Prairie Whale

Had a wonderful Valentine’s Day dinner here and it was such a pleasant surprise. Warm, cozy atmosphere. Our scallop crudo appy was divine. The scallops were fresh and flavorful. I got the halibut which was nice. My husband had oysters (perfect) and fried chicken, and our friends had brick chicken which looked great and the tagliatelle which was a winner too. We shared chocolate bread pudding for dessert. Great music as well! We will be back for sure!

Long wait, WILDLY undercooked halibut (dangerously so), extremely political and nearly half the entrees were some form of chicken. NYC prices but not NYC quality. Also just heard someone say their food tastes like «canned dog food». Can’t verify that one but definitely not worth the price or wait. Go somewhere else…

Amazing new american cuisine. Great night life as well. Make sure to come in on Saturday nights when DJ Sarah is on the music.

I love Prairie Whale and it always delivers a wonderful meal, but yesterday at brunch the chef outdid himself. I ordered the vegetable soup with poached egg and kale pesto. It was the most amazing soup I’ve ever had.
It was bursting with flavor from the very first spoonful. The man next to me heard my squeals of delight and ordered it too, and he felt exactly the same way.

We had just a fantastic time and meal here! It was so cozy and good. The band was festive and fun. We loved the fried cauliflower and feta, the shaved horseradish on juicy oysters, the sausage homemade in cheese cloth, pork chop over spätzle, and the hazelnut chocolate cake. The only tiny missteps were the table salt on the rim of a mezcal cocktail (salt city) and the coursing. We got our two entrees at different times, which was fine because we share, but might have been awkward for others. Overall a lovely and memorable dinner!

terrible service, absurdly snobby staff and general environment, overpriced food and drinks, «farm to table» food that’s nothing special. save your time and money

Wow this was an amazing brunch experience!
I’ve never tried a Bellini that tasted this fresh. My butternut squash pancakes were a huge serving and to die for! I just loved everything about this place, even their coffee tastes exceptional.
My friend had the burger (believe it was a simple cheeseburger — and I tried some, mouthwatering).
Basically I wish I had more room in my stomach. Service was good, bathroom was clean, and the place had a very comforting sort of vibe.

MUST VISIT. Warm, inviting tavern environment. Delectable, well-​planned menu. Attentive host and servers. So much better than the famed Red Lion

i enjoyed the prairie whale. I got chicken under a brick and it was good. the service was very good and all the food i tasted from my table was good. a really nice thing was that the host remembered our names on the way OUT. Also the salted caramel brownie sundae was transcendent! We were literally on cloud 9.
Everything was nice at the prairie whale, no complaints at all, i think i may just be over the type of menu they serve. Its not their fault, what it seems like to me they run a great operation. Maybe I just need a different style of food…

I more or less staid overnight in Great Barrington so I could eat at Prairie Whale so that should tell you how excited I was about it. Sometimes this is a recipe for disappointment as you can build up a place into something it isn’t. I’m happy to report that that isn’t the case here.
If you aren’t prepared to wait an hour, do not come here on a weekend. Prairie Whale seems like the most popular restaurant in town. Fortunately they have a great bar with excellent cocktails and a small but pretty good beer and wine list. We started with cocktails at the bar. Mine was a spicy drink made with jalapeño infused tequila, grapefruit juice, and bitters topped with a splash of soda water. I’m not sure what I expected but it was really spicy and I’m used to spicy food. I kind of assumed it would also be sweet, but Joe, the bartender, managed to make a dry, spicy, strong cocktail. It was great. I’d tell you to get one, but they seem to change the menu a lot so there’s a decent chance it won’t be available.
The food is as good as the drinks. We started with a salad, which was greens topped with roasted beets, nuts, and goat cheese. Like, a lot of goat cheese. This is one of those salads that is sneakily unhealthy, but I honestly don’t care. After the salad came the pâté with country bread. This was another hit, with 6 decent sized slices of pâté, greens, brie, mustard, hot pickled peppers and probably some other stuff I’m forgetting. Pretty generous portions for a meat and cheese board, but it was also $ 12. I’d definitely order it again, maybe just to get the pickles. Finally, the chorizo tagliatelle. This dish was one of the best carbonara’s I’ve ever had. Perfectly cooked pasta, spicy chorizo, tiny mushrooms that soaked up whatever they were cooked in, and a creamy egg sauce.
The space, occupying the first floor of an old house, is really nice at night. They keep it pretty dark, but I didn’t have any trouble reading the menu.
Prairie Whale is a bit pricey, but you can eat a meal here for a reasonable amount of money. The food portion of our bill was only $ 42 which isn’t bad considering the quality of the food. Unless you insist on leaving absolutely stuffed, it’s possible to eat here without emptying your wallet. Now that I’ve had three dishes here, all of which were great, I’m inclined to come back and empty my wallet.

