Bascom Lodge

We brought two visitors from out of the country here for their the lodge’s jazz dinner and had a lovely overall experience. To address some of the previous diners’ concerns: no, this is not a swanky, white-​tablecloth establishment; yes, it is very rustic, with furnishings that have probably been there for a few decades; and, yes, unless you have exactly 6 people in your party, you will end up sitting at a table with other people. I saw no sign of «filth» in the dining room — my guess is that may happen more in the daytime, when hikers in muddy boots tromp through the place — and the woman who acts as not just the server, but also the hostess, busser, and cashier, was on her toes throughout the evening and served the entire room (that’s right — one server for the entire room) in a more expeditious way than I ever could have. I give her and the kitchen major props for keeping the service moving as fast as they did.
Of course, when you go to a restaurant on the summit of a mountain, part of what you’re paying for is the experience of eating at 3,500 feet while the sun sets, and it is spectacular. Once we staked out our spots at the table and confirmed our orders with the server, we headed outside, before sunset, to walk the short distance to the overlook (the War Memorial monument is, unfortunately, under renovation and covered in scaffolding), where you can take in a panoramic view of 5 states. We went back out about 30 minutes later while the sun was setting and the moon was rising simultaneously — this was the evening before the summer solstice — and it was, in a word, phenomenal.
Now to the food. The lodge serves a three-​course, prix-​fixe meal for about $ 35 per person, and it varies almost every evening. If you’re vegetarian, be sure to mention this when you make reservations; the kitchen makes a limited amount of covers, so you won’t be able to order a veg meal after the fact. Everyone gets the same dessert. This dinner also had the musical component, which is new for the lodge. Our evening’s entertainment was a trio who played a mix of standards («Summertime») and lite jazz. They were solid, if not spectacular (though kudos to the singer, who was excellent), but our guests, having never experienced live jazz before, absolutely loved it.
Two of our party went veg, and for a starter got a basic salad with lettuce, radishes, and cherry tomatoes — perfectly fine, if a little sweet in the dressing; some black pepper countered it nicely. For an entrée, we got pasta primavera with gemelli, butternut squash, portabellas, zucchini, snap peas, green beans, and oven-​roasted tomatoes — each vegetable was perfectly cooked, and the pasta was not drowning in a pool of oil. Can I get an Amen?
Our non-​veg party members went for the chicken cacciatore with a side of green beans, and the beef braised in red wine, also served with a side of green beans. They reported that the meat was cooked well and not too chewy, and the sauces were light and tasty. We shared a bottle of wine — 14 Hands Merlot — which was just OK for me, but, again, our guests seemed to enjoy it.
For dessert, everyone had profiteroles — a puff pastry cut in half and filled with bittersweet chocolate mousse and whipped cream. While I scraped off most of the whipped cream (not an issue with theirs — I’m just not a fan in general), the filling was airy and just sweet enough, with a nice hint of orange.
Overall, the food was a solid B+ — nothing earth-​shattering, but fresh, prepared well, and served promptly. But Bascom Lodge isn’t just about the food; it’s about the setting and the extras, like the music and the exquisite sunset. And when you keep in mind that all of the supplies have to be trekked up to 3,500 feet and the building and equipment maintained, I think it’s a pretty good value for $ 35. I would definitely pay another visit, especially during a full moon.

With this type of facility it could be so much better. The National Parks do a much better job. Perhaps Massachusetts needs to privatize this facility like they have other properties. The 2 stars are for the views. That alone is worth the drive up. Now I know it’s rustic and campy but the dininging room was filthy with dead bugs all over the place. Rustic or not you’re still feeding people. No one was wiping off table after they bussed tables. The people working at the resturant looked like they had been camping up there for days. Breakfast was good enough but nothing special. (Most people don’t eat or need 3 eggs but might like more than one small slice of toast) There is nothing warm and welcoming about the place. This place needs some charm, a good cleaning and interactive people working there.

