or, The Whale

This is an amazing place. Classy and delicious. Staff was on point. It's pricey, bring your wallet. Drinks were delicious. There's outside and inside seating and bars. It packs pretty quickly so make a res. Tell em Barsnobs sent ya!

Terrible awful service and disgustingly wilting salad. See the pics- RACIAL profiled by two women of the seemingly either one of the host or the manager. - edit to your meaningless reply: JUST admit and say genuine and sincere apologies without making this as my confusion. There were clear reasons why your members were racist. 1) there WAS already two white women party who were seating at the 4-people-table NEXT TO us. I was able to SEE it. 2) after we waited and sat, there WAS another white elderly couple who were introduced to the 4-people-seating outside after us. 3) We didn’t even get thank you when we were leaving and that two women were at the entrance as seen in the pic. I’m telling the truth- and still your salad was disgusting and definitely not worth to visit. We never experienced your rude attitude at any restaurant, especially clearly asking for something very reasonable. DON’T make me a fool and don’t lie to us. Good luck with your business! They didn’t even apologize about my disgustingly dried salad which was not fresh at all, with our return. Although I got the second new one, every tips of the greens were blackened and yellowed. One of them just said “sorry, guys” very casually without any real emotion. We were no one to them. They let us wait while other same number parties without reservation went ahead of us multiple times. We thought they might stick to their rule like tables for two. But, apparently, any other white people was introduced to the table for 4 right away even when they were two people. Why did only we had to wait? And the food was at best mediocre. Our server and another host were nice though. But I wouldn’t recommend this place at all. They ruined the ending of our wedding anniversary trip. Except for this restaurant, everything was perfect.

We had the best drinks at the bar with Tony and Marty. They were kind and personable. So attentive and we felt like they were our friends. Go here for a great cocktail and conversation. You will not be disappointed

Just arrived in Nantucket for a day trip and had previously made a 1130 reservation. We arrived and we’re seated in a very lovely outdoor patio setting. I bet it would be even better in the evening. We were immediately greeted right away and our drink orders were taken. When I asked if we needed any help with the menu, we didn’t, and immediately placed our order. Very friendly staff and attentive service while we were there. The food arrived quickly, and each entrée that we chose, we loved. No room for dessert so we paid our bill and we’re on with our day. I would highly recommend visiting this place as it has a lovely atmosphere and fantastic food and service.

What an amazing treasure! So beautiful restaurant I suggest you go early this way you'll get in and seated and not have to wait a while. Had the duck for two although a little pricey absolutely delicious I utilize the barbecue sauce served with the pork buns and it made the duck Taco over the top. This is a must try amazing service made a new friend would definitely go back!

Place is cute. The new renovation inside and out are great. Definitely Garden is a plus. Food is ok . Sorry nothing memorable. Last time we had bad experience with the service. No water, wrong order, nobody check on us, we had to go to the bar for our drinks.... just big mess and the place wasn't busy. Would i go back - yes , i just hope service is better.

The food was fabulous, service was excellent. HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Great vibe and location. Popped in and had some cocktails and apps. Cocktails were awesome. Highlight was the Burratta tomato salad. Had cherries in it which we have since incorporated into our homemade version. Surprised to find an "optional" BOH tip added to the bill. A bit pricey overall.

Or the whale is one of my go to's when craving Duck Carnitas in nantucket. It comes whole with tortillas to make little tacos and herbs to top it all off, it's a perfect date spot for dinner or sit at the bar with any of the friendly bartenders! Whole Roasted fish when they have it is another solid options, super fresh and feeds 2 people. One of my favorite apps has to be the corn ribs, they get topped off with cheese and cilantro and much easier to eat than corn on the cob. Highly recommend

Visit the island just before Memorial Day and stopped in for a drink and an appetizer. We ordered the Smoked bluefish pate red onion - chives - salmon roe - toasted sourdough...and man, Let me tell you something . It was delicious, fresh, and a game changer with the Roe. I'm gonna maybe make this at my house one day, but doubt it will be even remotely wonderful.

