A scenic region located in the western part of Massachusetts, the Berkshires is known for its natural beauty, charming small towns and a vibrant art and culture scene.
Though the Southern Berkshires has tended to lean as the most popular for visitors, it does bring along with it a higher price tag when it comes to accommodations, boutique stores and restaurants. But travelers are discovering the gems associated with other regions of The Berkshires.
I absolutely loved my visit this time with a focus on the North and Central Berkshires. The area has a growing reputation for excellent true-blue farm-to-table dining with so many family-owned and operated restaurants sourcing local ingredients and offering regional specialties.
Here are some of the best restaurants in the Berkshires I truly enjoyed.
Best Restaurants in the Northern Berkshires
Freight Yard Pub
Heritage State Park Building 3, 1 Furnace St, North Adams, MA 01237 | +1 (413) 663-6547
My friends and I walked to dinner on our first chilly autumn night in the northern Berkshires and found this cozy restaurant located in an old rail yard in North Adams. The pub features the story of the building of the Hoosac Tunnel in the mid-1800s, which was an engineering marvel in its day linking Boston and the Atlantic Ocean to Upstate New York, the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes.
The gourmet pub restaurant serves upscale lunch and dinner offerings you wouldn’t expect to find in an eatery of this type. Prices are reasonable and Freight Yard features more than 50 beers, ciders and more with a rotating selection of 12 drafts on tap. Even on a Monday evening, this local pub was packed.
The menu is extensive and consists of appetizers, salads, sandwiches and wraps, soups, burgers and main entrees. My friend enjoyed her New York Sirloin cooked perfectly to her preference while I enjoyed Baked Stuffed Sea Scallops over fettucine. Entrees are hearty and enough to share if you wish.
The Barn Kitchen & Bar
103 Spring Street, Williamstown, MA 02167 | +1 (978-784-7602
Located in The Williams Inn in charming Williamstown, this lovely red-painted restaurant proudly serves New England classics and seasonally inspired locally sourced cuisine.
The Barn is open for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner and I had the pleasure of dining here with friends for dinner. The food, service and setting are spectacular and the wine and cocktail list is impressive.
After sharing a hummus and baby kale salad with roasted butternut squash, cranberries, toasted pepitas and maple-cider vinaigrette, we headed to the main entrees.
One of my vegetarian friends ordered the Coconut & Sweet Potato Curry which was tantalizing. The onions, celery, bell peppers, cauliflower, spinach, mushrooms and fennel combination were served over basmati rice with toasted cashews. This dish alone could change me into a pure vegetarian.
Another friend opted for the tender, succulent Grilled Scottish Salmon served over an arborio rice cake with cream yellow corn, watercress and a fennel salad. After a recommendation from our server, I went with the Smoked Gouda Mac N Cheese with trumpet pasta and toasted bread crumbs and had grilled shrimp added. Glad I followed this recommendation. The dish was creamy, smoky and perfectly prepared.
The dining experience here was so splendid, we all agreed we’d love to return on our next visit to The Berkshires.
Chester Common Table
Address: 30 Main Street, Chester, MA 01011 | +1 (413) 354-1076
When Aaron and Erin Allen opened their community-focused restaurant in Chester, the community was delighted. As one local patron said during lunch on the day my friends and I dined here, “We come at least once a week, it’s that good.”
Good isn’t quite a “good” enough term to describe the meal and the experience here. Common Table serves creative and seasonal comfort foods with a delightful twist gathering the best ingredients from local farms and gardens. There is nothing we tasted that’s short of mouthwatering.
The atmosphere is laid back and relaxed and reservations are highly recommended since the restaurant is very popular. Lunch and dinner hours change with the seasons and menu items also vary from week to week. Live music is offered every Friday and Saturday evening from Memorial to Labor Day.
Our group’s menu selections included a savory Butternut Squash Soup, a shared fresh Charcuterie board, Chicken Pot Pie (deconstructed and delightful) and a Spinach and Apple Salad with Cranberries, Goat Cheese and Walnuts.
Trail House Kitchen & Bar
896 State Road, North Adams, MA 01247 | +1 (413) 412-1090
Located in a refurbished old house on The Berkshire’s Mohawk and Appalachian Trails in North Adams, (hence, its name), the farm-to-table lunch and dinner restaurant offering creative seasonal American cuisine in a rustic atmosphere.
Trail House is committed to supporting local farming partnering with several in the Berkshires region. Aside from the creative menu offerings, the restaurant caters to patron’s vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and allergy-sensitive needs as evidenced by the number of menu options.
The menu consists of appetizers, entrée salads, sandwiches and burgers along with seafood, poultry, beef and pasta.
