My sister and I stopped here for dinner tonight on our way to a concert at MassMOCA. I ordered the chicken kabobs, the chicken was DELICIOUS! Well seasoned and tender. The herbed salad that came with it was a perfect accompaniment. My sister had the steak and roasted potatoes. She enjoyed the food very much. One of the pieces of meat was mostly gristle, but when she asked for another piece the restaurant happily agreed. I asked the waiter (possibly owner?) what the marinade for the chicken was, because I enjoyed it so much. He graciously shared the information with me. I will definitely eat here again!! read more

Short review: if you like food with flavor, don't waste your money here Long review: There are many lessons in this review. I came here because I was starving and google reviews gave it 4.3 star reviews and it was right before their 3pm closure.... I'm never trusting google reviews again. This was my first and last time doing that. So lesson #1 don't always trust google reviews. Lesson #2 don't decide on a place to eat while you're starving, esp because you are trying to catch them before they close. If this was my first time trying mediterranean food I would be turn off of this cuisine forever. I was very disappointed with the food here. The only chips they had were kettled cooked potato chips you can buy in any convenience store. If I asked for chips in a mediterranean restaurant the I would expect the answer to be pita chips NOT kettle cooked potato chips. The falafel appetiser was more like baked puff balls. Inside was moist. Wasn't till we got the bill we noticed it had spinach in it which is not a traditional ingredient. I went with the lamb burger because the waiter said it's a popular ordered item. It was the blandest lamb burger I've ever had, the sauce that it comes with was the only thing saving it but barely. The bread was dry. The sweet potato wedges looked liked they were steamed or boiled? I'm not even sure, no salt, I was expecting baked or fried wedges. So lesson #3 is just because it's a popular order doesn't mean it's actually good. I highly doubt a returning costumer orders this a second time. The house salad was drenched in dressing, couldn't finish it (doesn't appear so in the photos but it was too much once mixed around) Service was ok, needs some work. Ambience was nice. read more

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The food was absolutely delicious...once we finally received it. And by "finally," I mean I'm fairly certain the kitchen was waiting for the ingredients to be harvested, transported by horse, and blessed by a local priest. We waited so long that I briefly forgot what I had ordered. At one point, I was considering just moving into the restaurant because apparently I was going to be there for the foreseeable future. To be fair, the food was excellent. But if you're hungry, bring a snack, a book, and possibly a change of clothes. read more

We gave this restaurant a second chance recently. We had the Plates Platter, Chicken Kabob Wrap, Mediterranean Bowl with chicken, and a Traditional Gyro. The Plates Platter (falafel, spanakopita, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, babaghanoush and pita bread) was a waste of money. The standout was the hummus, which was was quite good. As for the rest: the grape leaves were so cold it felt like they had just been pulled from a refrigerator; the falafel was like a hockey puck and inedible; the babaghanoush was lackluster in flavor and inedible. The spanakopita was passable, more spinach than anything else -- maybe trace amounts of feta. $29.00 for a "platter" is not the end of the world. But it is an insult to the diner when the offerings are so substandard. The platter overall gets a C-. Nothing else we ordered was edible: The chicken in the chicken kabob wrap was dry and insipid. The wrap itself was a very uninspired flour-y concoction. The chicken added on to the Mediterranean Bowl was dry and unseasoned. The rest of the bowl, especially the black rice and quinoa, were saturated in a very pungent vinaigrette. The undercooked fava beans were coated in some type of sumac spice that was overpowering and rendered them inedible. The Traditional Gyro was filled with what I can only describe as "mystery meat." No lamb or beef we have ever had in the Mediterranean region resembled this concoction. Again, the actual pita used for theses sandwiches is doughy and uninspired. We spent over $100 and left hungry. I guess they have a captive audience in Williamstown with anyone associated with Williams College or visitors to the nearby Clark Institute of Art. Otherwise, they would be out of business. read more

Great service, ambiance, and food. Group of 4 stopping by for a sit down lunch and everything was great! There were two menus to pick from that offered a variety of items for everyone to choose from. Appetizer platter was a great choice to try a little bit of everything and the falafel was one of the crunchiest and flavorful falafels I've ever had. Super cute inside. Lots of street parking. read more

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The food was excellent! But the service was abysmal. Our server forgot our appetizers. It seemed to really confuse her when we told her. She wrote down my drink order, but then didn't know what it was. read more

We stopped in on Sunday shortly after three PM the doors were open but similar to several of the restaurants they were closed at 3 and reopening at 5. We decided to stop back on Monday and were very pleased. The drinks were delicious the lamb burger and lamb shank had so much flavor!!! Highly recommend stopping by and checking them out. The lamb burger was perfectly seasoned, the rice with the lamb shank was absolutely amazing. Stop in and check out this hidden gem! read more

