Are There Any Berkshire Restaurants From Years Ago That You Miss?

I realize that everybody is missing their favorite restaurants right now during this pandemic. Whether your favorite dining establishment is temporarily closed right now,  open but with limited days and hours, or sadly, closed for good, it's not an easy situation for us to deal with. It also started me thinking about local restaurants from days gone by, some that were very popular, that for whatever reason had to close their doors. Many memories came flooding back to me.

I've been a resident of Pittsfield for almost 40 years and the number of Berkshire County restaurants that have come and gone in that time span is pretty staggering. However, I'm pretty sure that's the case for most cities globally. Owning and operating a restaurant is certainly not an easy task to take on, and huge shout-outs to anyone who has done it successfully, either currently or in the past.

Many of my favorite restaurants are no longer around, but the memories are great due to the good people, good food and good times that were had there. I can't tell you how many people still tell me today how much they miss the Bonanza restaurant that used to occupy the space in Allendale where Tractor Supply is now.

What about the original Gringo's on the Curran Highway in North Adams? Absolutely loved that place! Luckily for us, owner Dave Nicholas has brought his sense of humor, and love of good food at reasonable prices to Bounti Fare Restaurant in Adams.

Anybody else make that late-night(or early morning) drive to the truck stop diner in Lee? The one right past the Mass Pike entrance? I'm sure I'm not the only one who made that trip.

Many people have fond memories of the Dakota Steakhouse on the Pittsfield/Lenox Road(L-U-V-V-V-V-V-E-D that salad bar...and that bread...and that Sunday Brunch...).

Dalton Avenue had a stretch of popular restaurants that are no longer there. Remember Chi-Chi's Mexican Restaurant? That was where Zucco's Restaurant is now. My family were big fans of the New England Chowder House. At one point, Pittsfield even had a Red Lobster over on Merrill Road.

I remember for many years, we simply could not ring in the new year without buffalo wings from Timothy's on East St. "Hey, it's New Year's Eve!" "Better call Timothy's to place our order!" Those wings were awesome!

I remember Friday nights(or to be more accurate, Saturday mornings) at Adrien's Diner on Wahconah Street. Sometimes you just have to fill your tummy with excellent diner food. Great folks, as well.

The list goes on. Anyone else remember Ground Round at the Berkshire Mall? Abdow's Big Boy? The Checkerboard? Silver Screen Restaurant? Pete & Chris'? More recently, Jimmy's Stonebridge Restaurant....How many Friendly's restaurants have closed down just within the past decade? There are, sadly, way too many to mention here.

My question to is: Do you have a favorite restaurant that closed years ago, or maybe it closed more recently? Whether I mentioned the restaurant already or not, head to our Facebook page and tell us about your favorite place to put the feedbag on that's no longer around. We'd love to hear from you.