Sidecar Cafe and Bar

Good place, very small inside but we sat on the patio in front. Our first dinner in Martha’s Vineyard — we tried the Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese (very good), the Blue Cheese Burger (good and big) and the Scallops over Carrot Risotto (also good). The others In our dining party liked the food way more than I did but I enjoyed it and would have to say its a good spot to visit when in the area, not sure I’d make a special trip to come here.

We had high hopes for Sidecar based on the many positive Unilocal reviews and a recommendation from an MV local. But all I can say is that we had our worst dining experience during our weeklong stay at Sidecar. My fish was dry and overcooked. My friend had the veggie special, and it featured a very bland tomato sauce and my friend swore that they used parmesan cheese from one of those green Kraft containers. Our food was really, really bad.

I had a lovely dinner in early July. I sat at the bar and kept ordering food… and everything was wonderful. The one that jumped out to me was the seared scallops on carrot Risotto. It was fantastic.

Very nice experience. Funky and delightful. We sat outside and the only minor complaint was a red wine served in a chilled glass and the outdoor seating which was a bit uncomfortable (think wobbly table). We shared the cigar rolls and the sweet potato fries. Both were very good but the entrees really hit the high notes. The seared scallops with carrot risotto, candied ginger and mushrooms was outstanding! The scallops were sizzling hot and cooked to perfection. My wife had the black pepper cavatelli carbonara which was served with a garlic cream sauce, English peas and house pancetta lardons. This was a great dish and enjoyable meal.

It’s hard to find a restaurant that is consistent one year after another but this one has satisfied year after year. My husband had the decadent lobster mac & cheese. The melted cheddar and chunks of lobster flowed over the large bowl and looked like an onion soup with a beautifully golden brown and bubbly crown. My stuffed local sole was cooked perfectly and the side of island veggies were crisp and seasoned just right. Our waitress expertly described the wines and when I told her what a great job she did she commented «that’s because I care» and it showed with everyone at this place!

Probably one of the best restaurants on the island. The food is always great, staff is funny, laid back and professional, and the ambiance is relaxing and intimate. Sidecar is our «go-​to» spot and have yet to be disappointed.

The wait was quite a bit longer than we were told it would be, but we chalked that up to a busy weekend in October. The place is small and tight — 4 of us were seated at a table more suited for 2, but no big deal.
The service wasn’t very good. Just about anything we wanted, we had to ask for, such as more water (empty glasses should be a hint), bread (we had to order it, didn’t come with dinner, and it was somewhat burnt). Several of the things we asked for, we had to ask for multiple times. Keep in mind, there are about 7 – 8 tables in this place, and a couple more outside.
Food was fair at best. The mac and cheese tasted like Kraft out of a box, veggie burgers we so-​so, and the salads were small. The only thing I would describe as «good» was the mussels appetizer one of us got.
I wouldn’t recommend this place, and not one of our party of 4 would go back again.

A perfect little spot just off of the hustle and bustle of Circuit ave. Cool, dim and intimate, it feels wonderful to come after a long day on the beach. Go for the drinks alone even! Their Champagne + St. Germaine is perfect way to ease into a night after a decadent meal here, the lobster mac and cheese. is insane. I’ve never seen anyone disapointed with their dish and they feature local foods! If champagne’s not your thing, the super sweet lady bartender will fix something that is, and charm your flip flops off while she’s at it.
Love love love.

We dined here Friday night for the first time. Comfortable bistro ambiance w/​a creative, refined chef. The food was fabulous and service was professional. Mushroom cigars and 3 kinds of devilled eggs were creative and tasty. Corn chowder was to die for. Salad w/​crispy goat cheese patty was so flavorful and delicious. I had a special for dinner, Veal Osso Bucco. Loved it and appreciated that it was offered in a choice of full or half order. Others enjoyed a duck special, black pepper pasta carbonara — very peppery and authentic, and a chicken dish that I did not try but my friend enjoyed.
The only thing wrong we noticed was the thick, black dust on the ceiling fan and the lights over the bar. Thank god the fan was not on! Please look up when you are cleaning. Won’t keep us from returning but hope not to see the dust next time.

Nothing exceptional…
Ambiance is quaint: modern meets rustic in a tiny space. We sat on the small patio: good people watching, but, across the street, horribly loud machinery muffled any kind of conversation I tried to have. Also, no music plays outside, so I used my own Pandora station to jazz it up out there. The space was quiet when we got there (around 6ish), but got hectic an hour later. I wish I could blame the busyness for our lousy service, but the waitress never once refilled our waters or our drinks during the 1+ hours it was slow… Too bad too, because the ginger-​whiskey concoction they made was amazing, I probably would have had 2 more of those strong $ 10 cocktails. Also, the 1 beer hubby wanted that was listed on the menu, they didn’t carry, I heard every other couple on the patio try to order it as well. I thought deviled eggs was weird to have on a menu, so we ordered it. The description they gave was not what we ordered, but they were good, and weird… The lobster mac & cheese only had lobster in the top layer. Hubby ordered the special, a pesto spaghetti dish, really yummy, but there was hardly anything on the plate, he ate the rest of my «lobster» mac-​n-​cheese. Overall, okay… I’d probably return for cocktails, probably not a dinner service.