Plates Mediterranean Bistro - Burbon blackberry smash, salad from the lamb burger - Mediterranean Near Me - Williamstown, Massachusetts

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Went there for lunch. I had an absolutely delicious beet and goat cheese salad with chicken kebab. Guests had gyros (one lamb and chicken) and liked them. Partner had spanokopita app and reported it well done. Didn't check wine list out. Street parking plentiful. Nice spot read more

Having fallen in love with Greek Mediterranean food while sailing in the greek islands we were so happy to locate a "REAL DEAL" med restaurant and our surprise only escalated to pure joy as we entered. The decor and smells as we entered brought back being in the med the staff was superb the flavors were spot on the chicken shawarma was perfect as could be.you will not be disappointed if you like Mediterranean style food this is the place for you read more

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Lamb burger and salad, horseradis-like sauce on the burger, very unusual, so much flavor! Kind young servers and lovely quiet music atmosphere. read more

We really enjoyed our lunch at Pera. The food was very good, and it was all freshly made. The dip and pita portion was the standout. They make a dip, muhammara, with peppers and chilis that was excellent, and the hummus was also very good. The falafel was tasty, although it was a bit soft in the middle, as if it should have cooked a bit more. The potato borek was yummy. I believe it was fried, which surprised me. The place is cute and clean. The service was good. We were a bit surprised when we realized that our server was also our cook! We asked and he was short of help. We were impressed with how he handled it all. One small disappointment was that they were out of dolmas, which we were looking forward to. I'd go back if I was in the area. If you like this type of food, give it a try. read more

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The food was some of the least delicious Mediterranean food I've ever had, and it was overpriced. Everything we ordered tasted as if it had been sitting around all day or had been defrosted a few minutes before it was served. The absolute worst were the falafel: you should not have to use a knife to cut into falafel. It should be crispy on the outside and moist on the inside and tender enough to cut with a fork. The falafel I had here were as hard as tennis balls; there was no way I could've eaten them without using a fork to saw into them; I had to really saw hard. They were inedible. The pita bread was bland. The olives were fine, but way overpriced. The vegetarian appetizer platter just had absolutely no flavor to it whatsoever. The service here were also weirdly over/friendly and yet at the same time, the servers nowhere to be found when we needed them. This is not a restaurant I would return to you. read more

Very good good and in s nice atmosphere. Focus on the Mediterranean products and you cannot go wrong. I had an excellent whole food special that I loved. Service friendly. read more

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Three Eastern Mediterranean meze and the seafood paella were absolutely incredible. Sitting outside on a sunny afternoon, enjoying phenomenal food and a good glass of wine is unbeatable. Great food and friendly staff exceeded our expectations. read more

This restaurant is, at best, iffy. My wife and I ordered lamb burgers medium rare. After waiting 20 minutes or more in an empty restaurant for our order, causing us concern, our burgers arrived well-done. We sent these burgers back to the kitchen. Then, after waiting another 20 minutes or so, our burgers arrived once again well-done. We were then told that our chef applied a meat thermometer in his cooking of our lamb burgers -- and seemingly had no idea what medium rare means. Thus, although our meal was not ruined (the hummus was interesting), the burgers left much to be desired. read more

TLDR. The only thing worse than the food is the service. Really. That's it. Here's a photos of the chicken. NOTE - The owners response is a lie. (1) this incident occurred 5+ years ago. (2) I don't have a wi:fe (3) basically every other detail is wrong. What this tells me is that really negative experiences at his restaurant are commonplace and he confuses them. Never eat here. read more

Plates Mediterranean Bistro - raw chicken :( - Mediterranean Near Me - Williamstown, Massachusetts

The food was amazing and our server was very nice we got falafels as an appetizer and I don't really like falafels that much but these were really good I got the lamb burger witch was delicious and I tried some of the macaroni and cheese too and it was amazing. If your in the area and need a place too eat I would definitely recommend this place read more

We really enjoyed the food.Everything we ordered was fresh and first rate.We particularly liked the red lentil soup.

