While Nantucket is known for its historical setting and charming New England-style homes, it is still a modern town where you can enjoy top-quality food of all types of cocktails and brews. The typical local food is fresh-caught seafood, namely lobster rolls and more. The island has some very popular breweries, or you can enjoy some classic and contemporary cocktails.
You can choose from all types of food on the island for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or a snack. Or you can even order the food and enjoy eating it in your rental residence or another dwelling.
You can rent one of the many superb homes when staying at Nantucket from the leaders in this sphere, the Congdon & Coleman Real Estate Rentals.
Once you are all settled down, you can start exploring the restaurant scene on the island.
Here are our top recommendations for places to eat and drink in Nantucket
Topper’s at The Wauwinet Hotel
You don’t need to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy a fine-dining experience next to the Nantucket Bay at Topper’s.
During the season you can try the a la carte menus which include fresh local seafood and produce and other New English cuisine. It is the place to eat the locally sourced oysters next to the restaurant and some of the most delicious lobster rolls and crab cakes in the country.
The restaurant has multiple awards and a list of more than 1,550 wines
Straight Wharf
This is another fine dining restaurant at the Nantucket harbor which was first established 47 years ago.
There you can enjoy the local chef’s elevated interpretations of the typical summer classic meals with added hospitality and warmth.
The restaurant is seasonally driven, so you can enjoy eating stunning dishes made of the freshest seafood, catch of the day and local produce. It is closed during the off season, so you can visit the Straight Wharf from May to the 10th of October.
The bar offers some classic cocktails, an assortment of brews and more contemporary mixed drinks for the more adventurous guests.
CRU
This famous waterfront restaurant is one of the most glamorous places to go and enjoy a delicious meal or fabulous cocktail while watching the yachts passing by.
With a chic interior, impeccable service, the restaurant has a seafood-based menu, a raw bar for lobster, tarragon and kumquat, and an oyster bar.
One of the best locally inspired cooked foods to enjoy there is the chilled lobster roll spread on a toasted brioche along with the Crucomber cocktail offered only at CRU.
or, The Whale
While the name of this bistro and bar may sound strange, it is actually the subtitle of the legendary Moby Dick book by Herman Melville. The island is where the story of Moby Dick is inspired and was one of the leaders in the whaling industry back in time.
At this relatively new eatery located on Main Street you can enjoy eating brunch or dinner on the patio and order some delicious dishes such as Thai shrimp coquettes, or classic breakfasts. Along with the food, you can order from the highly curated wine, beer and cocktail menu of or, The Whale.
The Proprietor’s Bar & Table
This is the place to go if you are looking for some of the best craft cocktails in Nantucket. Alongside these drinks, guests can also order some of the best comforting dishes inspired from cuisines around the world.
The restaurant celebrates the island’s history, especially the whaling industry when the whalers got back home with their catch and were fed hearty and comforting meals.
It is open during the high season from the end of April to October.
Dune
The elegant and comfortable restaurant Dune is the place to go for the finest seasonal local-inspired dishes and ingredients including fresh seafood, locally sourced meat, and other produce. You can also order a wide selection of some of the best handcrafted cocktails on the island.
There is a patio and an exotic quartzite bar too.
Keepers
Considered the number 1 restaurant in Nantucket according to the Trip Advisor ratings, Keepers is ranked the leading spot to eat well-prepared fresh food and get friendly service.
Some of the favorite and reasonably priced entrée dishes you can order include Western Ross glazed salmon, grilled shrimp, polenta, lemon pepper crusted cod, and more.
It doesn’t close for the winter, so Keepers is a place to go, even if you decide to visit Nantucket during the off season.
Oran Mor
This is an upscale bistro where you can eat some contemporary and elevated variants of classic dishes such as Duck Bolognese Cavatelli, or Bison Au Poivre.
It is a second floor bistro and bar where you can relax, watch the ocean and the passersby while sipping some fine wine, a crafted cocktail or other drink and enjoy a delicious meal.
The décor is nautical based and contains many unique nautical antiques to improve your experience.
Via Mare at Greydon House
Advertised by its owners, as a “whimsical restaurant”, Via Mare is beautifully designed, and will allow you to enjoy Venetian bacari-style small plate dishes and spirited drinking.
The restaurant has a bohemian living room style bar, a welcoming and intimate dining room, a terrace, and offers street side and café style seating for locals and vacationers alike.
You can stop by Via Mare to drink a creative cocktail or choose from the wide selection of Italian wines, along with the tiny bar bites such as oysters, homemade bread, caviar and pancakes, hot chicken Milanese with Moroccan pancakes. Once you are ready, you can order some of the small plates such as crostino, mussels, scallops and sausage, and second courses such as bistecca which is dry-aged ribeye steak with chives and a black truffle sauce.