The Lantern Bar & Grill

One of the best hamburgers I have had in at least several years. Crispy on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside, great quality overall. Plus the place itself has an excellent vibe. Highly recommended!

Granted my visit was a year ago, here’s what I think. No one greeted us for a few minutes after entering. We weren’t sure if we should sit or wait. It was busy. We sat at the bar. Service was quick but straight to the point with no frills. I like my burgers well done. It was burnt. The fries were delicious. May try again in the future.

If I could give less I would. The service is complete garbage. server has an attitude like she has better things to do. asked for ID from a 40yr old which was complementing… but when asked was a complete bitch. asked for a medium burger and it was black! Burnt to a crisp… understanding mistakes happen was told that’s how the grill works and I need to deal with it. then had my food taken away and told to leave because I did not agree with the servers attitude. Why should a customer be removed because a server is having a bad day… DO NOT EAT HERE!

If you’re looking for an embossed invitation or a cheerleading squad it’s not going to happen here. Good, fresh, simple food is being served and it is delicious. The lantern salad is twin portions in one and the onion rings are home battered and made with love. The lantern is the home of the best burger, no doubt.

I’ve been here about 4 times. Each time I come back, the service keeps getting worse. The woman who waits tables and bartends, has a horrible attitude. She never comes back and asks us if our food was ok, or do we need anything. The same goes or the owner. We will not be visiting this establishment again! If I could give a 0 star rating… I would

When we walked in we were greeted right away, and were brought to our table. The waitress was courteous and friendly. The Menu is somewhat limited, but still offers a good variety. The food arrived timely, and everyone at the table enjoyed their food. Portions are generous, and can be cooked to your liking.

My husband and I have eaten many times at The Lantern Bar and Grill, particularly when we are attending a play at the Barrington Stage across the street. The place is unprepossessing and we probably would never have tried it had it not been so convenient to the theater but we were glad we did. The food is not «gourmet», just simple, typical bar food but it is always fresh and well-​prepared. We have eaten hamburgers with fries and cole slaw, chicken club sandwiches, and Chicken Caesar Salad and all have been good. We have also been tempted by the nice selection of pies and cake for dessert but so far have resisted. The staff is hard working and pleasant and makes a real effort, even when busy, to get you out by theater time. The prices are reasonable. Next step for us… bring the grandchildren!

Perhaps I went in with my expectations too high, as everyone I worked with while in Pittsfield raved about this place. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the hype. The server was incredibly rude, both to our table and to other people who I observed her interacting with while I was there. I ordered a burger, since that’s what they’re supposed to be known for, and it came out burnt and mostly flavorless. This place was a huge let down.

I was very disappointed when eating here. My buger was way over cooked. And was dry. Seasoning was not there and buger was bland. Not some place I would go

Love this place. Great music. Delicious fresh lemonade. Food is almost always spot on. Great onion rings and salads. Always very tasty vodka tonics. Have been going here for years and will continue. Can’t believe some of the negative reviews. When you walk in and see there is only the cook and one waitress manning the place you can’t be surprised to wait a little longer than usual. It’s well worth your time. Perhaps some people are expecting Wheatleigh service at a bar and grill.

We had been hearing about The Lantern’s claim of «Best Burger in the Berkshires» for quite some time, and were super eager to put them to the test! I must say, they blew us away! BAM!
From the outside, most would agree the place looks a little bit shady. A little bit divey, even. Not a place one would want to pass by when the sun goes down if you know what I mean! Most locals who haven’t been here think this place is a dusty tavern, after all. It’s not a tavern at all, but more like a gleaming foodie’s safe haven from the rigors of North Street in Pittsfield. Step inside, and you’ll find it’s cozy, gleaming in warmth from the richly lacquered woods, while also being modern and timeless all at once. This is no bar. It’s crisp stark white linens on the table let you know you’re in for a treat. You cannot judge this place by the outside!
Our server was wonderfully friendly, attentive, and extremely helpful in assisting me with my dietary restrictions. She really went the extra mile for me, and I appreciated that! But you’re not reading this for that info, are you? I bet you’re yelling at the screen «JUST TELL ME ABOUT THE BURGERS!!» Your wish is my command!
Oh the burgers. Those meticulously seared, lovingly stacked, foodie approved burgers! Oh, how they loved them! My Husband had a burger so rare I swear it was mooing (at his request) and it came out just gorgeous. It was a burger that was ready for it’s closeup, for sure. This place pays a LOT of attention to detail, like a fine restaurant. We were actually quite impressed! The meat was reported as tender and fresh, flavorful. The toppings were crisp and of the highest quality. The sweet potato fries were a really nice touch. Even the kids meal (grilled ham and cheese) looked amazing.
I don’t know if I would say they have the best burger in the entire Berkshires, that’s a lot of real estate! I will say this: They rank *way* up there and a person who loves food would be wise to set aside time to try them out! This place is going to go on our list of «Must Haves» when we visit Pittsfield from here on out. No trip would feel complete without it.
Please enjoy the photos as proof of our merriment, and visit The Lantern very soon! By all means, when you do, send me a line and let me know how you liked it! :)

Often called the best burger spot in Pittsfield, but the rest of the menu is just as good. Whether it be their Reubens, salads, or triple decker clubs: everything is class. Debbie is also the best waitress in town!

