We were really looking forward to dining here and had saved this restaurant as the culmination of our trip to the Berkshires. Unfortunately, our experience was extremely disappointing. We arrived for our reservation and were offered a very small two-top. Because we were dining with our dog, we politely asked if it would be possible to wait for a larger table where she would not be in the way of other guests or staff. We were not demanding a different table -- we were told it would take approximately 30 minutes for another table in a different section to become available, and we happily said we were willing to wait. We sat quietly outside with our dog while waiting. The owner then approached us and told us that waiting for another table would interfere with future seating. We were surprised by this, as we had simply accepted the wait time that was provided to us and had not caused any disruption. The interaction escalated when the owner used profanity toward my husband and threw the water bowl that had been provided for our dog in our direction. We were shocked by the hostility and left without eating. We completely understand that restaurants have to manage reservations and seating, and we would have accepted being told that our request could not be accommodated. What was unacceptable was the way we were spoken to and treated by the owner. We came here excited to spend our money at this restaurant as part of our trip, but we are grateful that Great Barrington has many other excellent establishments where we were welcomed and happy to spend our money instead. Unfortunately, this experience was the opposite of the hospitality we expected. read more

This place used to be great and it was always our first stop in GB but it has fallen off a cliff. I told the owner Mark how awful the service was and he was completely indifferent. Couldn't bring himself to apologize. Here's what you endure: 1. Waitress brings a carafe of water but no glasses. You have to ask twice. Later when soup is dropped off you have to wait for the server to return so you can ask for a spoon. 2. Lots of specials are no longer available. Then why are they still on the board? Your waitress lists what they're out of so you decide to have the sandwich. "We're out of that too." OKAAAY 3. You want a salad without nuts and you indicated that when you made the reservation and the menu says clearly "Please notify your server if you have any allergies." Your waitress says it's not possible to make accommodations. You have to ask three times before she puts in the order. 4. You've been enjoying cocktails--which are great--but it's been an hour and food still hasn't arrived (it's 8:45 and restaurant is mostly empty). Your busser shows up to see if we're done and need any more plates taken away. No, you politely say, you need your entrees. 5. You wonder aloud for the third time if your server has left for the night. 6. You're not offered dessert or anything else. You can't wait to leave a place you used to love. You won't go back. read more

A quaint restaurant, clearly run with pride and a lot of love . From the moment we stepped in , the place felt very special, the welcoming smile from our waitress Ruth , to the care with which the food was prepared. I had the special , a brisket in a ciabatta with toppings was melt in your mouth great , as was my wife's fried chicken , macaroni salad and corn bread . Ruth, our waitress , was very attentive to every need , friendly and cheerful despite being super busy, otherwise. The coup da grace was the desert a ice cream espresso and pumpkin biscotti.... It topped off a delectable meal and night. Kudos to the chef and staff for making our anniversary celebration extra special read more

The restaurant is like walking in to your cool uncles house. There were nautical decorations and mementos hanging on the walls. Outside seating was on the front lawn and there was eating on two small porches. The menu was on the smaller side but covered all the bases. We started with hand cut fries that were great, crispy, salty and hot! We had grilled corn bread with honey butter that was also really good. Entrees the table had were pappardelle pasta with hot Italian sausage, delicious. I had the fried chicken with potato salad and that was great. Service was great. read more

Prairie Whale - Prairie whale exterior seating and porches - New American Near Me - Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Very lively restaurant with good atmosphere. Food was great. We ordered grass- fed beef hamburger, brick chicken and Spanish Mackerel which was a Today's Special for appetizer. It is similar to ceviche. I really like Spanish Mackerel. That was raw meat with fresh peach, finely chopped onions and parsley. It was great appetizer!! Half of chicken with crispy skin and meat is super tender and juicy. They bring out the natural flavor of the ingredients. read more

Prairie Whale - Spanish Mackerel - New American Near Me - Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Working in Hospitality I have never left a bad review. A simple request for a 5:15pm reservation to sit in the bar area with many tables open. When we left tables were still opened but for some reason they stuck us in the back room. Food was good! read more