The bedroom was great — even with no running water in the shared ladies room, the bedroom we slept in was clean, warm and cozy and the men didn’t mind me sharing their bathroom. The restaurant, however, was totally gross. The prix-​fixe dinner was mostly inedible (overcooked, dry vinegar soaked pork chop) and overpriced for what it was. I guess up there on top of a mountain, they can charge a premium because they’re the only restaurant around! On the plus side, overnight guests are provided with a free continental breakfast. They gave us hot, fresh warm strawberry muffins right out of the oven and those were pretty awesome. I think they get away with a bit much because they’re the only lodging and dining at the top of a mountain — but hey, you’re on top of a mountain! Views are gorgeous.

On the Appalachian Trail, atop Greylock Mountain, this restaurant epitomizes the term ‘rustic.’ Do not come here expecting fine dining. Do come here expecting good food and interesting dinner companions.

We had our wedding and rehearsal dinner up at Bascom Lodge this Fall. It couldn’t have been more spectacular. We enjoyed the process of planning the wedding from start to finish. Chef John, Mary and Dianne were a pleasure to work with. Everything was handled professionally and promptly. On the day of the food was phenomenal. Chef John does miracles in the kitchen. Everything from the hors d’oeuvres to the beef main dish were spectacular. The serving was prompt and professional but the atmosphere was laid back and comfortable. We stayed overnight at the lodge with a number of our friends which was truly fantastic experience and gave us much more time to interact with our friends. Even with shared bathrooms and many of them in bunk beds our friends enjoyed their stay at the lodge. Many of them felt it was the best wedding they had been to. We are so happy that we decided to have the wedding up at Bascom Lodge and could not recommend it more highly.

This review is strictly for the Café at Bascom Lodge. The family and I stopped by here for lunch last Saturday before beginning our hiking journey. I was not expecting much since it seemed to be the only place available to grab food in the area. However, the service was a bit slower than expected and unorganized. I hate having to fight for a table and it made it more difficult since the 7 of us wanted to sit together. There was an additional seating area next to the fireplace but if it was not for my sister, we probably would not have known about it. The burgers were just okay but I really enjoyed my Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich. We waited for a while for our food and there was no one to organize the seating so we had to look out for ourselves. I like that they provided water for free that we could grab ourselves but I felt that our dining experience could have been more pleasant.

It is hard to contain my disappointment. The lodge is a beautiful, rustic place on the top of the tallest peak in the Commonwealth. The one time I actually ate dinner there, the food was tasty. (Although the service was erratic.) The most important thing to know if you come is that you can’t change your order once you are there — they buy all the food in advance and little is stored in the kitchen.
My disappointment is over how disorganized this place is. As such, I will never go back.
I just got a call to confirm my appointment for tonight. But, my appointment was for tomorrow night. I know this because I arranged a nice birthday dinner for my 97 year-​old mother-​in-​law, who loves outdoors and woodsy places. But, I was told that I could not have made a reservation for tomorrow night as they have a wedding reception there. Sorry, but I think I know when my mother-in-law’s birthday is. I think I know when I invited out-​of-​town guests to arrive. I think I know when I arranged to be back from the day’s outing to go to this restaurant.
Of course, now I do not have a reservation for her birthday. And, during the summer in the Berkshires, it is (of course) so easy to get a reservation for a party. Not.
My previous dinners also had some mix-​ups. But, I overlooked them as this is a small crew trying to make things work. But, this was a big error and there was no attempt to help me out.
You lost my support Bascom Lodge. An apology and some help would have gone a long way.

We drove up and spent the night at Bascom Lodge for a quick weekend getaway to a unique and interesting place. We had a great relaxing evening by the fireplace where we ended up making some wonderful new friends and sharing our dining experience, which was top notch. It was even more amazing considering the harsh weather blowing past just outside.
The dedicated staff at Bascom Lodge is small but they work very hard to give their patrons a memorable time. If you are going to venture up to this lodge at the top of a 3500ft high mountain, plan on letting go of the reigns a little bit and expect it to be an adventure rather than just a routine stay at a mainstream city hotel.
I imagine for the weary hikers of the Appalachian Trail that stumbling into the Bascom Lodge, which lies right on the trail, must be absolutely blissful after miles of grueling hiking.
Thanks much to everyone there!

