Smithsonian Cafe And Chowder House

Peter and his staff did such a wonderful job catering our wedding and he was an absolute pleasure to work with. Not only was the food great (lots of compliments from our guests!), but there were many thoughtful gestures. Things like labeling dishes for our guests with dietary restrictions, and even making sure to set some appetizers aside for my husband and I to have when we were done taking photos. Peter was always easy to get in touch with and we really enjoyed being able to work with a local business that clearly cares about the community.

Always hits. Comfort food in a classy but casual place. Out-of-towners, it's only gonna take one stop here to learn why everyone in town knows and loves the Chowder House. Something-for-everyone menu, (always vegan/veg options) covered outdoor seating, plenty of parking. Wicked nice staff, and a good employer paying good wages. Skip the chains, this place is right off the exit and a hundred times better and great prices. Thank you Chowder crew!!

Easily one of my favorite places in western mass. I have celiac disease and it is SO nice to be able to eat fresh, delicious and allergy safe fried seafood. This place is truly a gem and I am thrilled every time I visit!

We went with Smithsonian Catering for our wedding reception buffet-style dinner and Peter and his staff were an ABSOLUTE pleasure to work with. Everything that Peter suggested for a menu (that we subsequently tried) was delicious and we only became more and more sure of our decision to work with them as time went on. He also kindly gave us seafood chowder whenever we went and OMG that stuff is DELICIOUS. Peter and team made us a fruit + cheese table for appetizers, chicken marsala medallions, baked haddock with seafood stuffing, grilled vegetables, caesar salad, tomato mozz salad, and even helped us pull off our custom desserts! We got cupcakes in the following flavors : Andes mint chocolate, earl grey and chocolate, and apple cider vanilla, IN ADDITION to a tiramisu cutting cake. And EVERYTHING was delicious! Every tasting we went to was fantastic and everyone at the reception really enjoyed the food. Thank you, Peter, for being down to earth, transparent about costs and any changes that needed to be made, and for just being absolutely fantastic to work with. We're definitely recommending you to every event/friend we can! You guys were amazing, Smithsonian Catering team. Thank you for helping us with our wedding! P.s. Peter is also willing to take on custom menu items and has experience with interracial wedding menus (where someone's grandma's recipe can be used). We didn't end up going with this option, but as an interracial couple, just knowing that he was considerate of those potential dynamics spoke volumes to us.

We had just rolled into town on a cold, wet evening and needed some soup. The woman running our hotel (The Old Mill Inn, also fabulous) recommended the Smithsonian Cafe. The food was PERFECT. Seafood chowder and a pesto grilled cheese. Y'all. It's exactly what I needed after a loooong day of travel.