Every year we look forward to going here - the tavern is a staple in our vacation. It's a loud atmosphere, which may be the only downside. A bit pricey, but definitely worth it. The tavern steak is always cooked perfectly, the onion rings are crispy and the staff is wonderful! This is the only place I actually have ever ordered dessert three years in a row, because it's so wonderful. Worth the drive out to Chilmark. read more

We went there for my parents' anniversary. The food was very good and the staff was excellent. I had the frito misto appetizer and cavatelli ragu and both were very good. Ice cream sundae was delicious and pretty abundant. Excellent ambience and setting. Two complaints: the cavatelli portion was woefully small, particularly for almost $30 (really? For pasta?). I needed to share my sister's steak (which was delicious and nicely sized) to be full. I also told my server to tell the chef that I was unhappy with the portion but nothing came of it and she wasn't too sympathetic. Second, the restaurant was way overpriced. While, as I said, the food was very good, we spent almost $550 for 8 people (including 3 kids who were all 10 or under) and throwing in a corkage fee (which is just a crime) and that's a lot of money for the meal that not everyone in my party was happy with, or happy as I was. Where I live in Northern NJ by NYC I would expect a meal of this quality to be at most half this price. Hopefully this was helpful to all of those going. read more

Another great hidden gem where children and restaurant blend into that terribly too rare of an event called, "A fund parents night."

As someone else said, Chilmark Tavern is ridiculously overpriced, even by Vineyard standards - or ANY standard. It pains me to write a horrible review of anything, but our party literally felt violated as we left this restaurant. My cioppino contained 2 mussels, 1 clam, 2 shrimp, 1 sea scallop, 2 teaspoon-size pieces of fish and some squid. If you're going to charge $39 for this dish, you should consider including more than $5 worth of seafood - and that's $5 retail in Menemsha, just down the road. The dish was memorable only for the price. We ate early and they had not run out of anything, as far as we knew. Perhaps they were conserving their food for later customers. As we were leaving, someone in our party noticed that food at other tables was different from the dishes on the menu from which we had chosen. When we asked what they were eating, we learned that the restaurant had specials! Even the bread was sub-par, like something you'd be served at the end of a busy night, when they'd run out of the good stuff. My family has had a home in Chilmark for many decades and we have eaten in every restaurant that was ever on this site. None of these restaurants was ever inexpensive, but there was some way to justify the relationship between the quality of the food and the prices. If nothing else, they offered good food and it was just a mile away. The current restaurant is what my father calls "a clip joint". Everyone in our party agreed: the food was perfectly ordinary and the prices were insane. read more

This is your top choice for up-island dining. The Chilmark Tavern is over priced, like every other fine dining establishment on the island. But here, there is real creativity in the kitchen and attentive service in the dining room. Tonight, the duck rillettes with pickled cherries were special. Linguine with clam sauce was delicious. Two quibbles: the dessert of grilled peaches would have been better warm than cold, and a $10 corkage fee is ridiculous. Over the years, there have been many expensive but mediocre (or worse) restaurants in this location, but as long as this team remains intact, I'll come back. read more

We love this restaurant. Sitting at the bar is always fun and that is what we do each time. The service is top notch. The food is always wonderful. It is always packed, most likely because it is the place to go to for a great meal. Bringing our own wine just adds to the enjoyment. We don't mind the corking fee which is no where what the mark-up would be if we bought wine in a restaurant. To reply to those who say it is expensive...well, this is Martha's Vineyard and this is the reason why you need to choose carefully where you do spend your money. The Chilmark Tavern is definitely the place. read more

Very good meal. We were surprised by some off menu razor clams that sealed the deal. Chef John has crafted a gastronomic experience deserving of a trip up island. Yum!! read more

The Chilmark Tavern was good last year (2013) but spectacular this year. Really interesting imaginative cooking. And the space is great--a bit nicer than State Road though not as wondrous as Sweet Life Cafe. But the food is fantastic. I just arrived for the summer but our meal at the Chilmark Tavern was one of the best we have ever had on MV. BYOB of course. It is expensive, but come on--this is Martha's Vineyard where everyone has to make their money for the whole year in a few months. I should say that I am basing this judgment on only one meal so I may have to revise. read more

We had a great meal there tonight! Had their steak, pasta and fish entre's. expensive but really good.

