, and Guild Tavern in South Burlington. Davis’ newer restaurant group, Awesome Times, operates three locations of Bliss Bee in Williston and South Burlington and plans to open Spaghet Red Sauce Joint in Williston by the end of this year.
Davis has been frank about the difficulties of running businesses in Burlington over the past few years, describing the situation as “potentially an existential crisis” in January. “We’re not going anywhere, but it is challenging,” he said.
