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    Downyflake Restaurant

    4.1 (147 reviews)

    Downyflake Restaurant Photos

    DOWNYFLAKE RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Downyflake Restaurant

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    the outside of the restaurant
    Meg C.

    I LOVE this place! It's a small little dinner and fantastic for breakfast. There is usually a line and a very small parking lot. It can be tricky to maneuver and there is a reason it is so crowded. A local favorite. It would be a 5 star but the staff isn't always the friendliest. But they are always swamped with people. I believe currently, they are only seating outside and with takeout. Obviously the donuts are yummy. Freshly baked, not like Dunkin or Krispy Kreme but TRUE donuts. It has a diner feel inside as well, as with their food. It's fun on cloudy, rainy mornings to sit inside with your pancakes and coffee. Casual attire.

    Biscuits and gravy with house fries and bacon
    Megan W.

    Great little diner which has all the breakfast essentials but also a walk up window to get donuts/to-go orders! Just a heads up, it is cash only but they do have an ATM inside. If there is a wait, pick up some fresh friend donuts and wait for a table! They offer breakfast and lunch so be sure to make note of that as some breakfast items are only served till a certain time of day. Fuel up here and head to the beach afterwards!

    'Sconset omelet, chocolate chip pancake, sugar coated donuts, eggs with bacon
    Yeimy M.

    Perfect breakfast spot, there's something for everyone. Quaint and cozy ambiance. Make sure to try their donuts, got their sugar coated donuts and these by far have been the best donuts I've ever tried. They were soft, moist and just the right amount of sweetness.

    Choc glazed, Lemon Glazed Doughnut, maple glazed, sugar & plain.
    Deb E.

    Yum! Our first time getting donuts at Downyflake. We went at 8am on a weekday in July and the lit was full of folks eating dine-in. Since we were only getting donuts to go we used the handy side window. No line I suggest knowing what you want before going up to the window. We ended up with a dozen donuts: lemon glaze (my fave), choc glaze (kids favorite), coconut (v good), maple (very subtle, reminiscent of pancakes) and plain (also excellent). Our one misstep was ordering the bramble while the idea is good (puff pastry and fresh berries throughout, the middle was uncooked. Bring cash, no cards accepted. Dz donuts about $18 iirc.

    The sugar coated donut
    Franny F.

    I came here for the donuts. Downflake is a quaint restaurant with a diner vibe to it. Just like most places on the island, it's cash only. There's an ATM on site. If you can walk, I recommend it. Parking seems to be a nightmare so avoid it if possible. Food was average, basic breakfast with choice of toast, biscuit or donut. Of the few restaurants I tried during my stay on the island, this was the best value. The service good and the food was good. I only tried the sugar coated donut, they ran out of the other flavors. Downflake seems to be a local favorite so definitely try them out.

    Jess L.

    This diner feels like a rural diner. There are crowds inside and outside. There's not much attention to the decor. I went straight for the take-out counter, where there were massive crowds. People are friendly, but you feel personal space encroachment. The donuts are on the smaller side of life, but they are a pretty standard and tasty treat.

    Front
    Derek L.

    Sugar Donut Takeout review Downyflake donuts were introduced to me by a friend of mine. We got there around 11am on a Sunday and they were out of every donut but the sugar! But that was ok since I heard sugar was the best anyways. The donuts were $9 for a dozen or 85 cent each. Each donut was coated in sugar slightly crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. The donuts had a nice spring to the them when compressed and the sugar was sweet but not too strong. Overall, I really enjoyed the donuts from downyflake and will be back to try the other flavors!

    Flake Special

    Great home cooked food. Get there before 10am on weekends in the summer! We walked in around 9:30 and sat down as a part of two. Quick service and quality food!

    Kaila C.

    So I'm always a little tough for breakfast-it is not my favorite meal of the day! I have dietary restrictions, and it tends to be the meal with the least amount of options-there's always a lot of dairy in breakfast! I came here hoping for your standard eggs and toast, and I did get it. They are known for their donuts, but again I can't eat them. So I went with scrambled eggs, dry toast, home fries and bacon. It was fine...eggs were a little runny for my taste, but it was standard. The coffee was weak and odd tasting, and service was so-so. It looks like it's definitely a local spot, and I'm sure they have loyal customers. I probably won't be back.

    Maple glazed donut, OJ and coffee

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    7 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Excellent Donuts!!! Went in on a whim and the donuts are delicious with a Capital D :)

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

    The name is a reference to "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost. Delicious food and cozy atmosphere.

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    15 years ago

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    17 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    17 years ago

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    12 years ago

    A donut with breakfast? How can you resist? A great family-style place to eat. We always make a stop here when we come visit the island.

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    7 years ago

    Simply fantastic. Best donut ever! And my omelette was fluffy and delicious. Service was quick and friendly.

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    12 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    18 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Hit and miss. Don't order the sausage. It's nasty! Pancakes are good. Won't let you sub fruit for the potatoes either! Lame!

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    11 years ago

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    16 years ago

    MY favourite breakfast place on the island! HIghli recomendet! FOOD is good, staff is friendly, kids friendly! And the owners are the Best!

