We are heading to Cape Cod next week. Staying in Orleans, so will be visiting the Knack and the Yard Arm. I’m sure we’ll head to Mac’s and maybe the bbq place on Rte 6, Cottage Street bakery.
Any other recommendations? Open to most foods, we do like bar seats and small plates.
Thanks-will report back.
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We live in Eastham. Hard to be enthusiastic about many of our surviving local restaurants since Covid. We always look forward to the Friendly Fisherman opening for the season, but Sunday is their last day. We like Land Ho in Orleans for lunch - my favorite place to have fish & chips and sandwiches. When we go out for dinner in Orleans, we like the Rock Harbor Grill, Mahoney’s and La Bella Vita - all of them have friendly bar seating. Local Break in Eastham is a good place to eat at the bar, as well. Haven’t been to the Barley Neck Inn for a long time but did get Thanksgiving dinner delivered from them in 2020. We just had a late breakfast at the Fairway in Eastham - it’s good. For small bites, check out the happy hour menu at Casa Del Cabo in Eastham - they have large bites too and their food is good. Not sure if Caroline’s is still open - they have Buck a Shuck and live music for happy hour. We love the Bookstore Restaurant in Wellfleet - it’s open until the end of October. Pearl at Wellfleet Harbor is also nice with great live music some afternoons - you can check the schedule online, and there’s a Mac’s on the pier, as well. We’re treating ourselves to lunch with my mother tomorrow at the Lobster Pot in Provincetown. I wish Ptown was more accessible, but traffic, crowds and parking have kept us away since Covid and the rebound tourist crush. We love so many restaurants there. Saturday is our wedding anniversary and we have reservations for an early dinner at Blackfish in Truro. Going in the opposite direction, we probably eat at Scargo Cafe on 6A in Dennis more often than anywhere - it’s open all year, every day at 11:00 and serves a lunch menu as well as a full dinner menu - they have a nice bar and a cozy fireplace. We are also quite fond of the Impudent Oyster in Chatham - a perennial favorite for years.
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I have no recent experience but my friends, whose house we stayed at last year like Captains Choice and Blackfish, which I’m sure you’re already familiar with.
ETA: they also like Terra Luna in N Truro which they describe as off the beaten track and they’ve only had take-out.
Love the Cape in the off-season. Have a fab time!
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Based on my experience there last year, solely considering food, I’m not sure I would recommend it. We were in a sad place last year and it just felt comforting but the food was middling at best. Perhaps we didn’t order smartly, though?
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The Yardarm lost it’s luster after the original owners sold it. The restaurant has recently changed hands, we’ve gone back a few times but it’s still not as good as it used to be. We have a friend who waits tables there so enjoy seeing her - but we usually go out for lunch not dinner. Can’t comment on their evening menu. The Lost Dog has a very local clientele at their bar and we enjoy going there for lunch - but not for the food. But we go there a lot. They do a great pour, we know the bartenders and the regulars - I guess we are “regulars”. They sometimes have steamers which are great. Their clam chowder is good. (except the time it was scorched). I like the coconut shrimp and they do a good bar pizza (but sometimes don’t put the ricotta on the Manhattan). The rest of their menu looks good on paper - depends on how many shots the staff have during their shift. It’s funny to watch but not always so much fun to eat. I call it the Hit or Miss Pub. We basically go there to drink and have fun - maybe eat something.
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Ah, The Yardarm, once upon a time a can’t miss spot. However, The Impudent Oyster in Chatham remains a reliable place to visit. Terra Luna is on 6A, in previous life was Adrian’s . Have not visited recently. Personal favorites in Wellfleet are The Wicked Oyster https://thewickedo.com and the Bookstore -sit outside if you can. If you are in Dennis on 6A, I have never had a disappointing outing at Captain Frosty’s.
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If you’re there over a weekend, please stop by Eat Cake 4 Breakfast in Brewster for pastries! Very limited fall hours, Sat and Sun only, but totally worth scheduling around.
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Thanks all, really appreciate your recommendations (and non-recommendations).
Will report back on the trip.
GP
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We had an incredible meal at Blackfish in Truro last night. Reservations are essential. It was our 45th wedding anniversary and my 91-year-old mother was with us. It’s a small, unassuming place, kind of hard to find and the menu is small with a few daily specials. The food is creative and impeccable, as is the service. I think today we are going to take her for lunch to the Impudent Oyster in Chatham. We’ve been going there for years.
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I hope you have a great week out here!!
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Happy anniversary! Hope that you have a lovely lunch out today, too.
