The Black Sheep

I think the only thing this place really has going for it are the vegan pastry options and the baked goods. Otherwise, $14 for a sandwich? I got the valley girl and it was small with hardly anything in it!! Also the coffee is consistently not good. It doesn’t have a strong taste, it’s usually watery and burnt tasting.

The Black Sheep Deli has been in Amherst for years. The food is good and they have a great selection of interesting goodies. While it's kinda pricey, it's not as bad as other places around town. All things being equal, it's a good place to go except for the fact the place is usually very crowded, staff is disinterested and the entitlement of the customers is matched only by the hipster conversations that you can't help but overhear.

Hands down the best latte I have had in a long time!! I had a maple cinnamon latte, and the espresso was delicious. For lunch I ordered the triple bypass (I requested it hot which was great!). The cafe was busy, and unfortunately I was not able to get a table. They had a lively band playing and a couple dancing. There is a man who holds the door for everyone. I will say the menu and coolers were overwhelming with too many options. They offer everything from kimchi to cupcakes.

My husband and I were in Amherst getting my son settled for college. We were hungry and wanted some breakfast. My son found the Black Sheep online. My husband said the coffee was fabulous! My son loved his turkey sandwich and I had a delicious bacon, egg and cheese on a croissant. They didn't have any croissants left in the kitchen so they gave me the last one in the display! They were so accommodating! Many people were in there using the Wi-Fi for their laptops.

Should have checked the sizes for "half" and "full" options before ordering my sandwich; that's okay, though, because my husband ate the other half of my "C'est la Brie" sandwich the next day. I would have expected this kind of sandwich, with brie and roasted red peppers, would have been pressed/warm, but it wasn't. Next time, I would request to have it heated, because when my husband at the other half of what I couldn't, we heated it in the toaster oven. Much nicer that way. He had the Second Avenue and loved it. Mine was missing something; it was fine, but it needed a little oomph. I would probably get the Black Sheep Baguette next time. Overall good experience. Would return. Highly amused at the "retired" politically inspired menu in the back. They should make t-shirts with the black sheep on the front and the emphasis on the "well regulated" on the back.

This is a great place to grab breakfast or lunch! The atmosphere is nice, and the food comes quickly. They have a great variety of options 🙏🙏⛱️😋

Best coffee around. The bagel sandwiches are a crowd favorite. Dont overlook the prepackaged soups, pastries, spreads, etc in the refrigerators. Their croissants and cookies are my personal go-tos.

I had frequented the Black Sheep for over 20 years before moving to FL. Now that I"m back in the area, I'll continue. Love their baked goods, sandwiches, soups, hot and cold drinks, and etcetera.

Great local sandwich shop by the Amherst College campus. If you're in the area to visit and need a quick bite this is the place to go. Friendly and quick service and a TON of sandwich options. A good variety of chips and drinks too!

Great service & great food, would def recommend. Had lots of options and really nice selection of sides.

The Black Sheep in 2024 have redeemed themselves by making a sandwich correctly, plenty of ham and Brie, lettuce and tomato. They had a quality control problem in the past with very little main ingredients included (see past picture and review). Glad to see someone has their eyes on the shop again. Great place to have lunch.

I really liked the aesthetic of the coffee shop. It was very clean, cozy, and the food looked great. We went on a Sunday, and there was a group of people setting up for a jamming session. The noise level was alright, but I feel like it would be a good place to study if you have noise-canceling headphones. I ordered an iced americano and a chocolate croissant. The ice americano was great, not dilute and had the good kind of bitterness that pairs well with sweets. The chocolate croissant wasn't what I expect. I liked how it was in the shape of a croissant rather than a pain au chocolat, however the texture was more cakey, like a brioche. Normally croissants are very butter and flaky, so it was strange to me. The flavor was still great and had the good amount of chocolate filling. It was just the texture that threw me off.

Sandwiches were made with on-prem baked bread. The grilled chicken sandwich was actually the real deal! The veggie sandwich was well received. The granola was superb!

. I ordered lunch from DoorDash today which I don't care for because they charge way too much for fees the food was amazing!! I ordered the European sandwich on a croissant toasted, and a few snacks, of course! cheesecake brownie, a piece of cheesecake and a Keylime something in a cup all were very very, very good!