We never even had the opportunity to eat here, and based on how we were treated, I wouldn't recommend taking the chance. When we arrived, we were offered a table that wasn't a good fit for us. The hostess was polite, apologized, and told us it would be about a 30-minute wait for another table. We thanked her and told her we were happy to wait. A short time later, the owner approached us and told us that if we didn't take the original table, he would not serve us. The conversation quickly became confrontational, and he began using profanity toward us. At that point, we chose to leave. I want to recognize the hostess because she handled the situation professionally and respectfully throughout the interaction. Unfortunately, the owner's behavior completely overshadowed that experience. Restaurants can be busy, and seating challenges happen. That's understandable. What isn't acceptable is speaking to customers with profanity because they were willing to wait for a different table. There are too many outstanding restaurants in the Berkshires that treat guests with respect. Based on our experience, I would encourage others to spend their time and money elsewhere. read more

It was cold and raw outside and as soon as we walked in we felt the warmth of the place. Not just the temperature but the atmosphere of joyful chatter and smiles and the aroma of delicious food. The menu is limited and changes with the season. Our cheerful server Dorian greeted us and relayed the specials. He was so friendly and attentive throughout the meal. We started with mussels which were incredibly plump and fresh! We shared the asparagus app served with a creamy dill sauce. OMG so good! And then shared the fried chicken with hot honey butter and cornbread. Everything was quite delicious. The chicken wasn't too greasy - nice and crunchy outside and juicy inside. We finished with a chocolate cake with coffee whipped cream. Mmmmmmm. Perfection. I highly recommend this eaterie. read more

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We haven't been here for a few years and the service was great and fresh ingredients! I was craving a burger with my daughter and rarely order but this was over cooked. We asked for medium rare and it was well done. I was bummed because this was a fine choice of beef but over cooked. Overall, it was cozy and pleasant environment and they catered to our mocktails! read more

Prairie Whale - Well done and no pinkness here. I would try again but order rare of ordering a burger. - New American Near Me - Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Very good dinner in downtown Great Barrington. I enjoyed my brick chicken and my family liked their salads, fried chicken. Prairie Whale has abundant outdoor space. However inside is nice as well, although the decor reminded me of the 70s with its wood paneled walls. The tunes were good all night long. read more

Loved this cozy and delicious space in Great Barrington, MA. Their menu is small but everything we ordered was yummy although my hubs thought the brick chicken was a bit boring for him. The duck liver special appetizer was so flavorful and delicious. Our server was so sweet and attentive. Go for the location and stay for the vibes. Oh there was also plenty of kids there - it's not a big space so not the best for kids to run around but it seems to work out fine. read more

Wonderful service, rustic charm, good wine list. No bread and butter served, bummer. The toast with the chicken liver was delicious. We had all the appetizers on their menu and we loved them. For dinner we had steelhead trout, that was fantastic and perfectly cooked. Over a bit of corn chowder of sorts. That was stupendous. Flavorful crunchy fresh corn. The meatloaf sandwich was good, that was special. The chicken under a brick was again another masterpiece. The skin was crispy and flavorful, the gravy that remained on the bottom of the plate was lemony and fresh. We did not have dessert because we were stuffed. Would definitely return. It's definitely worth it. read more

I liked it. Pleasant to sit outside on picnic tables -- two without a reservation -- in the evening and eat fish cake special. Service is very good. The chef went to No Comply so I will follow him there next time I'm in GB. read more

Many thanks to the PW team for a clutch Monday eve meal in the Berkshires. Both the frisee salad and lamb ragu' were superb, not to mention fun (also interesting) wine list. Grazie ancora! read more

Absolutely wonderful dining experience, top to bottom. Prairie whale is located in an old house on one of the main drags in great Barrington. The inside is reminiscent of an old-fashioned saloon with dim lighting. Outdoors, the front yard doubles as an outdoor dining space, and there is even a front porch with some tables. Everything on the menu looked delicious - and it was. We tried a bunch of dishes and everything was a winner, from the appetizers to the main courses. The griddled cornbread with honey butter was among the best I've ever had. They also served beautiful soups and salads. The food was fresh and much of it was farm to table. Service was prompt and professional. Not sure why this place isn't five stars across-the-board, but it's five stars all the way. read more

