Highland Restaurant

Great pizza and calimari! The staffs and service there is first class! Also very kid friendly!

Very authentic American restaurant — Old-​Style interior, friendly staff and a cuisine that claims to have some Italian influence (Hope that they never get real italian guests…)
Beer selection is limited to megabrews

If you want a low key atmosphere and an affordable, home cooked, delicious meal this is the go-​to.
The restaurant is a staple in the Pittsfield area and it’s easy to understand why. The service is excellent and the staff treats everyone like family.
The food is really good and they have weekly specials if you’re looking to mix up the regular Italian dishes (though they are delicious!)
No need to make a reservation or dress up. It’s like popping into your moms house for dinner.
It a perfect local spot.

Always a good meal at excellent prices. The service is always perfect. Where else can you get a filet mignon for $ 15?

This place is an old favorite for the locals. My father grew up in Pittsfield, and I can remember coming here as a child when we visited his family. The place has not changed since I’ve been coming here. The last time I went was my first time here in 11 years, and it was exactly the same. I think the prices were too! My all-​time favorite is the spaghetti and meatballs. Extremely huge portion for a very fair price. The sauce is excellent and the noodles were cooked perfectly. The meatballs as others have pointed out have a «unique» flavor to them. I’ve seen other ratings calling it dog food or simple beef purée, so all I will say is that they are «unique». For me, it reminds me of my childhood and brings me a sense of nostalgia, so I like them. They do somewhat have a purée taste to them, but that’s not indicate that they taste bad. Honestly, you will either hate them or love them as they don’t taste like typical meatballs. The salad and bread were fresh and great as well.
Luckily for me, I had a business trip in CT recently, so I was able to come visit my father’s side of the family over the weekend and got to come to The Highland again. Since I’ve always ordered the spaghetti and meatballs, I decided to try something different. Based on the great reviews of the veal parm, I ordered that which I admittedly was disappointed with. I sat at the counter and could see into the kitchen. The veal parm is a perfectly oval frozen patty thrown into the deep fryer and covered with a single piece of sliced cheese that looks processed. Where’s the fresh mozzarella??? I ate it and it was ok, but after seeing how it was prepped, I felt cheated. I always thought of The Highland as having family recipes made from scratch, so I was extremely disappointed to see them using frozen ingredients now. The sauce and spaghetti were still on point though, and saved the dish. You get what you pay for I guess. If you want to feed the family at a reasonable price, give them a shot. Even though the veal parm gets a D, the spaghetti and their sauce are up there with the best I’ve had.

I really wanted to like this place, but it was the worst Italian food I have ever had. My husband ordered the veal parm since so many reviewers raved bout it. It was a frozen patty, not sure it was even veal. I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs tasted like dog food and the spaghetti was a mushy mess. This is the first time Unilocal reviews have let me down.

As a past hometown boy, this place hard to beat. When returning to visit, its so nice to know things haven’t changed over many years. The waitresses are as friendly and attentive as ever and the prices are most reasonable with generous portions. Best for my money are the scallops, broiled mushrooms and sausages. For a «Yankee» place even the Southern Fried Chicken is a real pleaser. Rarely have desert on account of the generous plates. Oh yes, can’t forget the perfect (non greasy) onion rings!

Oh my God. It’s still the same! I love this place. My parents used to take us here when we were kids and we would always order the same thing: Vealcutletparmigianaspaghettisalad. And it still tasted just like I remembered it. Oh rapture!
This is as authentic as Italian-​American food gets, which is why Mario Batali makes the crucifix sign with his forefingers whenever you mention it. Great red gravy and to-​hell-​with-​al-​dente spaghetti served to a discerning townie crowd. What’s not to like?

This is not a fine dining establishment, but one of my favorites for local flavor and decent very reasonably priced food. Always great service, fast service and consistent food. Whe else can you get oven baked sausages or broiled mushrooms as an entrée?
Great house salad and the freshest italian bread in town.
The place has not changed much in 80 years and its a good thing… great old fashion atmosphere and friendly people. I never miss a meal here when I am in town.

Townie-​place, food is unremarkable but the atmosphere is nice. It’s probably so highly rated here because of its strong local following. In short– there’s probably better places within walking distance.

As you will see… the staff is great and on point. The food on the other hand is best left for senior citizens. The food is bland and tasteless… and unfortunately comes in big quantities. I swear the meatballs are nothing more than ground beef purée, shaped into a ball and baked. The flavor and texture are morally repulsive. If you need to take your grandparents out to dinner, it’s great… but, if you want a real meal, there are tons of better places out there!

very nice people, great service, and food is great. If you’re looking to get a classic burger and fries, this is where its at!

Pros: Quick service, nice staff, very townie
Cons: My burger was pretty dry and the meat was a little grainy, I can say it was one of the worst burgers I’ve ever had. Even at the peak of dinner time with the place being backed, there was a strong odor — not sure what kind, there was bleach mixed in there and it was extremely unappetizing, I was happy that the service was so quick because I was ready to leave as soon as I sat down and smelled it. Yuckkk.

Went here with Toff for his birthday last week, and yes, it still kicks ass. Veal parm everytime baby!