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    11 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

    I love this place and visit as often as possible when I'm on island. Pro tip - it's less busy if you go after 12:30.

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    14 years ago

    Fantastic doughnuts. Love all three options...and tend to eat all three when I get them without stopping.

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    12 years ago

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    16 years ago

    Come for the doughnuts, stay for the blueberry pancakes. Lots of local flavors. Great specials. Best priced and value on the Island

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    12 years ago

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    Page 3 of 4

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    Or The Whale - Korean BBQ

    Or The Whale

    4.2(123 reviews)
    0.9 mi

    Chef Emmanuel "Manny" Rojas might be one of the best chefs on Nantucket. This former New Yorker and…read moreMomofuku Ssam Bar alum draws from culinary traditions of every sort, from Mexican and Caribbean, to Korean and Thai. Perhaps in reflection of his New York City roots, all these varied culinary cultures are thrown into the same kitchen, tossed together with abandon, and sprinkled with some Chef Rojas magic, resulting in some of the most interesting, intelligent flavors you can find on Nantucket. The current menu includes dishes like Taiwanese fried prawns, duck wontons and street corn strips with miso aioli, cotija and furikake, which play alongside ingredients like kimchi, water chestnuts, and curtido! Perhaps not surprisingly, given Chef Rojas's Momofuku pedigree, the dinner menu features Korean Barbecue Pork, a large-format family meal that closely resembles Chef David Chang's famous bo ssäm, a slow-roasted, sugar-and-salt-cured whole pork shoulder. KOREAN PORK BBQ ($170; sushi rice - cucumber kimchi - korean bbq sauce - ginger scallion sauce - bibb lettuce wraps) allegedly feeds four to six people. Given the small dent that the four of us made in the dish, even with a few growth-spurting ravenous eaters, the dish could probably feed eight hungry adults. Be prepared for leftovers and meal plan accordingly! At a more recent Sunday brunch, we had the wonderfully culturally ambiguous TUNA TOSTADA ($27; pickled jicama - aji amarillo - charred cipollini & sesame puree - shallot). It was a bit Mexican, a bit Peruvian, a bit East Asian -- and a lot delicious. I'm one of those people who don't get all the hoopla over AVOCADO TOAST, but the Progeny seem to be on the bandwagon. The version served at or, The Whale ($22; cherry tomato - fried egg - everything bagel spice on toasted sourdough) might just win me over. Excellent, ripe sliced avocados came topped with a sunny-side-up egg, lots of tender microgreens, and slightly pan-seared sweet cherry tomatoes. The EGGS BENEDICT ($26; choice of country ham or smoked salmon - poached eggs - house biscuit - hollandaise) were classic and well made with perfectly runny yolk and super rich, buttery hollandaise sauce. But the most delicious thing on the plate was the side of hash browns, a generous slab that was beautifully browned to a crisp on the outside. Cocktails are delicious, though a touch wimpy by our lush standards. Predictably, I'm fond of the entertainingly named UNCLE BAD NEWS ($17; jalapeño-infused tequila, passionfruit, lime) since I'm a sucker for any cocktail with jalapeño as an ingredient.

    Very popular and loud place!! The bar area outdoors is lovely with the garden decor and lights…read morestrung around. There were SO many people here; looked like a college crowd. The food was delicious and expensive. We had the asparagus salad and summer salad. Both were delicious and fresh. Steak frites were delicious and the serving size was decent. Duck carnitas was the hit! The duck was delicious and tender. The toppings (pickled onions, pickled veggies, salsa) with the corn tortillas were just right. You prep your own tacos with all the fillings. This was our favorite and we enjoyed the unique concept to use duck! It was an expensive meal but worth it! Service was great. I took more photos but realized they were quite blurry due to it being dark out and I didn't give my phone enough time to capture the photo. I wanted to eat!!! I would definitely come again.