I'm Dominican. My husband is Puerto Rican. These two groups know shit about what the hell is a prairie whale. Found out it's a pig. None I've eaten in eons (and don't miss it). Blame my daughter's Muslim father. Hubs and I noticed Prairie on Main St during one of our day trips to Great Barrington and since then, looked forward to visiting. Menu is varied for any eating lifestyle- just let folks know to omit this or that and ask how it's prepared. I did. Prairie brings a slice of the countryside to this farm-to-table top spot in the area. Keep in mind, long holiday weekends, mean long lines. So when we came on a Sunday holiday weekend, folks had already been on line. Start lining up 1/2hr to be safe. Lunch isn't served. Only Dinner. Lounge while waiting for your table on their lawn. There's outdoor seating- but again, you'd have to get here before 5pm to take advantage. It's a rustic and woodsy space with a buzzy scene inside with Jamiroquai and modern-Disco playlist. Due to staff shortages, Prairie seems like they're only filling a certain amount of tables to avoid a rush of customers so we skipped the 1+1/2hr wait and sat at the bar. Bartender/server was friendly. Our meals were clean and unfussy, straightforward but intriguing and tasty (so is the rest of their menu). Between hubs' Caesar and my Napa Cabbage Salad, I don't know which one was better because they were equally good. Hubs liked his Brick Chicken and my Hen of the Woods dish was interesting. I expected lots more (way more) mushrooms since it's actually the star of the show and less of the roasted squash. It was good though and....small. Hubs enjoyed his Lemon Drop, my Cranberry+ Smoky Mezcal is something our Bartender/server 'crafted' on the spot since she had no Pepper-infused Tequila- and turned out weak. Great Barrington is known for so many things and one that stands out for me is their approach to food. And this is one place, I'd like to try again. read more

Prairie Whale - It's A Popular Place Whether It's A Holiday Weeknd Or Not. They Open @ 5pm...Get Here Before That - New American Near Me - Great Barrington, Massachusetts

I can't believe I haven't made a review for this place before, as it is my husband's favorite. The menu is always so clever and unique. We come here for unusual pairings and always consistently creative, excellent food. We popped in but didn't have a reservation and were able to sit at the bar and that was super fun. Everyone shared their comments about their food orders. All comments were very positive. We will be back soon. read more

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Ambience and service were top shelf. Cocktails were fun and inspired besides well crafted and executed. Food was so good! Even Kate in the season the use of local goods prepared in tasty and inspiring ways was spot on! Thanks PW! Met the owner and he was a delight. read more

The atmosphere is consistently nice at PW, however the quality of the food has descended since last year when we were there. The vegetarian plate of orzo and unidentifiable chopped veggies - turnip and another white root vegetable were pretty bland which included the orzo that had an oatmeal texture it was so overcooked. I could not eat it, yet the server did not offer an alternate dish after I complained. My husband's burger was smaller, less juicy, & not too tasty compared to how they used to be. Fries were yummy. The chocolate cake was good, but I'd stick to a beer, an appetizer and some music should you decide to go. Since my nephew took my dish as a 'to go' for his lunch the next day it was redeemed at least. Hate to let all that money go to waste! read more

Our first time dining here was excellent. However things have gotten steadily worse. Thursday night experience (our 4th) the food was not good at all. Execution of menu items were off. Excessive oil, tepid food, and consistency not present. Sorry to say, off our list. read more

First of all is pricy and limited food options. There were four of us. 3 got the fried Chicken. It came out as one leg and one small thigh. No breast. It was served with some fresh raw kale with an oil dressing of some kind. Also, a small piece of corn bread. The other meal was "The vegetable plate" it came in a bowl. It honestly was not appetizing or visually appealing. It looked like a bowl of portage. The "vegetables" were small stringy things mixed with soupy liquid mush. No flavor! These meals were $24. In our opinions this restaurant was awful. read more

