I was shocked when I went to the bar and ordered a beer and was asked if we were going to sit at the bar. We were waiting for a table. The bartender refused to serve me a beer as he said I had to order it from our server. If it were up to me I would have taken our large party else where. Poor policy and poor restaurant. I will never come back. read more

Great place to eat with awesome AC to hold you over during the hot summer days! We came in for lunch at a busy time & were told we needed to wait about 25 min to sit inside or sit outside immediately. It was much too hot to sit out and the AC inside was amazing lol but it was a much shorter wait & was only 10 min! We ordered the sashimi bowl & fish sandwich, both were so good! The sashimi was so fresh & the cod fish sandwich was cooked perfectly. The waitress was very attentive & nice and overall we had a good experience, would definitely recommend to others. read more

Very underwhelming given the prices this place charges. Our server was great: attentive and super friendly, but the food was really sub-par. Fish tacos were entirely flavorless and the green salad had no dressing. Totally bland. Everything else on the menu looked deep fried. Great location but not worth the stop if you're looking for a tasty meal :-( read more

Great lobster rolls! Wonderful friendly staff! Service, food and views were delightful!

Good food here. I love the traditional lobster roll and I do like their fries. I usually order from the window and take a seat outside. I never have any complajnts. Make sure you stop by when you come to MV. read more

Amazing food! Great server Adam! Loved the mussels and lobster roll. Clam chowder soup to die for! Definitely a must while visiting Oak Bluffs! read more

Nancy's - Seafood Near Me - Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts

Nice view! Worst customer service speaking as a bartender I was shocked at how rude our waitress Amy was !!! Beyond unfriendly then we had a friend join us who did not sit with us she said it was a fire hazard for him to sit at our table and she was getting the manager. Which she did he came to our table said 1 extra chair was a fire hazard we had 4 people the table next to us had 9.... can't help but think racism plays a part !!! We asked for our check and will never be back read more

Love Nancy's and eating outside at picnic tables but this year we decided to eat upstairs on the upper deck since we had our daughter, SIL, and their toddler with us. When my DH & I arrived, we requested a table and were told we would NOT be seated until everyone arrived. We told the hostess our DD & family would be arriving shortly and was again informed that we would NOT be seated until everyone arrived. As tables were being grabbed by parties arriving after us, we nicely asked if we could be seated since we had a little one. She completely refused. I had to call my DD and tell them to get moving fast! Talk about stressful. This hostess was so unhelpful and unaccommodating. I know they have their rules but, come on, lighten up and bend them a little. By the time my DD arrived, one table was left. Just be forewarned. No tables without the entire party present! They could give two sh*ts about accommodating the customer. read more

This restaurant has the most disrespectful staffs including the restaurant's manager. The restaurant's manager made fun of me while I was sitting at the table choosing food from the menu!!! His behavior with customers was horrible. When I complained because I have been insulted by him, he was still very rude and not even ashamed of how he treated the customers!!! I have waited a long time in the line to get into this restaurant and now I deeply regret the time I wasted for them. Google doesn't allow me to give negative review otherwise I would give -10/10!!! read more

People definitely come here for the atmosphere and I don't blame them! Beautiful views of the water and good people watching spot. Smash burger was tasty and fries were cooked perfectly. Calamari was pretty bland, but the rest of the meal and excellent service made up for that. Love that they have a handicap accessible elevator as well. read more

I ordered sea scallops wrapped in bacon. There was 5 of them. They were the tinest scallops I've ever seen and for $16.95 I was really disappointed. You can get fried scallops and get doubled even tripled the amount of scallops for cheaper. Usually they have good food but I was really disappointed. read more

Nancy's - Seafood Near Me - Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts

Our second time here. Couldn't remember our first time so can't speak to that experience. This one, however, could have been better in some important areas. Read on to learn more... The good: The reception upon entering was warm & friendly. The table placement was great (perfect view). The servers: We had two for shift change over. Our first server was friendly and attentive. Our second server was equally friendly and attentive but fell shy in one small area (see below in the MEH column). The Cocktails: Both were rated good (Pina Colada and Mudslide frozen).5 The MEH: The food. Average to mediocre at best. Had salads w/protein and a burger. The protein on the salads was heavily salted and had a very light dressing (almost undetected). It wasn't too flavorful so thus, the MEH rating. The burger was also not super tasty. The Price: Way over priced for what you get. A $27 Greek salad (chicken not filet for protein) is a little obscene, in my humble opinion. Our second server part B: while pleasant enough, rushed our table. Now, let me put this into perspective for y'all....We are typically SPEED eaters, like it's our profession. we don't linger and dilly dally or elongate anything at a dining table. So, when our waiter rushes us, it's borderline obscene because if we were there an hour (and we had cocktails w/our lunch) I'd say that would be a generous timeline. I'd say we timed in more around the 45-50 min marker from start to when the waiter started sweeping things off the table and setting down the bill wanting to cash us out and complete our 'dining' experience. Would I go back? Maybe for a cocktail with a view, but not for the food. Would I recommend you try it? Sure, why not. Be sure to weigh in so this venue can accurately navigate what they do well and what they can improve upon. read more

