Oliver Smith Restaurant

The Oliver Smith Restaurant at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School is a hidden gem. The restaurant is part of the school’s culinary program and offers great traditional food at very reasonable prices. They sometimes use meat from animals raised in the agricultural program, giving it serious «farm-​to-​table» street cred. The student servers are always very courteous and the Smith Voc staff who supervise them are phenomenal. Some days they have a buffet, other days they have table service. For the rest of the 2013 – 2014 school year they will have a buffet. They are open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and they more or less follow the Northampton school calendar, so when in doubt, call.
If you have dietary restrictions this place might not be for you, especially on buffet days, as few ingredients are listed. They have a child seat, so I can easily bring my youngest child, but last I checked there wasn’t a changing table. They used to post their menu now and then online, and I hope that they will again when they open in fall 2014. If you’re unsure if they are open on a particular day, just call. Their hours are restrictive, they are only open from 10:45 am — 12:15 pm, so plan accordingly. Find a time to go and try it, unless you have crazy-​high expectations, you won’t be disappointed.