Your Complete Guide to the Best of Nantucket

Your Complete Guide to the Best of Nantucket

Every year I write a new recommendations list for Nantucket. This list is based off of the 2023 summer and I will write a new one in the fall once we leave the island this summer. Nantucket changes a lot season to season so depending on chefs moving and owners changing restaurants especially can be different from season to season.

Places to Eat 

(Walkable from town)

Breakfast 

• The Lemon Press – Amazing juices, great for grab and go breakfast + lunch 
• The Hub – coffee & Pastries, to go only
• The Corner Table – coffee and grab and go food and fresh pastries. Does have tables outside
• The White Elephant Brand Point – they do daily breakfast and sunday brunch 

Casual Lunch 

• Jetties Sandbar – great for families, very casual beach dining, highly recommend the Frose
• Something Natural – perfect spot for a picnic or get sandwiches to go. Sandwiches are Large! 
• Walters – Walk up and grab sandwiches 

Dinner – All of these places have different ways you make reservations so take a look early! There are many, many, restaurants on the island, you are not going to go wrong!  

These are my personal favorites (1-6 on the list I would claim as our favorites last summer) but they do tend to change each year because chefs often move around. 

• Dune – Seafood focused, great appetizers
• Brotherhood of Thieves – Easy lunch/dinner. They also opened an upstairs whiskey bar and restaurant that serves great sushi now
• Proprietors – Great cocktails and food. Menu changes constantly but is fresh. 
• The Tap Room ( at the coffin house hotel) – more casual, great for lunch and dinner. The big M-ACK is fantastic ( lunch) 
• Nautilus – Tapas, check reservation requirements for this year. Last year it opened 2 weeks out on opentable. 
• Cru – right on the dock, easy access from the ferry, best lobster roll ( has lunch also) 
• Lola  – Sushi, great cocktails, must call daily for a reservation 
• Greydon House ( also a hotel) – the bread, and their chicken entree is amazing. 
• American Seasons – rustic setting but great eclectic food 
• Pizza Gemelle  – Great for grabbing pizza to go in town
• Sister Ship ( at the faraway hotel) – new last year. Mediterranean inspired food
• Straight Wharf – is right on the water, warning they do not have AC, the food is very good however I have always struggled with their ability to handle reservations well. So I do not always recommend it because it can be frustrating
• The Pearl and The Boarding House were closed last year for renovations but are back open this year. I haven’t tried them yet since they re-opened under new management but historically these have both been amazing

Snacks + Other Things to do

• The Juice Bar – famous nantucket ice cream shop. try to go before 8pm to avoid the long long lines
• Nantucket Pharmacy also boasts island kitchen ice cream and an old fashioned ice cream counter 
• Leah’s Fudge Shop near the wharf
• Lemon Press is a great spot for juices and breakfast right on Main Street.
• The Hub and The Corner Table both have great baked goods and is a perfect spot to grab coffee as you walk around town.

Need a car 

• The wauwinet – Gorgeous hotel worth walking around and having a meal at Toppers. Can also take the water taxi see below
• The Chanticleer – fine dining in sconset 
• 167 Raw Food Truck + Market – Pro tip bring solo cups and walk inside the cute market and buy a bottle of wine. 
• Cisco Brewery – warning there is usually a cover charge to get in and can get very crowded. They have a distillery, winery and brewery all in one spot plus food trucks and live music. Can easily spend the day here with a group. I heard they opened a new spot in town this summer but I haven’t been yet!
• Bartlett Farms – Market, Flower Shop, Strawberry picking
• Millies – Easy dining, Very casual, tacos, bowls, they also have a cute market with ice cream and you can walk down to the beach from there. 
• Pi Pizza – Italian. Pizza and Entrees are all very good 

Excursions + Resources 

Shearwater Excursions – Ice Cream Cruise and Harbor Tour, covered boat very kid friendly 

Sailboat Cruise 

Fishing – Just Do it Too – Marc is who we have personally used for the last 15+ years his boat is not the newest and flashiest but he is a nantucket native and wonderful, Albacore is another that seems popular 

Take the boat to the wauwinet

Rent bikes  – Youngs bike shop and Nantucket Bike shops

Whaling Museum – is worth doing to see the history of the island.

Kids Activities 

Aquarium – teeny tiny spot but has a few touch tanks and is a fun stop in for the morning

Find Waldo – All of the stores in town have teamed up to put together a scavenger hunt for kids. Start at Mitchell’s Book Corner to grab your waldo cards and then walk town to find waldo everywhere. A nice way to keep the kids busy if you want to do a day of shopping. 

Force Five Candy Store – walk all the way to the back of this great surf shop and find a whole room of candy

Barnaby’s Toy Store – Lots of fun grab and go art items and toys 

Playground at Childrens Beach  – tiny Emily below at children’s beach many summers ago

Do you feel like I missed any favorites on the island? I would love to hear if you have favorite places to stay, eat or drink on the island. Comment below!