If I could leave no stars I would. It wasn't dirty but wasn't clean. It had a smell but couldn't place what it was. One waitress/bartender and about 4 tables (maybe 10 people total) and she would disappear for multiple lengths of time. She was nice but did not seem prepared. Ordered a pitcher of Miller lite and it was absolutely rancid. It didn't even taste like beer. I have never had that experience before. Returned and got a bottled coors banquet. Coors and coors light and angry orchard. That's it. A cheeseburger was 21 dollars and tasted strange. Fries were almost hollow. My brother got the caprese sandwich and could only eat half and also complained about tasting off. 76 dollars. I felt violated leaving there. Don't go into the basement! Keep walking and find another place. Sadly this was an awful experience to say the least read more

The Pit - Bad menu picture. I would like to see what award the chili won. - American Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

I would call this hot garbage but none of the food we got was hot. When we walked in and sat no one was in there. Tried to order the burger meal "deal" for 21 dollars and change. Ordered it medium rare. Came out burnt. Well done. Got about ten French fries. My wife's quesadilla wasn't cooked. They took the meal off the tab but left the fries on that only I ate and the soda. Terrible that the fries and soda was 20 bucks. This place is an absolute dump. Save your money. read more

We have eaten at the pit many many times and never have been disappointed. What I love especially at this time they had the bison burger which I absolutely love better than any hamburger that I ever had. And they also serve an elk burger once in a while which is another delicious burger and I have both of those with blue cheese on them and they're amazing. We have stopped here a couple times for lunch and had burgers. And we also stopped here for dinner and I had to prime rib which is really good and my fiancé had the vegetable rice dish and she loved it too. The drinks are a little pricey, But still very good. I would always stop here and have lunch or dinner or both certainly worth it. It's kind a like a speakeasy because you have to go down under the building off of the side street. read more

See all

Walked in and immediately started to get a headache from the smell. Service was fast but only because nobody was there. Table was slightly dirty, smelled like my great grandmothers basement, almost hit my head on random things, and overall weird and gross. I wasn't able to eat my food because of the stench and when I went to box it up I found a hair on my plate. read more

This place is rough... I was accused by my wife of judging a book by its cover, she was right. We went in with the intention of eating lunch/early dinner... Place looks amazing from the outside, old historic looking building... the painted sign on the brick side of Main St gives the appearance of a promising historic pub-style establishment. This was painful. Walk downstairs into the cellar, sign says seat yourself, smells like a mildew musty basement, carpeting on the floor, old wood paneling on the walls, a menu with basically 3 main things on it... burgers, hot dogs & chicken tenders. I immediately regret walking down here and decide we are NOT eating our dinner here, but we're here so let's order drinks and at least get something/a snack... We order 2 drinks and this chicken tender/cole slaw/French fries appetizer to split. Waitress comes back 5 minutes later and says "I'm sorry we have no chicken tenders.. is there anything else you wanted?" I was about to just ask for the check for the drinks but my wife said let's just have an order of fries. We watch another family come in and sit down... they order the chicken tender salad and the waitress says "I'm sorry we have no chicken tenders or lettuce... is that ok?" Hopefully this review saves another family from being lured down the dark staircase. read more

I've been going to this place when in the area for probably 20 years or more. The quality of food seems to have declined a bit in the past several years (including well before the pandemic), but still good. I think I particularly like the structure of the place, though I think it could be better capitalized on (though I don't know what limitations the town might place since they preserve certain standards). As the name suggests, you go down stairs into this bar/restaurant. Me, I think this could be turned into a perfect dive bar restaurant, but I doubt that would fly with the town. However, it could be a fun Cheers rip-off. In any case, I see it as a place that can and has had better food but is still maybe a little above average, service is good (if you think it's slow, keep in mind the current worker shortage and how pretty much everyone is understaffed), I just feel that especially given the venue, some renovations to the right theme and some upgrades to the bar and food aspects... I think they could better capitalize on what they have to work with and really absolutely be a top highlight of the area. SUCH a cool physical location, and I think that's what's kept me coming back over the years. If it could be further invested in with some renovations to meet its potentials, I really think this place could be THE spot for many. read more