The name of this venue is a little misleading as they sell neither beer nor liquor, and they don't necessarily offer the traditional "tavern" flavor or atmosphere (see: OffShore Brewery in Oak Bluffs, MA). The entire place is white down to the tablecloths, and the dress code is such that it will leave you feeling underdressed if you have come from any sort of normal day in town, shopping or on the beach. I am not a tourist and normally stay in Chilmark when I visit MV, so I was not surprised by the price/style of the place, however I was expecting something much more tavern-like! Wish I would have known this before we made reservations for a friend's birthday celebration, or we would have ended up in Oak Bluffs. Not at all what we were looking for. The mixed drinks are obviously the gimmick of this restaurant. As you bring the liquor (and at least OUR waiter brought the bottle back to the table to freshen our own drinks), the drinking experience is good. Their mixers are exotic and delicious, to say the least. Our table sampled each choice; though the Ricky left much to be desired, the Elder flower and honey in their "Bee's Knees" was divine. Food is decent for the modest portions and price, an the service is VERY SLOW! Be prepared to spend 2 hours here. Much to our chagrin (again!) their bar menu will NOT be served at the tables during dinner hours, and their bar is quite small. If you are looking for a drink and a Cuban, be prepared to find a seat among five or so barstools, or just go somewhere else! If you are looking for a classic summer fine dining experience in Chilmark, this is for you. And remember to BYOB! read more

Been back a number of times. We really like it now. I think they've got it figured out.

We've been customers here since it first opened. Was just there for dinner for the first time this summer. Great food, great service, tremendously overpriced even by Vineyard standards. read more

I ate here twice this summer and I loved it both times. The staff is friendly, accommodating and knowledgable. I went this weekend for my birthday and they allowed us to bring in a vegan cake (all their dessert options have dairy), they even put a candle in it. The food is great- interesting and high quality (they have a vegan entree option!). Yes, it is expensive but, it's Martha's Vineyard, it's par for the course. So why a 4 star and not 5-- the restaurant is unfortunately really loud. read more

Great drinks and unique bar food menu! Recommend a table on the patio just to the right of the entrance.

Atmosphere, food & service were terrific. Pricey, yes. But the lobster pizza with figs and blue cheese was unbelievably delicious. Worth it!

Beautiful bright space and by bright I mean sunny by day and soft ambience with white décor in the evening. Food was really good and I will go again. Need more of a sampling to rave but I enjoyed the offerings and look forward to returning. read more

We had the pleasure of dining 4 times at this location. The food is better then 2011. The fluke fish was amazing and the best I ever tastes. Every time there was a different soup all great but the corn soup was to die for-service wonderful even when they are capacity. I would suggest making reservations. read more

Outstanding! The food is phenomenal! The staff is excellent. The restaurant has a very cool vibe, but can get noisy at the more popular hours. We love it here. This is the best restaurant on the Vineyard! The steak was some of the best steak we have ever had. Quite a wonderful surprise! The black bass was abundant this year and was also excellent. read more

I went to the Vineyard for a week and this Tavern was recomended by my hotel in Oak Bluffs. It's all the way out in Chilmark and a dry town. It's BYOB !! We called to see if we needed reservations and the person who answered was very gracious and personable. He graciously reminded us that they were a BYOB restaurant. We got there @ 7ish for our 7:30 reservation and were sat right away. The place was full. Everyone seemed to know everyone else. Our server greeted us right away and told us of their specials scallops and soft shell crabs. The menu features local greens & fish amoungst other items. The best was they have Elixirs & Mixers for your liqour you bring such as a FAUX-JITO to mix with our rum! Or a Bee's Knee's for vodka or gin. The soft shell crab app was incredible that I had and the scallop dinner was very flavorful while my girlfriend had the MV Oysters and the Allen Farm Lamb cooked perfectly MR. For dessert we split a chocolate torte. We found out afterwards the chef is the same chef from CheZ Henri in Cambrdige, MA read more

Trifecta! The Tavern's got it all for Island fine dining: parking, great service AND great food! Not easy to find on the Vineyard. We've had several meals at the Tavern this year, each one delicious and enjoyable. I love the squid and shaved vegetable salad. My husband gets the steak, which he orders well done (shame on him) and they manage to cook perfectly every time, his new favorite steak on the island. My daughter had the scallop & pork belly over the most delicious grits. We've also had the house made pate, ricotta, a pasta dish and several desserts. All superb! The service is attentive and pleasant but not overbearing. Ambiance light and casual, dress code runs the gamut. It can get a little loud, so not the easiest place for people with any hearing loss. As far as price goes, yeah, it's pricey but you get what you pay for here which is not the case at many an island eatery. Looking forward to many more exquisite meals at the Tavern! read more

