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Packard's
Categories: Nightlife Bars Nightlife Pool Halls Restaurants American (Traditional) Bars, Pool Halls, American (Traditional) [Edit]
14 Masonic StNorthampton, MA 01063
(413) 584-5957
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Late Night
- Best Nights:
- Fri
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
Robbie H. said: "Wow! Never knew such a gem was tucked away right there. Based solely on the name I assumed some sort of southwestern styled place or something with pub grub, but you know what they say about assuming. Instead, I was in a very trendy,…" read more »
23 reviews for Packard's
Review Highlights
"Fried bar food is awesome comfort food, really."
(in 3 reviews)
"Trust me, the small nachos will feed two."
(in 3 reviews)
"The selection of beers on tap is freaking excellent."
(in 4 reviews)
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23 reviews in English
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Review from A.J. C.
Alpine, CA
9/3/2011
An awesome pub bar! Always a great place to go relax or hang out with friends in the evening. The whiskey sours and a drink called 'Turtle Balls' are super good. I think my friends and I came here at least once a week during our entire senior year at Smith.
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Review from David P.
Northampton, MA
12/18/2011
Let's be honest, the food at Packard's isn't good, unless you absolutely love just frying random items and eating them. But, it's a popular hangout and generally good atmosphere that's a cross between dive and pub. Better to go for drinks and appetizers than a meal. For the price, there are countless better options in Northampton.
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Review from Melanie B.
Santa Clara, CA
7/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
I definitely wasn't a big fan of this place. I love the decor. The whole place has signs of old businesses that has failed in Northampton. I thought the idea was very clever and cute. My rating for the one star will fall on the unsatisfied food experience here.
I ordered a prosciutto panini sandwich. The sandwich was so salty that I only ate 25% of it. The spicy fries weren't spicy and a bit too over fried. Definitely a good place to grab drinks but I can pass on the food! -
Review from Rob S.
Amherst, MA
8/2/2011
OK - Please read the entire review before making any judgements.
I have lived in the Pioneer Valley going on 15 years now and yesterday was my first try at Packard's. I took my wife and two small children on the advice of friends who have children the same age.
We knew parking would be a disaster during holiday time in Northampton, so we chose 11:45am on a Sunday to go.
When we walked in, we were the only folks in the place looking to eat lunch. So, we assumed the service would be outstanding and we'd be in and out of there efficiently. We all know what happens when one assumes...
We had to sit in the back dining room due to our need for a highchair...but remember, we were the ONLY diners in the place. After the first 20 min of sitting in silence, the waitress took our drink order..it came...we drank...then silence again for another 20 min.
By the time we ordered, we hardley cared. We got wings to start and burgers to follow...praying the kids didn't melt down.
The food was good, and I'm sure it's a fun place to go when full - perhaps we just hit it at the wrong time.
Our experience was so bad, I almost forgot to say the wings and blue cheese (homemade) were outstanding...they're different...char-broiled, tips on (I love that) and not greasy at all.
We'll go back...for sure...but perhaps after we've had a snack someplace else.
Three stars for the wings!!! We'll have to go again to see how the food/experience is really like. -
Review from JW M.
Northampton, MA
4/29/2011
You're thinking of eating at Packard's? Seriously?
I mean, yeah, I've eaten here too, plenty of times. But for one of two reasons. Either, it's a big group of people out drinking beer together, and food is an afterthought; or, two, it's after 10 or 11 at night and there's nowhere else in town to sit down for a meal. (Well, Sierra Grille, but maybe that's packed, if it's a weekend, or it's too expensive, or out of the way.) As a place to drink beer, Packard's is acceptable, but the food is plain bad. Fries? Soggy, generic, just sad when you think about the amazing Belgian-style fries at Sierra or the Dirty Truth. Sandwiches? Everything is so slathered in some over-sweet sauce, it hardly matters if it's chicken or beef or pork in there. Wing's? Go to Joe's Pizza. Salads? Please. Chili? Well, ok, the chili is ok. With jalapenos out of a jar, but ok.
But let's be honest, nobody thinking of going to Packard's is reading Yelp reviews. You're going there to play pool and have some beer and maybe smoke out in the courtyard and, oh right, have a sandwich or something. In which case great, you'll have a good time. But if you're under the illusion you'd go there to eat, think again. -
Review from Chelsea R.
Northampton, MA
6/11/2011
First off...I'm new to Yelp so I don't know if there is a way to let administrators know, but there are two pages for Packard's getting reviews: one with the apostrophe, and one without. The sign out front has an apostrophe.
