Resy’s Guide to Summer in Nantucket

This gem, tucked away in the little village of Siasconsent on the island’s Eastern edge, first opened as a teahouse over a century ago. Today, it’s one of the most romantic locales in town, featuring a main dining room with a wood-burning fireplace, white linen tablecloths, and window seats that look out onto the vintage rose garden. Take it all in as you enjoy a menu of French-influenced classics that include halibut a la Provencal, chicken fricassee and filet mignon with brown butter poached jumbo shrimp.

Joseph Keller, who worked alongside his brother Thomas at The French Laundry and Bouchon, leads The Company of the Cauldron. Joseph, a Michelin-starred chef in his own right, serves a daily changing three-course menu of French-tinged American cuisine that’s featured everything from fried chicken and waffles to roasted Maine lobster tail. An ivy-covered exterior and a homey dining room decorated with vintage cooking ware, still life paintings and a model ship ooze old-Nantucket charm.

Opened by American Seasons and 21 Federal alumnus Michael Getter, Dune features a townhouse setting and modern décor. Menu-wise, you can expect upscale American fare like a grilled heritage pork chop with peach fried rice or grilled dayboat scallops with corn risotto. Its side-street patio is one of the best al fresco dining spaces in town—make a Resy to secure your table for al fresco bliss.

ACK’s reputation for indulgence is on full display at Nantucket Prime, which serves up high-end steakhouse classics like Jonah crab claws, Wagyu bavette steak and a surf and turf platter that matches a 4 oz. filet with lobster tail and a black garlic béarnaise sauce. Meanwhile, a comparatively restrained bar menu provides meat and cheese boards, pizzas and an “ACK Burger” that tops two smashed patties with American cheese and steak sauce. The combination of the mainstay’s downtown location and expansive patio allows for some of the best people-watching opportunities on the island.

In a town where steak and seafood reign supreme, The Proprietor’s Bar & Table shakes things up with an eclectic, global menu that ranges from house-made sesame noodles and green pea falafel to chicken fried trout. And the bar features one of the most creative cocktail programs on Nantucket, boasting a barrel-aged white Negroni and a house-bottled gin and tonic made with green tea-infused Japanese whisky. Come back on Sundays for brunch, where you’ll discover a lobster and mushroom pancake in addition to hearty classics, like a croque madame made with summer truffles.

With over four decades of experience to its name, Straight Wharf can rightly call itself an island landmark. Its space, covered in grey shingles inside and out, is pure Nantucket. While the locally-sourced menu changes nightly, you can expect to find house-made pastas, grilled steaks and line-caught seafood. It’s also a must-stop for summering oenophiles, as the French-focused, ever-changing wine list includes over 250 bottles to choose from.

Situated in a historic Greek revival building with a handsome, wood-paneled dining room, Ventuno proffers top-notch Italian fare including house-made pastas, balsamic-marinated ribeye and arguably the best meatballs on the island. The leafy backyard patio and bar provide the perfect backdrop for pre-dinner Aperol spritzes and antipasti plates, like fritto misto and sea scallop crudo.

Oriental rugs and ship paintings galore give this new restaurant, located inside the Greydon House hotel and courtesy of the Ventuno crew, a distinctly Nantucket vibe, but the food calls another port city to mind. The focus is Venetian small plates—think squid ink arancini, whelk fritters and local calamari with Calabrian chili; however large-format options include sweet corn agnolotti or a 12 oz. bison ribeye.