A nice, simple restaurant located next to the Chilmark General Store serving a nice selection of seasonal dishes. Not inexpensive--but nothing on the island is! We kept it simple, ordering the burgers and splitting an order of clams casino as an appetizer. (This was a "special" appetizer - and if they're smart, they'll make it a permanent addition because it was amazing!). Burgers were also very good: freshly grilled and huge. Definitely worth a visit if you're in Chilmark. You won't leave hungry - but remember to BYOB since Chilmark is a dry town! read more

There aren't many options for nice dinners on this side of the island, and I feel like Chilmark Tavern knows that. My wife and I went with another couple and all of us left feeling satisfied, but a little ripped off. The ambiance, service, and food presentation were all very solid but the actual taste was just fine. Everything Up-Island is BYOB and these guys charge $12 to uncork your bottle of wine for you. This could be a standard practice and I understand that they don't get an opportunity to make money off alcohol, but it was definitely off putting to us having never seen anything like that. Next time, we'll call State Road in W Tisbury before the day of our dinner and give them a try for our night out. read more

Was pleasantly surprised after reading the mixed reviews here. Let's get the bad out of the way: yes, "tavern" is a misnomer, no booze here, yes the byob corkage and related fees are high, and yes, the food prices are quite steep, and no, there's no kids menu so hope your kid finishes her $29-45 entree. That said, every dish we had was amazing, even the chicken, which is usually the most boring thing to order on a menu. Everything so fresh and flavorful and cooked to perfection. The service was lovely, attentive, and accommodating. Such a satisfying meal! read more

It's the Vineyard so manage your expectations for dining out options. As far as the island goes this is one of the better places, The menu this year wasn't quite as good as in prior years. I miss the fried clams that used to be on the menu!!! Service is pretty good. I had a pork chop which was very good. The restaurant is BYOB. It's a cute place in a cute town that serves reasonable good food. It's expensive, but so is everything else on the Vineyard in August. read more

My friend would have given it 5 stars, and the food was phenomenal, but I have a tough time w/ 5 stars....maybe 4.5. One of the few up-island restaurants with a great menu serving high quality/local fare. While it lacks a view, the ambience is good and we had great service. Best halibut I've ever had! read more

Nice place and so welcome to those of us who spend time up-island where there are few other dining-out options. My two visits this summer were atypical in that one was a drop-in without a reservation rather late at night in June when they had just opened and the other was also rather late in the evening on Labor Day, when they were very short-staffed. Food was good and service was friendly. On Labor Day they were apologetic about having run out of most of the menu items. We had been house-cleaning all day and would have been happy to make a meal out of appetizers and dessert, but as it turns out, what they had left (a tuna and a pork chop main course, plus ceviche appetizer) was so good that we were very appreciative. It's not 5 star NYC dining but it is as good as it gets on MV and that is quite good. I wish they could get going a bit more with their "bar" menu or some small plates. Looking forward to Summer 2010 meals at Chilmark Tavern. read more

Four of us went to this restaurant shortly after their soft opening in early May and it was very impressive. The food was well presented, extremely fresh and perfectly cooked. The staff throughout was professional and it is more than apparently that they knew what they were doing. The chef is 26 years old and clearly very talented --- my only complaint, the desserts were not up to the rest of the meal read more

Went to the Chilmark Tavern last night with a party of four. We had a reservation and were seated relatively promptly. The food was excellent, compliments to the chef. However, there was a huge difference between the creativity of the kitchen and the way the restaurant is run. After we were seated it took them 45 minutes to bring bread and butter and about 60 minutes (really!) to bring the appetizers. It then took another 50 minutes to bring the entrees. At that point what started out as a pleasant dining experience evaporated into a grueling attempt to finish and leave. We had looked forward to dessert but we're not masochists. Our server tried her best and apologized for the wait times but it was clear that the restaurant was understaffed, including the kitchen. In fact, she admitted so. So----- our impression of Chilmark Tavern is that it is a very expensive restaurant with a creative kitchen that could justify the prices but is undermined by ownership in committing the necessary resources and effort in delivering the whole package. Close but no cigar--- there are much better restaurants on the Vineyard with both good cuisine and service. read more

