Purple Pub

This is a go-to place in Williamstown. Good beer selection which changes often. Delicious burgers. Totally bummed they ended $5 burger night.

This place blows. And unfortunately, due to my regional constraints and the proximity of this place to the college, I'm sure I'll be stuck going here occasionally with colleagues. Here's why it stinks:

1) It's expensive. For what you get, it's easily $3-4 more expensive per entree than what it's worth. No salad with chicken is worth $16. Beers are equivalently priced for the region, mixed drinks and top-shelf are expensive.

2) The waitstaff is generally pretty poor. Even when this place is absolutely not busy, they are super slow and inattentive. I waited 45 min for a salad. Let me say that again, I waited 45 min for a salad. If it's the cooks, fine. But at least acknowledge that you hosed my lunch hour.

3) This place has all the charm of a Chili's without the chili pepper motif. There is literally nothing in the bar that makes you think that they thought about design or comfort of anyone. Save for a hockey stick and a football jersey, this place has no defining features beyond the ubiquitous flat screen TVs. Go Ephs. Go elsewhere.

4) On busy nights, not enough bartenders, and they don't know how to mix drinks. Beers are fine.

On the good side (this is what grudgingly earned them my 2 stars):

1) The food is ok, I'd say that some of it ironically is better than Hops and Vines down the road. The Cuban is particularly good.

2) The patio is nice in the summer.

Here are things you could do other than eat here: 1) Go to public in north adams, they have some issues but it's easily 30% cheaper and the food is equivalent or better 2) Have a drink at Mezze, and they have summer bar menu usually  3) Go across the street to the liquor store, buy a 6 pack and find absolutely anywhere else on campus to have said drink with friends. Papa Charlies is also a good alternative, sans liquor.

Tucked back from the main street, the Purple Pub a pretty typical pub-ing place for local pupils to partake in a pint.  A bit of a loud space, but the bar is massive and there is plenty of seating for in-cohesive conversing or (more likely) watching the game on the gigantic flat screen behind the bar.

Our Saturday evening visit included: an impressive wait to be noticed by the moody bartendress, crowd-gauking at the televised basketball dunkathon, more raised eye browing from our o-so-patient bartendress, and then (around 10pm) local music provided at a head-splitting volume (clearly turned up to 11, Nigel would have been pleased).  The musician was talented, but almost too loud to listen to (dude, go to an open mic venue where you'll be appreciated, not this bro-hole).

If you're looking for a place to get plastered and perform the parking lot pukey prance then PP might just be perfect.  Drink up, underclassmen (you're going to need it for your reality check in the morning).  On the bright side, drafts were about $5 each (pennies!).