If I could give Zero stars, I would. Both the service and the food were so dismal that I felt compelled to write my very first review on Unilocal,even though I eat out on a regular basis. Perhaps dining in the Soviet Union was similiar to this — tiny, what appeared to be rationed, portions, barely edible food and a wait staff that was annoyed by our mere presence despite our reservation.
The staff was overwhelmed and cranky from the start. Everything took a ridiculously long time. Given that there is a pre-​fixe menu (there is one choice for the first course, three choices for the second and one dessert) they should have this down to a science but it was just the opposite. The kitchen appeared to be in complete disarray. It took forever to serve even the water and bread, which was ice cold.
Then, the food (particularly the entrée) could not have been worse if they tried and for $ 30 a head + drinks at a very casual restaurant in Berkshire County, it was insanely overpriced.
This place should give lessons in how not to run a restaurant. It is really a shame because the view is absolutely beautiful and if the food and service were even halfway decent, I would have returned. Next time, I will bring a picnic!

I, like many, fell victim of believing the hype surrounding Bascom Lodge – described as a farm-​to-​table gem nested in the mountains atop Mt. Greylock in The Boston Globe and Edible Berkshires. Apparently, the restaurant gets it act together when the culinary critics are dine there but not for us plebes. With a prix fixe three course fixed menu, one would think it wouldn’t be that hard to get their act together, but apparently not.
I dined at Bascom Lodge with my mother and three friends last night and that was the first and last time any of us will eat there. We arrived early to take in the views 15 minutes prior to our reservation. I called a week before and alerted the a person on the phone that one member of our party was allergic to nuts. There was no hostess to greet us, chaotic swirls of people walked around not knowing where to sit or get drinks. We flagged someone down who said she seated another party at our table — and told them they had to leave. One of the members of their party was handicapped, so I felt bad, but it was our table after all. We sat down and were ignored for the next 20 minutes. We decided to get our own drinks at the «bar» a makeshift cash register in the other dining room. We got online and asked to purchase a bottle of wine for our table. The other waitress there, one of two for 45 diners, a tall blonde with a south African or English accent asked if it could wait because she was «very busy». We asked if we could purchase wine at our table and she said yes, but that didn’t look too promising so we waited until she finally returned and sold us the wine, for which the credit card machine was not working. One member of our party had called the restaurant two hours before and asked if they accepted credit cards and was told yes. She begrudgingly sold us the wine and then we asked for four glasses and she snapped at us that she had 20 people to deal with and we’d have to ask our waitress. The idea of waiting another half hour to drink the wine we paid for was none too appealing, so one intrepid member of our party located four glasses for us and we sat down to drink.
7:15– The waitress brought water before anyone fainted from dehydration. One member of our party commented to the waitress that they were very busy that night. The waitress (not the south African one, thank god) said yes, ten people showed up without reservations, but they let them come because they don’t like to turn anyone away. The web site says you must make a reservation.
730– starving, no bread served although the meal was supposed to start at 7.
745 a thimble of mushroom barley soup served — in a soup bowl to make us feel more deprived.
8:20– The ten people in the other room who didn’t make reservations were served before us as were another table in our dining room.
8:30 The waitress informed us that the cook «dropped our chicken» sorry for the delay it would be out as soon as possible. No offer for more bread, the allegedly cooked side dishes, another bottle of wine or anything else was offered.
9:15 the meal was finally served: «chicken piccata» «lemon risotto» and «broccolini» the portion was similar in size and taste to a frozen lean cuisine entrée. Actually, I don’t mean to insult Lean Cuisine entrees as they are more flavorful. The chicken had hard bits in it and the sauce was clearly campbell mushroom barley soup, the risotto was white Uncle Ben’s with frozen peas not a hint of lemon, and the broccolini was cold and some our party was served just regular brocooli. I hope the ten people without reservations enjoyed their real meals because its clear to us that they ran out of food and served us some random crap they found in the pantry. I wish they had been honest with us and we could have left and gotten a better meal at Arbys.
945 They brought the desert and I asked for the check then because I knew they would somehow screw it up and we wanted to get out of there. Two members of the table asked for a substitute sorbet but they were served the almond cake. The asked for their sorbet again again and some random dude from the kitchen practically threw them their sorbet on a plate and said «its really hard.» Classy. Who serves sorbet on a plate?
10PM– Waitress brings back credit cards — the prix fixe meal was supposed to be $ 30 per person. We divided it up on three cards– two meals, two meals and one. The checks for two were charged $ 81 meaning the waitress gave herself a $ 20 tip — a 30 percent tip and the check for one was charged $ 42– the same math. WOW– that takes a lot of balls. She gave us some crap excuse that 20 percent gratuities were charged for parties of six or more. HELLO, WE WERE FIVE. Then she started to do the math and said the meals were $ 32 each. We said they were $ 30 and she said «well you saw that one some random paper