Had a delightful dinner at this warm, inviting tavern. What a charming old house! The friendly staff walked us through the menu of fresh, seasonal dishes, including the many pork options from the owner’s farm. The German-​inspired pork plate we chose was good, if a bit bland, but the polenta with roasted veggies was spot on. They have a short list of wines by the glass — okay, but not great, and a bit of a miss on the pairing with the food. We ended our meal with a bread pudding that made up for its small size with a perfect sweetness and texture.

Went here Friday night for dinner, the ambiance and live music were amazing. We were seated at the bar, which we didn’t mind, but we were very close to the service bar and had a hard time getting service. We spent a large portion of our night unsuccessfully trying to get the bartender’s attention for drink refills, plates for our appetizers, etc. Unfortunately our overall experience was very hindered since were made to feel like such a bother.
The food was okay. The mustard greens salad came so overdressed it was hard to eat. The tagliatelle was pretty good.

We spend a week a summer up in the GB area, and were excited to try somewhere new. We loved Prairie Whale! Our family of five got a nice table in the back. We weren’t rushed; the owner made small talk with us and made us feel very welcome; the service was attentive, food delicious. We’ll totally go back… and maybe grab some to go to bring to Tanglewood…

We had brunch here while in great Barrington last week the owners used to own a restaurant in Brooklyn that I frequent.
They specialize in seasonal local organic foods and it’s excellent for the most part however we went there last night wanting to have dinner and the menu changes on a daily basis and we found some of the items off putting such as bluefish, porgy, and other very cheap cuts of fish that they charge a premium for. Listen I have no problem paying for a good cut of fish but when you’re feeding me garbage fish and charging me a premium price that I have a problem with it.
Also I stood at the front door for 10 minutes and no one even acknowledged my presence. So we wound up leaving and going elsewhere to eat.
If you go stick to things like the fried chicken dinner– where at least you’ll get some protein for your money.
They do have a nice bar area though.

Oh, hello Prairie Whale, you fantastic gem. While in Great Barrington for business, I stopped by Prairie Whale for dinner with a group of four and had a really wonderful experience. First, when you pull up to Prairie Whale, it appears as though you’re going into someone’s house for dinner. It was a beautiful night and we had no problem being seated outside on their very adorable patio space. The inside of the restaurant is beautiful as well, with fresh flowers and other accessories adorning the entire space.
Outside, our server came over quickly and took our drink order. I went with their version of a Tom Collins and my colleagues went with a drink that included Mezcal. We all loved them, super refreshing. To share, we started with the chicharones and their homemade hot sauce, oysters, and a goat cheese crostini dish. All were so delicious! The appetizers were perfect to share between four people, highly recommend starting your meal this way. For dinner, I went with the brick chicken. I almost never order chicken out, but our server let us know chicken is their specialty. I did not regret my decision. Juicy and moist, this chicken was cooked perfectly with tasty skin on the outside. My dining companions had the halibut, sausage, and pork chop. I had some of the pork chop and it totally rocked. A must-​order was also the cornbread. It’s got grill marks on the side and a great sweet/​savory combo going on. We couldn’t get enough.
Overall, Prairie Whale was by far the best meal I had in Great Barrington. It’s certainly not cheap, but you’re receiving quality dishes made from quality ingredients. Prices are comparable for other farm to table experiences. We also heard the owners use the animals from their own farm which is super cool. Definitely stop by if you’re in the area!

