The Marketplace Kitchen

Went to the Marketplace more times during high school than I can count. Friendly people, but even better, such great food. Love the Turkey Avocado Panini, the Naked Granny salad, and the Ol’ Yeler breakfast sandwich. Also great cookies and layer bars. Sheffield is a very small town, but the Marketplace is reason enough to visit!

I’ve been to the Market Place for Lunch for or five times. Each time I leave annoyed and disappointed. Why do I keep going back? It’s the only place around and I hope it has changed. It hasn’t. The tuna salad is always too salty, as is the quinoa salad. The pasta salad is always very dry. While the soup is generally good, the sandwiches are sadly lame. Today, I had a turkey panini, which barely had any turkey on it. And the pieces of turkey that were in the sandwich were awful — gristle, skin, other stuff you can’t chew or swallow. yuck. The «avocado spread» on the sandwich is really mayo– it doesn’t look, taste or smell like anything close to avocado. The bread was stale and the panini was barely toasted. Business at the restaurant seems to be booming, so I assume they rushed my sandwich through the panini press and it seems they have no incentive to complain. But I’ll put my two cents out there because there are many many better options in Great Barrington.

Spent a weekend in The Berkshires and beyond the beautiful scenery and quaintness of the place itself, this little café became an integral part of our adventures. It was the first introduction to the town when stepping off the bus and then was a must-​stop every day thereafter.
The little salads in their makeshift deli «case» are fantastic, especially the quinoa/​edamame one! I loved the roasted chicken with toasted garlic skin, which went perfectly with the pumpkin bisque soup. Ahhhhh, fall! Speaking of, the pumpkin spice latte was a rich, frothy delight on a crisp day. The veggie sandwich/​burger was a dynamite ending to a weekend’s worth of home-​cooked bites!
The gents hustling behind the counter are super friendly and lovely to banter with while waiting for your goodies.
Find/​like them on FB for their word of the day for complimentary offerings (and a little knowledge)!

The atmosphere is inviting, clean, and modern. The beverage selection is awesome, I love natural sodas, and I just wanted to try everything in the beverage fridge. I didn’t try any of the salads but they all looked delicious. I got a panini with tomato, pesto and mozzarella. The bread tasted so soft and fresh, and the sandwich was awesome!

I am a Sheffield resident and I can’t believe it’s taken me three YEARS to write a review of the place I haunt.
I love the Marketplace.
I love the delicious breakfast burritos
I love the chicken salad on a salad
I love the espresso
I love the soups, especially their clam chowder and their hearty meat chili
I love the brownies and other sweet treats
I love that each server has his/​her own Pandora station (all, save one, of which I enjoy!)
I love the patio
I love the wifi
I love their line of house-​made chocolates
I love that I have a place to take my out-​of-​town guests to that never let’s me down and always does me proud.
But most importantly…(drum roll please)
I LOVE THE SERVERS AND THE SERVICE!
I read one review here that said, «four stars for food but only one for service.» It’s funny how opposite my feeling is about the staff. I actually, truly, LOVE them. I know most of their names; most of them know mine; they know how I take my coffee and how I like my breakfast burrito (gooey with that avocado crema and an extra bit of chorizo!); I tease and flirt with them, they tease and flirt right back with me; they ask me how I’m doing and actually want to know. I don’t know what their vetting process is for their staff… but whatever it is… it’s working.
Yes…the service can be a WEE bit slow, and the order line can take a bit of time… but you’re in the country for god’s sake! If you want super-​fast service go to Manhattan.
Chill out… take a breath… enjoy this lovely oasis in Sheffield.

The food is very good and fresh, but a bit expensive for what it is. I was surprised to order a turkey, bacon and avocado sandwich and it came with very little turkey almost no avocado and nothing on the side, no handful of salad or pasta salad. It seemed a bit plain for the cost.
Although there were 3 employees working, most of the tables were dirty and the napkin dispenser empty. The woman at the register was unfriendly. The register/​counter area is so overcrowded with items its hard to know what anything costs.
I would give this place 5 stars based on the taste of the food. But they seriously need a very good food manager to re vamp their register/​paying process and navigation of the little seating area.
This same restaurant in Pittsfield has a much better lay out. A little re modeling could go a long way here.

Great food, friendly staff. All around great spot. I can’t get enough of the B.K.T. Bacon, kale and tomato sandwich on multigrain bread. So smurfing good. Highly recommended. It’s a new discovery for me, I had driven past this place hundreds of times and wish I had stopped in earlier. Do yourself a favor and go right now.

