Ship’s Inn-Nantucket

Spent 2 weeks on Nantucket this summer and can honestly say I think I had my best meal here. Located on a less busy street it was quiet. Loved the décor with low ceilings, windows all around and the art on the walls was great as well. Four of us came for dinner and everyone was incredibly happy with their choices. Great wine list and service was top notch. The bar was quite small, but given the space limitations it was certainly understandable. Worth every penny

The ambiance is simple but historical
Home of famous whaling ship captain
The food was extraordinary.
The lobster soup was the best I have ever had and the main course short ribs outstanding
I would highly recommend this restaurant
It was my birthday so I celebrated in total class along with a dear friend
Do not miss it if you are in Nantucket

My husband and I were lucky enough to stay in this little slice of heaven during our stay on Nantucket. From the time we walked in until we checked out we were shown the highest level of service and hospitality. Bob at the front desk was more than helpful. Mary Lou made some of the best breakfast food I’ve ever tasted and is an absolute gem!
The location of the Ship’s Inn is very desirable as well. Right off Main St. and in walking distance of nearly everything.
The bedroom we stayed in, Iris, was up on the third floor where we were treated with a wonderful view and a bit of the seclusion we were looking for on our vacation. The bed (all new mattresses this year I’m told!) was so incredibly comfortable I forgot that I wasn’t sleeping in my own bed!
We even saw the Ship’s Inn’s owner performing in a theatre production of Steel Magnolias at a local theater! That to me sealed this place as awesome.

Loved everything. Our meal, our service the atmosphere. I would absolutely go back multiple times!

Restaurant review:
«Keep those espresso martini’s coming.»
Clearly my night went well.
Ship’s Inn located a quick walk from downtown is a gem. Located in a historical home — one of the most famed whaling captains from the 1800’s — the basement restaurant’s charm comes from the history. Nantucket art, candlelight, the low ceilings and rustic wood tables transports you back to another time. Far from the hipness that downtown establishments are turning towards, but emanates that old school Nantucket that one loves. With that, the crowd that frequents Ship’s Inn’s tends to be slightly older.
Service is on point here. Warm greetings, Melissa, our server was a mix of professional and fun, and if you have the opportunity to become more of a regular (or your brother worked here over 14 years ago), smiles and handshakes all around. The host is not your ordinary host. He’s the maitre d, the manager, the captain and he’s been here forever; old school.
The food! A robust entrée menu that delights the meat eater and seafood lover alike, with a vegetarian option to boot. After a few martini’s and a menu with items from short rib with spaetzle to buffalo steak to grilled fluke to a grilled shrimp paella, I panicked.
I opted for 3 apps — the tomato/​mozz salad special, the grilled clams and the scallops. Everything was perfect. Nantucket prices, to be expected, but perfect. The bread basket to start also helped. This wasn’t an ordinary bread basket either, yo. Corn muffins, focaccia and more with room temperature, salted butter.
The boys ordered up soft shell crab (eh), a ridiculous blue crab and cheese grits that’s a must order, swordfish and halibut with compliments of perfectly cooked, great portion size. Nantucket prices, but we all agreed, we found some great value here.
That chocolate soufflé is magical, but sadly I snagged only 2 bites as that espresso martini was consuming all my stomach space. Do order one.
Overall, food was at a 4 with some dishes killing it, but everything else about this experience was a 5. Need a classic night out filled with great food, wonderful service and a little romance? I can’t imagine that you’ll be disappointed with Ship’s Inn.

Excellent food. Very light and tasty. The chef will cater the menu to your liking… for example to the vegetarians, kid menu, etc. Lily made my birthday quite special and was very attentive and was friendly towards my kids. We all had a great meal and will certainly return… when Lily is working.

Ships Inn is a standout among many superb restaurants on Nantucket, but dinner on ⁶⁄₂₇ was truly special. We called for a table last minute as the reservation we had at another place had fallen through. Luckily they were able to accommodate us and couldn’t have been more gracious.
Our server, Melissa was excellent– attentive and fun.
All of our meal choices were terrific, the fluke and halibut were delicious and well prepared. We had several lovely wines and found the extensive wine list to be reasonable priced.
Highly recommend you try them!

Excellent dinner with my wife in this quaint restaurant. Had a craving for some Halibut and was not disappointed. The halibut was cooked to perfection moist and flakey with potato risotto and Porcini mushrooms absolutely delicious. If you can’t get good seafood here you can not get it anywhere. My wife really enjoyed the Rigatoni with Duck Bolognese topped with ricotta salata. My granddaughter enjoyed the leftovers the next day. The dinner was capped off by a delicious soufflé which we shared. We wished we had ordered two. It was as light as air. Great dinner on great island.

Fabulous food matched by excellent service. The halibut and fluke were both table favorites, as well as the seafood chowder. Cozy atmosphere. Will definitely come again.

