Waterfront Restaurants

Top 10 Waterfront Dining on Nantucket

September 11, 2023

There’s nothing quite like having a meal near the waterfront which is very calming and rejuvenating, especially if you appreciate the beauty of the sea. Fortunately, there are several options for waterfront dining on Nantucket that offer beautiful ocean views. We’ve explored some of the best waterfront dining on Nantucket, and reviewed them in this post.

Our Top Picks for Waterfront Dining on Nantucket

1. Straight Wharf Restaurant – Best Harbor Views

Address: 6 Harbor Square, Nantucket, MA 02554, United States
City/Town: Nantucket
State: Massachusetts

Straight Wharf Restaurant is located on Nantucket harbor and it offers magnificent water views. The restaurant offers a peaceful and relaxing environment with ample seating arrangement. It uses the freshest local ingredients and they continuously change their menus.

Some of their best food items include salmon crudo, spice-crusted seafood with artichokes, and swordfish skewers. They also have mouth-watering bar grill desserts including goat cheesecake and tahini banana split.

2. Galley Beach – Best Beach Dining Setup

Address: 54 Jefferson Ave, Nantucket, MA 02554, United States
City/Town: Nantucket
State: Massachusetts

Galley Beach offers a beautiful space to enjoy the ocean breeze and have your meals. The restaurant offers beach seating on the sand overlooking Nantucket Sound. Galley Beach uses local and highest quality ingredients to prepare the most delicious meals.

It has also been mentioned by various publications and received accolades for its performance. The restaurant’s menu focuses on New American cuisine and they offer brunch, lunch, and dinner.

3. Sandbar Jetties Beach – Best Open Air Restaurant

Address: 4 Bathing Beach Rd #2234, Nantucket, MA 02554, United States
City/Town: Nantucket
State: Massachusetts

Sandbar Jetties Beach restaurant offers an open-air seating arrangement. It is a casual restaurant that offers a laid-back atmosphere for dining and enjoying the beach views. The restaurant offers delicious seafood including appetizers, tacos, burgers, salads, sides, a raw bar, and desserts.

They also have a separate menu for the kids. The place also offers a variety of drinks including frozen drinks and on-the-rock items.

4. The Charlie Noble – Best Casual Restaurant

Address: 15 S Water St,
Nantucket, MA 02554, United States
City/Town: Nantucket
State: Massachusetts

The Charlie Noble is a beautiful casual restaurant for waterfront dining on Nantucket. It has a beautiful patio for outdoor dining where you can enjoy the ocean breeze while you eat your favorite foods.

Besides that, you can also have your meal in the indoor dining area. The restaurant offers mouthwatering seafood including starters and salads, sandwiches, full plates and shares, starters, noble dinner, and desserts.

5. Cru – Best Raw Bar Selection

Address: 1 Straight Wharf, Nantucket, MA 02554, United States
City/Town: Nantucket
State: Massachusetts

Cru is a gorgeous waterfront restaurant on Nantucket as it offers beautiful views. The restaurant is located in the heart of Nantucket harbor and has a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

It offers delicious seafood with French and Mediterranean influence and cocktails with a view. Here you can have lunch and dinner and choose a wine from their extensive wine list.

6. Brant Point Grill – Best Fine Dining

Address: White Elephant, 50 Easton St, Nantucket, MA 02554, United States
City/Town: Nantucket
State: Massachusetts

Brant Point Grill offers fine dining experience on Nantucket harbor to enjoy the views of Brant Point Light. The restaurant offers delicious seafood, steaks, and handcrafted cocktails. It offers an extensive breakfast menu, lunch, dinner, all-day menu, and desserts menu.

You can also enjoy poolside dining if you’re up for sips and snacks. While sitting on the loungers and cabanas you can enjoy fresh salads, wraps, paninis, fruit smoothies, and ice cream.

7. Millie’s – Best for Beach Sunset Views

Address: 326 Madaket Rd, Nantucket, MA 02554, United States
City/Town: Nantucket
State: Massachusetts

Millie’s restaurant offers stunning beach views and a breezy atmosphere for waterfront dining on Nantucket. The restaurant is open seasonally and offers delicious dishes inspired from Baja California and New England.

If you want to enjoy the sunset, you’ll have to book in advance as they offer limited reservations for this time. Their best entrees include quesadilla, grilled zucchini, slow-roasted tomato, and their local rum punch.

8. Topper’s – Best for Local Seafood

Address: 120 Wauwinet Rd, Nantucket, MA 02554, United States
City/Town: Nantucket
State: Massachusetts

Topper’s is located alongside the majestic waters of Nantucket bay. It offers New England cuisine and focuses more on local seafood. The restaurant uses local and fresh ingredients to create mouthwatering dishes for the visitors.

They offer oysters on the half shell, which they harvest locally 300 yards away. Besides delicious foods, Topper’s also offer a wide variety of wines, cocktails, and rare vintages.

9. The Summer House Restaurant – Best Romantic Dining

Address: 17 Ocean Ave, Siasconset, MA 02564, United States
City/Town: Nantucket
State: Massachusetts

The Summer House Restaurant operates under the famous Summer House Cottages. The restaurant was featured in New York Magazine for its beautiful ambience and delicious food.

If you’re willing to have a peaceful and romantic dinner with water views, this place is perfect. Here you’ll get to enjoy fresh flowers, flickering candles, and relaxing music. You can also enjoy drinks at the lively piano bar.

10. Nantucket Tavern & Gazebo – Best for Lunch

Address: 1 Harbor Square, Nantucket, MA 02554, United States
City/Town: Nantucket
State: Massachusetts

Nantucket Tavern & Gazebo offers a lively open-side environment for all the visitors to experience. The Tavern offers a delicious restaurant which you can eat while enjoying the ocean breeze.

It is a family-friendly restaurant that offers kids menu, booster seats, high chairs, and stroller parking. Their lunch menu includes a raw bar, appetizers, salads, seafood, cocktails, beers, and wines. You can also enjoy desserts from the ‘Something Sweet’ menu.

Wrap Up!

The island has many restaurants, but waterfront dining on Nantucket is an experience not to be missed. If you’re looking for waterfront dining on Nantucket, you won’t go wrong with any of the options above.