Went there many a times We visit this place whenever we are in Cooperstown Then menu is simple but the food tasted excellent the staff has always been nothing but friendly And the menu is quite affordable read more

So, this was a choice that my friend, my husband and I are still questioning. We decided to stop in a local place after the museum tour and at first we were excited. We were thinking small town.. simple food..we saw the elk burger and got even more excited. So Steve took our drink orders and we ordered. Eventually food arrives and we still think its on the upside; even when I realize my burger didnt have all the toppings Id asked for, I only mention it because they charge $2 for some of them. No big deal, I asked to have it taken off the bill before hand because it was more than one item. Again no problem. We talk about the drinks and even dessert. Now here's where it got weird. Steve takes a lunch and even tells us that he is and that a female ( cannot remember her name) will be with us while hes away. He was polite and even talked with us the entire time he was our server. He made direct eye contact to make sure he heard the order. So..food is almost completely devoured, we were really hungry and thirsty so it didnt take long. My husband and our friend watched the soccer match while we waited for whoever to bring refills. It never happens but the chick stares from a corner. Creepy right? A different guy walks over and offers to refill my drink in a hurry. He gets it wrong but he brings it back quick. At this point no one is in this place so we just watch tv and finish talking. Eventually this chick thats been staring walks over and drops the bill as shes passing. We werent sure if they were closing or just rude. We also see that its all together, if she had spoke we wouldve told her not to. We stop her in passing and let her know that we werent done, we planned on getting dessert, and we would need the bill split in half. She got frustrated and mumbled. She said she could do it but didnt want to. We just kinda stared at her. She eventually walked away and my friend apologized but pointed out...are we being kicked out? She said no but it was weird. The manager even made and off remark as my husband paid and days later we are still tryin to figure out wtf that was about.. Steve was the best part of the meal. Smh so no we didnt tip because we couldnt find Steve and we waited. read more

Interesting as the PIT is located in the basement of a building that some claim is among the oldest in Cooperstown. Dimly lit, its has the feel of a 70s night club w/ lighting which is sparsely lit to illuminate dome but not all of the dining area. It sports several bar areas and some tvs and has daily specials. I really enjoyed the seafood bisque soup and a bbq burger. My friend seemed to enjoy his meal as well. Service was good, though not top shelf but I wouldnt say it was bad. Waitress had us waiting a long tine for check at end of meal. Wish she had prioritized her customers a bit better. Worth stopping. Priced on high end. Girl was fairly young read more

The only word that keeps coming to mind is "sad". We stopped in for Lunch on a Friday as there are few dine-in options in Cooperstown these days. The lighting was harsh and although a number of TV's were on, none of them had sound and there was no music. The place is in the basement of an Inn so it's naturally dark (which isn't bad in and of itself) but the harsh LED lighting makes everything look sickly. Overall, depressing. As for the food, we ordered the lunch special- soup and a half sandwich. One French Onion Soup, which was passable, if overly salted and a bit too oily, and one "soup of the day" (Beef Barley) which the waitress came back and told us they were out of- which was odd, considering it was lunch and the place was empty. Then a Pot Roast Sandwich (dry and flavorless) and an Open Faced Turkey sandwich (OK as long as you don't mind canned gravy). So, overall I would rate the food "meh" As I mentioned there aren't too many options right now in Cooperstown. It's winter and there is a pandemic. If you absolutely need something to eat and don't want to sit on a bench in the street, this will do. Just don't expect too much. read more

We are in town visiting a family member at the local hospital and decided to go into town for lunch. We saw the sign from the street and thought that this looked like a cute little place to eat. I should have read the reviews for this place because the service was terrible and the food was mediocre at best. Our waitress was not good at all and the atmosphere was dead. I'm giving it 2 stars only because the food was better than hospital food. read more

