Sconset Café

Best scallops I’ve ever had; so good that they make me want to order them more often. Crab cake was excellent, not tons of filler and well balanced. My partner got Halibut and they coconut curry was 💙💙💙💙💙. Dessert was good but nothing to right home about. FYI it’s BYOB and there’s a store next door. Thanks for having us!

If you know, you know. Best joint on the island. Everything I’ve had has been amazing, the chef is a culinary wizard. As far as I know, the only place on island where an island native with an amazing story can cook you a meal.

While I had a lovely time here with my family and enjoyed the ambiance and staff - we have a couple of friendly notes. The eggplant bolognese was underwhelming and the ac unit above the door needs a dusting. Otherwise, great food and vibes. Thank you!

The food here is awesome! It also came out quickly- our server was attentive and very kind. Such a cute place!

Beautiful, intimate space and incredible food. Perhaps one of the best meals I have had that I can remember. From the salad through dessert, everything was perfect. I loved the homey atmosphere, wonderful service and BYOB from the wine store next door. Note that they are cash only, so bring cash. I got the halibut, tuna crudo and garden salad. Hubby shared apps and got the burger. All around wonderful experience- thank you!

The atmosphere of this restaurant is amazing. It is quaint and beautiful in the gorgeous Sconset setting. Most of the food was good. We didn't care for the licorice flavoring of the mussels, the chicken was a little dry, and the lava cake didn't ooze lava like it is supposed to, but the rest of the food was good. The biggest issues came when we got the bill. We were charged a corkage fee, which was not explained to us at reservation and was not on the website. They even charged us the fee for our two 16-year-olds who were present, and clearly, did not drink. They did take that off after we pointed it out. Later, I found some reviews saying that there isn't a corkage fee if the wine is purchased in the adjacent wine store, but we did purchase our wine there and were still charged. Nobody asked us where it was purchased. The bill given to us did not show that gratuity was added, so we tipped based on the total shown, which means that our waitress was tipped over 40%. ( I guess we should have gotten our calculators out and did the math ourselves to see that they had already added it.) We called the next day to tell them of the error. They said that we could come back, and they would provide a refund for extra tip; however, they called back and said that they reconsidered and would not refund the additional tip. They said that it would not be fair to the server. Although I agree with that, they could have refunded us from the restaurant's profits - heck, they charge people to open (not even pour!) wine that they didn't provide. They certainly have more than enough! At any rate, we will not be returning to this restaurant. There are many other restaurants on the island that had better food and better customer service. Try the Club Car - the food, especially the risotto, was AMAZING!

Sconset Cafe could not be any better! This is the perfect blend of a private, intimate dining experience with a laid back, relaxed ambiance. The service is so personalized, the staff treats every guest as if you're the only person in the restaurant. Not to mention, this was the best meal I've ever had. The best dinner spot on the island! The tuna tartare and peanut crusted halibut are both to die for. The BYOB makes this place a true neighborhood gem. I love that you can take out or dine in. Make sure to call to get a reservation if you want to dine in because Sconset Cafe is truly a must visit for anyone visiting Nantucket. Could not recommend more highly. Thank you, Sconset Cafe!

The best pure dining experience in Sconset. Not a fancy place but the room is small, like a New England cottage try the house salad and my favorite dish, the peanut encrusted halibut. They have two seatings for dinner at 6 and 8 and there is no corkage fee if you buy your wine in the adjoining wine shop, referred to as the Book Store. This is an easy 5 to confer.

We planned to have dinner at Sconset Cafe on Friday at 8:00 p.m., for which we made a reservation a month in advance. They have two seatings a night, one at 6:00 p.m. and one at 8:00 p.m. We were at the restaurant at 8:00, ready to have a fine dinner experience. When we went to get seated, they realized they were overbooked, and we wouldn't be able to dine that night--a mix-up on their part. It's not easy to get a dinner reservation in Nantucket during the summer, so we didn't have a lot of options. The host provided limited assistance, but I asked to talk to the Chef/Owner - who gave us a few options. We were able to eat outside, the dinner and service were great, and the chef even came to our table to check on us at the end of the night. I was impressed with how the owner/chef handled the situation, and we are going there again next Friday night.

Had our annual summer dinner with my family and the Food / Service was awesome. Thanks to the staff at Sconset Cafe - you rocked it....

