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The Black Dog Tavern After seeing all the T-shirts and hats, you have to be at least a little curious about The Black Dog Tavern. While the Black Dog's Labrador silhouette logo has ventured well beyond New England, the menu at this landmark is down-home seafood with plenty of dishes for landlubbers as well. Just yards from the waters of Vineyard Haven Harbor during low tide and just feet away when the tide is high, rusted iron chains and anchors, weathered wooden barrels, a "Tavern" sign swaying in the salty breeze all provide a wharf atmosphere. As for the Black Dog itself, it's a rustic wooden building decorated with quarter boards and other nautical items and windows providing spectacular views of the harbor. There are no reservations here and, considering its renown, arrive very early if you want to even have a shot at a window table. The Black Dog is also BYOB (Bring Your Own Booze) if you want a drink with dinner. Also on the grounds are The Black Dog General Store and the Black Dog Bakery (see the subsequent Shopping section of this chapter). The Black Dog Tavern is open year-round and serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. Le Grenier If you're going to open a French restaurant on Martha's Vineyard, it helps to hail from France. Le Grenier chef/owner Jean Dupon is a native of Lyon who excels at keeping his menu steeped in such traditional French cuisine as shrimp Pernod, Dover sole almondine, herb-crusted swordfish with an aioli, and lobster Normande flambee with Calvados apples. The desserts are made at La Patisserie Francaise, the more casual eatery downstairs where take-out is also available. Le Grenier is open for dinner nightly from the beginning of March through New Year's Eve, while La Patisserie serves three meals a day year-round. Reservations are suggested for LeGrenier.
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Giordano's Restaurant Clam Bar and
Pizza On summer weekend evenings patrons line up to get into Giordano's. It is worth the wait, for inside will be found an Italian dinner like your grandma used to make, that is, if your grandma was Italian. People have been waiting in line to get in ever since the Giordano family opened the Italian restaurant in 1930 (not the same line, of course). The food here is hearty and wholesome; expect heaping plates of cutlets and cacciatore, pizza, pasta, fried clams, and seafood. There is a noisy ambiance about the place, but it's all part of the charm of this family dining experience. Children's meals are offered at substantially lower prices. Lunch and dinner are served daily from mid-May through mid-September. Reservations are not accepted. Jimmy Seas Pan Pasta Expect to receive your food in large portions and expect to receive it served right in the pan in which it was cooked. The restaurant has a comfortable atmosphere, and the staff is very friendly. Jimmy Seas is a favorite spot of President Clinton when the First Family are on the island. The restaurant does not accept reservations (although, for some reason, we can't see the Clintons waiting in line for a table). Dinner is served nightly except Tuesday mid-April through mid-December. Linda Jean's If breakfast is your bag, then you'll definitely want to check out Linda Jean's on Circuit Avenue. Fluffy pancakes made from scratch are as good a way as any to start the day on the island. A year-round family-owned restaurant, it is a favorite spot for locals and visitors alike. Linda Jean's also serves lunch and dinner--check out the seafood platter with a full plate of clams, scallops, shrimp, haddock, fries, and cole slaw. Good stuff! Open year-round, it has been an Oak Bluffs fixture for 20 years. Lola's Restaurant There's something to be said for the fact that when the locals and island regulars go out to eat, most of them hit Lola's. It has some of the best food on the island, not to mention a selection that will satisfy even the most picky eater. Open year-round, Lola's is a wonderful, family-style restaurant where the emphasis is on seafood prepared in Southern style, including some great New Orleans dishes in its pub and main dining room. The pub offers a more moderately priced menu and live entertainment four nights a week. You can also catch an occasional gospel brunch on Sundays during the summer. Lola's is open for lunch and dinner. Mad Martha's This is the place for ice cream on the island. As a matter of fact, some Cape Codders have been known to make the daytrip just to taste the creamy delights here. With more than two dozen flavors from which to chose, there's something here for even the most picky tastes. Established in 1971, Mad Martha's can be found at several other locations throughout the island: Dockside Market Place in Oak Bluffs, Lake Avenue in Oak Bluffs, Union Street in Tisbury and N. Water Street in Edgartown. Besides serving ice cream, Mad Martha's also offers burgers and grinders (sandwiches made with hard rolls) from early June to Columbus Day. Ocean View As its name suggests, the Ocean View restaurant serves up peeks of the ocean, or rather, Oak Bluffs Harbor, from its front-facing windows. The Ocean View serves great tasting food at very reasonable prices. Its menu features everything from pizza to prime rib and lobster. Shrimp is a local