Venus de Milo

Venus de Milo is a catering and banquet facility in Swansea, Massachusetts, located at 75 Grand Army of the Republic Highway. It holds a rating of 4.00 from customer reviews. The Ferris Family operates the venue, which has served Southern New England for over 60 years and three generations as an event facility and restaurant.

The business began in 1960, when Monsour J. Ferris, a Lebanese American, opened a bowling alley with help from his brother-in-law Charles Sarkees and his sons Ronald and Monte. When large-format bowling grew popular in the area, Monsour redirected the business toward hospitality, building an event center that has hosted community gatherings for decades. Over the following decades the Venus de Milo became nationally known, drawing political figures such as US Senator Ted Kennedy and entertainers including Frank Sinatra, Danny Thomas and Red Buttons.

The kitchen is known for its baked stuffed lobster, baked stuffed shrimp, prime rib, seasoned rib roast, Portuguese dinner with Portuguese stuffing, scrod, arugula salad and chocolate cake. The minestrone, called Venus soup, has a following of its own; one review notes that a golf resort serves it under the Venus de Milo name. Reviewers describe anniversary dinners, wedding receptions and Christmas parties, with repeated praise for the food and service. The venue offers a weddings menu and an events menu, and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.

With more than six decades of weddings, receptions and community celebrations behind it, Venus de Milo remains a Swansea gathering place where the food and the hospitality carry the Ferris family name.