Nantucket has become a fashionable vacation spot attracting celebrities, presidents, athletes, and billionaires. As such, the New England island has become a culinary center, with some exclusive fine dining restaurants and bars, such as Topper’s, Straight Wharf, CRU Nantucket Oyster Bar, Galley Beach, Dune, The Nautilus, and many more.
During the high season in the summer, you will need to make table reservations well ahead of time if you want to get a chance to experience the exclusive menus, wine lists, and service of some of these high-end restaurants.
Luckily, the island is also home to various casual and more approachable eateries, including restaurants, cafes, bars, beach shacks, markets, take-outs, food trucks, and more.
If you are planning on visiting this picturesque island and are not ready to break the bank for 5-star dining, you can still enjoy delicious dishes, snacks, and food made of the freshest local seafood, produce, and other ingredients at a reasonable price.
Another way to save money when vacationing on “The Little Gray Lady of the Sea” is to find a suitable short-term rental house or residence instead of staying at overpriced hotels. You can prepare your food at your rental place and order-in food if you are not into dressing up and spending hundreds of dollars at one of the exclusive restaurants.
Here are some of the best places to eat tasty and reasonably priced food on the island of Nantucket.
Foggy Nantucket
Located at 147 Orange Street, Foggy Nantucket is a popular take-out spot, offering some of the best mouth-licking southern BBQ dishes, sandwiches, platters and sides, and deep-dish or thin-crust pizzas on the island.
It is a perfect place to stop by after a long fun day on the beach.
Some specialties to try at Foggy Nantucket include the brisket deep dish pizza and any smoked meats such as pulled pork, brisket, pork ribs, or smoked chicken.
You can get the best of all by ordering the family packs offered for up to 6 people.
Keep in mind that Foggy Nantucket is a take-out-only eatery, so you can opt for a picnic or head to your lodging to enjoy the delicious food served there.
167 Raw Nantucket
Nantucket is one of the best places in the USA to eat the freshest and tastiest seafood, including Maine lobster, clams, raw oysters, scallops, and wild Atlantic Ocean fish.
Located on 167 Hummock Pond Road, 167 Raw Nantucket combines a fresh seafood and fish market, a food truck, and a catering service, and it also has a raw oyster bar at the famous Cisco Brewers on the island.
At the 167 Raw food truck, you can enjoy some of the most delicious lobster rolls made with top-quality grilled Maine lobster in Connecticut and New England styles. The former is grilled and chilled and served on a buttered bun, and the latter is in the form of a warm lobster and mayonnaise salad on a bun.
At the Market Garden, you can enjoy mouthwatering fish tacos, oyster baskets, tuna burgers, fried fish sandwiches, ceviche, ahi poke, and carnitas tacos prepared with the freshest ingredients.
If you visit Cisco Brewers, don’t forget to order some of the fresh raw oysters at the pop-up 167 Raw bar on the grounds too.
The company sells fresh seafood and fish, top-quality meats and cheeses you can prepare on your own, and an excellent catering service for special events, lobster bakes, and parties.
Yezzi’s Nantucket
Yezzi’s is a fabulous food truck where you can eat Nantucket’s best roast beef sandwiches.
The chefs prepare the USDA prime beef in a north shore 3-way style and offer it served on a toasted onion roll with cheese, mayo, and BBQ sauce. Or you can order the slow-cooked USDA prime roast beef served in a sub roll with toppings and sides of your choice.
Yezzi’s also offers fried chicken thighs and tenders, delicious creamy chicken salad, Boursin turkey, Italian and veggie sandwiches, and subs.
There are over 20 different toppings, and you can get pizza tolls, Cape Cod chips, French fries, and onion rings as sides.
The kid meals are inexpensive and include chicken tenders or hot dogs for the little ones.
The Juice Bar
The Juice Bar is a small shop on 12 Broad Street which is among the top-popular eateries among locals and tourists alike.
It offers Nantucket’s best homemade ice cream, served in homemade out-of-the-world waffle cones and other delicious frozen treats, baked goods, and beverages.
There are more than 40 different flavors prepared with fresh local products and high-quality ingredients.
The Juice Bar also has some healthier low-fat choices, as well as sorbet, frozen yogurt, ice cream cakes, and pies.
You can get freshly squeezed fruit juice, smoothies, and other specialties at the shop.
Just be prepared to wait in a long line for your ice cream, especially if you plan on visiting Nantucket during the peak of the summer season.
Something Natural
Something Natural is a bakery and sandwich shop that has prepared the best deli-style sandwiches and homemade baked goods in Nantucket for over 50 years.
It is located in an old shingle-style house on 50 Cliff Road and has a spacious garden with picnic tables where you can enjoy the delicious and massive sandwiches or other snacks and drinks of your choice for a casual lunch.
Their huge sandwiches are made with freshly baked bread (Portuguese, whole wheat, oatmeal, rye, herb, or French), roasted meats, and many other great ingredients, such as salads, cheeses, and more.
Some of the sandwiches to try include the Salami and Provolone, the Honey Baked Ham, the Terry Terrific, and the PJ sandwiches, which are sold in whole and half. There are vegetarian options, too, such as Sheila’s Favorite, and other sandwiches with non-animal ingredients.
Or you can order food to pack a picnic and head off to one of the gorgeous Nantucket beaches or one of the many unique natural refuges and sanctuaries on the island.