Menu on the outside looked yummy but once inside we waited over 45 minutes and food never showed. We ordered the specials. Waiter never checked on us after the first 10 minutes. The Family next to us waited a similar time for 4 salads and noodles and meatballs. We had to leave and only paid for two drinks which somehow cost about $9.00. The hubby didn't realize my son and I had water. Don't go!! read more

Walked into this little restaurant and it was dead quiet, plus we had to seat ourselves. Now normally I wouldn't mind, but something was a little off about this place. The food was pretty good, I got the NY Strip (medium) and it wasn't that bad. The baked potatoe was a little hard but still good. Brought the dish home and had it for left overs. Would have liked the staff to be a little more nice and definitely the plates need to be changed to normal white china plates, bowls, etc. would also like to see the place get a little renovation with tables and seats, as the booth seat I sat on was duck taped and such. But overall, the food was pretty great. read more

The Pit - a plate of food on a table - American Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

Imagine hanging out at your best friend's basement, who just remodeled it to include a TV, a wet bar and you get to eat some good food while watching the big game. That's the vibe at this place, the Pit, which is the street level restaurant at the Tunnicliff Inn in Cooperstown, quick walk to the Lake. We went for dinner, and I had a nice glass of wine with a crab cake and risotto. I was very impressed (including the cost, being from NYC, it would've been $10 more at least!). We liked it so much, we went back for lunch the next day. On one hand, it was one of the few places open in town. The second hand, they had a diverse menu (stretching from crab cakes to burgers and hot dogs!). I really liked it here. When I come back to visit, this is definitely on the list. read more

While we were visiting the National Baseball Hall Of Fame we heard some folks talking about this place that had an underground restaurant called the Pit and they enjoyed it. We went there @ night for dinner and returned the next day for lunch. The wait staff were so polite and attentive. We had the Spinach Au Gratin Dip served with Foccia bread. For the entree we had chicken cutlet parmigiana and Fish & Chips. the food was excellent. I thought hubby was nuts for ordering chic parmigiana but I was wrong, the sauce was quite good. The fish & chips were not greasy at all.Never had Fish & Chips this good, tasty and flaky. For desert we had the mixed berry pie which had fresh raspberries,blueberries,strawberries with moscapone cream and a buttery flavored crust. Very nice baseball atmosphere with people having fun watching the big screen TV with old Yankee games on it. read more

I probably don't need to review The Pit, as the locals know where it is, and the tourists keep finding it anyway. I'll still review it, as I can't eat here every night, and they deserve their share of visitors too. Please, if you're from out of town, use your inside voice and don't disturb the locals, we'll let you stop in if you behave. In the off season, this is the spot on Tuesdays - the best entrees are $6 a plate, and the place is packed. The rest of the week, dinner is just a little more expensive, but still one of the best deals in town. Food is reliable, not showy, portions are on the bigger side, and pricing is fair. Service is quick, friendly and attentive. Cool part of The Pit - a local eye will recognize judges and lawyers, cops and firefighters, doctors, undertakers, retirees and young families in here every night. Everybody in town knows their way here, and everybody is comfortable here. This is one of Cooperstown's best kept secrets, if you're visiting us, you're welcome to a table, just don't tell everybody, k? read more

Cozy and casual ambiance. Started off with some wine and beer. Great on tap selection. Also had the seafood bisque. While it's not the best we ever had it was good. Had the true blue salad with grilled chicken for dinner it was delicious and very generous in portion. My husband had the chicken club sandwich with chips and had no complaints. The waitress was very friendly and attentive. read more

See all

It looks like this is either a love it or hate it kind of place. Personally I enjoyed our dinner here. I tried my first full lobster meal, served with a side of fries. Despite not considering myself to be a "seafood person" I thought the lobster was very good. (I guess most things are, though, when you dunk them in butter.) The atmosphere is a bit of a dive but it adds character to the experience. Service was good. Contrary to another review here, we did receive free refills on our soft drinks and it was listed that way on the menu. Perhaps this is a recent change. Overall it's a decent place to stop in for a meal. read more

