Gala

As there isn’t much in this college town to eat for food its obvious any place with a pulse would want to capitalize (no pun intended) on the finances of restaurant ownership. The Gala is a nice but pricy place. My wife and I arrived here because there didn’t appear to be an open restaurant for miles and the nice bartender tells us they can’t serve food until 5 pm… ok…must be a town ordinance… and no wonder why there are no restaurants around. We got some bar snacks… had a soda and waited until the magical 5 o’clock feeding time this place enforces. we got 2 minutes latitude for good behavior. We both ordered sandwiches… while both very good… there isn’t a sandwich in this universe worth $ 14 each. The alternative is the $ 35 steak and for that the cow better deliver it to me on a gold plate that I can take home. There were some odd ladies pretending to be French who weren’t really as patrons who were rude to the bartender but he handled it well. If you have a lot of cash to throw around and want to pretend you’re rich an impress someone by being pretentious… this is your place!

We dined at the Gala Bistro and it was somewhat disappointing.
The Bistro is located on the lower level of the Orchard Hotel and adjacent to the steakhouse. FYI: the Bistro offers a more casual atmosphere but the same menu as the steakhouse. The service is good and the wine list extensive. The bar offers a creative cocktail menu. I especially liked the Whiskey muddle
So why was I disappointed? The food. Meh! I found myself adding lots of salt and pepper.
I will probably return for breakfast instead.

A bit of a disappointment for Thanksgiving dinner. The food was good but the service was abysmal. The wait staff seemed clueless as to how to pay attention to there customers and serve a meal.

This is an not to be missed place for breakfast or lunch. (Maybe dinner too, but I can’t say). My wife and I eat out every day and sometimes twice a day. We were here on Sunday for brunch. I had their three egg omelette and my wife had their salmon on a bagel. Both were the best. We came back two days later for lunch. I had their omelette again and my wife had the shrimp and pasta. We didn’t want the meal to end. OH, did I forget to mention their chocolate chip cookies? We bought a dozen after trying just one. Those cookies are soooo gggggoooodddd!!! You just have to go there. They have a bar area that has a very relaxing feeling to it. Don’t miss this jewel of a place.

Hands down the best place for breakfast in W-​town and that’s before the 20% discount for Williams staff! There are not too many items on the menu but I think that’s a good thing and everything they serve is delicious. I think they’re great with kids too, they offer plenty of activity books to keep them busy. Portions may be small but the flavor is big and the atmosphere is nice. I’ve never seen it too crowded as it’s a bit hidden inside the Orchards hotel (I lived here a few years before I realized they even had a restaurant) but for the customer, that’s a plus. Don’t pass them by!

The food here is amazing! You get quality food at a quality price. I’ve never left disappointed. If anything I left their over stuffed because I couldn’t stop eating lol. The waitstaff was friendly and there was a bartender that was extremely fun. He could do tricks while he was mixing drinks and it was very entertaining. This is a great place for dinner or for an event! They have a lot of seating, parking lot, coat room, and they are extremely clean. I highly recommend this restaurant!

Had a great meal their last Saturday with my girlfriend. The staff was very professional and the food was excellent. I had rib-​eye steak and my woman had the filet mignon. Pinot Noir was out of this world good !!!

Had a wonderful dinner. The staff was friendly and helpful. Look forward to going back.
Only reason I’m not giving a five is both steaks were a little more cooked than we had requested. Still a great meal.

Had a nice dinner at Gala a few weeks ago. I will say, Gala is supremely better than many of the area restaurants, but we left a smidge disappointed for a few reasons. I had the special, wild boar, and my hubby had a steak of some sort (sorry, can’t remember the details on that). Everything we ate was completely under salted, and everything except my husband’s steak was covered in a smoky, barbeque-​y sauce. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love me some barbeque, but when I go to a very nice restaurant, I don’t expect every single thing I eat to have the exact same (overwhelming!) flavor profile. Why would you mask the flavor of a very delicious wild boar? It would have been perfect without it. I couldn’t even taste the sweet potato hash that my wild boar sat on, because it too was doused in a barbeque-​like sauce. Quite disappointing. The lack of salt and the overuse of smoky bbq aside, the service was exceptional and the atmosphere was lovely. We sat in the lounge next to a roaring fireplace, which I absolutely loved. In the future, I’ll give Gala another try, but most likely we’ll stick to the pub menu. I’ll be back to review the brunch sometime in the future!