With Foggy Nantucket now closed (hopefully not forever), the cleverly named or, The Whale* has become our favorite restaurant in Nantucket. Everything we've tried on this inventive, often-evolving menu has been very good. But we recently enjoyed a large-format meal that we think really deserves mention, especially on an island where these kinds of flavors are still harder to come by. (Sorry vegetarians: This one is not for you. =/ ) The Korean "barbecue" -- really ssam with slow braised pork shoulder -- for 4-6 people took a page directly from David Chang. We've experimented with this kind of thing at home and have enjoyed it at David Chang restaurants. This version was well executed, the pork moist and delicious, flavorful through and through even underneath the immediate outside layers of seasoning. "Kimchi" cucumbers were not entirely true to the description and lacked acid, but the toasted sesame and mild chili seasoning were nonetheless enjoyable (maybe more like Taiwanese quick pickles than kimchi). I was sad that none of our leftovers vegetables were packed with us. Those to me were the best part of the meal. Also enjoyable, but perhaps not perfectly balanced: very acidic pickled vegetables / fruit, which included baby corn, cubes of cantaloupe (interesting, still a touch sweet), baby carrots (the real ones that are shaped like carrots and not bullets) and small florets of cauliflower. I thought these could've been a touch less acidic and more saline. The shared plate also included some pleasant herbal matter for inclusion in ssam: basil, mint and a wee bit of cilantro on our visit. Delicate leaves of butter lettuce for wrapping were beautifully arranged in a rosette for service and quite fresh. Given all the heavy, fatty meat, we ordered the grilled baby vegetables, as well, for balance. Here, tiny summer squash, baby carrots, and broccoli came attractively charred, but were a bit soft for some tastes. They paired beautifully with an artful schmear of caramelized creamed cauliflower on the side of the bowl. I'd thought we were eating a version of Israeli style hummus at first it was so creamy. I wonder if there was tahini in this concoction. It was fabulous and I'm on a mission to recreate it! Super friendly, nice wait staff across the board, but we especially enjoyed our chat with the twin Chapin alums at the front -- go Gators! I've loved the grilled branzino on prior visits and can't wait to come back for those mushrooms even if I can't get anyone else in my family to buy in. They'll be all for me. :) * For the curious, "or, The Whale" is the subtitle of "Moby Dick".

While the inside was slammed and extremely busy, the back patio dining experience was 5 out of 5 stars. It was so gorgeous out there, and the food and drinks made our experience that much better. Everything was absolutely delicious. (We dined with a party aged 6-73 and everyone was beyond delighted with everything they ate and drank.) I would 1000% recommend this restaurant to anyone who likes amazing food and an incredible vibe.

Reservations a must. Visited our Nantucket-based friends. The menu - especially entrees - are for sharing. Service goof for how busy they were. Here's our bill: pickle plate $18 crudite $20 duck carnitas for 2 $78 3-lb whole fish $95 add some sparkling water and some drinks You are at $400 with tip. Nantucket prices. Overall good and we had a swell time. But be prepared for a large bill.

We absolutely love this restaurant. The wings are amazing. The wait staff is welcoming and fantastic. The drinks are delicious and I wish you could order them by the pitcher. We always sit inside because we seem to always pick the hottest week of the year to be in Nantucket. The inside and patio or both beautiful. They do really well attending to children as well. Our server without being asked put In our toddlers food and was super kind to her.

Great service. Loved the atmosphere. Good was perfect. Charming place. Very well run. Look forward to returning again tonight! Mitko is an amazing server. Great personality.

Fabulous meal. We order the tomato salad. Just wonderful. For the main, I had the branzino, my wife had, a vegetarian rice dish. Both were amazing. Only drawback to the place, was the noise, probably having more to do with me being a senior citizen (hard of hearing). Most of the clientele were young people and they were not disturbed by the loudness. Highly recommend this restaurant.

