Dining out on Cape Cod is always a treat. While there are plenty of wonderful traditional restaurants, some local eateries step it up a notch with creative settings or services that can make a delicious meal even more memorable.
Here are a few of our favorites.
A truly unique alfresco dining experience can be found at the Chatham Bars Inn Farm (pictured above). Tables are set on the picturesque 8-acre farm in Brewster amidst the fields of flowers and vegetables, making for a perfect evening of dining under the stars. A team of chefs from the Chatham Bars Inn prepares dinner on-site using an open-fire cooking style. The menu features seasonal farm vegetables and locally sourced meat and seafood.
For a family-friendly summer adventure, the Jamaican Buffet at Coonamessett Farm in East Falmouth can’t be beat. After a buffet and grill dinner feast of island favorites like jerk chicken, seafood curry and fried plantains, families can dance to live steel drum music. Afterward, tour the farm and pick up some fresh baked goods to bring home at its Peck O’ Dirt bakery.
For dinner with a moving view, Cape Cod Central Railroad in Hyannis offers a three-hour Dinner Train experience that isn’t to be missed. Dine on a five-course gourmet meal in an ambiance that includes white linens, romantic music and soft candlelight, while taking in rolling vistas of woodlands, cranberry bogs, sand dunes, salt marshes and the Cape Cod Canal. They also offer a three-course lunch train; both trains run from spring through fall.
The Chatham Fish Pier Kitchen offers outdoor dining on picnic tables overlooking the pier with a distant view of Nauset’s Outer Beach. Watch fishermen unload their catch as you dine on some of the freshest seafood around. The food is classic New England.
A meal at the Brazilian Grill in Hyannis is a sensory experience that offers a glimpse into another culture. The restaurant is a churrascaria, a popular type of barbecue steak house in Brazil that specializes in meat-grilled rotisserie style over wood charcoal. Waiters circulate the dining room with large skewers offering a succession of meat hot off the grill and carve slices directly onto diners’ plates.
Another unique ethnic experience in Hyannis can be found at Añejo Mexican Bistro, where you can enjoy authentic Mexican with a margarita at their outdoor Beechtree Taqueria (pictured above, courtesy Brian Samuels Photography). Dine on a patio underneath the historic beech tree planted in 1776, as twinkling lights set the mood.
For one of the most unique burgers around, Mom & Pops Burgers’ food truck is a great choice. The Chatham-based restaurant, which uses only the highest quality, freshest ingredients in its burger prep, now takes its show on the road in season. The food trucks move around to different events, beaches and locations, so check their IG page for where to find them. If you prefer to eat in, Mom & Pops' outdoor beer garden is the perfect place to spend an afternoon.
Fanizzi’s by the Sea is one of the top contenders for boasting the best views in Provincetown; its back dining room hangs over shoreline pilings that are surrounded by seawater at high tide. With expansive walls of windows lining the dining room, it’s easy to feel like you’re dining on a cruise ship out at sea. The 180-degree water views are complemented by an eclectic menu featuring craft cocktails and internationally-inspired entrees.
The Rooftop at the Pelham House Resort in Dennis Port (pictured above) offers similarly gorgeous views of Nantucket Sound. Their heated rooftop restaurant can be enjoyed year-round; the upscale scratch cooking incorporates local, seasonal ingredients and creative flair.
For a lobster dinner that is literally on the water, the Lobster Roll Cruises aboard the S.S. Lobster out of Sesuit Harbor in Dennis is not to be missed. Their lobster rolls are famous and the views are gorgeous. The cruises fill up quickly, so reservations are highly recommended.
As soon as you enter the enchanting Dunbar House, you will feel like you’ve been whisked back into time. The restaurant, which overlooks Shawme Pond in Sandwich, is housed in a 1740 building that has been lovingly restored to its colonial grandeur. Open for lunch and afternoon tea, a cozy and intimate space to meet up with friends awaits. Share homemade scones, finger sandwiches or quiche over a pot of tea in the fireplaced tea room, or enjoy a glass of champagne at Sunday brunch on the outdoor garden patio.
For a full date night experience, take one of Art's Dune Tours' sunset tours in Provincetown; you’ll have a front-row seat to catch the sun slipping down behind Race Point Light. These two-hour sunset tours through the dunes of Provincetown include a casual beachside dinner of lobster brioche, Tuscan veggie sandwich or a New England wrap. Art’s also offers beach clambakes for groups of 20 or more.