Really a 3.5 star place, but rounded down based on one of our entrees being just plain bland…
Too bad since our starter of this locally caught fish ceviche was absolutely superb. It was so fresh and the flavors all just blended together so well, Matt J. and I had to convince ourselves not to eat it too quickly so we could rightfully dedicate the time that this perfect dish earned. It was that delicious.
After that we couldn’t have been more excited for our main courses, but this is where Sidecar fell a little short. I got their lobster mac and cheese, which was definitely tasty and definitely very filling, but being the cheese lover that I am, I honestly thought the cheese part could have been a little more flavorful. It just didn’t taste like true mac and cheese for some reason, but there was a generous portion of lobster throughout it which I definitely appreciated. Matt J. got their vegetarian special plate of the day which was made completely from local island ingredients – it was supposed to be in this sage cream sauce with these local squashes and carrots and onions – it sounded so good. But it wasn’t. We asked for pepper and salt and even adding that didn’t really make it that much better. It was just bland. And for being their special plate of the day, it definitely did not do Martha’s Vineyard’s local produce justice.
I would definitely come back here, since I can tell there is a ton of good ideas on the menu, plus I would go back just for that ceviche.

We took a late ferry into MV this past Sunday and were glad to find out that Sidecar was still open for dinner until 10:30pm. With our 45 minute wait, we took a quick stroll around the neighborhood and a ride round Flying Horses one time. We were seated at one of the high bar stool tables near the rear. Going thru the menu and specials, we decided right away on the ceviche special, the U-​10 scallops with carrot risotto and the special fish of the day (black sea bass). When we started ordering with our waiter, he told us that they were unfortunately sold out of all three! My boyfriend and I were completely devastated to hear this and opted for the salad, chicken entrée and the burger as substitutions. On top of this, we ordered the mussels as well as the deviled eggs. I’ve read in the past reviews that this has been an issue with Sidecar. They should definitely do a better job at projecting how much food they’ll need in stock for certain days of the week.
My favorite of these dishes were the mussels and the burger. The mussels sat in a huge bowl of wonderfully flavored broth. We found orange cherry tomatoes and huge chunks of grounded pork in the broth which we scooped up with the mussel shells. The burger was moist and tasted divine with the thyme foccaica bread. What I didn’t like was the chicken special. It was made with rice noodles and a mix of summer vegetables in a light broth. Both the broth and rice noodles were tasteless and served no flavor. I’m not sure where they were going with this but I definitely felt like it was a terrible way to spend $ 34. We also ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand which was delightful with our meal.
Overall, the food was very enjoyable… we just wish we had a chance to try all the specials since we don’t visit MV often. Hopefully if and when we do come visit again, they’ll actually have what we want.

Snippy bartender (pretty, and pretty useless), all the specials, still listed on the board, were gone by 730 pm, average food, bad wine.
lots of hype over the local selection – but not on the regular items. We went several times last year and thought it was ok, my husband likes the casual atmosphere but quality chef. this year, definitely resting on their reputation. Absolutely none of our food was memorable, the bad wine and snippy bartender (we sat at the bar and struggled to get any attention; she was hard pressed to get us ketchup for the fries even, and the bar was not busy.)
Terrible mixed drink r (recommend by bartender).
Won’t be back.

Amazing Meal. Nice waitstaff. Carrot Risotto w/​U-​10 scallops was delicious. special ceviche appetizer was amazing — the jalapenos were perfectly spicy. One of the best meals I’ve ever had. Price point is right. Party of 6 (note: make reservations) had 2 apps, 3 bottles of wine and an entrée per person and we came in at about $ 50/​each including tip which seems very fair for such good food.

I came here with 4 friends after a long day. We almost couldn’t get in because we didn’t make any reservations. Hostess offered to seat us at a table with the caveat that we finish our meal in under one hour. It was an odd request. We declined and chose to sit at a table for four and just squish in. Not a big deal.
Everyone’s food choices were awesome, except for mine, which was average (ironically the most expensive). We ordered the Sidecar burger, lobster mac n cheese, ginger dusted scallops with carrot risotto, and potato crusted cod special with summer vegetable succotash.
Everything was delicious– carrot risotto was a star. My potato crusted cod however, was more show than substance. Let’s make things clear – everything was cooked well. Fish was done perfectly. Potatoes seasoned perfectly. Succotash not too salty and very harmonious. What was the problem then? If you’re going to make a potato CRUST, it better marry with the fish and not fall off. This left the fish practically unseasoned… and despite trying to eat the fish with the succotash, I couldn’t get any more flavor. A bit disappointing.
Otherwise, it’s clearly an amazing restaurant with a chef with a refined cooking style.

