The Black Sheep is one of Amherst's iconic brunch places and sandwich shops. Unfortunately, the quality of the food has gone down significantly in the past couple years. It used to be one of my favorite places to go. I've continued to go back just to see if it has changed about once a month or so, but so far it has been unfulfilling. Some of the drinks, and most of the pastries are great! I really do enjoy those. However, the rest of the fare is very disappointing compared to the previous quality that I had been used to. Particularly at the prices they charge, it's simply never worth it to me. The routine use of microwaves in the kitchen is surprising and incredibly strange, and it shows in the quality of the food. It seems like there is massive staff turnover, even for a restaurant in a college town. I really don't want to blame the staff for these changes, it's clear that this goes far beyond them and up to the owner and upper management.

I used to love going here. However they have lost their way. The food is insanely overpriced. If the portions were generous, it would be okay. The last sandwich I got here was nearly empty. No meat, and even harder to explain, barely any veggies. The bread has zero taste, which did not used to be the case. It's so sad. Underfilled sandwiches, reprehensible prices, and I can't see this changing. Go to any other sandwich place, and get a real meal.

Worth a trip to western mass for the eclairs alone.....but the sandwiches, hot n cold sides and coffee. Dayum good (emphasis on yum)

Went here for the first time today, it’s a cute place with wifi and lots of sandwiches, pastries, coffee, etc. I ‘made my own’ Roast beef sandwich for $7.25 which was a little pricey but they did not skimp on the roast beef. For $7.25 it should’ve come with a side or something. But the sandwich was honestly so good and I would 10/10 recommend.

Hey 👋 everyone! Tbh I liked this place, I really did. 1. It was clean. 2. The staff was friendly. 3. Food was tasty & fresh. Try it out it’s worth the visit. 👍🏼

Orders take forever, the cafe is always crowded and there is a reason why. Everyone loves The Black Sheep and rightfully so. The sandwichs are made with quality ingredients, their coffee is superior and the flavor combos just always work. There are a lot of vegetarian options and even some vegan ones. If you can only visit one breakfast place in Amherst this is the one.

Lots of tasty sandwiches and salads, good breakfast sandwiches and coffee. They have Udi's gluten free bread for sandwiches and a dedicated work space to minimize contamination.

This is such a cute spot in Amherst for a good sandwich. Though, I am always disappointed that there isn't more dairy free or vegan options. When ordering in person they are able to accommodate my allergy, but when ordering online there was no spot to inform them of my dairy allergy. When I tried to call about my online order I was left with a machine that was full.

The Black Sheep is a longtime favorite. I went there many times pre-pandemic and always thought their sandwiches were great. Fast-forward to 2023 — I don’t know why, but their sandwich game has collapsed. My most recent experience is unfortunately typical now. They always seem to be training someone new at the register: this trainee somehow sold us three sandwiches even though we only ordered two. We thought the sandwiches were pricey but found out why when a third sandwich came along with the order. And it always takes them forever to make a sandwich. The notion of working quickly is not a thing here. The ingredients themselves are fresh and good. Where they fall down is preparation. I asked if I could have my sandwich hot and they said yes. I thought they would toast it but I think they might have microwaved it. The bread was barely warm and not toasted and the meat inside was ice cold. Also, the meat and cheese weren’t arranged on the sandwich for a pleasant experience - placed in slices for some airiness and texture — they literally just grabbed a gob of meat and a gob of cheese with the slices all still stuck together in a brick and put it in that way. Meanwhile, the tapenade has been processed until it has the consistency of wet espresso grounds; not a fresh tapenade in the slightest. It was a really gross sandwich. A huge hunk of meat does not automatically make a good sandwich. There is an art to building a delicious sandwich, but they seem to have given up trying to do what they once did. The last few times I’ve been there the sandwiches have been similarly awful and that’s a pity, because the sandwiches used to be beautiful. I don’t know what happened. So I’ve given up on sandwiches at the black sheep. Now the good news: the service is always friendly (if inept) and the baked goods and desserts are still fabulous, and it’s still a nice place to sit and visit. So it is still a place I would be happy to go for sweets and coffee. That’s why the three stars: if this review were only about the sandwiches it would be one star. The prices aren’t bad and the hours are standard, and parking is generally easy. I really hope they bring their sandwich game back up to speed.