This is an old school establishment that's decorated like the bar/lounge of a ship. Come here if you want no frills shrimp, steak, fries, etc. for dinner. We grabbed a spot at the bar, ordered a couple of drinks and a basket of fries. The bartender offered up prompt and professional service and was also taking care of the two or so tables of patrons lingering in the restaurant nearing closing time. While there might be nice restaurants and more popular bars in Cooperstown, The Pit has a charm all it's own and is a nice place to hide away from Baseballville USA for a bit. read more

We ate at the pit yesterday, and it was the low-light of our trip to Cooperstown. We had a party of 6 - Myself, my 8 year old son, my husband, my son's friend, my father and his fiancee. My dad and his fiancee wanted to get a separate check, but they wouldn't allow it. Thus, we were subjected to the mandatory 6+ already included 18% tip. The meals were ok. Nothing memorable. The boneless buffalo chicken app was basically 5 frozen chicken tenders covered in sauce and served with tartar sauce (!? eww). Not worth $9. They had a 1/2 lb. cheeseburger special ($7), so two of us got that. The burger was okay, but both sets of fries were ice cold. The garden burger salad was tolerable, but nothing that wonderful ($9). The kids had a fried shrimp meal ($7) and a hot dog meal ($7) and they enjoyed them. I had the crabcake poboy sandwich, and it was horrid. ($12). It was 4 mini crabcakes, fried and thrown on a roll. On top of them, there was a sauce with no flavor and then two pieces of not even melted american cheese. Gross. My fries were cold and limp. The kicker? Our server neglected to tell us that the drinks weren't a free refill. My husband got 3 sodas. Our bill amounted to $21 in beverages. For crappy food, service that was painfully slow, and a lousy environment, I cannot believe we shelled out $93. It was ridiculous, and completely ruined our day. Furthermore, I felt like puking for the rest of the afternoon. I would never, ever recommend this place to anyone. read more

Place is a bit deceiving from the outside. We ordered French onion soup(delicious), burger with bacon(average), and the Angry Orchard Chicken(delicious). Place is a bit outdated and Fox News on the TV could put you off a bit. The food was real good. We will keep this on the list if we are in the area again. read more

We only ate here so I can't speak on anything but the restaurant. The service here was great. The food was just ok. The wine list was small but reasonably priced. They had a seafood special, but they didn't have the food to make it. The food was cooked well, but it had no flavor. The best thing I had was french fries...they didn't have exactly what I wanted so I was allowed a special order. However, they didn't get it right. Not really a place I would go back to, but on the upside it was expensive either. Oh well another place I will not go back to. read more

The Gazpacho is awesome! The onion rings are also good - meat sirachi dip and great service.

I loved the food the place looks like a hole-in-the wall but it was very charming. I went during the pandemic so they were short staffed but the service was great and I can never eat a hotdog at the ballpark again. Wish I could have stayed longer and had more meals there. read more

Needing a lunch place that could seat. 8 of us is tricky in this small tourist town . The Pitt as this place is apply called didn't look like much upon arrival. It is old and very worn, but the blackboard outside advertising lunch specials for. 6.99 lured us in. The lunch menu is quite varied. Our order included gaspacho, barbecue pork sandwich, hot dog , salads, veggie burgers, seasoned fries and pasta. All the food was pretty good. However , The wAit for our food was looooooong. And throughout the wait and the meal we listened to banging from above at the Inn. After the meal the kids investigated and we learned that Some cleaning and repair work was taking place which wAs really annoying . One in our party commented on the fact that it was at least drowning out the horrible music that played in the background . The draft root beer was a hit with the kids and all 8 of is were fed and quenched for under. $90 read more

The Pit - Pasta was devoured! - American Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

The food was not worth the price. When asked about the Tuesday special that was posted outside the door, the waitress just said we're not offering it and pointed to a piece of paper hanging on the wall for a menu. The kids meal tasted like old pasta with jar sauce and stale garlic toast. The burger had no flavor and you need to ask for toppings. The waitress seemed less than thrilled to have customers and barely spoke to us. We definitely won't be back or recommend this place again. read more

Great meal and tentative staff. Visiting from Brooklyn, NY for the Winter Carnival and Baseball Hall of Fame. I will return next year.