There seems to have been a big change in this place since the older bad reviews. The name changed and I would guess the management and/or ownership must have changed too. We had an excellent meal there. I'm not a big mushroom person but loved the wild mushroom ravioli. My wife had a salad and added the chicken to it, both of which were marvelous. The service was very friendly, almost too much so. It was definitely one of the best meals we had on our trip to the Berkshires -- would happily return. read more

Wow. What can I say. I value our local businesses, and I don't want to unnecessarily shame anyone, but the meal I had here was unbearably bad. I had the mixed grill, and it was disgusting. Dry and poorly seasoned lamb, dry and poorly seasoned chicken. The rice was dry and clumped and crunchy and just so terrible. The zucchini was mushy and soaked in olive oil. Not a bite of it was redeemable. My partners lamb burger was dry, cooked to death, and flavorless. The roasted potatoes were a joke. They were brown and flaccid and not edible. This place is a mess. Menus on cardboard? Receipts on cardboard? Invest in something a little more substantial. It's not trendy, it's not cute, it's just sad. Maybe they work by hustling tourists who are only in the area once a year. I am a local and I will never come back to this establishment. Probably the worst dining experience I have had in a decade. read more

This place, now called "Plates" has some of the best Mediterranean food that I and my wife have ever eaten. I and 2 other family members had the lamb shank that was falling off the bone and was the best lamb shank that any of us ever had. My wife ordered salmon and was very happy with it. We shared an appetizer plate of dips that were out of this world. The service was super friendly and, along with the food, made for a great dining experience. I highly recommend this place, "Plates", formerly known as Pera! read more

The most unique flavors ever. Try the Plates Spread Trio which is a wonderful introduction to these flavors. The chicken was so juicy and PERFECTLY cooked. The falafel was not the typical cumin overkill...it had similar but more subtle and unique flavor. Also, dont fear any of the spices/heat...it is not the type to bother you in any way the next day. The service was fun and helpful. They will guide you expertly. I bypassed familiar dishes and took their recommendations. If you try the same adventure, you'll love it read more

The most amazing food ever. I am a college student and if I could I would LIVE off of this food. The chicken shawarma wrap is the most magical wrap I've ever tasted (any of my friends who have ever gotten it can attest). And the beet salad is HIGH KEY FIRE, if you get +protein they use the same chicken from the wrap with all the seasoning on it and the dressing is DELICIOUS. If I could give this place more stars I would. The ppl are so sweet :) read more

5 star falafels! Best I've had in years. Came with a side of sautéed zucchini which was extremely tasty. Nice ambiance and friendly staff. This place deserves more than the 3.5 stars. It's a 4.5 compared to other places at that rating. read more

My husband and I had such a delicious dinner here. I have a lot of allergies (gluten, dairy, you name it I have it) and the entire kitchen staff was so accommodating. They even made something completely off the menu & made my dinning experience very special. Bonus: they use olive oil & not cheap oils such as canola, peanut or vegetable. Thank you for making a usually stressful experience a memorable one read more

Plates Mediterranean Bistro - Appetizer we ordered twice it was so yummie! - Mediterranean Near Me - Williamstown, Massachusetts

Very disappointed in the food + service during our recent visit for lunch. Four of us were in town to see a special exhibit at the Clark, and came downtown afterward to find a lunch restaurant. We chose Pera Bistro because the place looked cute from the sidewalk, and we were all in the mood for warm Mediterranean food on a chilly, rainy day. We arrived just as the restaurant was opening for the day, and were asked if we had a reservation by a rather unfriendly young lady at the front door - we responded "no," and she told us that we'd have to wait 10 minutes for a table, then she walked away (even though no one else was seated in the restaurant yet, because the place had literally just opened). We waited and watched as several staffers finished doing whatever they were doing, and were then shown to a table at the very back of the restaurant next to the kitchen door. As several other customers arrived at the restaurant after us, we watched as staffers showed them to their tables and took their orders, while we seemed to be forgotten in the back. Finally, someone arrived at our table to take our orders, at which point we ordered drinks, several different wraps, plus a cup of lentil soup. The server seemed a bit confused and lacked confidence while he was taking our order, and we got the feeling that it was either his first day on the job, or he was very early in his training. We waited for our food for what seemed like forever (in reality, it was probably about 30 minutes), and when the food and drinks were finally delivered by a different server, we were missing the soup. When we asked the second server about the soup, he seemed irritated to have to go back into the kitchen to check for it - he brought out the cup of soup a moment later and set it down on the table without saying anything, then walked away. Turns out the soup was lukewarm at best and a skin had formed over the top, which indicates that it had been sitting in the cup in the kitchen for some time without being delivered to our table. Because we were so hungry by this point, we didn't bother complaining about the cold soup but just started eating our meal. Things only went downhill from there. Three of us had ordered the falafel wrap, and all of us found the falafel to be too thick, undercooked, slightly greasy tasting, and not properly seasoned. The overall wraps themselves tasted dry and underwhelming, as if they were missing a key ingredient to bring everything together. One of us had ordered the traditional gyro, which was also very dry. (We asked for a bit of extra tzatziki sauce to moisten it up because it was so dry, and when we received the bill after the meal we saw that we'd been charged for this tiny bit of extra sauce - hmmm.... :-/ In terms of side dishes, two of us had ordered the oven roasted potatoes, and found the potatoes to be undercooked to the point of being inedible. The potatoes also lacked any evidence of seasoning, and even if they would have been fully-cooked they would have required a good sprinkling of salt to make them anything close to tasty. One of us ordered a side salad as our side dish, which was actually good - nice mix of greens with a pleasantly tangy dressing. Honestly, this little salad was the only part of the entire meal that was enjoyable. After we finished eating as much as we could tolerate, it took another 20 minutes to get a server's attention to request our bill - in the meantime, no one checked on us to ask us about our food, or to refill our drinks. It truly felt to us as if we were an inconvenience to the restaurant, and no one really cared whether the food and our overall experience were good or not. We weren't in the mood for a confrontation with the management at this point, so when the bill finally arrived we simply paid it and got out. SERVICE = absolutely underwhelming. There was one friendly young guy who seemed to have it "together" while we were there, who was running around trying to keep things flowing (he was NOT one of the people who served our table). But the rest of the servers we encountered could definitely benefit from additional training and "good customer service" coaching. FOOD = also underwhelming. Not properly seasoned (needs more salt!), not properly cooked (raw potatoes don't count as a "side dish"), not properly served (cold soup). Not good! We look forward to returning to Williamstown again, but when we do, we certainly won't be returning to Pera Bistro. read more