This place lives off its reputation. Yes, a funky out of the 50s atmosphere with some limited charm. But the «best burger» claim is pure bull (cow). The attitude is cavalier toward those unknown, perhaps better to regulars. Order your burger anything but well done and you will not be happy. Medium rare came out scortched and hard, next time was almost too rare to eat. Apology? Forget it. It’s you, not the burger. And they really don’t care, as if their place in history is iron clad. Expect to pay extra for anything but the roll; you will be asked as if they were free (lettuce and tonato?), but free they ain’t. High prices overall in a downer neighborhood in a place that has not spent a dime on décor for 40 years. With attitude.

Excellent burger, onion rings, cole slaw, lemonade. Attractive interior, with beautiful photos of jazz musicians. Sam Adams, Blue Moon and a third beer on tap. Nice staff.

Been going here for years. The food is outstanding. Always plenty of meat on the sandwiches and the burgers are remarkable.
For service, the waitress is always very attentive and willing to work out any modifications to what you order as necessary. She’s very easy to get along with if you are nice to her. Can’t complain about it one bit and definitely recommend!!!

Claim to have «The Best Burger» I will say it is not bad. I am not sure if it’s the best in the area but it sure was tasty. It is a bar with a grill basically. Not so great if you have small children because there is not high chairs, but if they can sit on a chair or a bench your fine. Lemon-​aide is freshly squeezed, and the burgers are fairly large. If you order a deli sandwich get ready to eat a lot of meat. You get your money’s worth, not a whole lot of money for a lot of meat which is good.

Really dug this place. It’s a good old-​fashioned New England lunch counter place, and they roast all their RB and turkey in house. Had the RB with fries and a pickle, and damn if it wasn’t tender… my dining companion had a reuben and raved as well. Will definitely return.

The awesome sign and style of the Lantern called us in. Just split a bacon cheeseburger which came to $ 6.50, not the $ 9 someone else claimed. It was definitely cooked more than the requested medium rare but was fairly tasty, good grilled bun, and I enjoyed the char to the burger. One woman was both cooking and waitressing and was efficient and friendly enough. Not sure what the problem is with Linden St. but the review below is the 2^nd time I’ve seen allusions to it being scary or something. Seemed fairly innocuous to me. In any case, I’d def. give the Lantern another shot if I were in the area.

The neon signage drew us to The Lantern and the place didn’t disappoint.
I have to say that inside was not quite what we expected. It was so clean and comfortable! We thought it would be a standard greasy spoon, but instead it was a lovingly tended old place, from the knotty pine walls to the spotless white ceiling.
We had heard from a friend that the burgers were the thing, so we didn’t spend much time on the menu. Two big beef cheeseburger platters were ordered and arrived quickly.
There is nothing like a char-​broiled burger. I love both flat-​grilled and broiled patties. They each have their charms. But a char-​broiled burger, smelling of the fire and offering both crisp, blackened bits and soft, cooked beef is sublime. My one quibble here was that our interpretation of medium rare differs from The Lantern’s, but that’s easily remedied on a repeat visit with a rare order.
Ordered as a platter, the burger comes with a reasonably sized order of fries and a small side of coleslaw. Both were good examples of their kind.
I had an Arnold Palmer with my burger and it was great. Their lemonade is housemade; the juicer stands ready at the bar. And the tea tasted freshly brewed and iced. What a treat!
Our very friendly waitress cleared our cleaned plates and asked if we had «any room for apple pie.» How do you say no to such a friendly invitation? We are glad we didn’t. We shared a piece of the warmed apple pie, which featured slightly firm, sweet apples in a golden, flaky crust that had a little bit of a sugar sprinkle on top. It was one of the nicer pieces of pie I’ve had in a restaurant, looking and tasting very home-​made. We learned that they generally have one dessert a night, which I think is interesting. Do one thing and do it right, instead of buying lots of commercial stuff and having it hang around. And three cheers for piping hot diner coffee, too! Not anything fancy or overly strong, just good, hot coffee. Just right with the pie.
I have to note how friendly the service was. We were greeted and told to sit anywhere we liked. Service was prompt and warm and both women working the bar and tables thanked us for coming and invited us back again. They don’t have to worry; we’ll be back.

Maintaining the long staying tradition of subpar greasy spoon establishments in the Western New England Area. The Lantern has sub average to average bar food at seemingly reasonable prices only minutes from downtown Pittsfield, MA.
Tried this place twice, there really aren’t a lot of options on the menu other than hamburgers and roast beef. When we came they were out of roast beef. The 6 oz hamburger price seems reasonable until you realize that everything but the bun is an extra. A $ 5 hamburger quickly becomes an over priced $ 9 burger with the addition of tomatoes, lettuce, onions, pickles, cheese and bacon.
Onions rings were an over whelming greasy beer batter that will leave you looking for a tooth brush when you leave the place. The out door seating is typically occupied by vagrants looking to bum a smoke.
This place is typically packed for lunch, for the life of me I can’t understand why, they are small but still could use another waits person, preferably one without an attitude. For a two person lunch our bill came out to $ 30 and we were hungry enough when we left that we could have eaten a second lunch, but probably not at this place.