The Alvah Stone

Service was excellent, food was very good, and we were treated to a mini wine tasting after asking some questions about the menu. Nice experience! We will be back.

Very good food, on the fancier side but still casual dress code. Very small menu but it’s seasonal so you can always try something new. Only down side is it is a little on the pricier side

I wavered between a 4 and a 5 ONLY because it is pricey — but it is worth it, ultimately, and I know the margin restaurants make is thin. I’ve eaten there three times, and I’m not local; I make a point of going when I’m in the area. Each time I’ve ordered the gnocchi and the salted caramel custard, twice I’ve had the broccoli and the chicken liver mousse, and once a warm, spicy kale salad that I would order again if I saw it on the menu — and I grow and cook buckets of kale in a lot of different ways. This was a knockout. I like to share small plates with other people and then enjoy my own main, and this menu is PERFECT for that. I’m looking forward to going in another season; my visits have all been this fall. I’ve also had bites of the burger, and would order it if I weren’t so crazy about the gnocchi.
The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and not pushy. They accommodate ‘tastes” of their different wines while you decide what you want. Their cocktail menu makes me want to drink my face off, but I am a stick-​in-​the-​mud because their «Old to Alvah» is just straight-​up good (earlier in the season, they had a terrific, complex «‘Ode’ to Alvah.» I’m sure they would have made it for me again though it was off the menu last time I went, but in the meantime I’d had their «Old» and wanted more).
There really aren’t good places to eat near where I live, so it’s worth it to me to save up and go the The Alvah Stone when I’m in the Valley. They are doing great work in a beautiful place. I’ve made reservations every time, and though they say you don’t need them, perhaps some of the issues raised in other reviews could be avoided if you just let them know when you’re coming in. Never had an problem. It’s a cozy little place, and a real treat to visit.

The atmosphere is great and the location absolutely serene. I loved the live music (it was a guy with a guitar and harmonica when we were there; just great!). But, I do have to say the food isn’t as good as I’d expect for the pretentious prices and I’m not a fan of the ridiculously off-​putting upselling by the wait-​staff. I don’t want to relax after a long day while also having to be «firm» multiple times that no, I don’t want like 6 tapas in addition to main meals. I could practically see the dollar signs in his eyes. The food was a-​okay, but nothing out of this world. I’d return, though, for the beautiful experience.

This place is great. It’s pricey otherwise I would go more often. Service is excellent, the setting and ambiance are lovely and the food is delicious. So far I’ve loved everything I’ve tried here. It a real gem.

Food was DELICIOUS, service was impeccable, and the ambiance was so sweet and cozy. We started with the oyster buns, spaghetti squash, wings, and the most succulent cauliflower I’ve ever had. The mains were the delectable monkfish, a perfect gnocchi, and the crispy chicken main which was incredibly tender. GORGEOUS desserts — the salted caramel custard was to die for. Used to live in Napa Valley and I have to say that I’m so happy to have found this place for wonderful flavors and fresh produce to the table.

Really solid food and exceptional service in a fantastic location. Our Stratton Sipper cocktails were delicious, as were the appetizers of pretzel with pimiento cheese and a lovely flaky biscuit. The farro verde was incredibly bright and flavorful, and the crispy skin chicken was juicy. I’d really give this a 4.5 if I could, because the prices are high for the portion sizes, though the ingredients are clearly top-​quality. The smoked salmon was not very interesting — I didn’t taste any smokiness and it was otherwise unflavored. But for the location and the service, I’m rounding up.

Extremely unfriendly staff and manager who is out of touch with the table management. We walked in and made a reservation and were suggested that wait is 45 mins which extended to an hour. On further inquiry the staff suggested that we will have to wait another 15 mins while two tables were sitting empty in the restaurant for half an hours. We requested to speak to manager who started lying that he doesn’t know that we have been waiting even though we saw her staffer talk to her couple of mins ago. Anyways, manager offered us a seat and we politely refused and walked away. A great scenic restaurant waisted by incompetent staff.