Food was delicious for a sit down lunch, and the waitress was very attentive when I told her I have celiac diseaee. My meal was completely gluten free! read more

"The Pit" lives up to its name. I wasn't happy with this place last time I was here, but I thought I'd give it another try. I wish I hadn't. Ordered the "award-winning" chili and a glass of water. Chili was lukewarm, cheese was cold, chili tasted like Hormel. I was almost finished with the chili when the glass of water finally arrived. This will be my last visit here. Try the Doubleday Cafe instead. read more

The NY strip was good, the scallops were good, but the service was really slow. I would have expected quicker service for a tourist town.

I wish I could rate food separately from experience because the food is a solid 4 while the experience is 1.5 for my two visits. Staff is nice enough but there aren't enough of them. When some unknowable threshold of unmanageable is reached, a manager toddles in to bus some tables. Ugh. Plan to camp out. Having said that, the kitchen cooks up some tasty grub. My college age son has had the lobster and it's well priced and well prepared. Sandwiches are good - nicely composed - and they did a nice job with fried pickles, too. read more

Horrible service, someone sh!t all over the bathroom floor and they just left towels on top of it, dead bird laying on the ground when you enter, splitting a check was to hard for them to comprehend, 20 minutes just to get drinks. read more

Dark, outdated decor. The "pit" is an apt description of the place. Very slow service and the food quality was poor. Sort of like bad diner food but more expensive. read more

If you were thinking about eating at "The Pit" - think again. The place smelled like a frat house - old beer, sweaty, musty - not pleasant. There are only about 12 tables in the place and despite having 5 servers working, every table received SLOW service. I'm talking 15 minutes after we sat down no one had come by to take our drink order. We almost left, but the one server who seemed to be keeping things together (the only female - go figure!) finally got things rolling. Food was not great - really not worth waiting for. Pass this place up! read more

Really good food and their prices made it even better. I had the cheeseburger and hubby had the cajon chicken salad. Yummy!

I thought it was very good for the money. We had the 15$ filet and shrimp weekend special and it was pretty tasty. They have Hennepin on draft and lots of other great beers too. The service was quick and friendly. If you can get past the basement feel (it is called the Pit) it's a good cheap meal. read more

Stopped in here for a quick lunch before the Hall of Fame. Was expecting some decent pub food at least. But yikes. The highlight of the meal were the fried pickles and the french fries. I had one of the daily specials, the open-faced steak sandwich on garlic toast (I added cheese because it was served completely plain). They DROWNED it in cheese. When I managed to find the steak under there, it was 90% fat and gristle. So stringy and greasy. The bread was just complete mush. My husband got the buffalo chicken wrap, and said it was mediocre at best. My oldest son got the fettuccini and meatballs- the sauce tasted like Ragu, noodles were undercooked, and the meatballs were completely flavorless. Youngest son had chicken tenders, which were fine as far as chicken tenders go. If this had been less expensive, maybe we'd have been less disappointed. But our bill for 4 was nearly $90 after tip, and we all left hungry and annoyed. read more

Staff is always friendly and accommodating to our 3 1/2 year old who can be a little rowdy at times, food is always delicious, and portions are generous. Also, I could eat their seafood bisque every day for the rest of my life. read more

I was looking for another small place to try while in Cooperstown and kind of stumbled into this restaurant. It's downstairs below a bed and breakfast and maybe easy to miss. The decor and setting could use an update, and you definitely know you're underground, but I liked it. I did a meatball sub that was pretty tasty and generous on the portions. A good find! read more

Had a great mean in the Pit, food was good, service was good as well. Plenty of TVs for the game, a small fireplace in the back and a full bar. However, they tend to run our of their specials very early..... read more