Food

Groceries

Big Y and Stop ‘n’ Shop are the two main grocery chains in the area. Maple Farms and Atkins Farms are local grocery stores that have great prices on local produce. Hadley also boasts Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, and Aldi. Northampton has the River Valley Coop Grocery Store and Deals & Steals (which is definitely worth checking out). Of course, one does not necessarily need to rely on a traditional grocery store when living in the Pioneer Valley, with its wealth of local foods. One could eat quite well from the farmer’s markets, farm stands, and various CSA (community-supported agriculture) options available. If you’re interested in signing up for a local CSA - where you pay in advance for local seasonal produce and make weekly pickups from the farm - inquire with fellow OEB members. Many of us have shares with CSAs and would be happy to connect you!

In Amherst, there is a large, vibrant year-round Saturday market (8am-1:30pm) and at least one weekday market during the growing season. Northampton also has a Saturday and Tuesday farmers market seasonally. You can generally find locally-grown fruits & veggies, eggs, dairy products, honey, maple syrup, and meat products at most of the local farmer’s markets.

If you are looking for sources of international food items, check out Ecuador Andino Store (Hadley), Trans International Market (Hadley), Mom’s House Chinese Market (Amherst) or Gohyang Korean Market (Hadley).

Restaurants & Bars

There is a lot of good eating and drinking to do in the Pioneer Valley. Some grad student favorites include:

Amherst:

• Bueno y Sano (burritos)
• Mission Cantina (Tex-Mex)
• Antonio’s Pizza
• Pita Pockets (reasonably priced Greek food)
• The Moan & Dove (bring your own food bar)
• The Hangar (beer & so many wings)
• Miss Saigon (Vietnamese)
• The Taste Thai
• The Black Sheep (deli)
• The Harp (Irish pub with music on Thursday nights & where we sometimes host the Science Buzz)

Northampton:

• The Dirty Truth (upscale pub fare)
• McLadden’s (dozens of beers and enormous soft pretzels)
• Tunnel Bar/The Platform/Deck Bar

Elsewhere:

• Bub’s BBQ (Sunderland)
• Root Cellar (Greenfield)
• People’s Pint (Greenfield)

Ice Cream

Around here, ice cream is a beautiful thing. Excellent locally-made ice cream can be found at Bart’s in Amherst, Flayvors of Cook Farm in Hadley, Herrell’s in Northampton, and Mt. Tom’s in Easthampton, to name a few.