If I could I’d give 3 ½ stars.
I love this place, the food is great and the atmosphere and service all deserve five stars,
but the main issue is the PRICE. (I see no logical way they can justify charging nearly 20 bucks for a burger on an english muffin.)
The food and drink prices are ridiculously expensive. Even in a place like San Francisco or NYC they would be considered a lot. Now, that being said, if you can let go of any price concerns you will be happy you came here.
Beautiful setting right on the Saw Mill River in Montague, you can sit outside over the falls or inside and get a lucky window seat. Awesome music playing, generally a collection of old blues tunes, folk music and vintage reggae. My experience is that service has always been pleasant.
The food: The soft baked pretzel with pimento cheese served with pickles is delicious. Goes great with the variety of drinks they have.
The potato rosti is a very nice hasbrown with smoked salmon and everything cream cheese topped with two perfectly (and i mean PERFECTLY) cooked sunny side up eggs. Doesn’t look like a lot on the plate, but it is surprisingly filling. But is it worth a whopping $ 16 bucks? Thats a dinner entre price.
Pastrami sandwich is served basically just pastrami and pickles on toast. But the pickles are home-​made and super crunchy and not sweet, which I like. The meat itself is very good although has the occassional massive patch of fat (which I sometimes is good, sometimes not so much). Comes with a nice cole slaw, but that still does not justify paying $ 17.
The drinks are top-​notch. Bourbon Coffee is perfectly balanced, not too sweet, not too boozey. The bloody mary’s are pretty standard, and a little lack-​luster for how much they are.
10 bucks for a drink is ok, but the serving sizes are small for that price. For ten bucks I’d expect to get at least a pickle in a bloody mary, and maybe a free refill on the coffee.
So, if you’re willing to splurge and price is no issue, you will have a good time and eat some great food.

I had the burger and grits and I thought both were excellent. My son had a chicken dish and he liked that too. The burger was pricey at $ 18 but much better than alternatives I’ve had for less at other establishments. Probably some of the price is for the setting — on a patio overlooking the waterfalls alongside the Montague Book Mill. I will certainly return.

What an absolute hidden gem! So glad I didn’t take the pike but rather took route to home.
Found this place on Unilocal,only wanted a small bite. The staff was so great — been the server and can the bartender/​manager. It sits above a big Creek and is located in an old Mill area.
The hush puppies were the best I’ve tasted since I live down south. The wings were really delightful and deceptively tasty and filling.
I stayed less than an hour, but I can’t wait to go back when I’m in the area. It’s the kind of restaurant I think anybody would want to visit.

Four for an evening dinner on Easter. The restaurant is dark and cozy. Wait staff was professional, courteous and helpful. I had the special sirloin strip, which was served on a cutting board with sweet potato. I enjoyed a yummy soup as an appetizer, a Campfire-​based cocktail, and a Two Roads session IPA. Very nice experience. Strong recommend.

We arrived between the lunch and dinner hours, but they were very accommodating with the food service and I had the House Burger, which did not disappoint. However, the side of Red Potatoes blew me away and could have easily served as the centerpiece of the meal for me! For beverage I enjoyed the Lefties Breakfast brew beer on tap. Very complex palette and a great head that stuck around for a while.
Ken rocks out loud and made us feel very welcome and kept the conversation lively!
Looking forward to returning for a dinner dinning experience!

The Alvah Stone blows every restaurant within a 40 mile radius (with the exception of the Blue Heron) out of the water. There is no competition between any restaurant in pseudo-​foodie Northampton and the Alvah Stone.
I have dined here a few times (for dinner only) and every single thing I have experienced has been nothing sort of perfection.
I don’t even know where to begin to describe the unpretentious, meaningful food with a southern tinge, but I, too, cannot stop thinking about it. If you enjoy eating, please try the Alvah Stone.

I initially intended on writing a very positive review of The Alvah Stone based on my first two visits, but unfortunately based on my most recent 2 visits, I have no choice to write the mediocre review that this restaurant deserves.
The pastrami sandwich, which at one point was truly great, has devolved into a greasy sandwich filled with fatty meat. Three people at my table ordered the pastrami, and all three sandwiches were ¹⁄₃ to ½ fat, and the sandwiches are now apparently being griddled with buttered bread. It isn’t even possible to eat this as a sandwich anymore because the bread is so soaked in butter or oil. Not that you would want to, since the pastrami is so fatty that you really need to remove half of it anyway.
The breakfast sandwich came with oddly cooked meat that was so oversalted that it destroyed any actual taste that it had. The fish sandwich had great fish, but it had so much greasy mayonnaise that it overpowered everything and made it impossible to eat.
Lastly, the cole slaw that comes with sandwiches, which used to be quite good, has devolved into something that seems almost like cole slaw that has been blended into a mayonnaise-​like runny paste.
Combining the drastic decline in the food with the fact that it isn’t inexpensive for the area, and is located very out of the way, I have a hard time imaging returning to The Alvah Stone any time soon.

