One of travel’s biggest joys—and trials—is figuring out where to eat when you’re on the road. For an explanation of our exciting new Eat Sheet and the different way we're approaching dining guides, click here. First up, longtime summer hotspot and island getaway of the rich and famous–Nantucket.
YOU GOTTA KNOW SOMEBODY
Getting a table at The Nautilus will inspire envy in even the island’s most seasoned foodies. Exquisitely fresh, seasonal, international share plates are the name of the game here, with flavors ranging from Japanese izakaya to Mediterranean and Latin. For such a wide-ranging menu, there is a precision and attention to detail that keeps repeat visitors coming back again and again: the Indonesian chicken drumettes arrive perfectly spiced and falling off the bone; the transcendent blue crab fried rice steams with aromas and flavor; the roasted beet carpaccio sings with seasonality. Make sure to book weeks, if not months, in advance—and may the odds be ever in your favor.
HOLD THE MEAT
Organic and plant-based options are the main attraction at this beloved, light-filled café and cocktail bar located on the heart of Main Street. Indeed, it’s a refreshing break from an island which otherwise excels at grilled meats and fried seafood. Most items on the menu are vegetarian or can be easily adapted to suit vegan diets—the LP Burger, for instance, comes with either a beef or an indulgent kelp patty, and a great selection of vegetarian and vegan-option salads and bowls make this a desirable lunch spot for carnivores and herbivores alike.
SEE AND BE SEEN
Yacht owners, private jet sets, and the visiting Manhattanites who love to chase them gather here at this glittering waterfront institution, known for its packed late night scene and occasional celebrity sightings. Sure, there’s a great mixology list, a never-ending supply of rosé, and all the hand-shucked oysters you can handle—but guests come here for the vibes, not the $68 Butter Poached Lobster. The bar area is wrapped with a wall of windows overlooking the Nantucket Boat Basin, which makes for a magical ambiance. Come twilight as lights glimmer off the yachts bobbing in the marina, even the saltiest, most homebound of Nantucketers can’t resist pushing their way through the crowded bar here for a glass of rosé—even at $22 a pour.
MUNCHIES
Beach bodies, be damned! This family-owned and operated greasy spoon has served breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the people of Nantucket for over 20 years but—as any local will tell you—excels for its late-night grub, offered until 11 p.m. during the week and 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Come for the grilled-to-order burgers and addictive popcorn chicken, stay for the people watching you can only find at this kind of diner, on this kind of island, at these hours of the night. For more refined palates, the menu also has a few unexpected yet worthwhile hints of Caribbean influence like curried mutton and deep fried Jamaican dumplings.
START ME UP
For nearly 90 years, the Downyflake has been the breakfast spot of choice for visitors and locals alike. It’s got all the fresh-squeezed orange juices, fluffy omelets and greasy breakfast sandwiches to kickstart your day (or nurse the effects of the night before). Whatever your order, make sure to try the house-made doughnuts. Do yourself a favor and grab a bag of warm Downyflakes to go—you’ll be the hero of your rental house.
IF IT AIN'T BROKE
Chef-owner Mark Gottwald recently celebrated his 30th anniversary of running the show at this cozy, nostalgic inn and restaurant, located in an historic whaling captain’s mansion built in 1831. On an island where glitzy restaurants often make it to the four-six year mark but few seem to last longer than 10, this intimate restaurant and inn proves that oldies can, in fact, be goodies. Indeed, the ambiance harkens back to the Nantucket of old: the dining room sits below street level, the ceilings are low, the lighting is dim, and there are nautical paintings on the walls. The menu excels with seafood offerings that Gottwald calls “boat to table”—caught by his longtime suppliers, his friends, or even Gottwald himself.
ONE FOR THE FEED
Nothing says summer on Nantucket—and that you want everyone to know about it—better than ’gramming from “The Galley.” This refined waterfront restaurant might be known for its iconic tables set directly in the sand, but make no mistake: there is nothing “barefoot” about this place. Perched between the billionaire beach homes of the exclusive Steps Beach and Brant Point neighborhoods, Galley Beach offers a highly-curated wine list, and a (non-optional) two-course prix fixe dinner menu for $89, with a mandatory 23 percent service charge automatically added to your check. Sure, all are welcome to enjoy fabulous seafood at the most picturesque waterfront dining on the island—but securing that Instagram post will cost you.
MAKE IT QUICK
Lifelong Nantucket local Tessa Cressman got tired of not finding healthy, locally-sourced, quick options on the island—and certain unnamed farm stands which purport to be local, but actually ship in their produce from off-island—so in 2021 she finally decided to create a solution of her own. Now, there’s finally a great one-stop-shop in the middle of town to pick up a breakfast sandwich and a fresh-pressed juice as well as snacks and grab-and-go options for lunch. Everything is fresh, and everything is local when possible. Sure, it’s the ideal place for a quick midday stop, but The Green Market is also the kind of place where you just might want to linger—in addition to those prepared foods, Cressman also offers fresh flowers (often grown on her own farm), clean beauty products to keep that summer glow going, as well as locally made ceramics and other artisan gifts.