I got ripped off hard!! A coworker suggested this place. We both ordered separately from their website. They ordered a half sandwich for $6 I ordered a full for $15. Their sandwich came on really nice bread and was bigger than mine. My sandwich was tiny! It was like cheap ass wonder bread! It was marketed like this big carnivore meat filled sandwich! I've had bigger better sandwiches from gas stations. Again, I got ripped off! There was nothing special about it. They also charged $1 extra for cheese and it was a tiny slice. If I didn't get the cheese the sandwich only would have had mayo and a few pieces of onion. WTF is going on over there!! Never going here again.

Thinnest deli sandwich I've ever had. Definitely not worth $15. I had the New Yorker, toasted and while edible, it wasn't very tasty. Took over 30 minutes with four staff behind the counter (I think one person in the back was handling online orders like mine). The restaurant was not busy, about a third full. Only a few take out orders waiting when I got there and I waited about 10 minutes before mine was up. None of the staff looked up or said anything and just two of the four appeared to be working while the other two chatted.

Great spot! We stayed at the inn around the corner and found this on a walk. Delicious croissants and sandwiches and a nice place for coffee. Staff was super friendly!

I absolutely love this place. My favorite breakfast sandwiches are the Longhorn and the Santa Fe. They use Dean's Beans for their coffee which is top notch. I've also ordered a breakfast catering platter from here the morning of my wedding last year and it was so convenient. The workers are super nice and the vibe is always bright. 13/10 would recommend.

My friend and I stumbled upon this as we were driving to the college. We had an incredible breakfast. I ordered a sandwich the name of which I've forgotten but it was egg and tomato with pesto sauce. It was a vision to behold, and absolutely delicious. I don't remember what my friend ordered but I know she loved it. We both had cappuccinos. Mine was decaf and perfection personified. There's some seats in the deli and it has a warm and welcoming feel to it. Definitely hit the spot for me and my friend.

The food was ok but waiting for 45 minutes and then having to ask for a half of a sandwich is quite ridiculous. I stood and watched as the staff picked orders off the board in no order what so ever. The past few visits have been this way. Pretty sad that they have no process when making orders. Its one thing to have to wait because they are busy but its a totally different story when you watch them skip over your order and make one that just came in....... It shouldn't matter if it was an online order, in person or phone call an order is an order. Once getting back to my office to eat my sandwich I was disappointed to see that it was slapped together and there was hardly any chicken. Probably the last time I will visit, so disappointed.

Really sad. Used to be my goto deli back in the day. Got a sandwich yesterday and was so confused when my $15 "full" sandwich was basically a couple of slices of meat on soggy wonder-bread. Completely inedible. I was famished when I bought this and still threw half away. Honestly, what happened? I know times are tight and I expect some price increase, or quality decrease, but I could make a better sandwich for less than $5. It's just sad. Used to be an institution... now just a joke. Employees were average, kind of rude. 2 stars because the building is still nice, and maybe a hint of nostalgia.

Disappointing experience. My sandwich was missing like 60% of the ingredients it said it came with on the board. So it was basically just bread with a little meat. Was very busy for how lackluster an experience it was. Two stars because the space inside is nice even if the food isn't.

My organization got an event catered by Black Sheep and I could not stop thinking about their prosciutto and Parmesan sandwich. I ordered one the very next day. So good! Would recommend.

Last minute catering choice for 75 folks for lunch AND dinner and boy did they do a great job! Outstanding service from beginning to end. Delivery for both settings were on time with no fuss. Food was delicious and hot. Highly recommend! Professional and quality service.

Closes at 2. Stood there waiting to order. I tell the employee what drinks I like and they tell me it's already closed. I was really looking forward to having a coffee. We were trying to order 10 min to closing. So I will give them that but if your open till 2 it should be open and. It be treated as a nuisance

Over the past several years, this has been a go-to place for us. But I'm sorry to say that quality and portions have dramatically dropped with price increases over the last six months. We've tried several times before posting this, in case we just had bad luck one time. But the large sandwiches are $15, significantly smaller than they used to be, and have VERY little in terms of toppings. Tuna sandwiches have a very thin spread of tuna that doesn't even go to the edges of the bread. The bread is still great, just cut to fit more sandwiches per loaf (I get that there's inflation-pressure). The bread is now way out of proportion to the fillings. We really wish this would work -- we've loved supporting their business. But we just haven't had a good sandwich there in a while.

