East Side Cafe

Wednesday night pasta resumed for 2026 this week with a novel approach to Shepherd's Pie, Italian style which was this week's special. Marco blended ground beef and sausage with vegetables and sauce for a savory filling, topped with golden brown mashed potatoes from the oven. Half of the serving came home for lunch! Regular menu items include gnocchi, manicotti, ravioli and spaghetti. Try it with a little vino d'uva, salad and fresh bread and you've got a meal!

Eastside was always my favorite pizza growing up. Couldn’t beat it! I was worried new owners wouldn’t keep it the same and at first it was pretty damn close — went lastnight and the pizza was awful. Absolutely no char or bubbles on the crust. Cheese tasted different. I was extremely disappointed. Hope it’s a fluke… but some friends went recently and compared it to Elios so.. I added two photos. The one with the char was back in May where I thought they were keeping things the same and it was delicious. The one with no char was from lastnight. Hope they fix this.

No consistency, I erased my review because I thought it harsh...but the pizza is terrible compared to what it was ... sauce , cheese , dough , everything taste different... 25 bux for a beer and 5 bites of pizza

Went to early Wednesday night dinner. Home made manicotti and meatballs and stuffed peppers. Both were delicious with a very tasty sauce. The service was so friendly and welcoming. Cash only, but there was an ATM in the back.

Perfect local joint, no frills, it’s just a good old fashion pub. So if your looking for attention, don’t bother stopping local guys and gal. We loved it. Beer and pizza perfect for a Friday night date

East Side Cafe is a "neighborhood" bar/pizza cafe/restaurant serving locals for over 40 years. It's a very unassuming place with lots of character. The pizza was very good. Thin and crispy.

If you want great pizza and a beer from a family establishment, this is the place!

Service was awful. Pizza was small. Not worth your time.

Cute spot. Pizza with the works plus bacon. Manhattan with rye bourbon. Hospitable service.

The absolute best pizza in Berkshire County and it's not even close. Coal oven creates a unique and fantastic taste.

Super cool location, wicked nice employees, really great prices, and incredibly delicious pizza! Not to be missed. Don't listen to any of these other misguided folks with their inaccurate reviews of this hidden gem.

Our go to Sunday pizza place. Congratulations to Marco for taking over their family business, I'm sure there are special things to come.

Finally had the pizza yesterday. And it met all my expectations and I highly recommend

Specifically regarding the coal fired pizzas... I have been having these delicious pizzas since childhood... there is something about a coal fired crust on a pizza, and the bubbly delicious cheese and crispy toppings. This pizza comes together and hits it out of the park in the perfect slice department. With the many kinds of pizza styles available in this region wood fired, and other variations this one is a must try. Just simple ingredients to choose from and only available Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Excellent pizza Great service Worth the stop for sure ,,fresh every time two thumbs up

I've been going here since I was a little kid. Nothing tops the flavor of this pizza and I love the atmosphere of the hole in the wall joint.

Best pizza in the Berkshires, hands down. Wood fried. Gluten free crust available. Still a great, old bar feel. Great gin & tonics. Local favorite that I'm sharing with you all. Go here. You're welcome.

There is almost zero parking for this place you either have to park on the street potentially blocking peoples driveways or park at the park across the street and walk. The employees were rude and the entrance smelled highly of cigarette smoke.

Great local pub! Ice cool beer yummy pizza. Great service friendly place. Never had to ask for anything gals were on it!!

I have been coming here since I was a kid. It is hands down my favourite pizza. It isn't fancy and doesn't have all topping choices one would expect at a newer, hip spot. But it is still my favourite. The atmosphere is 100% old school Pittsfield. The place hasn't changed in decades. Don't expect any frills or anything other than an old neighborhood bar in an old Italian neighborhood. Everyone know each other and people might seem gruff if you don't know them, but they are kind and caring. I love East Side. No matter how far I go in the world, it will always be the pizza I like best.

Weird atmosphere, rude people at the bar while I waited for my pizzas. There was a kid hanging around the bar area. Ordered two pizzas, $23. Asked for one white, it came with red sauce, and was burnt. The other one was correct but totally smushed into the top of the box. I was up in the air about this place to begin with, I don't think I'll go back.

Delicious pizza, best in town. Atmosphere is a hole in the wall, a little hidden gem, you'd never know how great it is if you didn't stop and try the pizza.

Ok, so yeah it's a dive bar. When you walk in, it's like you've been transported back to the late 70's or early 80's. So get over that. Get the pizza, stuff it in your mouth, enjoy it, then THANK me for recommending this place. I LOVE the pizza here. The draft beer is cold and delicious. But you better like Bud or Miller Lite. Just get a Bud. Goes great with the pizza!!!!!

Brought my girlfriend out to dinner on a Saturday night here. As soon as we walked in workers stared at us because we were standing waiting to be seated. There were no signs stating seat your self. One of the waitresses came over and said "can I help you" in a voice that seemed like she did not want to help us. We seated ourselves in this dark hole in the wall restaurant. There was no menu at the table. We asked the waitress for a menu in which she sighed and walked 1 foot to the other table and brought us one menu. I heard the pizza was good so we ordered a cheese pizza. Table was warped, dirty, and felt like it had not been wiped down in decades. After finishing our pizza and not being asked once by our oh so delightful waitress if everything was ok, we left in a hurry never to return again! BTW pizza was not all it's cracked up to be. I think any place like Domino's or Pizza Hut has this place beat by a long shot.