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Thanks! We’re wondering how the hell did we get this old so fast? On our first anniversary we were living in Acton and the best man at our wedding was from Leominster - he treated us to dinner at the Old Mill in Westminster. I’m from Ohio, and it was my first encounter with a boiled lobster and I couldn’t bring myself to touch the thing! They sat it down with it’s beady eyes and antennas facing me and I totally freaked out.
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Love your story about your first encounter with a whole lobster. What a memorable anniversary!
Now I gotta try to recall the first time I had lobster. Also definitely here in Massachusetts as I grew up in Pittsburgh. No lobsters in those rivers, LOL. Fish cooked from frozen was fancy for us back in the day.
ETA: Made it out to The Old Mill years ago for an Easter buffet with a friend’s family. Just checked and that place is still going!
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I used to like the Brewster Fish House, Anyone been there recently?
Sadly, no. Happily, you will have a nice meal there regardless.
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Yes - we eat there for lunch quite often. Never disappoints. You can check their menu online - they always have a few specials. Have not gone for dinner as we generally don’t eat out for our evening meal.
We passed it, I believe, on our way off the Cape yesterday. Did not eat there this trip though
(will post what we did eat a little later)
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We had a very nice few days at the cape, Orleans area. Weather started out a little iffy but cleared up and had beautiful fall days for the most part.
Traveled on Monday, stopped in Hyannis for a lunch at the Knack, clam roll, which had just the right amount of clams for me, a fish sandwich for DH, was big! House made pickles and a pretty good tartar sauce. We split the fries. Visited the Sparrow Coffee shop once we landed in Orleans, for a frozen hot chocolate and a slice of the lightest carrot cake I have ever had. We were not too hungry that evening and picked up some shrimp & corn chowder and a ham/cheese/arugula sandwich to share on the deck, watching the sunset.
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Tuesday was a little rainy in the am, we decided to eat at Hole in One, no table service available, order at the counter and your food in delivers in take out containers. Eggs, french toast, bacon for both of us.
Very good and eggs cooked as requested. We shopped at Snows for things we didn’t know we needed and the Sea Wolf book shop for things we did need. Drove to Nauset and Coast Guard beach. Big waves on a windy day.
Early dinner at the Rock Harbor Grill, the prime rib special, medium rare, came with mashed and really good sauted green beans. A bowl of seafood chower and the Artisans Greens salad for DH. The beef was very tasty, cooked correctly but not quite prime rib. Or else the kitchen trimmed it up? Not sure. Chowder was pretty good, on the smokey side, full of fish and leeks and things, the salad was very nicely put together, not a blue cheese fan but he is and enjoyed it. The bar scene is pretty lively and we had a good time meeting some fellow travelers-forgot pictures!
Wednesday was a beautiful day, we headed toward P-town after coffee and muffins from the Cottage Street bakery. Stopped at the Marconi area for a visit to the light house. It is now open for tours and my husband went up the spiral staircase. It was a little too tight for my claustrophobic taste so I stayed below. He said the view was very impressive.
We also walked the Cedar Swamp trail so by the time we got to Provincetown we were pretty hungry.
Actually ended up at the Lobster Pot, neither of us had ever eaten there and decided to give it a shot.
Clam chowder and Portuguese stew to start. The chowder was thick and could of used a bit more clams but was ok overall. The stew was very good, had a little kick to it. I ordered a warm lobster roll and he had the lobster avocado cocktail. I really just ate the lobster from the roll, there was plenty and it hit the spot but the DH devoured his meal, it was very good. Lobster on an avocado mousse with mango on top.
We were not very hungry that night, so we went back to the local market for some bites, picked up deviled eggs, tabbouleh, shrimp cocktail for dinner. Cocktail sauce spicier than you might think. Eggs improved with the cocktail sauce, tabbouleh better with the lemon and arugula from the eggs .
Thursday we had a egg and bacon breakfast at the Home Port and sat on Nauset Beach reading and watching the waves. We were pretty hungry by mid afternoon, so took a ride to Wellfleet and Mac’s Shack Had an excellent clam chowder, house salad, Thai style fish cakes, lobster tostada and shrimp cocktail. The only complaint was the addition of sesame oil to the tostada plate, did not make any sense with the rest of the dish-lobster, avocado, corn, pickled onions, we thought perhaps someone grabbed the wrong bottle when dressing the plate.
Overall, a very relaxing week on the Cape and look forward to the next visit.
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Thanks for the fun report.
We haven’t been back to Nauset—one of our favorite beaches—in some time. Did any food operation ever take the place of dearly departed Liam’s?
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The joys of shoulder season travel. Looks like you had a great week!
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