Best Places to Enjoy a Meal or a Drink in Nantucket

The dreamy island of Nantucket is located just 30 miles south of Cape Cod. It is among the top-desired destinations for historical buffs, celebrities, vacationers, and foodies from around the country.

Even though it is a small island, there are endless possibilities to spend an unforgettable vacation on the “Little Grey Lady of The Sea.” Tourists can walk through the impeccably preserved historic Downtown with its majestic colonial buildings and cobblestone streets or stroll through the gray shingled cottages covered with roses. Or spend their days on the 82 miles of pristine beaches or exploring the lighthouses, the Whaling Museum, and other sites there. 

Since the New England island has become such a popular destination, it comes as no surprise that there are so many exceptional local residences that can be rented for a few days or the entire summer there. Also, the island has become a foodie heaven with some of the top restaurants, eateries, and bars in Massachusetts and the USA. You can enjoy fresh-caught seafood, craft cocktails and brews, and the best of all cuisines there.

Here are some of the best places to eat and drink when visiting Nantucket.

The Proprietors Bar and Table

This is the place to go for eating, drinking, and both. This top-rated place is known for its locally sourced and seasonally-oriented menu, as well as its innovative mixology.

The owners, Orla and Michael LaScola, were, in fact, the people who first brought the art of craft cocktails to the island. They made the bar a preferred spot for getting some of the best drinks.

But it’s dishes are another excellent reason to visit The Proprietors, where you can try the freshest local catches and veggies prepared and inspired by the local tastes, spirit, and history.

Cisco Brewers

Once referred to as “the happiest place on the planet” by a renowned travel expert, Cisco Brewers is a favorite spot for locals and visitors of the island alike.

It is the only craft beer brewery on the island and has a massive beer garden where you can enjoy tasting the local craft brews such as Wandering Haze and Gripha IPA, Grey Lady Wheat Ale, and Whale’s Tale Pale Ale. All this while listening to live music and eating delicious snacks and meals from the various food trucks on site.

But since the brewery is next to the Nantucket Winery and the Triple Eight Distillery, you can also enjoy some of the best local wines and liquors as well.

CRU Oyster Bar

CRU is a fine dining establishment where you can go for a glamorous meal or drink while enjoying the stunning waterfront view.

The glamorous place is preferred for its fresh oyster bar, where guests can enjoy eating oysters. There are other fresh items from the raw bar, such as the fantastic chilled lobster cocktail with tarragon and kumquat too.

Of course, if you prefer cooked seafood, you can try one of the best and most famous chilled lobster rolls served with toasted brioche while sipping on the crafted Crucomber cocktail.

TOPPER’S

If you want to plan a dinner for a very special event or occasion in Nantucket, then Topper’s is the place to go.

It is located in the famous Wauwinet Hotel and Resort on the Nantucket Bay waterfront. It offers oysters harvested only 300 yards away. You can also order freshly caught lobster, crab, and other seafood and seasonally inspired locally sourced dishes.

Enjoy dinner on the patio of the restaurant while drinking some of the finest wines money can buy. The award-winning venue is known for its impressive wine collection, including more than 1,550 wines, some of them very rare and vintage.

Sister Ship

Sister Ship is a Mediterranean-style farm-to-table restaurant, a cocktail club, and a café all in one.

The menu consists of Mediterranean-inspired dishes prepared with locally sourced seafood, vegetables, and other produce from the Nantucket farmers and producers.

The establishment was inspired by the real story of Suzan Bloomfield, who was a captain of an all-female crew in the 1800s.

The place housed at the Faraway Hotel has a courtyard lounge with wicker chairs and fringed umbrellas. There you can enjoy a modern craft take on classic cocktails, such as the Faraway Mermaid, Steps Spritz, or Long Walk on The Peach, to name a few.

Brotherhood of Thieves

The Brotherhood of Thieves is an 1840s Whaling Bar and Tavern located on Broad Street. It has a beautiful outdoor expanded space that is designed in the style of the Cisco Brewers Beer Garden, where you can drink all of the locally crafted brews that you would at the brewery itself.

The indoor bar is the place to enjoy the finest single malt whiskey from the local Triple Eight Distillery and listen to live music.

The eatery offers fresh local oysters and shrimp cocktails, appetizers, salads, and delicious entrees such as Grilled Swordship Kabobs and Shrimp Scampi.

The Nautilus

The Nautilus is one of the top-rated places for dinner in Nantucket. So unless you have booked a table early on, you can expect to wait in a long line outside the restaurant, especially if you are visiting during the peak summer season months.

The creative menu is Asian-inspired and includes some fantastic seafood dishes. You can enjoy tempura east coast tacos or blue crab fried rice, made with the freshest seafood and locally grown ingredients.

The Nautilus has a long list of craft cocktails, beers, wines, and sake to pick from at its famous bar as well. Even if you have to wait for your table, you can have fun drinking craft mixed drinks such as the

or, The Whale

The name of this restaurant is a tribute to the second title considered by Herman Melville when he was writing Moby-Dick, which was “or, The Whale.”

The popular spot is located in the heart of Downtown on Main Street. It is the place to go to enjoy some al fresco dining, small plates, or full-sized dishes made of locally caught fish and seafood, such as Whole Black Bass.

The place is a bistro, bar, and patio and is the perfect place to go for a perfect Sunday brunch in Nantucket.

Galley Beach

You can eat breakfast, brunch, lunch, all day, or dinner at Galley Beach. This is another favorite restaurant of the locals, celebrities, and regular visitors to the island.

Best of all, apart from its elegant dining room and bar, guests can eat and drink with their toes buried in the sand at the restaurant’s tables on the beach.