The Black Sheep was one of the first places I ever ate in Amherst in the spring of my senior year of high school when my mother took me to Amherst to visit the University. We're talking 1994. It's 2019 and it still looks the same in there including the employees and the clientele. I had some time to kill before I needed to be somewhere a block away on a Sunday morning so I put on my Patagonia vest and Birkenstocks and went it. I ordered a cup of hot tea and what I think was a coconut based vegan cookie. There was a fall chill in the air but it felt great to just sit there and watch people go in and out like I used to do. The cookie was delicious and anytime I'm ever in Amherst I'll be back.

Very cool spot with a great vibe. VERY busy on a Saturday and a long wait for the pretty good sandwiches.

We love Black Sheep forever - you can count on a comforting down-home vibe with deli classics, yummy pastries, great bread and salads, and a well-curated selection of prepared food and fridge and pantry treats. A local legend where community is celebrated and all are welcome. The baguettes, chocolate mousse, and sandwiches are some of the best in the valley. Perfect picnic prep destination!

Great Club sandwich and friendly employees!! Lots of options to choose from. Fresh food!

Honestly, the gouda morning sandwich made my day, which was going very poorly, turn around entirely. You should try it if you want to have a very Gouda day!

Wasn't originally going to enter here. Sat outside at one of their tables recently enjoying some food from Bueno y Sano. Upon finishing, I thought I'd adventure inside because I felt a little guilty if I didn't at least check it out. Pretty happy I did so. The place itself has a very country, rustic vibe. Farm fresh ingredients, local coffee, it's a very Western Mass friendly place. Extremely suitable for their location in Amherst Center. I didn't buy anything, but my brother bought a few bags of Dean's Beans coffee, and in doing so scored himself a free small coffee. He also ordered a few pastries to go. The establishment has many options for food, breakfast, sandwiches, salads, and a lot of them sounded very good. I will definitely be back one day to try out their food!

Waited 50 minutes for a sandwich, while sandwich makers gave preference to their friends. Very frustrating.

NY deli stylings, replete with bubbly chalkboard fonts, Wavy Gravy art and brick thick Rick Krispie treats. Big ups for stacking housemade breads with fillings that'll sate veggies, carnivores and all walks in between (I'm talking to you, fish fans). All the elements for success are there: in-house baked goods, a balance of inventive and comfortable sandwich classics, an entire cooler of sweet tea. Yet, the execution is off with understuffed 'wiches heavy on dry grains, yet lacking a hefty punch of flavor. My That's Italian! (a-bippitybop) shaved a single too-thick slice of capicola, hardly any ham but plenty of provolone. The balsamic drizzle is a bit much, giving the whole thing a lotta tannins. Her Black Sheep Baguette yielded the same response - a hearty "It's not bad." On the plus side, sandwiches can be ordered by the half. And for a paltry $4! Just enough to quell the rumbles, not enough to have you satisfied.

This place is awesome. Everything is made in an expedient manner and the staff is very polite, clean and friendly. I highly recommend trying the New Yorker bagel with lox and cream cheese and rye bread with pastrami served hot. Nothing better than hanging out here with a hot tea or coffee listening to the live music. 5 stars all around! Will definitely be back again!

Stopped in for a quick bite and it took forever to get food, there is no AC in the dead of summer (95 degrees out) and the entire place is super grubby. At one point a woman did something in a bathroom that made an employee who went to clean it curse his brains out. I washed my hands in the other bathroom and it was very moist, dark and smelled horrific. Aside from that don't get mustard on your sandwich unless you want the bread saturated in it. So gross.

LOVE love love love this place. The food. The sandwiches. The pastries. The adorable help. The pastries. The coffee is decent. The tea is good. The pastries. They're very accommodating. I've always been able to customize a sandwich order. They have amazing breads. Also, this is right down the road from my office and easy to get to and park near. So far I've not gotten a meal here I didn't like, if not even love. The kids also love it here. The 12 year old BEGS to be taken here for lunch. Also? The pastries.