Sconset Cafe is one of the few options you see when you get off the NRTA. It has a short but varied menu, and it wins big points for BYOB. The omelet I ordered was very... concise and literal. It wasn't very creative, but it did the trick. I loved the morning glory muffin that came with it. One very strange part of the cafe is that drinks are served in paper cups. It's a very strange choice based on the classiness of the decor otherwise.

We had an 8PM reservation and were anxious to try this place out. Obviously, this is the kind of place that most likely depends on plenty of tourist trade which is fine -- you're on Nantucket, after all. We got there and were seated, but quickly discovered that it was a BYOB place only and that they didn't take credit cards. We had made our reservation via telephone and at the time we did that, they didn't tell us we needed to bring our own wine (which wouldn't have been a problem had we known) or that we needed to pay cash (or write a check!). To us, both of those would have been important. Again, happy to bring our own wine and pay their corkage fee ($7 per guest) but the credit card thing -- in 2016 -- seems a bit crazy. We were a bit dismayed by that and mentioned it to our waitress who quickly, and with more than a little bit of attitude, let us know that they've proudly not been taking credit cards for 30 years. Well, I'm glad to hear that but since this is all of our first time to the island, what they've done...or not done...for 30 years isn't relevant to us -- the customers! And then she told us that there was an ATM nearby and we could go there and get some money. And ditto the wine -- there was a store nearby and we could get some there. She wasn't pleasant. There was a far better way to handle that -- how about apologize to us and say she understands and then make the suggestions. The "30 years" bit wasn't helpful -- it was snotty -- and that, coupled with the prices ($34 for some gnocchi with a meat sauce and $6 to split an order) was enough to make us decide to move on. So, we got up and left. I've no reason to believe the food wasn't good...but after the welcome we got there, we'd never know.

Very nice spot for a low key but pleasant dinner. Crab cakes were quite good. As was the chicken and salmon. Deserts were all nice too. A bit or a narrow menu but the choices are all quite good. Some quirks. Two seatings only at 6 and 8. BYOB so need to bring wine. Wine shop conveniently located next door. And most of all no plastic so need to bring a check or cash. But a perfectly pleasant dinner in "downtown" Siasconset

The best restaurant on Nantucket....it's also BYOB and the food is absolutely delicious. It's one of those places that's so cute on the inside and the staff is so friendly it's almost too utopian! If you are on the island for more than a few days you have to make it out to the Sconset Cafe for dinner. Me and my wife always make it here once or twice everytime we're on the island. First, let me set the record straight. Sconset is on the EAST tip of ACK (ahem...) and you are able to make reservations, but you have to do so wayyyyy in advance! With that out of the way, let me tell you about the food. True to a really great restaurnt, the menu is short but they make everything to perfection and they do have specials that changes routinely. A few things to consider if you find yourself staring at the menu and wanting to order everything (which may happen, trust me) the mussels are absolutely out of this world. My mouth is watering just thinking about them! And you get a lot of it so it's also a good dish to share with someone, unless you're like me and want them all for yourself. All of the main courses are delicious as well, I like the bouillabaisse, but if you're shellfished-out from the mussels everything is always delicious and cooked to perfection. Also, don't forget to order the desert! The chocolate volcano is to die for, this is not one you wanna share, take my word for it. It's is a BYOB so it's nice that you can bring your own drinks (FYI they charge a nominal corking fee). If you forget to bring something to drink, conveniently there is a small liqour store right next door that has a pretty good size selection. Oh and lastly it's cash or check only, definitely don't forget that!!! It's definitely not overly expensive but also not the over the top, great place for datenight!

Had brunch here when we decided to check out Sconset. Way overpriced! And the food isn't even that great. The coffee is average and the lobster salad was a little bland.

Overpriced and cash only. Crazy on both counts. I mean, who's carrying around $300 cash for dinner these days? Time for the Cafe to get with the times, in my opinion. Food was good, not as exceptional as the price, though. Decor of family portraits is weird, makes you feel like you're in someone else's house. But it's really an ad for a photographer, also weird. The ambiance is quaint, but acoustics are bad and it's hard to hear each other at your table. So, a three star experience overall, mostly due to cash only and low value for the high cost. Waitress was nice.