This is your typical no frills local bar that's been here forever. The pizza is delicious and you can tell the pepperoni is hand cut! I've only had the pizza so I can't say anything beyond the pizza. They no longer do jello shots. I bet the pizza oven is one of a kind to this area...

Eat East Side. The pizza is OUT OF THIS WORLD. The slices seem to have the same effect as mini cupcakes; they are small so its ok to have 8 slices... Sit at the bar so you are guaranteed service. Avoid peak times so your pies are made delicately. $1.50 drafts

Went there last night after reading on Yelp that credit cards are accepted.They DO NOT take credit cards. They still let me take the pizzas home with the promise of paying the next day. Way cool !!! Jamie Larkin

Jello shots for $1 And drinks are super cheap and strong! Friendly bartender and locals. Love it!!!!

Don't go here for the service. But IF you want the best pizza but all means try East Side Cafe!

It's my first time to ordering pizza at east side cafe. I ordered on the phone a large pizza everything ( no anchovies) $13.00. I asked my uncle to pick it up. They gave 2 pizzas and charge double instead. When he came home I found out that he picked up the wrong order then immediately I called to the restaurant. They didn't own their mistake and didn't want to refund the money because we didn't order the second one. And I also got hung up the phone. We had to drive back to the restaurant to return the pizza and asked the money back. Finally they refunded the other one. We got one pizza home. It was cold and burned. This is my first time and the last time. Their customer service is very bad, unfriendly and unprofessional. What kind of Sunday dinner is indeed

Crappy service. I can't comment on the pizza because we waited 10 minutes at a table and no one acknowledged us. The waitress was in the booth behind us and didn't look up. A guy kept drifting from the bar to a pile of boxes he was making and ignored my "excuse me." There was no wait. There was food and tip on a table that was there when we went in, and it was still there when we went out. A simple: "just a sec" "we'll be with you in a moment" or even a grunt to acknowledge there are two people sitting in a booth. I suppose this is a local joint, and maybe you just have to be local to get service. Meanwhile, my advice is to stay away.

This place reminds me of a 70's New York bar. The pizza is only made Thursday through Saturday and ONLY after 4:00 PM, I am not sure what their hours are but patrons are typically three sheets to the wind by noon. Anything you would get from here I would take to go but this place is typically a sit stay and socialize place which is too bad for you if you don't like hanging around a lot of obnoxious drunks. This place is very busy from 11 AM to 11 PM even though there don't appear to be a lot of cars out front. I think most of the people walk. Like most things in Pittsfield this place is fairly run down and dated. Probably very new and clean when GE was at their peak but has since dropped off. The pizza is legit, very good the cheese is slightly bitter but a great variation of a NY classic pizza. I would get the pizza to go.

Warp tables, dirty floors, the regulars are Eek.... Very unwelcoming. Pizza isn't bad, but many better places out their.

East side: it is what it is. A small dark dive... that serves amazing pizza. I grew up eating here almost every weekend and I can say that it's still my favorite pizza. I miss it when I'm not home, and I've yet to find pizza like this anywhere else that I've lived. It's cheap, delicious, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. There's a reason why it's always packed!

Ehhh nothing to brag about. The place was pretty dirty. Staff wasn't too friendly. I felt like you had to be a regular customer to feel welcome. The waitress seemed annoyed all night, barely checked up on us as if customers were a bother to her. She seemed in a hurry to take our order, not really listening to us - go figure, they messed it up and it had to be sent back. Pizza wasn't what I expected. The brick oven crust was nice, sauce was ok, but was extremely disappointed in the toppings. The vegetable toppings were not fresh at all, water logged, and tasteless. Everything tasted like it came right out of a can. Could be a much better pizza if they used fresh toppings, especially mushrooms. I guess people go back because they like the pizza (not sure why), but it obviously can't be because of the service.

Great pizza! Very family friendly place. Brought my 3 year old daughter in for the first time and the bartender was extremely friendly and put her shyness at ease. Food was ready very quick as well.

This is a Pittsfield bar at its best. It's dark, simple and full of locals. Lets be real, the only real reason to come here is not to drink, but for the pizza. And it is amazing! It defines homemade! It has a taste unique to East Side. You either love it or you're crazy.

Great pizza with a tasty sauce and thin crust. Beer prices are more than fair. I love a hole in the wall establishment, and East Side Cafe had a good vibe to it as some locals were enjoying pizza and beer at the bar.

Best pizza hands down. It is well worth the sub-par service and "dive" decor. I have had pizza in North End Boston that comes very close but I still crave East Side. One or two slices is never enough. Don't settle for take out because of what I said. You don't always need high end ambiance to enjoy a good meal. The dive experience can be charming too.

Just now we experienced one of the worst servers ever! After being seated and then ignored for 15 minutes and other patrons coming in and their order being taken before ours we promptly got up and left. Do not I repeat DO NOT patronize this establishment! You have been warned!