Stopped by for lunch at the summit with a group of about 12 hikers from Eastern MA. We all thought the lunch menu was great and enjoyed the food.
The service, though! The woman working the ordering and register could not have been more rude to us. We were all completely taken aback by her rudeness and clear lack of customer service skills. I did ask her name on the way out, and she said it was Molly. I emailed them about our experience and never heard back.
We were left with a sour taste after lunch with Molly.

Imagine this: There’s only one restaurant on the Moon. You go there for the breathtaking scenery, so why not stop to get a bite to eat as well? It is a long hike back to Earth, after all. You try it out, since it’s the only place around for a quarter of a million miles. You’re not impressed. The employees are generally uninterested in providing you with more than minimal service. The food itself is bland, flavorless, uninspired. The room temperature is either way too hot or freezing. Overall, the experience is overwhelmingly mediocre and the atmosphere (or lack of it – since it is the Moon after all!) leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. Still, the place does pretty well for itself and continues to exist, year after year. Any other business would be closing its doors by this point and would lose a valuable customer base. But no, not this establishment. This is the only fucking joint on the whole goddamned Moon.
This is how I like to think of Bascom Lodge.
Bascom Lodge is a cancerous wart on the beautiful finger that is Mount Greylock. Yes, the views are amazing. Yes, the idea of having a place to eat and drink after a long hike or drive is refreshing. But there’s only one place. And why does it have to be THIS place?
Because they have no competition, there’s no desire to strive for excellence. You will always have people visiting the Greylock summit, so you will always have customers. They could fart into a pizza box and call it brunch, but they’d still be in business millennia later.
A change of ownership is needed. Or at least change the name to Incompetence Inn. Or send them to the fucking Moon.
I’m done.

I stayed here in the bunk room after hiking up Mt. Greylock, so my review is for the bunk rooms from a hiker’s experience. Before I even got there, I communicated via email about availability and the staff was timely and accommodating. I like that the lodge is also accommodating to the hikers who either just need to fill up water or want some lunch or a snack. The lodge has a wonderful view and has a screened in porch to enjoy it without the annoyance of the bugs — which were plentiful the day I was there. Starting at 5 pm they serve a small selection of local beer and wine. This allows time to get to know the other people staying there, which was one of my favorite things about this experience. This creates more of a community experience that you don’t get at a regular hotel.
The bunk room is bright and airy. You get a wash cloth, bath towel, and a bar of soap for showering. The lodge has 5 showers and 2 bathrooms for the bunks to share, though there are more bathrooms downstairs. This is not a high class experience, but if you don’t expect that, you will be more than happy. After a day of hiking, being able to take a hot shower and then enjoy the view & drink, it makes the experience even better. One downfall to the bunk room —
With the room, you get coffee, tea, and muffins in the morning. The muffins were blueberry and warm. They were less sweet that I expected, but that was a pleasant surprise. They were so much better than normal muffins.
I wish there were more places like this. I would be hiking a lot more if there were.

Came for an overnight stay in one if the family rooms. Totally loved the room even though there was not a bathroom in the room. They have an excellent breakfast menu and the muffins are the best I’ve ever had! The only reason for four stars and not five is that a few members of the staff were not as cordial or friendly as you would expect in a place where you pay $ 200 per night. The homemade ice cream was AWESOME!