We waited for forty minutes for a sandwich. when we ask Why did take so long he ıs answer back so rude and blame to us and no sorry. About forty minutes later I ate the sandwich in the photo

Travelers, another great spot for breakfast and lunch. The sandwiches are fantastic. The baked goods are wonderful so remember to take something home for later. We recommend.

Good food, but we ordered 5 sandwiches, 3 of which were for kids - basic sandwiches: a club and 2 BLTs, and it was $82.00. I ordered a small Smokey and my husband got a large Italian. So 4 small sandwiches, 1 large and some chips for $82. We want to support local restaurants, but until prices come down, we won't be going back. Sandwiches for lunch should not cost $82!

Our sandwiches were fine but the wait was ridiculous (20mn for 2 lattes & 35 mn for 2 sandwiches to go) and the person at the register was pretty obnoxious. We will absolutely not go back

Just paid 21$ for a roast beef sandwich(not a sub) chips and a 16oz drink…I should’ve bought a ribeye and grilled it instead lol

Really disappointing experience. I drove off the highway 20 minutes just to check this place out. Small deli in a small town sounded great. Their hours are listed 8am to 2pm. I got into the restaurant at 1:40pm. I took a few minutes to look over the menu and stood behind the other people I thought were waiting in line to order. After realizing everyone was waiting for their orders, I went over to the counter to order 5 minutes later. The girl at the counter (dyed red hair) told me they stop taking orders at 145pm. I explained I had just driven 20 minutes to get there and entered the shop at 140pm. It was exactly 1:45 at that point. She seemed annoyed I even asked for an exception and pushed back on me several times before finally sayingok. I was very hungry and I really wanted to try the sandwhiches. I tipped 25% after our exchange as a kind gesture because she did make an exception for me. I waited and then took my sandwhich over to eat at one of the tables. The sandwhich itself was a Southern Comfort. Supposedly buffalo chicken on a long ciabatta roll....There was 1 slice of chicken in it. 15$ for 1 deli slice of chicken is ridiculous. The bread was great but there was a very sad amount of ingredients inside. I ate it anyway, just happy to get some food. On the way out I said thank you again and the girl said "You're Welcome" paused and then said "Actually you're not" loud enough so I could hear. This really pissed me off. I don't understand the attitude given that I ate my sandwhich promptly, tipped heavily and didnt do anything out of the ordinary. I was very kind, smiled and said thank you a million times. I get that its the end of the day but really immature and rude customer service like that is unacceptable. I work in a restaurant and deal with a-holes all the time, having to stay past close frequently. Its just the nature of the business. Based on the poor quality of the food alone I wouldn't go back but the terrible service was beyond what I was expecting. I won't be back.

I gave it a second shot considerin the first experience was terrible, but it was also very busy... so i came on a lighter day... I still waited 20 minutes (an improvement from the 45min of the first time) and for $12 i got an almost empty bagette with very few slices of cheap mozzarella with few drops of pesto

Yay! Some yummy Gluten Free and Dairy Free options! I had bacon with egg on a gf bagel :) My husband had a roast beef breakfast sandwich on a croissant which he really liked. It was a good size and he saved halve for later!

They have Dean's Beans coffee here, which is hands down the best coffee out there. The espresso is knock you on your socks good. Their lattes are the best in town. Their bagels are also delicious. This is my favorite morning breakfast spot, and stop for coffee.

Bring back my diet Virgils Coke flavored sodas! You were the only ones who sold them 😢 Great food and teas otherwise though!