favorite, and you'll definitely want to try the fillet of sole Français . The lounge has a large hearth with a fire crackling on cooler days with a popcorn-maker built into the hearth. There are two dining rooms complete with a mural of the harbor and a large fish tank. The clientele is a mix of locals and visitors. Lunch and dinner is served daily year-round. If you're on the island for New Year's, check out their New Year's buffet. Offshore Ale In its fourth year, Offshore Ale has become a favorite Vineyard establishment as an upscale brewpub with good food. There is live entertainment five nights a week during the summer months and three nights a week during the slower months. The menu features a mix of seafood and typical pub fare such as pizza and burgers. Offshore Ale is open year-round. Oyster Bar Once upon a time, the building that now houses the Oyster Bar was a grocery store. Today it is a stylish restaurant complete with 14-foot-tall tin ceilings, faux-marble columns, and a 40-foot mahogany and brass wine and raw bar. Open seven nights a week during July and August, the Oyster Bar opens for the season on Mother's Day and closes the day before Columbus Day. The Oyster Bar serves the finest in seafood and land food. Reservations are accepted. The Oyster Bar offers off-season prices. Season's Eatery and Pub Located halfway down the much-happening Circuit Avenue and right next to the rocking Atlantic Connection, is Season's. The menu contains some 70 moderately priced items, such as scallop and shrimp plates for seafood eaters, and chicken or shrimp stir-fry for those who can't make up their minds. During the summer there is acoustic entertainment, or for something a bit louder you can slip next door to the Atlantic Connection. Season's takes part in the local chili fest in January and holds a Halfway to St. Patrick's Day Party in September complete with corned beef and cabbage--and of course, live Irish music (see the Annual Events section of this chapter). Season's is open year-round for lunch, dinner, and brunch.
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Coach House At the sprawling Harbor View Hotel (see the previous Accommodations section of this chapter), the Coach House is open year-round for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Situated at land's end, across from the picturesque Edgartown Lighthouse, it is the ideal location for a bite to eat after you've shopped Edgartown. The atmosphere here is relaxed, and the lunch prices are rather relaxed as well. You'll find many tasty sandwiches and salads to stave off those hunger pangs so you can get right back out there hitting the shops. At dinner time, Coach House is known for having one of the largest selections of seafood entrees on the Vineyard with a nightly dinner menu that offers main dishes made with scallops, tuna, soft-shell crab, salmon, or lobster. David Ryan's Restaurant Cafe As you're hitting all the shops along North Water Street in Edgartown, you may want to hit the brakes and stop in for a bite at David Ryan's. How about Menemsha swordfish, blackened or grilled with citrus herb butter? Or perhaps Vineyard crab cakes with Jonah crab served with remoulade? Nothing like native seafood to give you a real feel for the island. David Ryan's also serves innovative pasta dishes, choice meats, and has a full liquor license. After dinner you can either continue shopping or mosey on down to the wharf and just take in the sights. David Ryan's is open every day serving lunch and dinner. Espresso Love After a night out on the ol' whaling town, you'll want to step into Edgartown's own Espresso Love for a cup of espresso, a cup of coffee, or a late-night dessert before returning to your inn. It also serves breakfast and lunch. Espresso Love is open 11 months of the year; it's closed during February. Catering to locals, visitors, and even the First Family when they are on the island, Espresso Love specializes in satisfying your sweet tooth. The scones alone are worth a visit. Don't let the crowds deter you--good things truly come to those who wait. L'Etoile Located at the elegant Charlotte Inn, L'Etoile is an exquisite French restaurant featuring the culinary artistry of chef/owner Michael Brisson. Begin with an appetizer of bacon-and-leek mashed potatoes with cognac cream sauce or perhaps sauteed fresh duck foie gras on sugar-pea tendrils with seared plums and green ginger muscat and ginger sauce. Your choice of entrees includes sauteed fresh Dover sole fillets with fried green tomatoes and saffron-poached potato batons, or perhaps roasted spice-rubbed Australian lamb with artichoke, goat cheese, sunflower seed, couscous melange. The incredible desserts are sure to break even the most determined diet. Dinner is served nightly from June through September; Wednesday through Sunday for the remainder of the year. L'Etoile is closed in January. Smoking is prohibited, and reservations are required. Main Street Diner This is your classic, right out of a Norman Rockwell print, diner. It's a bit hard to find, but the journey is well worth it. You approach it from Main Street by following a long, well-lit, flower-wallpapered walkway. Just keep going, the diner is down there, believe us! Along the way you'll pass American memorabilia. On the wall at the end is an American flag with 36 