I love going to Packard's. Especially after a night at work, and also especially for lunch with the boyfriend when we can't decide where else to go. It's pub food, but the menu is gigantic (and humorously written!). Burgers, the 1/2 panini with soup/salad AND chips and salsa, dragon fries, a deep fried burger? We joke that they must have 15 fryers back there...but if I'm in the mood to go to Packard's, I'm okay with that. Drunk-me can never avoid the Mexican fries, but that's because they come with cheese sauce. Drunk-me is a total sucker for cheese sauce. The food is not gourmet...but come on. It's a pub with a huge menu - give them some credit; eat your fried food and love it.
The staff is always so friendly. There is a patio for smoking outside. The decor is mostly made up of old signage from around town, almost like a Fridays but immensely better. Plenty of pool tables if that's your thing. Good amount of beers on draft, pretty extensive bottled list. As a tiny complaint, my mojito was too sweet - I'd get it with less simple syrup next time. -
Review from Greg H.
Easthampton, MA
3/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
I come here a bit for comfort foods... Fried bar food is awesome comfort food, really. They have a wide variety of veggie fried foods, as well, and are also willing to customize orders. (The customer is boss is proudly displayed in the menu.) The quality of the food is solid and they don't skimp on the portions. (Trust me, the small nachos will feed two... I haven't had the large, but I imagine they're about the size of the table.)
It got neat, quirky decor, comfortable and casual. the staff has ALWAYS been friendly, and good at taking care of me. I'm sure I'll come here often once I move to town. -
Review from Kit S.
Los Angeles, CA
10/8/2006
If you've been in Western Mass for an extended period of time and haven't been to karaoke night at Packard's, you basically haven't lived. There are good times to be had here, and they are yours for the taking. C'mon, you get: $3 beer specials, MAGIC HAT, the legendary blooming onion, pool tables upstrais, the chicken "tendas" that you would sell your grandmother for ... plus all the servers are sassypants and will rag on you like you're family.
One summer I made Packard's my unofficial headquarters and I am still recovering, but happily so. Trust me, check it out and before long they will recognize you and you won't even have to open the menu anymore.Listed in: Old Haunts in Western Mass
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Review from Tommy G.
Holyoke, MA
11/13/2007
This bar/restaurant is pretty cool. One side of the 1st floor is a restaurant cooking up some delicious food on the grill. I had the "Chicken Tendas", and I must say they are some of the greatest chicken tenders I have ever had : ) made with real chicken!!! The selection of beers on tap is freaking excellent! The spicy fries are really good too!
There are billiard tables up on the second and third floors. Watch what you do, because they are video taped, and if you spill a drink on the table not only did you lose all that precious alcohol, but Packard's is going to charge you $250.00!!! Keep in mind that this is also a good thing, because the tables are in good condition. If you plan on playing on the billiard tables be sure to bring more than a few dollars in quarters, because it will run you $10/hour.
I hate the diamond plate walls on the bathrooms... it is ridiculous. It is seriously all over, even in front of the urinal... which is odd, because I could see the reflection of my junk while I was taking a leak.
The touch-tunes machine upstairs is awesome! Tons of music such as the Dillinger Escape Plan, Misfits, Dead Kennedys, and others!!!
They don't get five stars because of the diamond plate bathrooms... if you don't know what diamond plate is check out this link - http://www.pickuptruck... it's just like a freaking truck box!!! -
Review from alexandra f.
New York, NY
8/12/2008
Packard's has shitty burgers, shitty service, and even shitter drink choices.
Screw this place. It's a nasty local watering hole anyway. -
Review from Stephen P.
Boston, MA
2/13/2009 1 photo
Big but cramped, smoke free but dingy, tons of waitresses but no service...
Decent draft selection of watered down beers and a bar with most standard liquors... 50/50 chance you'll get a decent pull of BBC vs an atrocious one... and equal odds of a 1oz jack 8oz coke mix vs 8 jack 1 coke... they have pool upstairs (2nd and 3rd floors) and a semi-isolated backroom eating area...
Packard's would be three stars were it located elsewhere... but in Northampton there exists a myriad of better and equivalently priced choices... why go here when there's infinitely better options mere feet down the block?
Wander around Northampton, you'll bump into something better, cheaper and more reliable... -
Review from Will P.
Cedar Rapids, IA
12/6/2007
good prices, typical bar food. There are a few too many trinkets on the wall, but it's okay.