We had the Black Sheep cater an outdoor birthday party for 50. They supplied a vegetarian and a meat chili, with baguette and cornbread. They also supplied hot mulled cider. Both chilis received high marks from folks, the baguettes were really fresh, and the cornbread was yummy. Additionally, they provided the set-up to keep the chilis hot; going to great lengths to fit an extension cord through a wall 8 feet up! We are very happy with the food and the support setting up. Thank you Black Sheep Deli!!!!

Went here on a Sunday for brunch. Ordered a Southern Comfort and a spinach salad. The Southern Comfort was disappointing. It was supposed to have buffalo chicken, spicy mayo, bacon, lettuce, and tomato, but it tasted like a normal BLT. The chicken had little flavor and they put very little spicy mayo on the sandwich. The spinach salad had a good blend of flavors, but it was served in a plastic to-go container with plastic fork and knife, even though we were eating it in the restaurant. Our lunch had a lot of plastic waste, which is uncommon in an environmentally-friendly town like Amherst. They also do not have paper recycling (only cans and bottles). Service was ok. I recommend splitting into several checks since they were serving people with a single sandwich (who had ordered after us) before making our larger order. They do give a cash discount, which was nice. The staff were not overly friendly but also not rude. They ran out of napkins and water cups. When we asked them to restock, they said "I'll check if we have any left," but they were able to restock both. There was a jazz band playing, and they were extremely loud given the small dining space. Their volume made it difficult to talk to the other people at our table. Overall a pretty mediocre experience. There are better places to go in Amherst Center.

Great spot for lunch. Had "The Club" sandwich and cold brew. Great macaroons too. Right near Emily Dickinson home museum for taking in a tour. May be a wait during lunch time.

Just got a Parma Express...no way it's Prosciutto...or from Parma... basically fatty ham...

The baked goods & desserts are ok, but that's the only thing they've got going. Even then, Henion Bakery has better pastries because they just seem to be fresher. The employees: They just don't seem to care. There are two (three?) locations in the store where you can order, and it's unclear how that works. Sometimes people end up shoving in front of you or standing around not knowing what to do while the person behind the counter chats with friends or reads a book. The coffee: I hate Dean's Bean's coffee. Too acidic. Catering: Twice I have ordered party platters from them, and both times I got home with part of my order missing. What the hell am I supposed to do with a crudite platter without dip or a satay platter without sauce? Both are useless at that point. Not surprisingly when I called back to complain, I got a couple of people who didn't care or know what to do, until someone else who offered me a gift certificate. Why, so I can get more shitty service and do this again? No thanks.

Revision: My previous review was just based on the vegan cookie that I had, which was good. I was recently at a lunch meeting that catered from Black Sheep Deli. When I saw that we had ordered sandwiches, I was ready for meh. I've had many a sandwich at many a lunch meeting, and I've always found the vegan options to be rather uninspiring. My pessimism turned out to be totally unwarranted. Black Sheep's vegan sandwich was *so* good. It featured a marinated portobello mushroom that was cooked to perfection - juicy, with great texture. It also had hummus, tomato, sprouts, and a number of other veggies that all worked amazingly together. And the bread was quite nice as well. Well done, Black Sheep. I'm hoping to see more of you at my future lunch meetings!

This place saved my skin because they were open late (until 9:00) and their pastry case was still well stocked. It allowed me to buy up most of their cookies for some meetings I had planned the next day. For that, I am very grateful. However, the cookies are just fine, though awfully expensive considering they're a pretty generic representation of cookie-dom. Beyond that, I would have to echo some of the comments below. Nice kids working there, but they lack some professionalism. For example, after I bought out their cookies, I stayed for a sandwich, dessert, and a tea - all bought "for here." The whole time I sat there eating my dinner, the clerks were talking about how "some lady" just waltzed in there that evening and bought out their cookie case. A) Thanks for making me feel old. ("Some lady"?) B) I'M SITTING RIGHT HERE. I can totally hear you. Beyond that - my sandwich was fine. My salad was pretty awful (who puts Italian dressing on a Caesar salad? The Black Sheep, apparently). As mentioned elsewhere, it was totally over-dressed, making it really quite inedible in parts. I went back for a slice of cake from the pastry case, and was eyeballing the as-yet-uncut carrot cake. Instead, the server said, "Oh yeah, I think we have some slices from yesterday." Really? You're going to tell me that you are basically serving me 3-day old cake----that has already been cut ---- and exposed to air on all 4 sides -- and it a little bit stale? But I still get to pay full price. Despite the fact that they saved my un-catered ass, I found the place pretty ungroovy overall.