If you’re a duck fan and it’s on the seasonal menu, head straight for the Duck Breast with wild rice, pea purée, blackberry Demi glacé and pickled apples.
But be sure to save room for dessert, as the specialties are amazing, especially the Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake. Trail House also offers three gluten-free desserts: brownie Sundae, Cookie Sundae, and Rice Pudding.
The Best Restaurants in Central Berkshires
Alta Restaurant & Wine Bar
34 Church Street, Lenox, MA 01240 | + 1 (413) 637-0003
If you’re into Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, you will love this Lenox restaurant, the creation by three passionate restauranteurs.
Open only for dinner, offerings include a variety of local and organic ingredients along with an extensive wine list that also includes 24 wines by the glass. We had the pleasure of meeting owner Colleen Taylor while dining who shared the story of the restaurant and its matra.
Reservations are highly recommended as Alta is very popular with both the locals and visitors. One visit here and it’s clear why patrons return time and again.
My friend and I started with a shared Alta Salad consisting of mixed greens, goat cheese, pickled dried cranberries, candied pecans and a maple dressing. What a perfect way to stimulate the palate.
Favorite dinner choices included the Pan Seared Salmon with a whole grain mustard BBQ sauce, sweet potato confit, cauliflower puree and roasted Brussels sprouts.
I absolutely loved a new addition to the menu, highly recommended by our server, a Baked Lobster Dish served over dirty rice with fresh carrots.
The entrees, wine, service and ambience made Alta an experience we’ll not forget.
Sibaritas
27 Mckay Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 | +1 (413) 448-8244
Thanks to friends who live in the Berkshires, we were treated to a wonderful Italian dinner at Sibaritas in Pittsfield at its brand-new location.
The open-kitchen makes it fun to watch the chefs and their culinary talents in action creating newer and more sophisticated recipes than the previous location. This restaurant is extremely popular with the locals per our friends so it was good that our five-person group had called ahead to book a table. Aside from various pasta dishes, guests can choose chef signature items along with a number of great pizza options.
You’ll love the Garlic Conoto, a house made focaccia with garlic, oil and salt with black pepper and optional white anchovies. But word of warning, you’ll need to order more than one as this is wickedly wonderful.
Our group also shared a Burrata salad with organic arugula, marinated cherry tomatoes and Italian balsamic glaze made with a house focaccia. The added Italian prosciutto was a great addition.
Our dinner entrees consisted of Chicken Parmesan, Meunière Salmon, Al Pomodoro with Meatballs, Beef Lasagna with a creamy béchamel sauce and San Marzano basil sauce and Alla Puttanesca. Thanks to being a group of sharers, we got to taste all the entrees and deemed them all an A.
We were much too full for dessert but were almost tempted with the homemade Tiramisu. “Next time”, we all proclaimed.
Antimony Brewing- Craft Brewery & Kitchen
55 Pittsfield Road, Lenox, MA 01240 | +1 (413) 551-7503
Established in 2022, Antimony Brewery and Kitchen is located in Lenox bringing great craft beer and scratch cooking to the Berkshires.
The name Antimony is a play on the owner’s background in chemical engineering (atomic number 51) and the idea that the brewery would create a fun and friendly community space over craft beer and great food.
The brew pub is open for brunch, lunch and dinner, offering an impressive selection of craft cocktails, draft beer and menu items. These also change according to season.
If you’re not sure which beer to order, choose a flight of five-ounce pours. The fall sangria is also a fun selection for those who might not be beer aficionados.
The food menu consists of small plates, salads, burgers (with exotic meats such as bison and elk), between-the-bread sandwiches, brewhouse pizzas and larger plates.
I highly recommend the Autumn Salad with roasted golden and red beets, gorgonzola cheese, spinach and an amaranth balsamic vinaigrette. If you love pub bites, my friends enjoyed the Panko-Crusted Cheese Curds served with an IPA mustard and the massive Spent Grain Pretzel accompanied by a beer cheese and IPA honey mustard.
In Conclusion
By no means does this article cover all the amazing places I’m sure there are to be found in the North and Central Berkshires, and given the growth of these areas, we’re sure there will be even more restaurants opening in the future. We’ll have to get back to check them out and any others we missed this go-around.
Visting other destinations in Massachusetts? Check out our other guides!
- The Best Restaurants in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- The 6 Best Mediterranean Restaurants in Worcester
- 7 Must-Try Chinese Restaurants in Worcester
- Where To Find The Best Pizza in Worcester
- 7 Best Rooftop Bars in Boston
Noreen Kompanik is a Registered Nurse and San Diego-based travel writer and photographer. Over 400 of her published articles have appeared in 38 different digital and print publications. She especially loves writing about family travel, luxury travel, food, wine, coffee, history and travel writing and shares these articles on her travel website What’s In Your Suitcase.