Will be visiting Provincetown on Cape Cod in September. Looking for the best in food and dining suggestions. Thanks, in advance…
I’ve only been a few times but I have enjoyed
(Reservations recommended for these)
Joon - they also have wines I enjoy
Jimmy’s Hide away - small place in a basement
Mews - ask for a table upstairs, nicer views
The Lobster Pot is a bit of a zoo but I really enjoyed the boulliabase I had there.
It’s such a small place I’m not sure there are any real “secrets” there. As a non-food rec, the sand dune tour was enjoyable. It’s just a car ride but to places you wouldn’t get to if just visiting.
Everybody has different favorites. Canteen is excellent, Local 186 for Burgers, Spindlers, Strangers and Saints, Victor’s, and Mac’s are all in our rotation. Others swear by Front Street (never been).
Agreed everyone has their favorites. When I talk to the people who have places there I think it has more to do with the crowd they like and where they have a friendly bartender.
Friends recommended Pepe’s as well. We haven’t been there.
I can’t go to Victor’s after what happened … too many other places to support.
re Victor’s, agree
Thanks, all! I do remember having a good meal or two at the iconic The Lobster Pot years ago. Someone mentioned a place called Mac’s Seafood. Any good? Also recall having some delicious Portuguese pastries from a shop on the main drag. Does it still exist?
Just out of town we had shopped at a popular herb and spice distribution/mail order outlet…
Mac’s Fish House is one of the Mac’s family of Cape seafood restos. It was fine when I visited earlier this year. They had a Thursday night AYCE fish & chips special then, dunno if they’re still doing it.
Provincetown Portuguese Bakery is on Commercial Street if that’s where you went last time. Yelp seems especially fond of their malassadas.
Napi’s is a sentimental favorite. I like the quirky decor and the food’s always been solid. Partner is a big fan of the porco em pau. I also like Wired Puppy for coffee and Lewis Brothers for ice cream.
That is Atlantic Spice in Truro. I have had great success with their seeds, peppers, and nuts, less so with the dried green herbs which taste “dusty” to me. However, the cats LOVED their catnip. No dusty complaints from them. Nice kitchenware supply as well.
I thought I’d bump this thread since we’re heading to Ptown on Monday for three nights. We are sort of obligated to go to Ciro and Sal’s one night, and are keeping our options open for the other two. We’re probably only going to need dinner, since our wonderful-sounding inn has a well-reviewed complimentary continental breakfast (although for this hollandaise-obsessed woman, the eggs benedict at Cafe Heaven sounds tempting) and we can’t manage to eat three meals a day anymore.
We’ll also be looking for coffee. There’s a Wired Puppy across the street from the Inn. Kohi sounds promising as well. Any other suggestions in addition to the helpful recommendations above are welcome and appreciated!
I’m not sure what is being referenced above but focusing only on the food, our best meal on our last visit was at Victor’s. I always have to visit the Lobster Pot. I love the old school vibe and beautiful neon sign. I can always picture myself sitting there with my father (and wish I had just one more opportunity to do so).
If you don’t mind a drive down the Wellfleet, Mac’s Shack is one of my faves anywhere. Dining in P-town is fantastic, best on the cape by far. Enjoy your trip.
Thanks! I’ll report back after our trip.
(A quick search shows a horrifying domestic violence incidence involving the owner of Victor’s.)
me too. that place is a true classic.
Sorry it’s so long!
Trip Report, Aug. 2017
Provincetown trip
I’m late getting around to this, but we spent four days in Ptown last week and had a great time. I’m not sure we made the best food choices but still managed to eat well.
Our first night we went to Tin Pan Alley because the patio was so inviting. We had a very good meal and our server was charming. I really enjoyed my moqueca, which was loaded with snapper, squid, shrimp and scallops and had a very flavorful broth. Our server said that it is the signature dish of our chef, who is French and Cuban. My husband also enjoyed his perfectly-cooked halibut on a bed of spinach and white beans. It was a lovely evening and we’d probably return.
In the morning, we split a caramel apple dumpling from Connie’s Bakery, The pastry was buttery, flaky and tender and the apple perfectly seasoned. All of the pastries looked great. They are obviously made with care and skill. That night, we ended up at 9 Ryder, a sweet little old school Italian place with a fabulous view and gracious service. I had baked flounder stuffed with clams, shrimp and breadcrumbs along with a side of spaghetti tossed with butter, garlic and cheese. The fish was perfectly cooked and tasty, and definitely sort of retro. My husband had the eggplant parm and a side of pasta with marinara. It was fine. We enjoyed our time there but probably would go elsewhere next time just to try out other places.