This is not fancy food or gourmet Italian. It IS hot and delicious with lots of homemade Italian-​American recipes. I’ve been going to the Highland regularly since I was a little kid, and even now, I have to go there at least once every time I visit the Berkshires. My mouth waters just thinking about the bread and salad that comes with most of the dishes. The bread – from a local bakery – is crusty with a soft, flavorful center. The salad is simple (lettuce, tomatoes, & onions), but the homemade dressing is awesome — loads of vinegar, which I love! The onion rings are a real treat, thin and crispy, not like those frozen things you get at most places. The spaghetti and meatballs is huge and satisfying. I love the Italian sausages (hint: ask for them split and grilled). I’m also a big fan of the broiled mushrooms which taste buttery, lemony and delicious, as well as the filet of sole which is fried in a crispy breading. The kitchen is sometimes willing to customize things (my mom & I occasionally get our spaghetti with oil & garlic, which is not on the menu). The pies & puddings they offer for dessert are also homemade. My favorites are the chocolate cream pie and the grapenut pudding. The service is always familial and warm. This is definitely a townie fave. It makes me happy to go there.

One of the most packed townie places that have been feeding locals for generations. Always a top pick in my family, not because the service is awesome (it is), the food wins awards (it has) or that the atmosphere is all the trendy rage (it so isn’t). This place is Pittsfield culture at it’s finest and probably only the locals appreciate it’s charm most.
How’s the house wine? Horrible. The salad, meh I’ve had better. The bread, great! Your meal? Outstanding if you know what to order.
Scallops, veal parm and broiled mushrooms are my all time favorite in that order. Hot meals should always be ordered with a side of pasta or get the sandwich version instead. The sandwiches are served on Vienna bread, the same stuff that comes with your meal to start. And it is damn good.
Onion rings are nice to mix it up a bit. French fries are generic.
Is this authentic Italian? I’d describe as Americanized Italian for the most part. The sauce is a red thick meat sauce that just isn’t my thing. While it is hearty, I wouldn’t call it a meat sauce. The pasta is ultra thick spaghetti, unique to the Highland.
The Highland is a place my family and I keep going back to for the great prices, decent Italian food and the great conversation.

pro — super friendly staff, fast service, big portions, unpretentious. very nice sauce for the veal scallopini, and the sausages were spicy and tasty.
con — salad had sad onions, iceberg lettuce, and tomatoes — but the dressing was nice.
overall, a great meal. i’d totally go back.

For the price of the food this place does ok. Portions are very filling and the atmosphere is very relaxed. I’m big on good tomato sauce, and this rates up there on my list.
I’ve been half a dozen times or so for dinner, and it traditionally is an older crowd.

The atmosphere is dark and littered with paintings/​pictures of baseball stars and memorabilia. This place would be scary at night.
Here’s why I like The Highland. It’s a homey restaurant. People treat you as if they know you and welcome you with big smiles. The service is always quicker than you expect.
The food experience is a unique one. If there were a spectrum from crappy food to gourmet, the food at The Highland wouldn’t be on it. It’s on its own plane of existence. It’s on that plane of home-​cooked that many institutions try to tap into but always inevitably fail because it’s an untouchable realm. The Highland is a portal.
Bare with me, this is hard to explain but very specific.
You’ll start with bread and a salad. Upon seeing these guys, you might think «that’s it? this looks like it came from a frozen dinner plate.» If you think that it’s because you looked at the food. BUT you’ll find that it’s strangely better than some of the fanciest bread and salad that you’ve had. Like…“this isn’t good — but I really like it”. Or maybe I’m insane and most people simply call it «good».
Your meal will unimpress you upon first look in the same way. The size is big. The smell is good. But you can’t help but look at your veal parm (what I always get) and think «that looks like plastic». And they place it smiley in front of you and ask you if you need anything else. No, thanks. And you look over your meal again. It smells so good! And the cheese is melted just right. It just looks like rubber. Strange.
Saw a bite off with your fork and it crunches through the breaded meat as easily as unfastening crossed Legos. Dip it in the balloon-​colored sauce. And it tastes amazing. The noodles’ texture is like nothing you’ve enjoyed before. Like they were made from some sort of sculpting material. The sauce has so little meat you’d think it was from a rainbow-​colored can. But somehow it’s perfect.
In one sentence: The food at The Highland may throw off some diners by it’s unique presentation but never fails to please through flavor in much the same way a meal at a new friend’s home can be.

My mom swears by the scallop sandwich to the extent that they make the correct assumption that she’ll be eating it every time we go. Also: Order some pie.

Why five stars? Because the Highland exceeds expectations. This is a family owned establishment that harks back to a Norman Rockwell America, as do the prices. Lotsa regulars frequent the red leatherette booths and the old-​fashioned counter. The drinks are generous. The service is friendly and spirited. The food is classic American-​Italian; nothing is nouvelle about the Highland. Great for families with kids. Unfortunately not open for breakfast, only lunch and dinner (11a.m. to 10 p. m). Go before they shut it down for time-​warp violations. Remember, Pittsfield with two new theaters is going hip as it becomes a «Cultural Destination.»