Truly horrific experience. Don't waste your time or money here. We used to come here when it first opened and enjoyed it. Now both the food and the service are absolutely terrible. We showed up at 11:10 am -- 10 minutes after the restaurant website said it opened. The waitress said they didn't open till 11:30 am and essentially blamed us for trusting the website because it's "very outdated". (Incidentally, we came here two days prior and at 11 am there were three tables seated already.) We asked the server several questions about the menu items. He couldn't answer basic questions about the dishes. An hour later our main courses arrived. We ordered the chicken tagine and the baked cod and both dishes were prepared incorrectly. In the case of the tagine, it was not a stew at all; it was some chicken with what seemed like thick tomato sauce out of a can. I asked my waiter why it was served with rice rather than couscous, as the menu describes. He asked the chef who yelled so that we could here: "What can they expect when they get here before the kitchen opens?" Ok so it's our fault we believed the restaurant's own website about the opening time and it's also our fault for expecting the food to be prepared the way the menu describes it. The chef then came out and yelled at us -- he said we were expecting too much in the middle of a "national emergency". (It's now July. All the other restaurants in Williamstown are up and running.) And proceeded to say that while others are collecting unemployment he's working. I'm not sure what this has to do with the quality of food and service. Basically, the chefs approach is that we should feel lucky that he is bothering to show up and we should feel grateful for whatever poorly cooked garbage he puts in front of us.) If you're a restaurant unable to deliver on either food or service, just don't open. Spare us. Oh yeah and when we came earlier in the week, they said they were out of both chicken and lamb--the two most common ingredients on the menu. Just don't go here. It's terrible on every possible level. read more

Has gone way downhill from three years ago. On our most recent visit, we were barely greeted when we entered, seated, waited a few minutes for someone to wanly drop off a menu, then watched for the next 15 minutes as the servers bickered among themselves over who has what table, and who forgot to put in an order. There were four servers and maybe 7 tables seated on a Thursday at 6pm. No one ever approached our table for those 20ish minutes to get even our drink order in. We left to go to the Purple Pub, and had a great meal with amazing service. read more

Delicious best spanikopita I've ever had Best lamb burger and white sangria. Lovely place read more

Loved it. The service was excellent, very pleasant and helpful. We split a few dishes, including the trio dips and the chicken tagine. Cocktails were good, too. We were traveling around and trying to have something other than the innumerable pizza and burger joints everywhere. read more

Doesn't look like much but I think it's the only Mediterranean option in Williamstown. Didn't have high expectations but our food came out perfect. I can only give 4 stars because we only had lunch here and went with the basics. Chicken kebab and chicken kebab on a Greek salad! Haha really can't mess this up right? But you know what, the chicken was NOT DRY and super tender. That really impressed us. The Baklava was some of the best I've had since my trip to UAE. It was not overly sweet and drowning in syrup. It was crisp and just right. Our server Tyler was also amazing. read more

Plates Mediterranean Bistro - Mediterranean Near Me - Williamstown, Massachusetts