states. Turn left and then take a quick right and there you are. Open the door and you enter a museum of early 20th-century stuff. What a place! The food is the good old-fashioned American variety, and the smells are delicious. The entrees are about $7. As you look at some of the pictures on the walls you'll be amazed at who else has found this spot: Kevin Costner, Patricia O'Neal, Bill Pulman, even a Kennedy or two. Main Street Diner serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner year-round. The Navigator If your idea of island dining is fresh lobster while enjoying the views of Edgartown Harbor, this is the place for you. Besides offering plenty of seating inside, the Navigator also offers outside tables complete with umbrellas and, of course, the harbor waters just yards away. This is a perfect place to enjoy a late-afternoon cocktail and a spectacular view. Open for lunch and dinner from mid-May through Columbus Day, it is located at the very foot of Main Street. The Navigator is a nonsmoking establishment. Newes From America You almost expect to see Captain Ahab limp through the door into this classic whaling port pub. Brick walls and rustic wood planking on the walls and ceiling provide its character. Housed in an 18th-century building, the Newes is a famous gathering place for visitors and locals in search of good food at a good price. The beers served here have become legendary. If you can't make up your mind which beer to have, why not order the Rack of Beers, which allows you to sample five different brews. Regulars who consume in the neighborhood of 1,000 short drafts, or 500 talls, receive their own personal bar stool for a full year! (Now's there's something to put on your resume!) The food served here is good old American pub chow--hamburgers, grilled sandwiches, and hot soups to burn away the thickest fog. (We had the veggie piago sandwich.) It's the kind of food that tastes great with a pint of beer and a salty sea tale. The Newes is open for lunch and dinner year-round and is beside the Kelley House (see the previous "Accommodations" section in this chapter). |
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The Aquinnah The views from the restaurant's open porch are incredible, courtesy of Gay Head Cliffs and the ancient glaciers that created them. An Aquinnah landmark since 1949, the Aquinnah features plenty of great seafood and plenty of crowds. Patrons are offered both inside and outside seating, with take-out windows catering to those sitting outdoors to enjoy the awesome views. You can also buy clams and scallops by the pint and quart. The Aquinnah serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner while it's open from May through October. The Feast of Chilmark The Feast of Chilmark is accurately named, for it is in Chilmark and does serve up quite a feast. Open from mid-May until the end of October, this restaurant at Beetlebung Corner features a dining room with vaulted ceilings, a mezzanine, and spacious seating. Also within the unassuming building is a photo gallery containing the works of island photographer Peter Simon, the brother of singer Carly Simon. Though the Feast serves plenty of seafood, you may wish to try the roasted rack of lamb served with spinach and cognac glaze. If you do plan on dining here, leave your cigarettes behind as the nonsmoking policy applies throughout the restaurant. During the months of May, June, September, and October, the restaurant is closed on Monday. Reservations are suggested. Homeport Restaurant Since 1931 the Homeport Restaurant has been offering spectacular views along with great seafood. It is at the Menemsha fishing port with its weathered shanties lining the harbor, the very fishing port used as Quint's homeport in the movie Jaws. In fact, as you dine on lobster here you can look out across the water and see the remains of Quint's boat ORCA on the opposite shore. The Homeport is open for dinner starting at 5 PM from mid-April to mid-October. Lambert's Cove Country Inn Housed in a 1790 building, this restaurant offers a romantic country setting featuring beautiful pastoral views far removed from the hustle and bustle of the more populated town centers. Located at the end of a magical path through enchanted woodlands, this restaurant is contained within the beautiful Lambert's Cove Country Inn (see the previous Accommodations section in this chapter). Besides offering an elegant dining room, an outside deck is also available if you wish to look out over the apple orchard. Seafood lovers will want to try the salmon. Landlubbers may wish to sample the smoked duck breast or the peppered pork tenderloin. The restaurant is open year-round; seven days a week during the summer months for dinner only. During the off-season you should call ahead for days and hours of operation. Reservations are suggested, though walk-ins are always welcome. Lambert's is a nonsmoking establishment. Shindigs Open from May to the end of October, Shindigs offers fried seafood for those hungry tourists who have come to view the cliffs of Aquinnah. Though small and unassuming, the view from Shindig's three or four window seats is absolutely incredible. Only in Aquinnah can you eat a clam roll for less than $10 and enjoy a million-dollar view for free.
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