That was some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. Period. I can’t think of a place on this continent where I’d rather go in hopes of finding a delicious, creative meal. We had tilefish prepared with kohlrabi marinated in coconut milk, and clams served over gold rice andouille and pork shoulder. There’s delicious bar food; we had oyster sliders & corn fritters. There’s beer and wine; we had the newest Jacks Abbey offering and a local Trappist beer. And there’s dessert, lovingly prepared and not too sweet. And if that’s not enought, the place is built on top of the works of an old river mill. Not at all expensive or presumptuous like a Boston version might be expected to be.
We ventured out here because of the used book store next door, but when we drive the 100 miles again it will be for the food! Another New England hidden gem.

I’m not really a foodie but I can enjoy a good meal. I was with three others and we all agreed that this place was very good. Appetizers that we enjoyed were the heirloom tomato salad and the wings. The heirloom salad was the right combo of savory tomatoes and some sweet melon and mint mixed in. We split it four ways and I was wishing for the whole plate. We also shared the wings and they were very good with a savory sauce too them.
I ordered the burger. Actually, the bun was a bit hard. I normally only eat half the bun anyhow so I didn’t eat the harder top. The meat was tender and delicious.
The server offered dessert and we all declined. He actually brought us the two desserts free of charge. Wow. What a treat!
Great food, great atmosphere. Only drawback was the limited menu. It was a bit small. But what we had we really enjoyed.

Underwhelming experience (aside from the awesome location and other amazing shops nearby). With such a dramatic location, I expected amazing food from this hyped up place.
But sadly it’s wanna-​be-​fancy-​expensive and the food is… blah. Nothing stood out. I was hungry but didn’t finish anything, which is saying a lot for me. The menu needs a complete overhaul. Get simple, clean up all the extras… we all know that’s in there to add fancy words and extra cost. Why aren’t there food trucks around here?