Atmosphere: Low lighting and intimate feel. Loud music overhead and the sound of voices throughout the place. Customer diversity was not there. Food: Not for the chicken fingers and fries type people. They had some interesting options like brussel sprouts with fatbacks. Ordered a hot alcohol drink that was amazing. The food was well made and presented well also. Again, if you are not adventurous with food, it may not be for you. What we had was excellent. Service: Good service, nothing to note. Overall: I would go back for the drinks for sure. Food was good, not sure what I would order on a second trip. read more

Prairie Whale - Dinner - New American Near Me - Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Came here right when it opened so there was no wait time to be seated. Our food did take a while to arrive but it tasted fresh and delicious! The portion sizes were pretty big as well. It seems like they have a rotating menu so would definitely come back to try other food items! read more

Prairie Whale - Cheeseburger - New American Near Me - Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Super hip atmosphere that gets busy quite fast. A rustic modern vibe that attracts both a younger and older crowd. Menu was very limited, and can't say the cocktail menu was all that enticing but the food was very tasty. I ordered the fried chicken. It came with a dense slice of corn bread topped with honey butter that melted in your mouth. It also served a little kick. The food was delicious to say the least. read more

Prairie Whale - Fried Chicken with Honey Butter and greens - New American Near Me - Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Prairie Whale was packed when we visited, but it's clear to see why. It's a first come, first serve basis, which can be tough for such a popular joint. Luckily we put our name on the waist list and posted up at the bar. I tried an orange wine and it was tart and refreshing. My husband had a special cocktail that had pims, gin, and a few other ingredients and it was delicious! Then we had a tumeric based mocktail that was refreshing. We eventually moved to our table and were ready to order! We started with a radicchio Cesar salad that was a terrific mix of bitter but well balanced with the fresh salad dressing and anchovies. We then ordered the duck tagliatelle which was incredible! I had the cod- cauliflower puree, olives, Brussels with a vinaigrette. When I tell you this was the best dish I've eaten in a while I am not exaggerating! We also got a side of corn bread that's topped with spicy honey butter. WOW! Do yourself a favor and come to the Prairie Whale and you won't be disappointed. read more

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Very good local bar/restaurant. Wish they had live music sometimes! Tasty entrees and good drinks. We took friends there who were visiting and they really enjoyed it. This time though, they left out some of the sides that were to be included in our entrees and we didn't realize it until we left. Not a terrible thing. read more

I always have a delicious, cozy meal when I eat here. It is a must on my GB list. Foods is consistently top quality and service is friendly. I really like the atmosphere. Thanks for being a special place for me and my husband! read more

Came here to finally enjoy some quality dining experience during these COVID times. They had ample space outside for outdoor dining and had large umbrellas to help shade us from the sun which was great. This place is popular and quickly filled up 30 minutes after opening (we got there right when they opened for dinner at 4:30pm for this reason). Items we tried: -Pork spare ribs ($20 as of 9/20). The sheer size of this dish is incredible (see photo for reference). The potato salad was fresh and chilled which paired well with the ribs. The ribs is coated with a sweetish bbq flavor so if that sounds appetizing then go for it, if not then steer clear! The ribs themselves were very tender and fell off the bone easily. -Fried chicken ($18). Recommended by a friend and we can see why. The batter is somehow a perfect blend of spice and sweetness and the meat was extremely juicy. Fried to perfection! The cantelope was also perfectly sweet and was an excellent addition to the meal. Cornbread was alright. Only complaint is for $18 I wish they had more than 2 pieces of chicken. A 3rd piece (even if it's just a wing) would help offset the cost but I can definitely see why it was recommended. - Mesclun greens ($6). Honestly? We ordered this because we needed some greens in our diet... pretty unremarkable otherwise though. Overall, worth a visit but make sure to either get here early or late to avoid waiting for a long time (no reservations as far as I heard). read more