Sorely disappointed. I went to celebrate my father's birthday. After hearing great things, we thought we'd try it. He's local and I've just moved off island. While we weren't able to get a table reservation, we were told, that on a first-come, first-served basis we could try for a bar seat. We were fortunate that there were 2 spots opening up at the bar when we arrived. However, even once set, the hostess would NOT bring us to our seats and we waited 10 additional minutes. (Not really sure why the hold up as 2 others, who'd arrived just before us for the bar, were immediately seated.) There was also a moment, where a couple, who seemed to be regulars almost go our seats - it seemed like the front of the house gave better service to regulars. The hostess said, I would but the two taking those seat are right here. (I guess it pays to be a regular but this was our first visit.) The food was quite good, however the even as the waiter was literally delivering our dinner, we were asked, and not in a way that indicated that we really had a choice, to move down so that the restaurant could put more people at the bar - they had 3 and there two spaces on either side of us. (Other patrons had left, it wasn't as if we'd chosen the in between seats.) After forcing the waiter to try to figure out where we going to end up seat wise, it put a damper on the celebration. I thought it was out of line for a restaurant once a patron has been seated, and served to ask them to move down -- especially when the main meal was being served! The good food does not make up for poor front of the house service. I'd had high hopes after hearing good things, but disappointed and not sure I'd go back and have shared this feedback with others. It was especially disappointing as we were celebrating a big birthday. Unless your a regular, it's iffy if you'll be treated well. (And I don't think it depend on obtaining a table or sitting at the bar. - Both should provide equally good customer service.) read more

Great food, atmosphere and pleasant staff. Especially relaxing off season when everyone seems more laid back. BYOB

Looked forward to eating here and was not disappointed. The food was cooked to perfection and the staff accommodated our every need. Have not had a salad that tasted this fresh ever and was told that the lettuce came from a local farm 2 minuets down the road. I'm pleased to say that our entire group of six left full and very satisfied. read more

This is a nice restaurant in Chilmark next to the general store. It has a pretty dining room, good menu, and attentive wait staff. It is very over priced however. My husband had scallops for $39 and I had a small piece of bluefish with potatoes for $38! They were both very good as were our appetizers - mussels and squid - just not commensurate with the price. They also charged $12 to open and pour the wine I brought! My husband was offered a frosted glass for the beer he brought. Fortunately he declined because I noticed later on the menu they charge $5 for that frosted glass which the waitress neglected to mention! My one other complaint is the dinner was not relaxed at all. We sat down at 6:35 and were out the door at 7:25. That is much too quick to be served two courses and pay the bill. Especially at those prices. read more

Such a surprise! A group of us came over from another island. Decided at the last minute to try outermost... ( closed midweek off season ) and so figured Homeport would have to do. Their message said open 7 days..... Not. Katie at menemsha tex called the tavern. Yay success! Arrived about 6, seated right away. Luckily we had brought our own, used to that part of the island. Well, the place is beautiful and the service and food lived up to the atmosphere. We had steaks, pasta, fish, salad, veggies, dessert..... Everything prepared perfectly and service was professional, friendly, and timed perfectly. Even when the place got busy we never felt rushed or ignored. Spotless bathrooms, btw. Highly recommend and we look forward to returning soon. read more

This was excellent. A real chef works in that kitchen...beautiful presentation and cooked to perfection. The sauces were perfect. Best meal yet on the island. read more

Got a last minute reservation at the bar. Service was great. Loved what we ordered: Calamari - unique with a hint of Asian flavor. Very different. Lobster pizza with figs and blue cheese and Cipollino was delicious. Crowded and very accommodating, please were really happy. Would definitely go back. Better that State Road. Equal with Alchemy. read more

Great food horrible ambiance. Had a reservation at 8 pm on a Wednesday night and had to wait 20 minutes to be seated. Then they put our party of five adults at a tiny 4 top (would not have been so bad if there was not a party of four at a six top next to us). Service was mediocre (had to ask for bread). Restaurant is REALLY LOUD and really crowded and tight. The food is excellent, though. Pappardelle, scallops, chicken, pork chops all were excellent. As good as the food is I would stay away during July and August due to the cramped quarters and noise. read more

Fantastic dinner last night, great service, perfect tempo. It just keeps getting better, thrilled it's in our backyard. DELICIOUS.

This place is an overpriced joke, even by Vineyard standards. I ordered the fried chicken dinner special for two for myself and my son. It was pretty good, a step up from KFC, but nothing special. Certainly not worth the $100 for just the entrée! read more

warm atmosphere , the owner really puts attention into making her guests feel welcome. upscale but not stuffy. attention to detail. loved the scallops . Everything is very good. (Skip pasta entree and brownie dessert.) Love all food but those two. Service very attentive without being overbearing. Will go back often. Great up island place. Consistent. read more