Bit of a disappointment. The ambiance is really cool, and I wanted to love this place so badly. Unfortunately, they skimp like crazy on their sandwich ingredients, it's 80% bread. And unless you specify, I've often received sandwiches that don't have all the listed ingredients from their board.

Very disappointing experience. We ordered 2 sandwiches, a pasta salad, a latte, and a bottle drink. We waited 20 minutes for our food, during which time multiple parties were able to order and get their meals. After those 20 minutes, I went back to the window to ask about our food. The man walked away, and another man came up to the window and said "my boss told me to deal with you, what's up." I explained the order, to which he said "oh yeah that one. This is the average wait time, so you should be more patient. It's basically on the way out." I wasn't provided any cutlery for my salad, and I feel very disrespected interacting with those two men. I will not return and I will not recommend anyone to come.

Great veggie options that I'd recommend. Bread tasted fresh as well. Coffee was also really good and so was the service. Good vibe with plenty of space too.

Great sandwiches. Very good service - my sandwich had some dirt dumped on it sitting outside and they got me a new one without hesitation.

Great sandwiches and desserts. Cool funky place to hang out.

Long wait, popular place.

Excellent BLT, great bread, great bacon, could have used more tomato

Not bad but they are no longer open later.

Best Pecan coffee rolls, my favorite, and most excellent croissants! Good coffee. Great service

Cute and convenient. Great coffee selection' free WiFi.

Very friendly and pretty fast. Sandwiches look great and so do the fruit tarts !

Today, I ordered 2 new yorkers on everything bagels, 1 carnivore, chesecake, a cupcake, coffee and tea. The coffee was so good. The bagels were as hard as baseballs.😬

Our visit here was just okay. The staff was friendly and nice. We both got the same sandwich off the board (Don’t remember what it was called). It had grilled chicken bacon lettuce and tomato. It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t that good. Some of the chicken was dry. There was barely any bacon lettuce or tomato. There was a lot of chicken though. Next time we are in Amherst and are hungry this place won’t be at the top of our list.

It should not take 20 mins to pay for and retrieve an order placed 20 mins before. Black Sheep is TERRIBLE at prompt to go. Three times now it has taken an exceptionally long time just to pick up a to go order. They cannot be counted on if you need to be somewhere. Food is fine. Unique sandwiches but nothing spectacular. They need a better to go system that reduces the wait time. I have wasted too much time waiting on them. Won’t be back for a while.

Great food, cozy atmosphere- we ordered a chocolate croissant, small chilli, fowl play sandwich, cappuccino, and bottled beverage ❤️ all reasonably priced, but most importantly delicious!!!! Staff were genuinely nice! Loved the live music -happy we discovered it walking around after church! Family approved ! We’ll be back very soon❤️ No pictures of food- devoured it, but happy people!

The area is very clean and staff are friendly. The pricing is quite high, however. Ordered an Italian Sandwich ($12) with gluten free bred (+$2) and it was gone in less than 5 bites. The sandwich was good, but I was left frustrated spending $14 on a sandwich that left me just as hungry when I walked into the restaurant.

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.

Terrific chocolate croissants and other baked goods. Good service. Often busy. Atmosphere and furnishings are fair. Near to local college, university, Emily Dickinson Museum, restaurants, and bookstore.

The Green Monster is one of their best! Highly recommend it along with any of the desserts!

Best place for any kind of breakfast or lunch sandwich! Especially the hamlet!

Went here on my first visit into town. Walked by it and decided to give a try....no regrets, they had some unique sandwich options and everything seems fresh! You can tell they put a good amount of effort into the menu especially the baked goods! The atmosphere is very nice and the tea was great!

Very good coffee and a good place to sit all day and get some work done. Not the quietest environment, but if you like to hide out away from other people while still working in public then this place is good for that. Decent wifi if you aren't uploading gigabytes worth of data.