This restaurant brought me out of my Yelp reviewing hiatus because it would be unjust of me to not let the good people of this world know that they should eat elsewhere. Was visiting the Berkshires and decided to stop by Williamstown for dinner. This was one of the few choices available in the area. My expectations were already low based on previous reviewers' comments but I was unprepared for how bland and overcooked the food was. I ordered the baguette appetizer the came with olive oil with herbs and spices and I could not taste a single thing, not even the olives in the oil. I've never been so confused eating something in my life because the dish looked like it would be super flavorful but just tasted like Walmart bakery baguette dipped in Walmart brand oil. For the main, I had the salmon since I figured that dry salmon would be better than dry lamb or raw chicken, which was the experience of prior diners. I ended up not being able to take more than a few bites of the salmon because it was so over cooked that it dried my throat out as I tried to keep eating it. The plus side though, is that they did season the overdone salmon well. On the other hand, the brussel sprouts were undercooked so not that much more palatable either. The only edible thing on that dish was the potatoes, which were covered in a yogurt and tahini sauce that was once again, lacking in flavor. I will say, the servers are very friendly but unfortunately, cheeriness does not feed my hunger. For other food options, I personally had good experiences at Grazie and The Breakroom in North Adams. read more

Walking on downtown Williams we came across Pera, so we decided to take a look. One of the servers was really amiable and explained some of their dishes. We started with some falafels which were real tasty. Our favorite drink was the jalapeño margarita on the rocks. We asked for the grilled Norwegian salmon that came with Israeli couscous, great presentation. Manager recommended the catch of the day which was grilled then served at table side. Great choice! Baklava and coffee were great! read more

Plates Mediterranean Bistro - Jalapeño margarita. - Mediterranean Near Me - Williamstown, Massachusetts

I was absolutely blown away by my meal here that I went back the next day! My boyfriend and I ordered the muhammara dip (highly recommend) and I had the fish sandwich which was so fresh and delicious. Wonderful service and beautiful ambiance! I only wish I lived closer :) read more

We were excited to eat at this restaurant and then we were sorely disappointed. Ordered the pera sampler and chicken tagine. Everything in the sampler was too oily. The pita bread was stale and store bought. The falafel was gummy and undercooked and flavorless. Chicken tagine was dry, flavorless and lacking spice. Our server disappeared mid-meal (never to be seen again) with the promise of bringing plates for us to share. Basically, it's as if a hippy health food cafe from the 80s in a Western Mass college town decided to become Middle Eastern. I've never had such flavorless food in a restaurant, actually. And at $67.00 for two beverages and two entrees? Not good at all. I never write reviews but the whole thing was so bad. read more

I almost never feel compelled to leave reviews, but our lunch here today really blew me away. Food was spectacular - familiar but with small unique and original twists. Fantastic drinks, I tried the "Turkish big bazar" just because there were several things in the description I had never heard of, and it is possibly now my favorite beverage. Service was tremendously friendly and fast. read more

Worst dining experience ever! Rude host, incompetent staff. Ordered a somewhat expensive bottle of wine and the they tried to pawn off a $10 bottle. Thank God we noticed. Food- blah. Staff spent all their time in the kitchen yakking instead of taking care of their customers. Never again. read more

Not a fan. Food was okay I suppose, nothing to write home about The owner screaming at staff make me very uncomfortable. Everything was overpriced for the portions served. I might have considered returning but never will know how hard working staff are treated so blatantly! Don't support a business that treats it's staff poorly! read more

The food was disappointing. I ordered a Greek Salad for dinner and after taking a bite I noticed it tasted bitter. I took a closer look at the mixed greens and saw that they were covered in slime. This was an unpleasant dining experience. read more

Mezze moved to the old Le Jardin. Pera's Mediterranean Bistro moved to the old Mezze. It's not hard to keep track of the dining changes in Williamstown. We decided to give Pera's a go last week when visiting my parents in upstate New York. My uncle and aunt and dad and husband all went to check it out. Apps: --There was an odd event where the falafel was served with what tasted like a basket of tortillas. --Then we ordered the Pera's flatbread with cranberries and brie. What? Entrees: --I ordered the mushroom ravioli, which I would have thought of more as being in an Italian restaurant, which, I know, can also be Mediterranean. But it was all sort of confusing: the brie and then the falafel, and the tortilla, and then the ravioli. Say what? Like a world music love-a-thon. Setting: --It's a small place. Make reservations. --It also does not seem to be too noisy, despite the crowds. What else? --The owner seems to be there every single night, checking on things. So that's a good sign. In the end, I would go back here for lunch only. For those dinner prices, it's better to dine at home. Note: if I did go to lunch here again, I would try the lamb burger. All in all, Williamstown has a long way to go, so cheers to trying, Pera's. read more

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