Best sandwich spot in South County, hands down. Fresh, local ingredients, large menu, Something here for everyone. It’s a little on the expensive side but I think that’s justified by the quality of the food. They catered my wedding as well, and really did a great job. Apparently they are doing live music and beers and stuff at night — haven’t had a chance to check that out yet but would like to at some point in the near future.

This place is hidden off of the main street in Sheffield. I am sort of happy about that, as it is a great find and does get crowded, so it is the sort of place that locals want to keep for themselves.
Great sandwiches, delicious and interesting sides, and altoghether a fun place to stop in for lunch. As others have said, the grilled cheese is good, the chicken salads nice, the sandwiches are interesting combinations. Okay, the servers get a bit overwhelmed at times, but that’s forgiveable considering the quality of the food. You can also find some of their dishes (like the wonderful risotto cakes) at Guido’s market down the road in Great Barrington.

We’re so glad The Marketplace is here!!! Sure it’s the only gig in town, but it’s realllly gooood! These days I’m loving the «naked granny» salad: field greens, green apples, walnuts, goat cheese. And of course the soups are always delish. My 5 year old loves the grilled cheese and the hot chocolate is divine. I also appreciate the extra effort they make with things like the Tuesday dinner take outs.

I stopped in on during a day trip up to MA back in December. It’s located off the main road, somewhat hard to see, but not being from the area, I still managed to find it. The café itself was rather plain, yet welcoming and cleanly. Customer service was average, not remarkable. What was memorable however was the drink that I had. BEST HOT CHOCOLATE EVER! It was absolutely incredible. The flavor of it was subtle, similar to hot fudge, but somehow it was mildly sweet and not overly thick or sugary. It was light and rich at the same time. I don’t recall the name of it on the menu (it had a cute sounding title, as many of the drinks and sandwiches do here) but hopefully it is something they serve year round and not just for the holidays. It really made my day and it was cheap, around $ 2, because it was on special that day. If I’m in the area again I would definitely stop back to have another. Maybe two.

The Marketplace Café is tucked away on Elm Court, just off Route 7 in downtown Sheffield. A small black sign marks its location, but blink and you’ll miss it.
Having worked in Sheffield for almost two years, I’ve been to the Marketplace on several occasions. It’s a really popular spot; every time I’ve been, it’s been packed with people. But then again, this is Sheffield, and it’s the only place to eat lunch…
The main draw to the Marketplace is its selection of sandwiches, but they also offer dinner specials and an assortment of desserts and specialty coffee. They support local and regional brands, like Tommy’s Naked Soda, which gives the place that crunchy granola vibe so typical of Berkshire businesses.
Most recently, I tried the grilled cheese of the day with a tomato. For $ 6.42, I got a huge sandwich packed with cheese on challah bread. It was at least an inch thick, probably the largest grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever had. I’m not sure what kind of cheese was used, but it didn’t taste like it was cheap or of low quality. I think there was also mayonnaise spread on the sandwich, which is an interesting touch for grilled cheese. Unfortunately, the sandwich wasn’t hot when I picked it up, but I can’t blame the café for this since I called in my order pretty early.
Of the sandwiches I’ve tried here, I think the grilled cheese is definitely the best. I’ve also had the city boy wrap (back when I ate meat), and although it was good, it was sloppy and drippy and was messier than it was worth. I’ve also had the hummus and apple wrap, which is really good, but it left me with stomach pains after I ate it, so I can’t really recommend it.
The worst thing about the Marketplace Café is the customer service. The people behind the counter are very friendly, but the service is incredibly slow. Even at the busiest points in the day, there is only one person working at the cash register. When I call in an order for pick up, I’m waiting at least 15 minutes to get the food I ordered once I get to the café. This is not because the food hasn’t already been prepared; it’s because I have to wait in line behind the other people who are still placing their orders. I think the Marketplace would be a lot more efficient if they had two lines, one for people placing initial orders, and one for people who are just picking up something that’s already been ordered. And if you haven’t called in your order in advance, just forget it. You could be waiting for a half hour just to get a sandwich. On top of this, the interior of the Marketplace is small, so only a few patrons can eat inside. There is some outdoor seating, but of course, it’s weather-​dependent. If there was another lunch choice in Sheffield, I would never go to the Marketplace simply because their lack of efficiency is irritating.
With all of that in mind, I’d give the Marketplace three or four stars for the food, but only one for the customer service. As good as some of the food is, it’s not worth the wait or the hassle.