Came in here today for dinner and have concluded Sidecar Café is my number one Vineyard restaurant choice based on food quality & creativity relative to price/​BS. Simply put, I’m sure there are great places to eat on the Vineyard that are going to have a slew of $ 30+ entrees, implicitly or explicitly require me to dress up and probably be a bit more on the formal side. Good news — at Sidecar, you can dress up, dress down — doesn’t matter. I showed up today after 7 hours of biking around the Vineyard and the staff provided great service along with a great outdoor table.
Food rundown (think Jeff Wingo was in the kitchen today & he was killing it):
— Mac & Cheese — I’m not a big Mac & Cheese guy, but this was ridiculously good. Unlike your classic thick Mac & Cheese, they take a slightly different, lighter approach that my wife & I polished off (note: large chunks of lobster in this one — awesome)
— Scallops w/​Carrot risotto — Scallops were perfectly seared & caramelized (ginger dusting was a nice touch), but I wasn’t a big fan of the carrot risotto
— Sidecar Burger — Balsamic onions & thyme focaccia bun were more than creative touches. Made for an excellent burger. Sweet potato fries with chipotle aioli quickly disappeared from our plates
Absolutely 5 stars based on your other Vineyard restaurant choices. A huge plus was their flexibility on half orders since I wanted to try different parts of the menu without having to order three entrees (not sure how common this is, so don’t expect it… but ask nicely).

This adorable intimate place is off Circuit Avenue so it feels a little less touristy. I went there with 3 other friends. The wine choices are great but it’s the same price for a glass as it is to buy a bottle (no discount). The portions are on the smaller side. My sister really disliked the Flank Steak, didn’t even eat it. Overcooked and strange flavor. Everyone else enjoyed their meal. It’s very loud inside but they have a nice cozy ambiance with unusual décor and intimate lighting. Could be a good date place. The outdoor seating looked best but it was too cold the night we went. Service was ok, not great but that could certainly vary depending on who you get and what night you are there. I would go again.

We ended up at Sidecar after our first two options for dinner cancelled on us (one was 4 days before, at least, the other was literally 2 hours prior — I’m looking at you, Ocean Club, who cancelled our 7:00 reservation at 5:00 due to «unforseen circumstances» which, as we discovered when walking by, was your staff party), but we are SO glad that we did!
They are kinda tucked away on a smaller side street, a small space with an adorable patio strung with lights out front. It was a bit chilly so we sat inside. Our server (Talia, I think) was very friendly, informative, and attentive. We started with a cheese plate which came with large servings of each parmesan reggiano, aged gouda, and a cranberry goat cheese (?). It was served with crispy toasts as well as pickled onions, fresh honey, and a fruit compote. It was nice to see inventive accompaniments rather than the standard grapes, nuts, etc.
For mains we had the scallops with citrus risotto and a special for the evening, rosemary-​crusted pork chop with squash purée and topped with an apple-​onion chutney. Both entrees were outstanding. It was a nice change of pace from the standard fried cape fare and both entrees had a surprising depth of flavor. The scallops were perfectly cooked!
We had originally planned on getting ice cream elsewhere for dessert but couldn’t resist trying one more dish here. We ordered a chevre-​chocolate mousse parfait with fresh berries and whipped cream. It was, not surprisingly, awesome.
I’d be shocked if the chef doesn’t end up getting some big publicity in the near future. When I headed back to use the restroom I peeked in the kitchen and I just saw two young-​ish looking guys with t-​shirts and baseball caps — nothing fancy but there is clearly some big talent in this kitchen! As another reviewer mentioned the food absolutely stands up to restaurants in Chicago. We are big foodies here and have eaten at plenty of restaurants charging way more for food that isn’t as tasty. Do yourself a favor and check out Sidecar!

Food — 4.5 stars — really good. Had the mussels for an app and they were tasty.
We both liked our entrees; I had the cod and it had awesome sauces with it. My wife had the scallops which had a great sear. We had something off the app menu for dessert — local nectarines in a prosecco sauce — a nice light way to end the meal.
Service: 3 stars — we had a friendly and apologetic waitress who was making the best she could of a tough situation — this meal was s-​l-​o-​w from a service standpoint through no fault of hers. From being out of martini glasses, to Pimms, the restaurant was pretty clearly in the weeds. But hey, tourist season on an island will do that.
All in all — totally recommend this place — as long as you’re prepared for a few little quirks in service.

I went to The Sidecar this summer for the first time and wished I had not delayed my inaugural visit. So many of my friends told me to go, but I always ended up at the nearby Park Corner Bistro or Offshore Ale. This location is just off the beaten path, and we only ended up there due to the massive lines out the door of Offshore Ale on a hot August night.
They have a few vegan/​vegetarian offerings, which helped lure us in. A nice bar on the right was jumping with a lot of locals. (Including a guy I have a major crush on… sweet.) Most people were in the 30 – 50 age bracket. It’s not a crazy scene but it is fun.
We were seated right away but it took our waitress forever to come over. We sat there for over ten minutes. What was up with that? The other waitress was cheerful and friendly, but we weren’t on her beat so we were stuck with a very dour young woman devoid of personality.
The food was solid. Veggie burger lacked the spark I needed and was dry but the fish was good and loved the sweet potato fries. Plenty of wine and beer. It’s fun to find a new neighborhood hangout and I look forward to going back, particularly if I get the happier waitress.