Very nice bakery / coffee shop. Good prices. Walking distance to the Amherst campus

I visit The Black Sheep at least once a week for coffee or tea and a sandwich after work. Great atmosphere, and the food is always ready quickly. I do my best thinking here! I also love how environmentally friendly they are. It's where I bring my friends when they come to visit, too!

Kind, inviting staff, a truly sublime sandwich menu, and something for every kind of sweet tooth (lots of vegan and gluten free stuff).

My favorite place to get my fresh coffee.

Great food

The price is steep for no reason

We ordered our two sandwiches at 2:30 at the deli. One hour later we still don’t have our food. Don’t come here unless you’re not hungry and enjoy standing and waiting with a mask on for an hour.

Well made, delicious, breakfast and deli-style sandwiches. Online ordering and curbside pickup are straightforward. Just be aware that curbside pickup is via an on street parking space in front of the store.

Tasty wraps

Pre-covid, it was a great place to get a quick beer and relax...

Nice Bagel, good prices, but very slow and very unorganized.

I decided to try the Black Sheep because they advertised selling Challah Bread. What i got however was not Challah, but a generic white Italian style bread braided to look like Challah bread. Now, don't get me wrong, it was good bread, a very nice Italian loaf but it was not what I ordered and paid for. I also ordered a side of their tortellini salad which was decent though when the description described it as being pesto tortellini salad I wasn't expecting it to have a mayonnaise based dressing. The garlic and mayo completely overwhelmed the pesto to the point that I couldn't taste it at all. Both disappointing items were ordered for curbside pickup. The instructions for curbside (park in the "correct location", call this phone # and someone will bring it out to you) did not match reality. There is no designated area for curbside pick up, and calling the number got me nothing other than a persistent busy signal. I then got out of the car and went to the pickup area, which was devoid of anyone working, but had my order sitting out in the heat on a table where literally anyone could have taken it. Luckily it wasn't too long after the pickup time I was given that I arrived so I didn't worry about the mayo going bad, but if I'd been delayed I would have not been able to eat the salad due to it's being left out in 90 degree heat for an indeterminate amount of time. I will not be ordering from here again, as overall everything from the pick up process to the food was disappointing.

Awesome place, best bagels and lox in town and always great selection of coffee.

Party cookie, the best!

Very earthy/crunchy place, sort of a barn/farmhouse aesthetic, ideal for a liberal New England college town. Organic coffees, gluten-free and vegan selections. I was in town for a short visit and had the New Yorker, Nick's Pick and the 2nd Ave. The NYer (lox, red onion, cream cheese on bagel) is very good, but the hot pastrami (2nd Ave) and reuben (Nick's Pick) were OK but not on a par with what you can get in NYC. I don't think outside of NYC or Montreal you really can ever get a good bagel. The rye bread was very weak; not a real Jewish rye and couldn't stand up to the sandwich. The reuben was not grilled (I don't think they have a grill) and I suspect the use of a microwave to heat the meat, but I will say the corned beef used was very lean. So one star knocked off for the breads; would take another half-star off for microwaving if I could. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff. Stick with cold sandwiches and you should do well.

Good overall though I've had a less than perfect situation last time I was there. Their challah is great.

Love croissant really fresh

Great food friendly staff

Very impressed how well the food turned out

Love this joint best chocolate croissants!!!

Best sandwiches around! The Valley Girl is a personal fave.

Love their bakery

What a great café! A great place, with great food, and great people.

Definitely not dunking donuts Thumbs up.

Great sandwiches on homemade excellentcrusty baguettes like my SW chicken with guscomole tomato and lettuce. Locallly roasted robust coffee. Good prices. Relaxed understated wood interior like a New England country store.

Soup was good, but sandwich honestly underwhelming. Kinda just tasted like a sandwich. Not bad, but boring.

First time there and was impressed by the unique menu. Not gourmet dining but tasty good prices and a friendly staff.

Great coffee, delicious bagels and baked goods