The Red Lion Inn

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Over 250 Years at the Same Table

The Red Lion Inn traces its origins to 1773, when Silas Pepoon established a small tavern on the corner of Main Street in Stockbridge, a welcome stop for stagecoaches traveling between Albany and Boston. More than two and a half centuries later, the Inn operates continuously from that same address — one of the few American inns to have done so since before 1800. Five U.S. presidents have passed through its doors, as have Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and, in more recent times, guests ranging from Steve Martin to Post Malone.

The property's character owes much to the Fitzpatrick family, who purchased it in 1968 and have stewarded it ever since. Jane Fitzpatrick's eye for antiques built on a tradition started by Mrs. Charles H. Plumb in the 1870s, whose collection of colonial furniture and china — saved dramatically from a fire that destroyed the original building in 1896 — remains a defining feature of the Inn today. The rebuilt hotel reopened in May 1897, and the red lion has graced its sign ever since.

Four Spaces, One Kitchen Philosophy

Dining at the Red Lion Inn means choosing your mood as much as your meal. The Main Dining Room offers fine linens and candlelight alongside the comforting flavors of classic American cuisine. Widow Bingham's Tavern brings rustic warmth and heartier fare. Downstairs, The Lion's Den — a cozy speakeasy beneath the Inn — pairs classic pub dishes and handcrafted cocktails with live music five nights a week. When the weather cooperates, the Courtyard opens for leisurely lunches and evening dinners under the stars.

Chef de Cuisine Marcos Gomes leads the kitchen, supported by sous chefs Felipe Lopes and Bianca Moreira. The menus lean into local sourcing: buttermilk pancakes come with Ioka Valley Farm maple syrup, the wedge salad features High Lawn Farm blue cheese, and duck leg confit rillettes are plated with Pittsfield Rye sourdough and Lenox wine jelly. The lobster roll — butter-poached, served on a split-top brioche roll — stands as a reliable marker of the kitchen's approach to New England American cooking done with care.

Banquet menus, developed for the Inn's eight event spaces, follow the same philosophy: traditional favorites alongside contemporary interpretations of seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. It's a commitment that earned the Inn a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2023, recognition that reflects the seriousness with which the beverage program — overseen by Wine Director Tim Eustis — complements the food.

More Than a Meal

Afternoon tea, served with Harney & Sons teas in the Main Dining Room or on the Front Porch, can be booked on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The Fitz Gallery on the second floor hosts rotating artist residencies. To-go picnics, prepared with the same kitchen care as the in-house menus, make it easy to take the Red Lion Inn's American cuisine out into the Berkshires — to Tanglewood, a trailhead, or a quiet spot in the park.