I'd give it like 3 and a half. Like super close to a four. I just wasn't wowed by it. I got the burger and the French onion soup, I think the most creative part of that was the kimchi mayo, which was phenomenal. The fries were super fresh too, they were the highlight. The atmosphere, specifically the back patio, is the best part. The outdoor seating is beautiful and secluded, it feels like you entered Narnia. Last year we went and saw Donald Glover with his family, it's definitely a hidden gem. If you go for brunch just know you're either getting cold brew or hot coffee, the Corner Table Cafe might be your stop for coffee after. The staff was great, we got there early and they seated us immediately. We sent back bacon that was underdone and they cooked it more without question, super gracious. This was my second time going, this time for brunch rather than dinner. I'd highly recommend dinner here but brunch isn't really a must.

The staff was incredibly friendly and were very accommodating for our 3 year old and offered to bring some off the menu chicken tenders for him. We got the steak and frites and it was delicious. Will come back in the future!

Excellent flavors, service and atmosphere. Our favorites were the mussels, shrimp sandwich and tuna tostada. Highly recommend!

To make last review 3.5 stars instead of 3. Again, had a good experience last summer and good service both times

Absolutely loved this restaurant! We had one of the best tables in the house -- we were in the front window and it was so pleasant. Love all the nods to Moby Dick with the theming. The food was really really good. I loved the pickled veggies. The wings were good, but had too much batter. Bok choy was tasty, but the winner was the duck that was recommended to us down the street at another bar. Definitely recommend stopping in, even if for a drink at the bar.

We came here for brunch on Sunday and had a very pleasant time. We made a reservation and although it was busy, there were still a couple tables available indoors. The space itself is very beautiful, tastefully decorated and the outdoor patio is cozy. They have several options but we went for the avocado toast and steak and eggs. My avocado toast was fantastic, probably one of the best i've ever had. The avocado tasted very creamy and fresh, and the paprika oil added a nice smokiness. The microgreens added a bright touch as well. My husbands steak and eggs were very yummy too but nothing extraordinary. Our server was attentive and service was also pretty quick. Overall we had a good time and would definitely recommend this place.

Fancy- No! Here's the deal. When you walk in and, at first sight - There Is a Big Loud Bar- Then, a big open Dining Room with a few finger bars around- Also loud which makes sense because the ceiling is high and reverberates all over the place. Walk past all the riffraff to the outside and it is a somewhat vast (for Nantucket ) Dining area with a small Tiki Style Bar and 2 level eating spaces. The menu is smart, small and nothing is not good. Service is relaxed but pleasant- and they are mostly knowledgeable of the menu. Be aware- if you are a seasoned diner- there may be other diners there who do not know shite about food which can be annoying as they will take up the time of your server- So... Get your order in before them. haha! ( no... seriously do that) The food is good- Really good. Affordable and not pretentious- though Creative. The experience is not fine dining but I think, the perfect Nantucket Vibe for the most part. Pulled Duck with tortillas and salsa- bits that go in the fold- for 2- 4 is great ( ask for more tortillas) The Roast Asian style Pork for 3- to 5 also great with bau buns and all the asian thingys that go with it. We Had a great Nantucket summer Tomato salad and grilled vegetable salad that we all loved. Dessert- Most restaurant drop the ball on this but there was a Pavlova type dish that we all loved. Go there- ask for an outside table in the summer or a quiet table inside for off season. Drinks are good- nothing too mind blowing but very good- wine list is approachable.

We were told that they were booked for the day and were very bummed but last minute told they may be a small table and it worked out perfectly for us! So, a tip: make a reservation! We snagged a snug little corner spot in the booth area and I ordered the Tomato Salad which actually has watermelon on it and it was so good. Beautiful, plump juicy tomatoes with fresh watermelon and a giant ball of burrata to tie it all together. I felt so healthy/refreshed just eating it! My friend and I also split the clam chowder - which I'm glad we did because it's quite a sizable portion. It was so creamy and delicate - highly recommend!

This was the best meal we had on Nantucket (Via Mare, Straight Wharf, Brotherhood of thieves). By far the best patio. Service was great and the cocktails/bar was great. If I could only pick one place to go back to it would be this restaurant for sure. Definitely want to try the table shareable pork next time. That looked amazing. But the apps and entrees we had were great!!