Best breakfast/​brunch in the area. Amazing frittata cooked in your personal skillet.
Fresh, hot and delicious. Served with fresh fruit, toasted baguette with 2 types of homemade fruit compote and butter. Good as it gets in the area.

I first had the chance to experience Gala’s food at a wine tasting. The chef was there giving out samples and they were delicious.
A few months later I tried the restaurant for breakfast; I was pretty disappointed with the experience. For starters, even though it was a holiday weekend, there was only one server on, so service was slow. They also seemed to have someone in the kitchen who was less than capable. I was disappointed that the breakfast service didn’t live up to the same standards as the food I tasted at the wine event.
For breakfast I ordered the Gala Benedict (House cured salmon, creamy spinach & poached eggs, topped with hollandaise sauce & grilled gala apple and served with home fries), which I assume is pretty fantastic if you’re lucky enough to get a good chef. I, unfortunately, did not have a good chef, so mine was okay, but not great. The poached eggs were overdone and my request for onion-​less homefries was ignored. The smoked salmon, however, was fantastic. They cure it in-​house and it was amazing — definitely worth having.
My boyfriend had a similar experience with his breakfast. He ordered an omelet, which arrived missing two of its ingredients and was rather bland. It was also near impossible to get a refill on coffee.
I’m willing to bet that this place has better food and service during dinner when there’s an experienced chef on, but unfortunately, we just didn’t have that experience during breakfast. I’d be willing to try it again in the future, but for now three stars is all it gets from me.

Yummy! The food is delicious! I got the harvest bisque soup– so tasty, it was almost dessert like! For my main course, I got the grilled salmon. It was ok, it was cooked well but I usually like my fish with more seasoning. For dessert I had the apple tart, which was delicious. My boyfriend got a salad, duck, and the creamed berries for dessert. He really enjoyed his meal as well. Our drinks were amazing! He got the eph-​tini, which he loved, and I got the royale margarita, which was one of the best margaritas I’ve ever had. If we were in the area I would definitely come here again.

A great date place! In the winter you can go into the bar and there is a fire place going and good drinks being served. You can get cozy on a couch and have an intimate conversation with your mate.
Haven’t had a full meal here, but the Mix and Match App is good. The cheese plate is very weak I don’t recommend it at all.
I would have given this a three but the service is really good, so I went up a star :)

Excellent food, quiet atmosphere. The menu is small, but packs a punch in terms of variety and an interesting mix of ingredients. The food is prepared with a lot of attention to detail– the presentation alone makes for a great visual experience before you get to dig in. You would never know the hotel offers such a great gem of a restaurant; perhaps it was because it was an off-​season visit, but there were hardly any people there. Great wine list, very attentive service. Should I be in the North Adams area again, I will definitely treat myself to a dinner at Gala again.

My wife and I ate at Gala while we were on a weekend getaway and were not disappointed in the least. The selection and the food were both excellent, it was truly a foodie’s experience. All of the courses were well prepared and were beautifully presented. We were both impressed with the breadth of courses offered, and very happy with the service. It seems like a real diamond in the rough sort of place. I don’t know if its just that we were there in early April and it was still very off season, but the place was virtually empty at 7:00 PM. I’d highly recommend Gala to anyone visiting western Mass.

The big «Gala» sign pops up behind an ugly fenced façade which hides The Orchards Hotel. Who knew? It looks like a condo complex from Route 7 and the sign doesn’t connote fine cuisine. Based on a recommendation, we ate dinner there. It was quiet and comfortable and the service was courteous and responsive. The menu isn’t deep but it’s wide enough for lovers of fish, fowl, or meat. I had a terrine appetizer with mozzarella, prosciutto, and sun-​dried tomatoes, with a little green salad. My entrée of halibut with a «hash» of potatoes and bacon, and sauteed haricot verts was delish. I cleaned my plate. The portions are not overly large — what I’d put on a plate if I was cooking. My dining partners ate the mussels, lobster bisque, roast chicken with yummy mashed potatoes, and the pork chops. Someone in my party didn’t want the succotash that normally came with the pork loin and they cheerfully substituted the garlic mashed potatoes. The entrees were in the mid to high-20’s, so it’s not cheap. But if you’re looking for cuisine over tavern fare, I’d urge you to check this place out — even if the sign out in front seems a little out of sync. It’s nice Williamstown has a fine dining alternative to the sandwich shops and Asian restaurants.