I grew up eating this pizza and since then I have lived all over the country and nothing compares to the pizza from East Side. Just to give you an idea of how good their pizza is, I'm lactose intolerant and I will eat a whole pizza myself.

Pizza would be great if they didn't cheap out and use canned mushrooms and jarred garlic. I mean really! Canned mushrooms are disgusting and an Italian family using jarred garlic? Not!

This is the best pizza I have ever had and I've tried a lot of pizza places. Nothing more needs to be said.

I don't really know how to explain it or really why this bar can produce some of the best pizza I've ever had, but, growing up we used to order from here every Friday night and in all my years it never disappointed. It is the most underwhelming "cafe" in a so-so neighborhood that could easily be missed. Most nights it doesn't even serve pizza and it used to be a bar that otherwise you'd like to stay away from. Yet locals know it can produce some of the best pizza they've ever had. I still don't get why or how, but there is something about that pizza that keeps me coming back. LOVE IT!

Terrible experience. The pizza was nothing to write home about and were kinda pricey for their small size. The service was awful. We were ignored by the one waitress and waited half an hour for our check. Sure the beer is cheap, but there isn't much selection. Don't waste your time.

A Pittsfield Institution. Gone are the days of gasping for air in the smoky bar to get to your pizza prize. This is a neighborhood bar in the Pittsfield sort of way... you might feel out of place if you aren't a local, but don't worry they're all a friendly lot. I only go for the pizza which is one of the best thin crust pizzas you can find outside of New York (no hyperbole, its that good). They only serve pizza on certain nights of the week so be sure to check in advance. They have other dishes on the other nights, but I personally only care about the pizza. As is the case with thin crust, you can usually fit a lot more in your stomach than you might expect, so be sure to order on the large side if you want to leave full. The Capitanio family has been cooking up these pizzas for years and they know what they are doing. If you want a piece of cardboard order Dominoes, if you want a pizzapie try East Side Cafe.

I coordinated my trip from Southern California to include a Sunday and a Thursday just so I could enjoy some of the best pizza I have ever tasted! I have had pizza in Europe (it was terrible), Chicago (excellent), New York City (depends what borough honestly), Boston, Pepe's in Conneticut somewhere, Canada, Southern California (D'Amores is very good) but nothing compares to East Side Cafe. I long for the days when it was filled with cigarette smoke from GE employees because it was truly a chore to order over the phone or to get a seat. A pain in the behind then, but now "the good old days". I love this place. Can't beat the price or the taste!

We love this place!! It's super, super local with the best pizza around. We love their pasta night as well. Prices are reasonable, waitstaff is great, and we'd much rather give our business to a family owned place than anywhere else. ESC is always on our list to stop at when we're in the Berkshires.

Second best pizza in western MA (Antonio's in amherst is the best). East Side Cafe pizza is thin crust with exactly the right amount of sauce/cheese/topping ratio. East Side appears as a dive but don't let it fool you. I recommend eating the pizza there instead of taking it to go. The crust is usually more crispy if you eat it in house. I am not sure if they serve pizza every day or just on the weekends....??? They take cash only and there is an ATM in the back of the cafe.

I grew up with the East Side Pizza, now I am living in San Antonio, Texas and can't find anything close, I have been here 6 years and can't get East Side out of my head. We are going back home soon for a wedding and my first stop will be East Side Pizza, can't wait

First off I have to say that I have been going to East Side since I was a little kid. I even used to help make the boxes sometimes. But as good as their pizza is, and is my favorite by the way, they just received my last dollar this past weekend. I can no longer put up with their horrible service that has been the norm for years. It's no secret to anyone that if you are to go and sit down for pizza expect a long wait, as the family waitstaff is never apt to put a little hustle in their step no matter how backed up they may be. I can recall several times being in there over 2 hours just for pizza. So that was given up years ago, but I was still a loyal order out customer for years and years. But was has happened over the last couple of years is really just a culmination of nobody involved in that business caring about their customers whatsoever. Whenever I used to call in an order I was always told either 15 or 20 minutes and it was always on point. Now when I call I'm told 45 minutes. For pizza. Dominoes can deliver it in less than 30. So now everytime when I wait my 45 minutes and show up, I'm told just a couple more minutes. Well in fact it ends up being another 20 to 30 minutes! And this happens EVERYTIME I call. And the way I pass the time waiting is by looking around and asking all of the other angry customers how long they have been waiting, and we all marvel at how long that may be. And all the while the staff just putters around on cruise control with their heads in the clouds making zero effort to do anything to please the masses of overwaited angry customers. When I was there this past Friday night it was the same story. Told 45, ended up being an hour and 15 minutes. There were two angry men next to me who were leaving to go to Tahiti because they had been sitting at the bar waiting for an hour. And as I said this is now standard protocol week in and week out. Therefore this last week was the final straw. I will no longer put up with these people over some dough and sauce no matter how good it is. And as far as I can see people are following suit. So if you have absolutely nothing to do for a night and need to kiil a lot of time, this is your place. But if you're like me and have a family of hungry people then save yourself the trouble.