They have quite a few beers on tap, but they are all very similar. I guess Northampton has a lot of discriminating light ale drinkers. -
Review from Alex H.
Monrovia, CA
7/23/2011
I used to come here after work for a beer and some fried food. They win on both accounts. This is neither fancy beer nor fancy food, but if you want simple late-night eats and drinks...come here.
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Review from Jason M.
Northampton, MA
12/18/2010
I don't drink, which apparently makes the food tolerable. Never been somewhere that can mess up a hamburger so consistently (medium rare = sandpaper overcooked every time).
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Review from Sonya S.
Oakland, CA
7/13/2008
I'm a new arrivee to Northampton. Before coming here, I lived in Oakland, which has scads of bars, restaurants, and cafes. None there, can match Packard's for food, atmosphere, and especially,
service.
Packard's is the place to go in downtown Noho, if you want good hardy food. Don't get me wrong, I like salads and such, as much as the next person. But sometimes, you gotta have grub that sticks to your ribs.
Speaking of ribs, Packard's BBQ pork ribs are among the best I've had in a restaurant. They serve them fork-tender, with a sweet, tangy BBQ sauce. BBQ rib-lovers won't be disappointed.
Other notable items on their menu, are their grilled chicken Teriyaki, fish and chips, clam chowder, lobster bisque, and new york strip steak. All of their dinners come with choice of soup or salad, and various side dishes.
Though I don't drink, I see that their bar is usually full of happy patrons. It's got a rustic, old-time Tavern ambiance. A big-screen TV, and a jukebox, help keep the bar patrons entertained. Packard's also has a small patio, for those who wish to enjoy their food and drinks outdoors.
Packard's also boasts a wonderfully eccentric decor. Musical instruments, neon signs, and intriguing artifacts adorn the walls. The service is top-notch too. It's quick, and the waitresses treat their customers like old friends. Service like that, is mostly nonexistent these days. It's refreshing, to be treated like your satisfaction as a customer, means alot to them.
I highly recommend Packard's. It's among the best, of downtown Noho's bar/cafes. -
Review from christina P.
Boston, MA
1/22/2010
Great local spot- really awesome american food menu- pay attention to the detailed, illustrated menu- REALLY cool touch. The decor is awesome if you just have a look at all the interesting doodads on the walls.
Excellent draft beer selection- reasonably priced.
They always have a big crowd... mix of all sorts of people... this place has been around forever and that is definitely for a reason!
Stop in -try the nachos or a burger or just have a brew!
I love this place!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -
Review from brooke m.
Houston, TX
7/26/2008
Unpretentious, roomy, good drinks, even better food. If you want an actual mountain of nachos, come here. I miss this place.
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Review from Stephanie M.
Sacramento, CA
7/11/2008
Silly kids, nobody goes to Packard's for the FOOD. They go for the drinks that will put your brother the quarterback into the gutter. Enough said.
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Review from Alexis K.
8/11/2007
Packard's is great if you have under-21 people with you (which was me during my entire stint at Smith) but the rest of the crowd is over 21 and wants to drink. The food is greasy bar food, some it's a little pricey IMO. Karaoke is fun here; when we went, there was an older gentleman who sang "Only Fools Rush In" while my group picked "Wannabe."
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Review from Q S.
Somerville, MA
9/2/2008
Nothing special here. I don't even know why people come here. I've been dragged here a couple of times, but mostly to watch the Sox play on their big screen TV in the back. Food is average, very small beer selection.
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Review from Dan S.
New York, NY
10/13/2009
A wannabe Raleigh's in a wannabe Berkeley. With shitty service to match.
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Review from Monica S.
Cedar Rapids, IA
11/15/2007
The food is actually pretty good if you want a giant delicious burger and a cheap beer. The decor is like what TGIF was trying to do, but real, with weird vintage paintings and strange decals from age old northampton. It's a fun place to play darts on the second floor if you're up for drinking, but the bar in the front can get a little crowded. Overall, fun place, great greasey-type food, and reasonably priced beer.
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Review from Joshua M.
Seattle, WA
7/5/2008
This review is for the dining experience. I've found it overall just OK. The decor is tacky but somewhat interesting. The lighting is moody if a bit dark. The service is promptish. The food is sort of what you'd expect: except for the salt and vinegar fries. Is it normal for these to be regular fries with a bottle of vinegar and a salt shaker next to them? Weird.