The next morning we went to Cafe Heaven so I could get my Hollandaise fix. I got the Benedict Florentine after reading how great the sauce is. It was quite good, but it has quite a bit of whole grain mustard in it which I wasn’t expecting and found a bit overwhelming. The eggs were well poached and the homemade English was delicious. My husband loved his Mexican scramble. Great little place and if we were there longer we may have hit them up for a casual dinner. For dinner, we ended up at Ciro and Sal’s. The atmosphere is really warm and inviting and the servers worked really hard, but it was understaffed and we were seated 1/2 hr. after our reservations after having to flag down the host, who was also serving, a couple of times. My seafood fra diavolo was quite good. My husband got the manicotti special which was tasty enough, but looked sort of like burritos and could have used a bit of the accompanying béchamel own top.
Our last morning we grabbed some donuts from the Donut Experiment, which advertises donuts made to order. The donuts were actually pre-fried and just topped to order, but they were warm and tender. We’d go back.
For coffee, we went to Kohi coffee a few times for good pour-overs and outstanding espresso. (One is opening in the New Balance complex in the next couple of months.) Highly recommended. We also hit the Wired Puppy a couple of times and were happy. On our way home, we grabbed some malassadas and egg tarts from the Portuguese bakery.
On last thing. We stayed at the Waterford Inn and would definitely return. Very nice, low-key people and located right on Commercial St. Clean, pleasant rooms. Great place.
Moqueca
Halibut
Donuts
Fra Diavolo
Manicotti
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I want to thank you for all these wonderful responses! We will be heading to P’Town later this month and I can tell we will not starve. Anything else to know?
And one more thought: is there a stop we should try to make on the Cape on the way out, or during the drive from the Cape back to New York?
Hey, gutreactions, how was your trip?
On an impulse, we’re taking the fast boat to Provincetown in a few days, and spending two nights there and the intervening full day. We’ll not have a car – and will be staying at a place close to the ferry around 300 Commercial.
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The Lobster Pot, Tin Pan Alley, and the Portuguese bakery seem to be right at that general location. Is there any other good eating minutes (walking) from the pier area?
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Is there any spectacular dining in the general area, within a taxi ride? Joon looks interesting, for example, but how does it (or anything else in Provincetown) compare with, say, Oleana, or Shangri La, or Craigie, or Strip T’s (in its glory)? We’re content to merely eat reasonably well, and enjoy P-town for its other attractions, but if there’s any outstanding, creative food there, we’d hate to miss it.
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Which beach? (Water-wise, view-wise, sand-wise, and nearby food-wise.)
Great time of year for Ptown. I wouldn’t say Ptown is known for innovative dining … so sometimes views count too.
My recommendations -
Joon is one of our favorites.
Jimmy’s Hide away can be fun
Pepe’s you can’t beat their view from their deck
Lobster Pot is an institution, the food is fine - their seafood Cobb is one of my go to items there. If you don’t mind eating at a bar, we eat upstairs at their bar, always meet fun people.
Liz’s on Bradford has always been solid.
The Red Inn is supposed to be good, we’ve only been for their happy hour so can’t confirm
Again nothing in Ptown I would say is innovative but those are at least good food.
For a beach I’d recommend Herring Cove beach, I think in the summer there is a shuttle to get there - or you can cab/Uber or rent bikes. It’s about 2 miles from the center of town. It also is the only one with a food/drink option - cash only FYI.
For a quick weekend I don’t think it is worth trying to get out of town - not worth the hassle.
PS - everything is minutes walking from the Pier. The Red Inn is the furthest but we always walk.
PPS I would recommend Mews but we had the most horrible experience there last night, so it’s off my list for a while.
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I haven’t found anywhere with the creativity or precision of somewhere like Oleana, or Craigie. However I can say that we had another excellent meal at Victor’s recently, and for me it is one of the most consistently satisfying places in the area.
Non food related, but Art’s Dune Tours is worth a look. For beaches Herring Cove and Race Point are both fantastic. Enjoy your trip, the fast ferry is the way to go.
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Thanks, Thimes and uni.