Stayed in the lodge. Pretty awful. Rooms reeked of mildew.
Dinner was quite good with a spectacular view.

I went for dinner with my boyfriend, and we had a great time. The lodge is cozy. We arrived at 6:30 to look around, and we got a free glass of sangria because between 5−7pm it’s happy hour. You can seat next to fire place on comfy chairs, or go on their deck to admire the view.
Dinner was delicious. When you approach the dining room you get to be seated where they plan, on one of their communal table. Our table company was fun and we enjoying talking with them quite a lot.
As entrée we got a onion and goat cheese tart with salad. Then you can pick between three main meals. I had the Tuscan style beef stew, and my partner got trout with roasted vegetable and potatoes. Both really tasty. For dessert they served a dreamy chocolate pudding with fresh whip cream and blueberries. With dessert you can pick a mug and get by yourself either coffee of hot tea.
Two dinner and three glasses of wine costs $ 93, pricy but definitely worth it. It’s a culinary and landscape experience to try! Next time I wanna try lodging over night.

The views of Greylock are gorgeous and the food at Bascom Lodge during lunch was excellent! During lunch don’t expect fancy seating. It’s basically cafeteria style. I had Hummus in pita with cheddar cheese, roasted eggplant, tomato, red peppers, lettuce and onion and it was the best eggplant sandwich. The balsamic marinated peppers gave it the right kick and the bread was soft and delicious. I also had the butternut soup and it’s nothing like the thanksgiving kind. It’s a new twist… it’s actually a soup, not a purée, and it was sweet and salty with red peppers and potatoes. For dessert, you have to try the homemade coconut macaroon! I went back to buy more! My friend had the Ranger burger and according to him, it’s top notch. It was a big burger! It’s worth the hike, bike or drive up! You won’t be disappointed with the views or the food!

THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING LUNCH EVER!!! AND NOT BECAUSE WE WERE HUNGRY!!! THIS IS LEGIT GOOD FOOD!!! IT’S WORTH THE HIKE (pun intended)!!
After a long, exhausting hike up Mt Greylock, we had little hope that the food in the lodge on top of the mountain was going to be anything decent. We had all but decided to turn around and go when we walked into the lodge to warm up for a few minutes and discovered… THE FOOD AT BASCOM LODGE IS GREAT!!!
Everything we got was delicious – the giant burger, the pulled pork sandwich, the soups, the most surprisingly the hummus sandwich (with chunky homemade hummus, roasted eggplant, roasted red pepper, avocado and other fresh, juicy vegetables) – not to mention the homemade desserts (cookies, brownies, even the homemade sorbet!) that caused us to make multiple trips back to the counter to order more.
This place should be a destination, not just a place you go by accident after a hike. I, fact, I would recommend the hike just so you have an excuse for a great lunch at the top!
And all this is not even mentioning the amazing, beautiful, picturesque view while you dine…
Bascom Lodge: A+

Went for dinner with 3 other folks. Family style seating which was a bit uncomfortable at first as we weren’t told beforehand that we’d be sharing table with strangers. But it worked out OK.
For $ 32 per person it was a bit pricey for the area. But it was totally worth it. Two entrée choices, meat and fish (plus vegetarian option that must be ordered ahead)
Salad was ample, fresh, and well prepared. The seabass was terrific, totally fresh, very large piece of perfectly cooked, really good quality. 5 star. As good and generous and tasty as any fish I’ve enjoyed in a long time. The sides were crisp green and yellow string beans and a delicious noodle concoction.
Desert was ok. Some berry tart/​cake. The wine choices were quite good and reasonably priced. We ordered a nice bottle of Pinot Noir for $ 25. Service was friendly and efficient.
All in all, it was really worth it. Combine the food with the amazing location and views, and it’s a winner. Special!

Went again for an overnight during Columbus day weekend… stayed in the bunk room…35 dollars… five dollars for breakfast… great view, free entertainment… it was comedy night at the lodge…