Williamstown MA: surely there must be a place to have lunch?
July 27, 2015 11:51 AM Subscribe
Hi there, Yelp alternative. Visiting the Clark in the afternoon on a Saturday. Looking for an afternoon restaurant. Layers of fussiness inside.
-Must be okay with kids and have a kids menu as they will not eat stuffed grape leaves.
-Must not harsh anyone's mellow
-Must have alcohol
-Must be...not awful/depressing/inexplicably blaring techno music/reek of bleach etc. /serve really horrible food.
-There are adults with picky food preferences and won't eat anything 'weird' ie. sushi, etc.
-It does not have to be 'perfect' i.e., serve the world's greatest food or have the coolest beers, etc., it just needs to make everyone mildly happy.
I would like hit the Clark from 11 to 1 (maybe less; short attention spans) and then go out for lunch. Shelburne Falls is also on route 2 going east but is 48 minutes away -- that's a long time for kids who have been already been gawking at Van Gogh for two hours. Brattleboro (1 hr, 15 minutes) is similarly is out of reach. We're going route 2 back to 91 south. Greenfield is fine and is easy, but an even farther reach than Shelburne Falls.
Details above aside, I'm flexible on many of these things but so are most of our contingent and unfortunately no one is flexible on the same points.
Can anyone suggest something handy that fulfills the above requirements that might be a lovely local secret not obvious on Yelp, as I've already thrown an hour or so at that void?
Many thanks.
-Must be okay with kids and have a kids menu as they will not eat stuffed grape leaves.
-Must not harsh anyone's mellow
-Must have alcohol
-Must be...not awful/depressing/inexplicably blaring techno music/reek of bleach etc. /serve really horrible food.
-There are adults with picky food preferences and won't eat anything 'weird' ie. sushi, etc.
-It does not have to be 'perfect' i.e., serve the world's greatest food or have the coolest beers, etc., it just needs to make everyone mildly happy.
I would like hit the Clark from 11 to 1 (maybe less; short attention spans) and then go out for lunch. Shelburne Falls is also on route 2 going east but is 48 minutes away -- that's a long time for kids who have been already been gawking at Van Gogh for two hours. Brattleboro (1 hr, 15 minutes) is similarly is out of reach. We're going route 2 back to 91 south. Greenfield is fine and is easy, but an even farther reach than Shelburne Falls.
Details above aside, I'm flexible on many of these things but so are most of our contingent and unfortunately no one is flexible on the same points.
Can anyone suggest something handy that fulfills the above requirements that might be a lovely local secret not obvious on Yelp, as I've already thrown an hour or so at that void?
Many thanks.
If you find yourself in a place where you can live with the drive to Greenfield, the answer is obvious: The People's Pint. Except for its location, this is a perfect fit for your requirements.
If that drive is a non-starter, Cayote Flaco has quite decent Mexican food (well, decent for New England, anyway). The Spice Root in Williamstown has decent Indian food, but maybe that counts as 'weird'?
(I've also heard good things about The Brass Buckle in Greenfield, but have never been there in person).
On preview: yeah; I'd second Public, but only if you don't want to drive to Greenfield.
As a student, I did a summer research program in Williamstown and remember it having all sorts of great food. Since I moved to this area, I've been less impressed with Williamstown's offerings; I don't know if they have just gotten weaker over the past 15 years or if my standards are higher.
posted by Betelgeuse at 12:14 PM on July 27, 2015
If that drive is a non-starter, Cayote Flaco has quite decent Mexican food (well, decent for New England, anyway). The Spice Root in Williamstown has decent Indian food, but maybe that counts as 'weird'?
(I've also heard good things about The Brass Buckle in Greenfield, but have never been there in person).
On preview: yeah; I'd second Public, but only if you don't want to drive to Greenfield.
As a student, I did a summer research program in Williamstown and remember it having all sorts of great food. Since I moved to this area, I've been less impressed with Williamstown's offerings; I don't know if they have just gotten weaker over the past 15 years or if my standards are higher.
posted by Betelgeuse at 12:14 PM on July 27, 2015
On further consideration, I suppose I should provide a few more options than that.