I had the triple salmon roll, salmon nigiri, and spicy salmon roll. All were fresh, nothing gnarly, all very tasty. This was a huge amount of food because the triple salmon is so large. I'd order that one again for sure. It'll check the box for a good quality sushi fix on Nantucket.

One of my favorite spots on the island. Went for drinks with friends and our bartender Bridget was amazing!! All drinks were made to perfection. She was friendly and fun to talk with. Will be back to see Bridget!

Jamie - my review was left about 3 years ago, and as of 4 months ago, you have people complaining about the same things. So instead of taking issue with my honest, and yes, accurate review, perhaps you should be focusing on the issues that still continue to plague your restaurant. Scroll down and read the common thread in all of the negative reviews - service is SUB PAR. In response to our experience 3 years ago, I still stand by my review. The girls next to us sat AFTER us, but got their food 45 min before we even ordered. Why? Because they just happened to get a server while we were overlooked. Again, why? I don't think it was a personal thing, but rather a lack of training, organization and knowledge of how to operate. In regards to my reviews, I have also left well over 40 reviews that are 5 star, as well as another 20 that are anywhere in between. My 1 star for this one was generous. So again, I invite you to read the other negative reviews and then perhaps you can give me a more thoughtful and productive response, versus taking a defensive stance. Good luck surviving with that type of attitude.

First time in a very long time that we've found a dinner place that we continue to talk about. The duck tacos were absolutely worth the cost. Perfect serving size for 2. We sat at the bar and the bartender was really nice. Patio was cute and just overall a good vibe.

We recently tried this restaurant and enjoyed the food and drinks. We got in quickly and the service was great.

*** Brunch Review *** Service is a bit of a struggle, as many others have pointed out, and this place is impossible to get into, but its a pretty great spot (if you can manage). The duck confit was downright awesome. Duck was perfectly tender and salted nicely, while coming with hash and an acidic chimi to cut right through it all.

Great spot, ate in the back patio. Friendly staff. Get the Korean pork to share, insane!

Mediocre. I love Papas Bravas but I could not bring myself to order $21 potatoes with aioli. Why not charge $121? I opted for the $44 dollar roasted chicken dinner. I got dry chicken, cold mashed potatoes and one (count em) Cippolini onion. Though "jus" was promised on the menu it wasn't in evidence in the presented dish. My favorite part of the meal was when the food runners came to "auction off" the dishes one by one. You'd think for a $44 dollar airline quality chicken dish SOMEONE could keep track of who had which dish! This was perhaps the most over-priced mediocre meal I've had in years.

This restaurant hadn't been on my radar at all before arriving in Nantucket, but we needed a last minute reservation during our week on the island and ended up booking here. It was a great decision. There was plenty of variety for our party of 5 and the food was delicious. Highlights of the meal included Bistro Steak Frites and Duck Carnitas for Two. The ambiance was very nice and service was decent enough, although just slightly inattentive. I wouldn't hesitate to book here again if in Nantucket.

A great place with a great menu. The back patio is an awesome spot to enjoy being outdoors while still being right downtown. The bar has great energy and all of the people are eager to help. First class meals every time.

Good - but not the best food I've ever had. My favorite item ended up being the tomato and watermelon buratta salad. The cheese was creamy and the watermelon paired perfectly with the tomatoes. The shrimp croquettes tasted like they were missing something. It was essentially a fried ball of lots of shrimp clumped together. On the other hand, the street corn was really good I had never had it served this way and definitely recommend it if coming here. For our meal we had the whole fish taco special. It wasn't bad but there wasn't anything special to it. Overall this is a good place to come if you're looking to grab something quick. This may be hard for family's as the menu tends to have twists on a typical dish.

Great time at Or, the Whale! We got a last minute reservation and got the cutest table in the window. The food was exceptional.. Especially the tuna tostado appetizer - freaking out of the world delicious! My hubby had the branzino which he raved about and I had the falafel. Would definitely recommend!

