Restaurant Review

The Marketplace is located across the bridge from the Main Street area of Great Barrington MA. For those of us with a longer memory, it’s located where Friendly’s used to be. How they’ve transformed the once chain restaurant location is amazing. I had driven by a few times, even checked out their website and had meant to go. So on a Tuesday, my mother’s birthday, we had a girls’ day and headed over to Barrington and made Marketplace our lunch destination – not really knowing what to expect.

The decor is really fun and it’s easy to feel at home. It’s kind of a cafeteria-style set-up, although I believe Marketplace is going for the kitchen table type of feeling – which they’ve definitely accomplished. Regardless, I felt comfy and communal there. After you come in, there’s an option to order the to-go stuff, or proceed into the second door and grab a drink, examine the expansive menu offerings, order, then find a seat. There were five of us, myself, my mother, sister-in-law, my two-and-a-half year old daughter, and one-year-old niece. We found a table for us -even though it was a Tuesday (normally a slow day, one would think), the place was packed! It wasn’t noisy however, but had a really nice vibe.

Our order was fairly eclectic, a fried chicken sandwich, chicken burger, fries, lo-mein, and a lemon cake of some kind for the birthday girl. I also ordered their hand-crafted lemonade, which I’ll start with. This isn’t your typical lemonade, it had a bit of tang to it – and it was a nice change to the lemonades I’ve tried in the past. The consensus from all five of us was; yum! The burger and sandwich were really amazing. What stuck out was not just the freshness or the “different” twist on these traditional type of dishes, but,  just like the lemonade: this isn’t your typical dish. Marketplace has successfully put their own spin on things, with both spices and ingredients. It was really refreshing to get something a little different, super fresh, and delicious. Being the french fry connoisseurs that we are, we gave them ten thumbs up. The burger and sandwich checked all of the boxes, as did the lo-mein which wasn’t the traditional lo-mein that’s usually a little greasy, it was fresh and light.

Marketplace is easy to find and has great parking. There is seating both inside and outside. The staff is super friendly and the service is quick. The price point is really good, a pretty fair price for what you’re getting. Ten thumbs up from this girls’ group! We’ll be back.