I love this place so much that it’s embarassing. It’s a delicious taste of hipster brooklyn right in the Berkshires. The shole aesthetic of ‘artisinal’ rusticness, type — written menus, and beers served in mason jars should be all-​too familiar to anybody who’s ever walked down Bedford avenue. It all elicits frequent eyerolls from the friends I drag here, but the management comes carrying such an impressive pedigree (Diner and whatnot) that I say they can get away with that shit. They’re real OG hipsters. And they cook some mean meat.
The menu is seasonal and changes frequently (minus a couple of signature dishes), definitely making the most of the excellent ingredients the Berkshires have to offer. A lot of the meat is butchered in house and, even as suspicious as I am of the all-​locaganic-​everything movement and those who subscribe to it, I must concede that you can really taste the difference. I especially recommend the brick chicken. It may not sound as exciting or quirky as some of the other menu options, but it really should not be missed. The skin is so crispy and yet the meat is so juicy that it practically defies the laws of physics with it’s deliciousness.
The prices are high (especially for drinks) but here, perhaps even moreso than in Mainland Brooklyn, you get what you paid for. Waitstaff is usually highly knowledgeable and will explain anything on the menu to the culinarily confused (and only rarely with the too-​cool-​for you attitude that is all too common in places like this [*cough cough* looking at you, Rubi’s]) I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about food, but I almost always learn or try something knew here! My go-​to choice for date night in GB. Also, like any good hipsters, they serve excellent brunch, which is particularly good if you’re trying to avoid emptying your bank account.

The hipster farm to table persona aside, Prairie whale does well to stand up as a very complete restaurant experience. The interior is in line with the farm feel, the contemporary locavore and recycled style. Wait staff are brief but attentive, the restaurant was well staffed for a busy Saturday evening. Starting out with local brews on tap, a bit of a wait was of no concern.
The menu is simple and focuses on seasonal dishes, diverse ingredients, and recognizable dishes. The fried chicken is superb and is perhaps eclipsed only by the outstanding cornbread it was served with, maple and with a moist crumb coarser than usual. The rotating menu has certain staples, each in a portion not to large but enough to stand on its own. My brick chicken was generous, two full thigh-​leg portions in a wonderfully simple jus.
While the prices may be high, the quality and competition don’t make that surprising. The atmosphere, accessible enough to bring the kids and social for a night out with friends, pressure whale is outstanding all around. Lower prices and faster service would make due an unstoppable Berkshire spot.

Pros: solid food — I got the burger and my boyfriend got the fried chicken dish. The best thing he said about it was the jalapeño butter and the collard greens. The chicken wasn’t all that substantial in portion size. The draft beer selection is good and the cabin fever cocktail was tasty and original.
Cons: service was slow. The waitress we had was nice but took her sweet time and was not very knowledgable. We waited a long time to get her attention and the check never seemed to come until we were able to make eye contact.
Indifferent: Atmosphere looked promising when we walked in but we soon realized that we were just hanging out in a porch like structure during the entire dinner. When night fell the experience got more intimate with the candles lit and lights glowing but in general we were left pretty indifferent due to poor service.

We had just a fabulous brunch here, starting from the 8 dollar old fashion to the fried chicken and the scone with the lemon curd this place is just insane. Such a cute little place, the staff was great and really everything was top notch, a must if your in the area.

Noisy bar dominates ‘restaurant’. Food is secondary. The menu is a flat list; not a structured offering.
$ 42 for a rib eye? Not in this setting…
Beer & burger for $ 23+tax and tip … And the burger is nothing special.
Stick to the bar.