This is an inn with a «basement» restaurant that is quaint and very light, with flowers at the windows. There is a very small, intimate bar.
The food is amazingly good. We had crab in «grits» and the best tuna preparation I’ve ever had, with wonderful accoutrements. There is a half-​bottle wine list. The service is superb. Unfortunately, the Grand Marnier soufflé, ordered in advance, was not very hot, nor flavorful, and served by a busier, not a server.
There were two hostesses, one quite elegant. But the one who seated us with a reservation in a near-​empty restaurant (it was early) placed us against a wall in a dark, heavy traffic area. When I asked to be moved, she did so with the greatest reluctance and sarcasm. I’m assuming she must own the place because I’d never put up with that attitude in an employee. Hence, four stars, not five.

Came here for dinner twice during our 5 day stay on the island. Service was very attentive, good beer and wine selection. The pear and goat cheese salad is craaazzzy good. One night I had the vegetarian risotto and the other night the striped bass special. Was very pleased with both. As others have mentioned, the souffles are insane. Tried the strawberry and the Grand Marnier. Both outstanding. Also, the cappucinos are noteworthy. Well done!

A Charming restaurant in an historic place. The food was delicious and the service, highly professional. I had the duck rigatoni and the cauliflower soup; my husband had the pear and goat cheese salad and the veal. All were excellent and reminded me of comfort food with a gourmet flair. I highly recommend!

I hate to bring down the stellar reviews here but something has gone wrong at this restaurant lately — a new chef perhaps? We’ve been coming for 30 years and always had a great experience but this years experience unfortunately marked our last. Every entrée was bland and underwhelming starting with the New England clam chowder which literally had no seafood in it — just heavy cream and butter. The cucumber soup was flavorless as was the signature duck rigatoni. It was so disappointing that every single item we (party of 8) ordered was flavorless and dull. Very sorry this place has gone downhill.

We came on a large family vacation to Nantucket but decided that we needed a night to ourselves. We checked a bunch of island restaurant guides (and Unilocal!) and decided on this restaurant in the basement of the Ship’s Inn. We were so delighted and are still talking about this meal a week later!
Getting a reservation was not much trouble. The time options were limited because we called same day, but when we showed up early anyway, they were able to accommodate us. The bread at the beginning of the meal was delicious – some sort of not quite pretzel-​y roll and peach cornbread. I ordered filet mignon, which came with dauphinoise potatoes, broccolini, and this amazing/​delicious/​fantastic/​mouth-​watering/​give-​me-​the-​recipe-​please sauce. My fiancé got short ribs (also with an awesome sauce), some sort of horseradish something, and roasted celery. We both fully cleaned our plates. We skipped desserts because we were so full at the time and couldn’t be persuaded, but I’m sure they’d be great. Our total, with tip, was around $ 85, which was completely reasonable for the quality of food and service.
We would return here without hesitation and would recommend it to anyone. It seems like it’s a little under the radar, maybe because it’s down a side street. It didn’t seem to have as much traffic as some of the trendy places right in the middle of downtown or on the main streets, but it was well worth it.

This has always been a favorite restaurant of mine on Nantucket. But as of this summer, it is the best of all on the island. It has remained consistently great while its closest competition has slipped somewhat.
Soufflé is a must have. Ditto fresh local fish often caught same day by the owner.

I have gone to this restaurant every year since they opened. Called to confirm my reservation, only to find I had the wrong night. They were very accomodating and got me in that that night. They are not on Open Table, wish they were. It would have helped with with the right night. I’m also a big fan of Open Table.
The place is very charming and the service was great. I had the softshell crab special. They are one of my favorites and were prepared just right with a wonderful lemon sauce. My wife had the Halibut. She said it was OK, good but not great. We both had the chocolate souflee, which was terrific.
Loved their wine list. Lots of choices in the $ 40 to $ 60 range. Many of the Restaurants on Nantucket have only a few moderately priced wines available and lots of higher priced bottles. Since I almost always have a bottle of wine with my meals, this just runs the cost of the meal up.

Great hotel! In the afternoon they had warm chocolate cookies for the guests. The breakfast in the morning was delicious with homemade pastries, quiches and breads.

We had a delicious dinner here! All four of us commented that we hadn’t had such a good meal in recent memory. The chef rocks and the service is good — it really doesn’t get better than this!

As good as if not better than any of the fine dinning restaurants I have experienced in boston or new York, and for a price that is more reasonable than what you’d pay for a comparable experience in either city. Service is perfect, polite and professional. Best I’ve experienced in a while. Dinning room has great warmth and character which compliments the rich flavours of the food. Have reservations at another restaurant for tomorrow night, but thinking of cancelling and coming back for more.

I was shocked to see only one Unilocal review for this place… Even though the one review was five stars we hesitantly made reservations on a Saturday night (we couldn’t get into 21 Fed or Cinco) and boy were we not disappointed. All eight of us loved this place. Great atmosphere, excellent service (Melissa was great!) and perfect food from the scollops appetizers to the lobster special we loved it!