Byob, out of town, amazing cuisine. check out the " bookstore " next door... ask your waiter, the bookstore sells wine and spirits by the way. if you don't like the crowd in town or hustle and bustle and want to be in sconcet or on the east side of the island then the best food and experience. POO POO other reviews, do your research next time ( Island life is a bit slower, don't like it, sorry!) . (we often call and take out and couldn't be happier). more times than not, a young hostess will give you long lead times ( at any restaurant you go to). My experience is always been the owner at the hostess stand and nothing but top-notch. The best part, when you call in as a walk-in, they will text you when your table is ready. This gives you plenty of time to make it to the restaurant in time for your dinner. I would put this in my top five restaurants on Nantucket.

Our first night in Sconset my husband and I grabbed take out from Sconset Cafe since we waited too long to make a reservation. We had two burgers, pot stickers, and crab cakes. The bill was close to $80 after tip. For the price, we both feel like it should have been a lot better. The burger was good, I'd assume it would be better eating in the actual cafe.

Waitstaff indifferent which I'm starting to notice is a trend in Nantucket. Stood there and got passed by two waitresses before we were finally seated; we were there towards the end of lunch service and as we were finishing our meal (still eating mind you) the waitress's started clearing away the salt, pepper, etc. instead of asking if she could start clearing she said "you don't need this do you?" Had the lobster roll which was mediocre - very little lobster - lobster itself didn't seem very fresh and it was all tiny or shredded pieces. There was too much celery and it was served with lettuce and tomato - a disaster of a lobster roll.

Sorry Straight Wharf, I love you and you still have the best lobstah roll, but Sconset Cafe has the best clam chowder. It was complex, true to French style. I couldn't pinpoint all the flavors but it was delicious and I wanted more and more. There was lobster roe, clam bits, vegetables, everything finely chopped and the broth very complex. The fresh sliced turkey sandwiches with what tasted like homemade cranberry chutney was out of this world! They were huge so 2 people can share one.

Favorite neighborhood dinner I live in sconset on the weekends during the summer and the Sconset cafe is one of my favorite dinners for the intimacy, ambiance and the fact that it is both a great date spot and a perfect place for a family dinner. It feels like family when I go there and I always run into someone that I have known for years! The menu is consistently changing but one special that is always on the menu is a must "the cafe salad" - delicious, light with just the right amount of dressing and cheese. This past time - I split the cafe salad and the scallops with my mom and finished the meal with the Peanut-Crusted Halibut which is a staple on the menu. All delicious. A few pieces of advice - call early to get a reservation and put yourself on the waitlist if they don't have the time you want as most of the time you can still manage to get the time. If you are a sconset resident, give them your number and they will call you when your table is ready. Make sure to go to the "bookstore" next door to pick up delicious wines or a pretty decent supply of craft and american beer, the corking fee will be waived if you buy it from there. Finally bring your checkbook, it is the easiest way to pay!

We have been coming to Nantucket for almost 30 years and in this era of trendy restaurants where people have to line up to get a table to try the latest cool restaurants, the sconset Café is a bit of old Nantucket combined with modern cuisine. It is BYOB which we love because we can bring our wine. They also have a liquor store next door in case you want to buy your wine from them. The food is excellent. We had the mussels and pate, which were both great. We also shared the special Bartlett farm tomato and burrata salad which was a treat. For entrees, we broke our rule of not getting the same entree and both got the halibut which was really tasty in a great sauce. Our guests had the chicken and the crab cakes and loved it. The only criticisms were the small room got a bit noisy and the desserts (they only offered 2) were not that inviting. If you are on island, make the trip to sconset for a really nice meal.

Food was good but way over priced for the small portions. Par for the course on this island.