    Photos
    Or The Whale - Interior

    Interior

    Or The Whale - Tuna tostadas

    Tuna tostadas

    Or The Whale - Interior

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    Interior

    Lemon Press

    Lemon Press

    3.8(212 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    Lemon Press is exceptional for its hospitality. At dinnertime in the downstairs dining room, black…read moretea is brought for the table as soon as you sit down, along with rock sugar and dates. As our beautiful (and possibly Persian-American) server explained, this tea is a symbol of welcome in Persian culture. You hold a bit of rock sugar in your mouth as you drink your tea, allowing the sugar to dissolve slowly, and follow it all up with a bite of sweet date. It's a beautiful act of cultural sharing and hospitality that nourishes one on so many different levels. Food at Lemon Press is meant to be shared. There is a section of dishes "for the table" that comfortably feed two. And there are small plates and sides that are meant to accompany. We chose two small plates and two large plates, which was plenty of food for our group of four. The ROASTED CHARRED CAULIFLOWER ($23; almonds, brown butter, golden raisin, caramelized cauliflower foam, crispy kale) small plate was nothing short of phenomenal. There were wonderful textural contrasts: crisp kale; firm, but yielding slivers of almonds; tiny, tender cauliflower florets. There was fragrant brown butter and delicately sweet, caramelized cauliflower foam. We have had some very, very good cauliflower preparations in our lives, including Balaboosta's fried cauliflower with currants and pine nuts, Miznon's whole roasted cauliflower with sel gris (even better with tahini sauce), and creamy roasted cauliflower soup (my favorite recipe to make at home). But Lemon Press's roasted charred version was, we all agreed, probably the best preparation of cauliflower we can remember having, something that would not be at all out of place at Eleven Madison Park. Our other small plate, a northern Iranian dish called MIRZA GHASSEMI ($19; smoked eggplant, tomato, garlic, turmeric, egg, barbari bread), was also well made, a well executed traditional preparation. It was creamy, rich, nourishing, with all the hallmarks of a perfect comfort food. The Progeny thought it was too strongly flavored to eat by itself, but it paired perfectly with golden-crusted, sesame-flecked barbari bread. We found our small plates to be stronger than our larger, shared plates. They were sadly out of the duck fesenjoon on our visit. (I'd been looking forward to trying this dish since our visit earlier in the summer.) In its place, we ordered the SHORT RIBS & CHIPS ($54; house salad, za'atar fries). Flavors were vibrant, the meat glazed with something sweet and salty -- but the flanken-cut short ribs were largely fat and gristle. The salad was wonderfully fresh, the fries crisp. The KHORESHT GHORMEH SABZI ($54; lamb shoulder, burnt herbs, red kidney beans, dried lime, tahdig) was a traditional northern style, made with slow-cooked tender lamb; spinach and not just herbs, I think; and the unmistakable sour/bitter/umami flavor of limu omani (dried lime). There was a pretty circle of tahdig (sort of the equivalent of socarrat) and saffron rice to accompany. The Fambly noted the strong resemblance to north Indian saag gosht -- no surprise given the strong historical influence of Persian culture in north India, both through Persianized Mughal invaders and Nader Shah's later invasion. The amchoor (green mango powder) used in saag gosht even somewhat recalls limu omani. We declined dessert, since we had to get back to the pup -- but the check came with four lovely macaroons, served on coffee beans, another gracious touch. We have become so very enamoured with Lemon Press over their years. Cousins and co-owners Darya Afshari Gault and Rachel Afshari have brought in the talented South African chef Lyall Frosler, who beautifully executes Persian, Persian-influenced, and non-Persian dishes. They've honed a deep sense of hospitality, rooted in a very ancient, very beautiful culture. We feel so lucky and grateful to have this food on Nantucket!

    We visited this place for our last meal before heading off Nantucket. We avoided it previously…read morebecause it was labeled as "touristy " but the reviews looked good so we went for it. It's busy but we got a table for 5 immediately at 10am. The options looked great. We got gluten-free avocado toast with an egg (bland and meh, I've had better), Turkish eggs (very good), LP. Breakfast (filling and tasty), açaí bowl with berries and honey (yum), midnight cold pressed juice, lemon ginger shot, iced matcha latte (too sweet), iced saffron cardamom (too sweet), iced latte (perfect). We were happy to end our trip here. The inside is summery with low and high tables near the bar. I had to ask for my drink twice because it appears they forgot it. The staff were friendly and apologetic. Loved it overall!

    Photos
    Lemon Press - Jonathan making magic at his bar

    Jonathan making magic at his bar

    Lemon Press
    Lemon Press - Outside

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    Outside

    Black-Eyed Susan's - Omlette with black-eyed peas.

    Black-Eyed Susan's

    3.4(286 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    This is one of the most popular breakfast spots on the island, so we obviously had to try it. The…read morefood was genuinely very good. My Seasonal Vegetable Scramble was fresh and delicious, and the toast was really good. The hash browns were probably the best part, though. We also got the Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes, and those might honestly be some of the best pancakes I've ever had. They were SO good. My biggest complaints are the size of the restaurant and the prices. It's incredibly small inside, and because it's so popular, you may have to wait a little bit to get seated. That itself isn't a huge issue, but the bar seating is so incredibly uncomfortable, and it honestly made the experience less enjoyable. The prices are also pretty ridiculous. My vegetable scramble was $26, which is insane to me. I completely understand that you're on an island and things are going to be more expensive, but $26 for a vegetable scramble is kind of crazy. Other than the uncomfortable seating and the prices, the food itself was very good and definitely worth trying if you're visiting the island.

    Great little spot for breakfast in town. They also serve dinner as well although it can't comment…read moreon that. I had the avocado toast, my son had a pancake, and my husband had the French Toast and hash browns. Everything was delicious. I even purchased a super cute mug to go. Service was efficient and we only had to wait about 5 minutes to be seated although we came around 10 am on a Monday. Definitely expensive, but the prices almost everywhere on this island seem to be inflated a bit.

    Photos
    Black-Eyed Susan's - Catholic core artwork!

    Catholic core artwork!

    Black-Eyed Susan's - Corned Beef Hash

    Corned Beef Hash

    Black-Eyed Susan's - This is a peak into the back of the building

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    This is a peak into the back of the building

    Downyflake Restaurant - breakfast_brunch - Updated August 2026

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