If you’re in search of a regular grocery store, the island has two Stop and Shops. There’s one downtown on the harbor, but this store is smaller than the newly renovated mid-island branch, which has the advantage of an attached family-run package store: Nantucket Wine and Spirits. Website: Nantucketwineandspirits.com; Instagram: @nantucketwines.
Bartlett’s Farm has appeared in nearly every one of my novels. The farm itself is 160 acres of fields, including photogenic rows of flowers, like something out of a Renoir painting. It also has a nursery for all of your gardening and landscaping needs and a fabulous market. I go to the farm two to three times a week in the summer. Here are the things I love about Bartlett’s: A selection of fresh flowers, including the lilies that grace my kitchen all summer long; homemade pies (I choose peach and blueberry); prepared foods (this is where I source my lobster salad and I also love their broccoli slaw). Produce! In mid-July the “corn crib” appears and then come the tomatoes (although Bartlett’s also has outstanding hothouse tomatoes). I also adore their organic lettuces, which come washed in bags. In fall: pumpkins and gourds. Website: Bartlettsfarm.com; Instagram: @bartlettsfarm.
Moors End Farm: Some islanders insist that Moors End Farm, set along the Polpis Road, has even better corn than Bartlett’s. (Quarrels have broken out on the topic.) And at the holidays, this is where everyone, including yours truly, sources their Christmas trees, wreaths, and garlands. Instagram: @moorsendfarm.
Nantucket Meat and Fish Market is a favorite not only of Magda English and Chad’s mother but also of mine. I can’t describe it any more lavishly than I did in the preceding pages (“swordfish steaks as thick as paperback books”); the meat and fish case is something to behold. Forgive me, vegans—I get the house-marinated steak tips and the gorgeous burgers with cheese and bacon already incorporated (I have hungry children at home!). This also has a Starbucks concession, so my daughter can get her “pink drink.” Website: Nantucketmeatandfish.com; Instagram: @ack_meatandfish.
The place to get fish is 167 Raw. The sign above the counter reads ANYONE WHO ASKS, “IS THE FISH FRESH?” MUST GO TO THE END OF THE LINE. I’ve been coming here since I bought my first house in 1998. Along with the freshest and most beautiful fish, the shop sells homemade smoked bluefish paté and key lime pies. There’s a food truck in the parking lot, but we’ll get to that later! Website: 167raw.com; Instagram: @167raw_nantucket.
Hatch’s, on Orange Street, across from Marine Home Center, is my liquor store. It has everything at the most reasonable prices. Period. Website: Ackhatchs.com; Instagram: @hatchsnantucket.
Who’s Hungry?
Nantucket is an eaters’ paradise. Once again, there are too many places to mention, so I’m going to give you my very favorites. I won’t tell you what to order (yes, I will).
Sit-down lunch or dinner
Sandbar: If you’re coming to Nantucket for a week or only for a day, I highly recommend Sandbar. It’s located at Jetties Beach, which is less than a mile from town and can easily be walked (you’ll work up an appetite!). Sandbar was the inspiration for the Oystercatcher in my novel Golden Girl. It’s a true beach shack with open-air indoor seating and outdoor feet-in-the-sand seating. The menu is casual—fish tacos, burgers, an outstanding chicken sandwich—and there is often live music. The bar and raw-bar scene are lively, including a great buck-a-shuck in the midafternoon, but it’s also very family-friendly. This is a must-do. Website: Jettiessandbar.com; Instagram: @sandbarjetties.
Galley Beach (aka the Blue Bistro): This is another on-the-beach setting, though one that is quite upscale. The Galley is quintessential Nantucket. In the late sixties, it was a burger shack (there’s a scene set here in my novel Summer of ’69), but over the decades, its atmosphere and food have become refined. It has unparalleled sunset views; by tradition, when the sun sets each night, everyone in the restaurant applauds. (There are dozens of times per summer when I’ll see a breathtaking sunset and say out loud, “They’re clapping at the Galley.”) My controversial opinion is this: Go for lunch or cocktails, not dinner. Dinner is always crowded and a bit of a “scene.” The cocktail hour can be a bit of a scene as well but one that is worth it because of the sunset. However, there is no better place on Nantucket to have an elegant sit-down lunch than the Galley. The food is fantastic. It’s glamorous. It’s the good life. The other perk to going to the Galley for lunch is the view of the green, yellow, and blue umbrellas lined up at the Cliffside Beach Club. Trust me: go for lunch. Website: Galleybeach.net; Instagram: @galleybeach.
The Proprietors: This is the restaurant where Lizbet and JJ meet for dinner. In Lizbet’s version of the Blue Book, she describes it as “eclectic,” the place for “a thoughtful dining experience and the most creative cocktails on the island.” The things I love about Props are the long bar (thirteen seats), the creative food (outrageously delicious), the shared high-top table behind the bar, the nook by the fireplace, and the wallpaper in the bathroom. Say hi to Tenacious Leigh for me! Website: Proprietorsnantucket.com; Instagram: @propsbar.
The Tap Room: The Tap Room at the historic Jared Coffin House has a “secret burger”—a Big Mac–esque patty melt—that isn’t on the menu. It comes with outstanding French fries. Also, the popovers are a must. Website: Nantuckettaproom.com; Instagram: @theacktaproom.
The Nautilus: The only thing I don’t love about Nautilus is that you need to be as wily, tireless, and determined as Indiana Jones to get a reservation. If you can meet the challenge of getting a table, everything will be delicious and the crowd will be lively and very attractive. My favorite dish is the blue-crab fried rice (I order it with two eggs), and this past year, I also really loved the Thai barbecue chicken. Website: Thenautilus.com; Instagram: @nautilusnantucket.
Cru: Another near-impossible reservation. Cru sits at the end of Straight Wharf and has a lot of fun outdoor seating that attracts an extremely beautiful crowd of bons vivants. Inside, there are three seating areas: front room, middle room, and back bar. I nearly always eat at the back bar. I nearly always order the lobster roll and fries with mayo (Chef Erin Zircher has been known to spoil me and send out an array of flavored mayos, which is my idea of heaven). Cru has the best raw-bar scene on the island, which is saying a lot. Cru has the appeal of see-and-be-seen with delicious, carefully prepared food, excellent service, and water views. There’s a reason it’s almost impossible to get in. Website: Crunantucket; Instagram: @crunantucket.
The Pearl and The Boarding House: As of this writing, my two favorite restaurants on the island, the Pearl and the Boarding House, have been sold to new owners. The Cobblestone Telegraph tells me the new owners are keeping not only the original feel to both restaurants but also the menus. In years past, I loved to sit at the bar at the Boho and order the crab dip, the lobster spaghetti, the chocolate cookies with mini-milkshake. Upstairs at the slightly fancier Pearl, I liked to get the tuna martini, the sixty-second steak topped with quail egg, and the lobster rangoons (limit two per customer). I can only hope that the excellence will be preserved. Website: Thepearl-nantucket.com; Instagram: @pearlnantucket.