We wouldn't come again. While the food was normal enough, the service was pitiful. Our server was quite slow and didn't understand ANYTHING we requested. Ex. Please do not put water into the unused glass on our table. OR. This person is eating fish and we've reminded you 3 times; please do not give them a steak knife. We felt continuously awkward and were abandoned for 40 minutes at a time. The ambiance left something to be desired as well. The noise level was deafening and the bar scene was tacky. This was incredibly disappointing and we will be taking our business elsewhere.

Great place to get cocktails with a spectacular outdoor patio. Really cool tiki bar and the staff are super friendly! Highly recommend coming here for a snack and a cocktail!

Fast service, easy seating and the food is delicious! So many flavors, great presentation and good company. Definitely make a reservation ahead of time for the courtyard.

Simple menu but everything we ordered was delicious. We had 7 dishes (street corn, duck carnitas, Caesar salad, wings, tuna tostada & grilled branzino) for 5 people and seconds of the wings because they were that good. Tempura batter on the wings was perfectly crispy and the sauce wasn't overbearing even though it looks like it in the picture. I probably wouldn't order it to go though. It's one of those dishes that would get soggy the longer it sits in the sauce. I was a little hesitant to order the duck carnitas but very happy that we did. Lots of room in the backyard for outdoor seating. We had an early dinner at 5:45pm in early June and the weather was perfect.

We wanted to love this establishment, especially because it's nicely appointed and new. The lobster roll my husband had was absorbed in so much mayo that the lobster was vaguely noticeable. On that same dish was a salad that was doused with salt. Why is a salad ever salted to that level? When he kindly mentioned it to the waitress who asked, his comment was met with much apathy. My veggie burger was so mushy, that it ranks as the worst I've ever had. Realizing that newer restaurants need to work out the kinks, we wish OTW the best. We are a bit dumbfounded as to how this restaurant rates higher than other places that are far better quality food and service during the time we visited ACK.

Going to Nantucket for the Figawi race always leaves a challenge to find a good place for breakfast. This place offered a reasonable good breakfast. Many daily specials for Sunday brunch. I would have given 5 stars but considering we literally were the first people Thru the door when they opened we were not served our breakfast for almost 40 min while all the new comers were served well before us. Still worth s try.

Food is solid B. Service is A-. This used to be one of the biggest tourist traps on the island. Change of management vastly improved. Recommend you try.

Excellent service and great food. Jamie, Zac, and Naomi made our experience memorable. They were friendly and accommodating. Our table ordered pickled vegetables, the corn appetizer, pork chop, steak, chicken, and the cheesecake dessert. All very tasty options! Also, perfect spot to grab a drink. The atmosphere at the bar was very fun.

First thing I noticed was the small but expensive menu. I ordered a Caesar Salad and Steak Frites. I ordered the steak medium rare. The salad was flavorless, and the croutons that came with it were equally unappetizing. The steak was cooked perfectly on one side, but medium well on the other. Both sides were so tough it was impossible to chew. The fries were unsalted, but they were still quite good. For dessert we ordered New York style cheesecake with a berry compote (the only thing they had). This was the saving grace of the meal. The berry compote was delicious, and everything about it was amazing. If we had not ordered dessert, this would be one star.

Very limited and expensive menu with tiny portions. A $20 shrimp appetizer had four tiny balls in it and a tomato salad was $24. Even the $38 main course was not large enough to share. Patio was nice and the food was good though.

I really enjoyed the eating experience at the establishment. We got the shrimp croquettes and the duck carnitas for two and an Uncle Bad News cocktail. Some in my party wished the service had been a bit more attentive, but to me it went unnoticed. The duck carnitas were unusual, delectable and plentiful. Our aunt felt it was some of the best duck she'd ever had. It came as a large skin up slab on a plate deboned and you could tear off pieces to put over your tortillas, fresh greens, herbs and marinated accoutrements. I was hesitant with the raw tomatillo salsa and peanut chili side dishes but they were the highlights along with two types of pickled onions and pickled cauliflower. It was dripping juicy, full of flavor, and a unique variant on a Mexican dish that I sometimes find a bit plain. They respected the main ingredient (duck) and enhanced the dish to a fine dining experience in need of an extra napkin. The shrimp croquettes or crispy, spicy, and a sizable portion paired with a creamy, spicy dip and julienned veggies. Cocktail with spicy not overly sweet and included unique flavors. I would go back here and probably get the same thing again I enjoyed it so much.

