Monterey General Store

Private. Secluded and very quiet, possibly my favorite place on earth. If you were to die and go to heaven you would end up at Monterey General Store. Great food, the place has an extremely sophisticated menu with organic and vegetarian sandwiches and salads. There are a lot of country items like homemade pies and specialty jams and spreads that are really cute and make nice gifts. Great coffee.

Sandwiches are very inconsistent and thin on the meat for the price. I called to let them know and could not have cared. I guess that is the attitude when your the only option for miles.

Pulled up here expecting to walk into a hardware store and an old deli. What a surprise. They have struck a perfect balance of what should be in a small town like Monterey (seriously it only has the Post Office and this General Store) and what is needed/​desired like a small selection of higher quality groceries (pasta sauces, pastas, and other side items) along with a nice restaurant. They even have a cheese case. The restaurant in the back overlooks the Konkapot River so it has some nice views. I had a smoked turkey sandwich (with claims that the turkey is from a local farm) on toasted sourdough bread with grainy mustard and some lettuce and tomato. It was served with a small green side salad. Had a hot tea on this rainy cold day and it was perfect.

Extraordinary and unique little place. Wonderful sandwiches/​salads and food menu with incredible coffee and selection of high quality pastries and loose leaf teas. Also great groceries and homemade local preserves and other foods for sale. Very friendly and warm staff and owner. The décor is so beautiful and the feeling inside is like you are at home. A MUST VISIT for anyone travelling through the Berkshires! GORGEOUS :)

DID YOU SEE THOSE PIES?
As a resident of nearby Sandisfield, where we had our own calamity when our general store was destroyed, I relish the convenience of the Monterey General Store.
It is true that the pies and other baked goods waft delicious and taste that way, too. But for me, 15 miles from virtually any other shop or store, that I can also call of a Sunday morning and reserve the 3 newspapers I «have to» read is the best feature of all! And then, one has little choice but to add a pie… or a banana walnut loaf to the order. Oh my!

Wow has this place lost its ‘general store’ness’. It’s so uncomfortable and not what you expect from walking into a small town shop. I was very turned off. And to get rid of one of the biggest draws — the weekend breakfast bakery items — dumb. I won’t be going here anymore.

I visit here with friends from Connecticut about 90 minutes away, whenever we visit New Marlborough or Tyringham or just passing through. Simply put this place is amazing. The food is out of this world and exactly what I like to eat. The bagel and lox is especially good but also the delicious ice cream in the middle summer cannot be beat. Whenever, we stop in the early morning hours we are met with cherry smiles and hot coffee. In this area of the Berkshires, there is NO cell phone service but the very high-​speed wifi is appreciated because we can receive iMessages, check Facebook and post photos. The Monterey General Store can easily go head to head with the restaurants in big cities like Iris in Brooklyn and Charley’s in Boston. This place really makes me and my friends feel right at home each time.

Had a chance to stop in not long after it opened while in the area visiting relatives and I was impressed. Having just recently closed my own restaurant due to health reasons I was completely jealous! The atmosphere is wonderful and dare I say quaint, Stop by when in the area or just passing through. You will not be disappointed!

Scott Cole, proprietor of the renovated and newly-​reopened Monterey General Store, is a superb baker. He’s spent years thinking about what a village general store should be, and now can put his dreams into action. The store looks picture perfect, the staff is welcoming and helpful, the breakfast and lunch options are delicious, and the stock for the shelves of the store is high quality. You can buy crackers, Nutella, cereal, bandaids, and daily newspapers. And, of course, much much more. As a nearby resident, having the store open again is a new lease on life.

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT: The Monterey General Store is NEWLY REBORN!
After a long sleep, the Monterey General Store is back as a much-​needed breath of fresh (yet familiar) air for the area. Once inside, you will find a tasteful and perfect, low-​key place to enjoy a slow start to the morning, a relaxing lunch with neighbors that pop in unexpectedly, or a quick pick-​me-​up as you’re driving by.
Yesterday, I had the chance to take my Mother (She Who Must Be Obeyed) to the Monterey General Store for breakfast, and she was quite impressed. Now, this woman is no pushover, having owned her own restaurants before. However, the relaxed, tasteful ambiance and overall quality of the place won her over quickly. Whew!
The staff was focused and ‘on it’, which is a big deal for me. I’ve stopped going to other local places because of looooong wait times and overall disorganization. Nothing drives me crazier than watching staff behave as if the simple thing you’re ordering from them has never been ordered before. Given that the Monterey General Store has recently reopened, I was prepared for that possibility, and pleasantly surprised by the lack of it materializing. Nope. The staff was well-​trained, calm and ready. Whew, again!
The menu as of this review (given that the store has just reopened) is limited, but that is to change as time goes on. The proprietor and owner Scott Cole plans on letting the store evolve and expand in offerings to suit the store’s clientele. As for today, I was able to enjoy a great breakfast, pick up some pasta and supplies for dinner at home, and have a killer cup of joe. Three refills of that aforementioned ‘joe’ later, I left satisfied, wired, and thinking of what is to come at The Monterey General Store. Possibilities abound, and finally the right ownership is in place to make this a worthy place for you to stop while in the area. So, hand out the cigars. A star is (re)born!

Great place to stop for a breakfast sandwich if you are in the area. My bagel egg and cheese was delicious! We sat outside on the patio, which looks over a brook. While noshing on our breakfast sandwiches and coffee we watched two men fishing and it was so great it almost seemed staged.
The other GREAT thing about the General Store is the FREE WIFI!!! Extra star!

Not so much a general store as a great place for breakfast, lunch or coffee… but you still expect one of the Waltons to walk in and ask where Ike is…

I had the most amazing vegan chocolate mousse here. I was skeptical at first, but then it was so delicious and creamy.
Also, the nighttime entertainment is great!