I can’t stop thinking about my meal here. The food, ambiance, and entire experience here has touched my soul in a way that very few restaurants have. And for a self-​professed food snob who has spent a significant portion of his total wages on dining out, I don’t often get this feeling. Thank you Howard Wein and entire staff of The Alvah Stone for following your passions in life and infusing pure, unadulterated love into everything that you do here.
We arrived around 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon and were immediately drawn to their deck patio overlooking the roaring river. The menu options were limited because they were in between lunch and dinner services, but our server was really friendly and made us feel right as home. We saw another table get the pretzel and deviled eggs, both standard small bite fare at many an American restaurant, so we tried to order both but they only had the deviled eggs left. Any place that house cures their own bacon is a place after my own heart, and when I saw the beautiful fat glistening off this perfectly constructed deviled egg, I knew this place was very special. Yeah sure it’s pricey to charge $ 5 bucks for two boiled egg halves, but honestly it was worth every cent. The perfectly complimentary and contrasting flavors and textures in this glorious bite has forever changed the way I look at this standard home BBQ appetizer. You could taste the freshness and quality of every single component of this simple dish. From the rich and luxurious bacon, to the wonderfully crisp fried shallots, to the subtle snap from the minced chives, to the local farm fresh egg yolk and white, these basic ingredients coalesced to form an orgasmic symphony of pure bliss. We had intentions of heading back to the famously foodie-​centric Northampton for dinner, but after that bite I knew I had to stay and experience their real menu further.
Stepping away from the food for a moment, the staff and overall service received from every single person working at this establishment was bar-​none. Not really sure what other Unilocalers might have experienced on the service front, but I think those negative comments can be blamed on a new restaurant’s growing pains. Having just opened in April 2014, we fortunately timed it right and it’s clear that The Alvah Stone is hitting their stride. The owner, Howard Wein, was even kind enough to stop at our table as he was arriving at his restaurant for dinner service and introduce himself. Don’t let his intimidating look and fierce beard deter you from talking to him, he is a friendly and passionate man that is a true professional.
Not being from the area, we decided to share a bunch of dishes to get the most of out this seasonal, locally sourced menu. I learned that the menu changes multiple times throughout the week and is driven by what local ingredients are fresh and available. This approach to cooking reminds me of Italy, where every dish was prepared in such a simple manner to highlight the quality of the seasonal ingredients. We started with the pretzel, chicken liver mousse, and gnocchi. The pretzel tasted like it was made moments before coming to our table, with a mix of poppy seeds and coarse salt that paired perfectly with the crisp egg wash outer crust and airy interior dough. The beer cheese was a runny béchamel sauce that didn’t try to overpower your palette with intense salty flavors. Check out the photo they posted to their Unilocal page and I dare you to tell me that is not the most gorgeous pretzel you have ever laid eyes on! The mousse was delightfully creamy and only had a tinge of that livery, irony flavor to it. Mild and luscious, this mousse was some of the best I’ve ever had and the house pickled veggies were a great palette cleanser in between bites of artisan sourdough bread. The gnocchi were executed to perfection and I’m amazed that a starchy potato could ever come out as light and pillowy like a marshmallow. The garlic, brown butter crumbs, and black pepper ricotta rounded out the flavors in this utterly delicious dish. I saw one table send his gnocchi back to the kitchen pretty much untouched, and I have no idea what the hell was his problem. I absolutely loved every single morsel. The fried oyster sliders were another perfect bite dish, with beautifully contrasting flavors sandwiched between the most perfect mini brioche bun. Sheer gourmet slider perfection. We split the burger, which came on an english muffin, which was crafted by a master bread baker. The meat itself had the texture of beef tartar and was literally oozing flavorful juices that made each bite better than the last.
The alfresco ambiance of eating this glorious food while overlooking the roaring Sawmill river creates a truly magical setting. This place is unpretentious and the cuisine is honest and truly amazing. Every restaurant serving modern American fare should strive to reach this level of dining perfection. I’m still thinking about our meal and can’t wait to come back.

My boyfriend took me to The Alvah Stone to celebrate the end of a long and grueling school year. We sat out on the patio on the first nice night of the season, which I highly recommend doing, provided you cover up. I was wearing a shorter dress, and left with a few bug bites. But it was entirely worth it. The restaurant’s patio is lit up with tiny, twinkling lights and overlooks the river and waterfall, where the Montague Miill used to be. Also, halfway through dessert we saw a bald eagle — YES, A BALD EAGLE — flying up the river. What are two bite-​ridden thighs compared to a romantic atmosphere and A BALD EAGLE?
They’ve got a full bar with some unique cocktails on their menu. I’ve tried their martini infused with cucumber-​lavendar-​infused vodka, their Old to Alvah (an old fashioned-​esque cocktail where they light an orange peel on fire), and their cilantro-​infused white rum cocktail. You can really taste the infusions in the liquor, which is pretty cool, although I wasn’t too fond of the cilantro taste in my cocktail. Personal preference thing.
For my first visit I shared a bunch of their snack plates and small plates. I definitely recommend doing dinner this way at The Alvah Stone. There are so many things to try, and instead of trying two entrees and an appetizer, my boyfriend and I were able to knock back six different dishes. My favorites were the gnocchi — amazingly light, puffy pillows with local rake and goat cheese ricotta and black pepper — and the yogurt panna cotta — tangy, not-​too-​sweet, and creamy. (Small disclaimer: things can get a bit pricey, but it’s worth it!)
We had so much fun; we ended up going back that same weekend. The hostess remembered us (she’s so nice!) and was able to get us a table inside (away from the bugs and pollen) despite the weekend/​graduation dinner rush. In that short time that we’d been away, the menu was updated with new local ingredients that were in season. I have never had fiddleheads before, nor would I ever paired pork belly and squid together, but both were amazing!
In conclusion, the ever-​changing menu, delicious food from local ingredients, romantic ambiance, creative cocktails, and a chance to see A BALD EAGLE makes The Alvah Stone definite must try when in the Pioneer Valley area.