In sconset, there are limited options if you don't want to go into the "big town". We stayed in sconset so it was natural we would try this place, (walking distance) and I had co workers who had just been and liked it. Add a star if you want to stay local in sconset but nantucket has some fabulous restaurants and if you know you are dropping $100 a head with tip as a starter, anywhere nice, even with kids, you are better off driving 10 mins to town, I think. We had 4 people. Service was good but not excellent. The place is BYOB but there is a wine shop next door so no corkage for wine you buy from there. Nice idea. Menu is small and heavy seafood. Our party was only half seafood lovers so we opted for several non seafood options so consider that this restaurant probably does not brag about these to begin with. But, they should try to make it all good, right? Menu: We had salmon, burger, shrimp pad Thai, beef short rib. The app was potstickers, which were almost $40 for 10 or 12 of them ( 2 orders) and they were (pardon the epithet) pathetic. Fried until rock hard and filling bland as wallpaper paste. Ginger noted on menu but no hint of it and no umami oriented sauce either. I eat these like candy when I am in Japan, esp late night, and they are always fabulous, I e these are easy to get right. Any local Asian place can do better for 1/5 the price. This was my warning that this evening would be disappointing. The salmon eater said it was fine, not awesome but fine. Burger, ordered MR was well done and quite small. Server never inquired how it was done so we soldiered on rather than wait for a new one. Shrimp Pad Thai had abundant red and yellow peppers slices in it, way wrong for this dish and ruined the subtle flavors therein. One shrimp was way "off" ( rotten ). Any Thai cooks can correct me on the pepper question but it was more like Pepper Thai with a hint of shrimp. Pepper flavor overpowering. The dish could have been so much better with a longer marinade, maybe with more citrus, for the shrimp, fresher shrimp, and a more traditional ingredient list. It went uneaten by the guest who ordered it, and again, server did not notice this or offer to correct the shortfall. The short rib was very heavy on five spice, a fact that was not revealed on the menu and I'm not a five spice fan on short rib. Too clicheed at this point. Another 40 bucks wasted there. I ate it all but only because I was really hungry and the burger and pad Thai were not edible. The short rib did come with a potato galette that was quite good. Which brings us to dessert. Eaton mess had mascarpone in it (not traditional but not bad), but very little in the way of meringue, no chunks of fruit. A simple google search will reveal the right way to make this and texture is a big part of the experience. This one seemed like it had seen a blender; #2: molten chocolate cake, was not molten. I have the original Michel Bras recipe in French and it's pretty hard to screw up. I passed on dessert knowing that I was already probably going to be disappointed, since I make all the desserts offered here myself, with some frequency, and have certain expectations. Glad I did. So the salmon was OK and pretty much everything else ranged from less than stellar to bad for us. The place was less than half full, Friday night early seating, still summer season, and given that I spent four bills and brought my own booze, I was "disappointed" (!!!!). I'd try it again, with some reservations, pardon the pun, if I saw some seasonal something I wanted to try, but I would not be as passive with poor preparation or service as I was this time. ***** Chanticleer is also walking distance from Sconset Cafe and for the same price will knock your socks off.

Very uncool to buy all the corn from the Bartlett's truck and then, when asked nicely, refuse to part with even two ears.

I have been going to Sconset Cafe for many years- it started way back when and at that time two women ran it and they sold their recipes in cookbooks which were fabulous. We had not been in a few years and friends of ours suggested we all go- what a HUGE disappointment. They split a grilled caesar salad which was maybe one lettuce stalk each, I thought it was a joke. We got the tossed salad which was easily something I could have made without putting any thought into it. Tow of us got the salmon which was soooooo tiny and all dried out. Not sure what the other entrees ordered were, but it was a total waste of money and not memorable at all. We have other friends who wanted to go next week- I told them about our experience so we decided to stick with what we know is good in town without driving all that way. I hope they make some changes. On top of it, the place was empty, maybe 2 other tables were booked. Also, the place is solo small and they shut the door since the a/c was on, but a nice wooden Nantucket storm door with glass would have opened the place up a bit just to get some natural light in there. The interior is nice, but pretty sure that was done by the last owners.

This tiny restaurant is misleadingly called a cafe--it's as fine a restaurant with as spectacularly good and original food as one can find any place, even here on Nantucket. Rolf and Cindy Nelson, the chef/owners, have perfected the art of combining fabulous flavors, textures and tastes. Recent favorites: Prince Edward Island Mussels steamed with white wine, shaved fennel, fines herbes and creme fraiche, accompanied by a lovely light grilled focaccia to soak it all up; poached pear with chevre, prosciutto and toasted hazelnuts on baby arugula, lemon vinaigrette; delicious lime-y tuna tartare with miso mayonnaise, tempura crisps and scallion pancake. And those, while filling, are just starters! Plus the best creme brulee anywhere! BYOB, but the cafe owns the Sconset Bookstore, next door, which is actually a liquor and accessories store--okay, it's quaint--and stocks some very nice wines. Atmosphere is sort of clubby--often it seems as thought everyone knows each other--but friendly and welcoming. Reservations for 6pm; then call or stop by and put your name on the list--they'll call you when your table is ready later that evening. Odd system, but it works. A great restaurant.