I enjoyed my breakfast sandwich. The focaccia was delicious. My partner enjoyed his buffalo chicken sandwich as well. The real stand-out was the peanut butter rice crispy bar - it's huge and especially yummy. I would return in a heartbeat for an easy and quick breakfast or lunch.

Nice place to get a sandwich in Amherst. See my photo of my roasted turkey sandwich. They offer other things such as pastries, breakfast foods, and coffee. Due to the rustic appearance and scuffed wooden floors, the interior reminds me of something I might find in Vermont. With such a high noise level, I don't know how some students could do their school work at the tables. Their restroom reminded me of a medieval dungeon because of the ugly dark wall/floor tiles. Somebody must have got a killer deal on the tiles, because the color couldn't have been anyone's first choice for restroom décor.

This place is extremely overpriced $9.75 for a corned beef sandwich with two slices of meat, no pickle ? No chips ???? How about a drink with that for $9.75!!!! Also Horrible Customer service the cashier had a bad attitude and seemed annoyed at my very presence!!!! I will never EVER return!

I like you..My slice of tiramisu was good. I shall return very soon. When I am in need of baked goods. Maybe I'll try to sit down and listen to the music play too..did I mention it's live? Oh I don't think the employee was very nice...hmm there was something I didn't like about her.........

Hands down the best sandwiches I've ever had. This a gem of Amherst. I am super picky when it comes my pastrami sandwiches and this made me order a second one because it was that good. The atmosphere is awesome too. Why didn't I notice this place sooner? Would have made all the sufferings from driving and being stuck in traffic to get to Amherst so worth it.

The staff could not be more inconvenienced by my existence. You will wait twenty minutes for your order no matter how busy they are.

I go here once a year, for one reason only: to get my boyfriend's birthday cake, the flourless chocolate espresso torte, topped in fruit and whipped cream. I order it ahead of time. It's a hit every year and I don't know anywhere else in town that makes this cake better than they do. It is expensive. My boyfriend is worth it. But that's the only reason I go here. There are a lot of cafes in Amherst and I'll go to any of them before I subject myself to the service at the Black Sheep. As you've already read,the service here is poor. "Grudging" is a good word for it. You may or may not be welcomed as you enter. And even though you can see three or four employees building a long sandwich together at the deli counter, you cannot count on one of them to turn around to help you. You might just have to stand there awkwardly for a while. It's annoying and I'm surprised all the poor reviews here haven't changed anything. I used to write at this cafe in the early morning but I have switched over to Starbucks, and it's not because I love the coffee so much. It's because of the service. Black Sheep, listen up: good service makes a difference!

Stopped in for a quick lunch before touring the Emily Dickinson House. Both staff and food were wonderful! Will definitely come back in the future!

Stopped in on a road trip to get a snack. I got a blueberry muffin and it was horrible. Probably the driest muffin I've ever had, and I've had/made a lot of muffins in my life.

The staff is extremely friends, and the sandwiches are overstuffed which is great of you're hungry. I'm pretty sure they had a mishap and charged me for half a sandwich but I got a whole, considering my total was 5.85 with a water. Also, you can sub anything you want and they're okay with it. The taste is okay, nothing special. Probably won't come back unless I'm low on cash.

My home away from home. When I'm in town, Black Sheep is my go-to hang-out spot. Zero pressure to buy buy buy, you can get a pastry, a hot or cold drink, or full-on sandwich with names like Purple People Eater [Roasted eggplant] or Humongous Fungus [hummos and marinated portobello mushroom]. Can you tell I'm vegetarian much? But some good looking meat-a-tarian options as well. Easy-going, great food and drink - how can you miss?

I had an egg croissant sandwich here, recommended by the staff. It was sooo good. It's filling and a perfect brunch menu. The coffee here is pretty good too. A lovely place to enjoy coffee and read the magazine.

Very fresh food excellent espresso. A great lunch place for salad and/or sandwiches. Fresh pastries baked on the premises.