Have you been to TRAIL BREAK taps + tacos yet? It’s a fun new restaurant in White River Junction where you can relax, nosh, and have a drink or two. Owner Topher Lyons answers a few questions to introduce you to this new Upper Valley hotspot:

Q: Is the atmosphere at the restaurant as much fun as your website?

A: MORE FUN! The whole goal of this concept (besides the obvious one—delicious food) is to create a fun brand. A lot of that has to do with the bright colors, fun décor, louder music, and captivating videos we play on the TVs (and projection screen)!

Q: How long have you been open?

A: We’ve been open two months.

Q: Why did you want to open the Trail Break? 

A: We wanted to open Trail Break to create an experience that was seemingly lacking in the area—fresh flavors (almost everything is made from scratch daily); unique menu options; a well- rounded beer list plus staff who can speak knowledgeably about it; a FUN, developed atmosphere with more color, better/louder music, more intriguing content on the TVs (and on our projector); and an overall relaxing place to hang out (couches in the back, shuffleboard, and a bar that juts out into the restaurant to create a more interactive atmosphere).

Q: What are a couple of your most popular dishes?

A: The fish tacos (the blackened is very popular)! The “Roasted” (our carnitas taco) has also been a standout. The “Left Coast” burrito (our take on a California burrito) and the “Standard” (jerk chicken quesadilla) are other popular choices. And as far as sides go, our street corn and grilled watermelon salad have been flying out of the kitchen. And then, of course, there are our desserts: “FLiPS” (our spin on churros) and the “Brave Little Taco” (a vegan choco-taco) have both been selling way more than we anticipated!

Q: What’s the crowd like there?

A: The crowd is surprisingly diverse. We have an insanely wide age range at any given time; even later in the evenings, the age of people scattered around the bar is diverse, which guests have actually commented on as well. Of course, we get a ton of people who appreciate the outdoors as much as we do—UVMBA members, people coming in straight from the slopes, etc.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

A: Two things: The number of “regulars” we have already established has been shocking to all of us! The support from everyone has been unreal, and the fact that we recognize so many people by name or at least by face when they come in—having been open just over two months—is one of the most encouraging aspects of operating the restaurant. 

The second is that people keep pleading with us to open for lunch (and take on more catering gigs). We’d love to do both, but we are so short-staffed at present that we can barely fill the needs of the dinner shift. If we could find some additional help (mainly in the kitchen at this point), we’d be able to expand our hours and take full advantage of the opportunities that people are generously and continually reaching out to us with!

 Who's headed over this weekend to try?

129 S Main St, White River Junction, VT 05001
(802) 281-3208