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Showed up around 615 on a Friday, waited 45 mins for a table for two (completely reasonable given the current circumstance). Gave name and number at the front and they text you when you table is ready. Area around back while you wait for your table to get pizza and drinks. Very nice touch. Seems to be two seating areas, one next to the garden out back under the tent where they put larger parties and one up front in the yard. Up front in the yard is much more intimate and quiet. We were sat at the table in the back with the families and kids running around the entire time. Not the best if you're on a date. Food was definitely the center piece of the night. We order a couple different things to try and grasp the full scope and feel of the menu. Started with the chicharrones, crostini and the tagliatelle. All three were very delicious and plenty for two to share. I opted for the lamb as a main dish and my other chose the fried chicken. Both came out delicious and definitely not short on flavors. Only negative was the lamb came out room temperature and the chicken was piping hot. Atmosphere and food were definitely deserving of a 5/5, however the seating we were given and the service is where it lost a star. Highly reccomend for a nice relaxing dinner in GB. Will be back. read more

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Not subbing for food allergies is a bit ridiculous in this day and age. I get not doing it for preferences, but making people pay extra for some potatoes because they can't eat the potato dish the meal comes with, is just mean spirited. Our food was also incredibly salty, to the point we both woke the next morning still feeling it. read more

OK, ate at the Prairie Whale this evening with my son, wife and grandson. Son really wanted us to try it, he's local and said it was worth the visit. Well, I'm not sure what happened but after spending $250.00 for 3 people and a child, I've never been hungrier or more disappointed. The radicchio salad was good, as expected. French fries were good as well..... perhaps stop here? We ordered 2 Wagyu steak dinners with fingerling potatoes and mixed peppers and onions @v $34.00 each, wife had the Hake over root vegetables at $30.00, grandson had the cheeseburger at $22.00. If in fact these were 6.5 oz of Wagyu steak cooked medium rare, then whoever sold them and cooked them should be up on charges. Wagyu need's to be medium rare to rare or it gets tough. These were probably the chewiest, tasteless pieces of meat at 5/8 inch by 4x4 I've had but since we waited an hour to get them we ate them. (Also it was fingerling potato - 1- solo- by itself not plural. )The hake was good but again at $30.00 it was maybe 2" x 3" by 1 " . These were all served on appetizer sized plates so abundance and eye appeal was not a priority. The celery soup was watery with about 9 small pieces of celery floating in it. Couldn't really tell as the place was so dark I almost fell asleep. Service was ok, the kitchen was blamed for the slowness of the food's arrival, but after mentioning the lateness, and poor quality was told gee sorry, heres' your check. I love new places, I am not a nit picker but expect at least an effort be made. Then I get a $6.57 Kitchen Service fee on top of this. Sorry, if the kitchen staff is short (they took one pasta entree off the menu) and I have to wait almost an hour, why am I paying an extra fee? read more

Rustic atmosphere with an interesting menu. Lots of unusual items that change with the season. Looking for Pig Head Rillettes? They have it. Prefer a grass-fed cheeseburger, they have that too. The items appear to favor local farms, which is a wonderful thing. My problem is that they over salted everything we had that night. Perhaps it was a back-up chef. But, I will not be coming back. I had the brick chicken, which is usually one of my favorite dishes. All I could taste was salt. (I threw out the leftovers.) I am adding a star because they still respect COVID safety protocols. You had to show your vac status and wear a mask when not at the table. Most restaurants around the Berkshires have stopped doing this. I appreciate the extra care of the Prarie Whale. read more

lots of local hype, with good food , a little fussy. But , I would go back with my wife if she wanted to....me? could take it or leave it. It seems like the Berkshires is getting filled with places like this- fussy, and hard to get into. Cape Cod has already underwhelmed itself in this sense- that unless you live there, visitors have a darn hard time getting a reservation most of the time IF you do get in- well, the letdown is palpable. The food here wasn't the letdown, but it's not worth the effort. Give me a burger somewhere else. read more

Went here with mes amigos - we got the brussel sprouts (divine) and brick chicken (similarly divine..genuinely some of the best I've ever had in my life). Farm to table menu is very thoughtfully composed and we had a great time :) thank you! read more