On preview: my recommendations are based on Thai and Indian both being too "weird" for the picky eaters. Otherwise, Spice Root would probably be up there with Public, and Sushi Thai Garden would be just above '6 House. And as noted, The People's Pint in Greenfield also pretty much fits your requirements except for the distance.
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:20 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
- The '6 House Pub (Williamstown) serves pretty generic American food (pastas, burgers, sandwiches, salads.) Very kid-friendly, and has a good-sized bar attached. The indoor dining room is done up in antiques, and they have a nice patio to sit on if it's warm out.
- Water Street Grill (Williamstown) has a slightly more interesting menu than the '6 House, but is still largely the same sort of fare. They advertise "outdoor seating", but last time I was there it was a rather depressing fenced-in patio in the back.
- The Purple Pub (Williamstown) is a local institution and has pretty good food, but almost every time I went there, the service was frustratingly slow. (Especially when I was there with a larger group, which it sounds like you might be.)
On preview: my recommendations are based on Thai and Indian both being too "weird" for the picky eaters. Otherwise, Spice Root would probably be up there with Public, and Sushi Thai Garden would be just above '6 House. And as noted, The People's Pint in Greenfield also pretty much fits your requirements except for the distance.
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:20 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I ate at The Hub in North Adams after stopping at Mass MoCA last year. That or Public seemed like the two best choices. The Hub had sandwiches, burgers and salads and beer. The food was perfectly fine as I recall.
posted by plastic_animals at 12:24 PM on July 27, 2015
posted by plastic_animals at 12:24 PM on July 27, 2015
Response by poster: The People's Pint. Except for its location, this is a perfect fit for your requirements.
Heh, they're out of range b/c of the distance (it's longer than forty five minutes, probably an hour from Williamstown) but we eat there all the time starting from when Little Llama was nine months old and continuing for the past five or six years. But yes, you are right on the preferences there.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 12:35 PM on July 27, 2015
Heh, they're out of range b/c of the distance (it's longer than forty five minutes, probably an hour from Williamstown) but we eat there all the time starting from when Little Llama was nine months old and continuing for the past five or six years. But yes, you are right on the preferences there.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 12:35 PM on July 27, 2015
Response by poster: (I just checked on the People's Pint, that is indeed a full hour's drive. )
posted by A Terrible Llama at 12:37 PM on July 27, 2015
posted by A Terrible Llama at 12:37 PM on July 27, 2015
Public is great! Visited the area a couple years ago for an anniversary getaway and that's were we went for the big dinner. We weren't disappointed.
posted by lownote at 12:56 PM on July 27, 2015
posted by lownote at 12:56 PM on July 27, 2015
Best answer: Heh, they're out of range b/c of the distance (it's longer than forty five minutes, probably an hour from Williamstown) but we eat there all the time starting from when Little Llama was nine months old and continuing for the past five or six years. But yes, you are right on the preferences there.
If I was on the right track with People's Pint (and North Adams isn't too much of a drive), I'd definitely try Public. It doesn't have quite the same vibe as The People's Pint, but the food is very good and their menus are similar.
posted by Betelgeuse at 1:30 PM on July 27, 2015
If I was on the right track with People's Pint (and North Adams isn't too much of a drive), I'd definitely try Public. It doesn't have quite the same vibe as The People's Pint, but the food is very good and their menus are similar.
posted by Betelgeuse at 1:30 PM on July 27, 2015
I used to spend summers in Williamstown - awesome place. It'll be hot, so my recommendation?
1. Go to liquor store, get beer.
2. Go to Hot Tomatoes, get pizza and salads.
3. Follow sound of running water coming from just off the center of town, find river, swim in river (anywhere is fine), eat pizza, drink beer.
posted by Toddles at 9:26 PM on July 27, 2015
1. Go to liquor store, get beer.
2. Go to Hot Tomatoes, get pizza and salads.
3. Follow sound of running water coming from just off the center of town, find river, swim in river (anywhere is fine), eat pizza, drink beer.
posted by Toddles at 9:26 PM on July 27, 2015
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posted by Johnny Assay at 11:58 AM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]