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
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
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!