A very disappointing experience with such high hopes. Ambiance/Aesthetic: cute but lacking in functionality. Not easy to move around, no signage, and nowhere to stand when you walk in and have to wait 10 minutes to be acknowledged by the host. Very very dark. The band, however, was fantastic. Service: our server was Barbie. She has a very basic understanding of service. She technically did her job. Not impressive but not the worst server I've encountered - she has no emotional intelligence or social awareness. Food: not good, sadly. The beet salad was probably the best thing we had but I'll never understand why people use frisée greens the size of the entire plate. The feta salad was wildly overpowered by the giant chunks of parsley and dill stems. Made a decent dish awful. Nothing on the entrees menu appealed to me so I went with the burger figuring that couldn't be too awful but I was wrong! The bun was not toasted. The burger patty was 1/2 the size of the tomato slice (which, granted, was enormous) and left at least a centimeter of bread around it. The burger (and tomato) were completely unseasoned. It looked like it was cooked to temp but who could tell with how dark it was. My partner was likewise underwhelmed by his entree. If you are going to have an 11 item menu, you should probably accommodate mods, unless the Chef is brutally unaware that his flavor palette is way off. Drinks: very limited, nothing with vodka, what we chose was not good. Also - the website doesn't work, there are no menus listed/posted anywhere. The menu also mentions a line about how their sausages, charcuterie, and other butchery are made in house but nothing actually on the menu - why would you include a line about this and not actually have it on the menu?? Accessibility leaves a lot to be desired. Safe to say we probably won't be back. This was a huge letdown. read more

No air conditioning indoors (it's August....) and a mosquito swamp outdoors on the front lawn. A waiter walked around with one comunal bottle of "Off" bug spray to tables and said, "This doesn't really work, but you can try." It didn't work. Also the hostesses were super mean to me for not responding to their waitlist text (text "1" to confirm, text "2" to cancel) even though I tried calling (busy signal) and arrived within the scheduled ten minutes. Look, I get that I messed up, I didn't read the full instructions, but to be greeted with a salty "Oh, you decided to show up. You're lucky we didn't give up your table" and sat next to the bathroom is pretty aggressive. I even said "wow, I'm so sorry, please know that my not texting back isn't due to a lack of enthusiasm for eating here, I just made an error." It was as if I stabbed their dog. (Also, there's shoddy cell service in Great Barrington, and all the menus are available "online" with no WiFi, but sure...) We asked to move to the front lawn because it was over 85 degrees indoors. They begrudgingly moved us, and now I'm covered in bug bites. No citronella candles. No nothing. Just covered in bites. Y'all... I lived in the city for 13 years and worked in restaurants... you can't have Brooklyn attitudes if you don't have Brooklyn-level service or food. Speaking of which, food was absolutely just fine. Nice try, though. read more

Severe attitude problem. They'll do us a favor by accepting our order. They think they have the best place in the neighborhood, but I'll never know. Nice neighborhood, though. read more

What a disappointment. I was really looking forward to trying this place. The appetizers (pork croquette and radish/fish toast) were awesome, hence the 3 stars. I had the fried chicken which I actually liked, my husband's burger and my mom's swordfish was undercooked. The drinks aren't worth the calories or money. The service was seriously lacking. I suppose they are always busy because they don't have much competition in the area. We won't be back, we are happy to drive up to an hour to go elsewhere for a better meal. read more

Returned for a post Covid dinner for 4 at 6:15 -- seated in Siberia until our (famous) friends arrived and 'suddenly' a great table opened up! Nice waitress served up martinis, and everything fell into place. Hail to the Caesar salad! Solid burger with marinated onion but greasy fries. Mains served on small plates to mask the child-size portion of fried chicken. Excellent desserts. Bklyn prices. read more

Party of 6 Beautiful interior Waited 15 min at least to get food Food was delicious The brick chicken is crazy tasty Scallop was ok Nice server :) ping pong outdoors Paid around $27 read more

Prairie Whale - SCALLOP - New American Near Me - Great Barrington, Massachusetts