We loved the Whale last year, and the new menu this year is even better!! We asked our server her recommendations, and she recommended things that were totally not even on our short list of ideas to order. We took the chance and ordered everything she recommended instead of the things we had thought we would want. It was a great idea! The Pimento-Texas toast is mine-blowingly delicious and I think we might have licked the plate clean from the street corn and squid ink aïoli...The fish tacos were absolute perfection! Love the entire team here - they are really coming into their own in their 2nd year on the Island. Such a fun date night - thanks guys! :-)

Delicious Brooklyn cheesecake from juniors specially imported for the Nantucket quality experience. We shared this over rose wine and espresso martini for my boyfriend's early birthday celebration! We were extremely pleased with the light fluffy whipped taste of almost mousse texture more than cheesecake! Topped with strawberries oh my gosh! Heavenly backyard patio with a heater thank goodness and fairy lights strung about! Amazing date night!

I can't say enough about this place. Always enjoyed it but now they've made it an even better experience given the situation. We dined our from so great people watching. Staff was very attentive and considerate. Food was AMAZING from the watermelon tomato burrata salad to the grilled Branzini (sea bass) served with coconut rice, vegetables escabeche & arugula purée. Bravo!!

*love* Beautiful backyard with a friendliness to dogs (yay!) led us to this lovely restaurant for a pre-ferry brunch on Sunday. Here's why you should also give it a shot: Decor/ambiance is perfect Avocado toast is bomb Prices are reasonable Service is amazing Highly recommended.

I REALLY wanted to like this place - the decor is adorable and it has a great vibe, but the customer service fell far below average. Our server didn't come over to greet us until 15 minutes after we were seated. Then, 15 minutes after being greeted with water, our order was finally taken. Then, 20 minutes after that we were asked for our IDs and 10 minutes passed again before we even received our drinks. The peach bellini is definitely made with cheap champagne, and they're up-charging, unfairly. I've had better ones that were made with the real squeeze purée bottles. It gets worse, the omelette was no more than a fried egg with ingredients and it was cold, the whole wheat toast was stale, and my hash browns were ICE COLD. Very disappointing...

Excellent brunch place. The burger and tuna tostadas are phenomenal. Also the drinks are good. Cute vibe outdoors.

You can not miss or, The Whale while you are on the island. Located in the center of town, we found it to be the perfect Sunday brunch spot. We loved that you could get reservations on open table, it made it super easy to plan our day without having to stand around and wait for your names to be called. When we got there we were seated right away (around 12:30 on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon). We were seated in the rear garden which is gorgeous! You feel like you are in a secret garden, yet you are feet away from all the shops in downtown Nantucket. The drinks are incredible, highly recommend the Kelly Kapowksi, the perfect refreshing summer drink. We got wings which were some of our favorite ever, very good crisp, super tender interior and the sauce is perfect! Do not skip these. For a main we got an omelette and a mushroom toast. Both were very good, the omelette was a favorite over the toast, which was very mushroom heavy, not a complaint, just be aware! We will be back, such a great spot.

Really surprised this place doesn't have better reviews! I had ruled this place out when researching things to do in Nantucket but ended up going after getting a recommendation. We went around 130pm on a Friday and were able to catch the tail end of brunch. Between four of us we ordered a doughnut (amazing!), lobster roll, breakfast sandwich, clam chowder, French toast, and of course, drinks. Everything was good and we loved the outside seating area!

Knowledgeable and friendly staff and the food was great! They were also able to accommodate my request to sit on the patio instead of on main street, which I appreciated. The back patio was super cute too! Be sure to try the Korean fried chicken and pickled veggies to start, they were both excellent