Not what I expected? Came to Martha's Vineyard with family and stopped by Nancy's for lunch. We were so excited to eat since it was our first authentic meal. We ordered the two types of lobster rolls they offered, traditional lobster roll and the warm lobster roll, as well as the Fisherman's Platter which consists of fried shrimp, clam, scallops, fish, and french fries. I understand this is a tourist spot and things get expensive, but I was disappointed. Our total was around $80, and it didn't leave any of us full, we were all still hungry after. The lobster rolls are half of the size you would get in New York, and surprisingly, New York's lobster rolls tasted better?!? The lobster rolls lacked flavor, but were fresh and plentiful, and the bread was stale. The Platter was only a plateful and only because the fried ingredients were stacked high. There is "scallops" in the platter but there was only ONE scallop?!?! How can something priced at $34 not even have all the ingredients in whole. Yes this is a famous restaurant, but that doesn't mean they don't have to serve a decent amount of food. Every item ordered lacked flavor and wasn't seasoned properly, and I'm not someone who typically loves my food drenched in seasoning or sauce. Wouldn't recommend eating here if there are other options,and there are a lot around to try! read more

Nancy's - Seafood Near Me - Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts

My family has eaten dinner here every year when we go to the vineyard. it has cheaper options downstairs and then more fancy upstairs. the staff was nice and it was very clean! read more

As I excited the ferry, my cousin texted me that I NEED to go to Nancy's for frozen cocktails. Little did I know that 90% of my MV trip would be spent at Nancy's! For lunch, I picked off everyone's plates (BF's yummy chicken sandwich, Dad's fish & chips & Peggy's fried clams). I haven't had New England food like this in SO long. YUM! My liquid lunch consisted of Great Whites in honor of the shark tourney happening that week. After lunch and a dip at the beach, we had time to kill before catching the ferry back. So, Nancy's air conditioning, seafood appetizers and Mai Tai's were all a great solution. I'll definitely be back. After all, I still need to try the frozen drinks. read more

Nancy's is the spot to snack on fried food in the sunshine. They even have four different areas you can chose from -- picnic tables outdoors with a take-out window, a somewhat dark open-air bar, a lovely roof deck with waiter service, and a slightly more comfortable indoor seating area. The nice thing about it? Every area has water views. Yup. My advice? Get the French fries and the fish sandwich. The fish is always, always local and fresh and it's by far the best thing on the menu... Unless you're into clams, which are pretty tasty, as well. They serve up hot dogs, burgers and lobster rolls, too -- you really can find anything to satiate any particular hankering you may be having, even if it's for a BLT on what toast. It's a decent spot in a great location, especially if you're day trippin' to OB and looking for a chill spot to have lunch. It's reasonably priced and easy to get in, get out. read more

Gotta love warm lobster rolls. I have been coming to Nancy's for years now and they never disappoint. The food selection is decent I haven't had everything but majority is pretty good. The pick and order window could function more effectively sometimes the employees confuse themselves and you. The prices are a bit high for such a little portion. Friday and Saturday nights if you not at Lola's Nancy's is the place read more

Great service !! Our waitress was so sweet Had the bbq ribs- substituted for the mashed potatoes- big portion. Basic BBQ. It was good Nice view but they should clean their windows :) Had white wine - it was good. Nancy's is good read more

They say this is a tourist spot. And it definitely is since it is literally on the pier where all of the tourists get off their boats, etc. BUT that being said, their front patio area upstairs is just plain awesome. What a nice spot to grab some lunch and a drink while looking at the water and beautiful Martha's Vineyard. The service is super friendly, and the food is actually pretty good for a tourist spot. The view and the ambiance bumped of the food score of a 3.5 star to a 4 star here. Food wise I got the tuna seared sandwich with a wasabi like mayo and it was quite tasty if I do say so myself. Others got the fish and chips which my brother loved and this special salad with prawns and black rice and such. All in all it was very pleasant meal and we found it hard for us to peel ourselves away to go and explore the island since we had such a good time here! read more

Ehhh. Nothing great here food wise. Typical outdoor bar beach food. Plus, they don't let you change the preset ingredients so you're stuck with whatever toppings and sauces come on what you ordered. The view of the boats are nice and the outdoor seating area is kid friendly. read more

I have eaten here upwards of 4 times and each time has been consistently mediocre. Especially in the summer it is very crowded and overpriced, great tourist spot and great in a bind however I would not choose to eat at Nancys. The upstairs portion of Nancy's is nicer and more sit down style while downstairs is more cafeteria style with picnic tables. Donovans reef always seems to be crowded with 20 something year olds overpaying for drinks. Parking will always be impossible in Oak Bluffs so expect a walk to all restaurants in this area. It is a great spot if you're on vacation or looking for something cheap, but the high prices and the tourist crowd turns me away from Nancy's. read more

They have a new place nearby, 20 by nine / no yelp listing up yet. Horrible doesn't even begin to explain the experience yesterday. We feel so sick today that I'm about to call and tell them how bad of a time it was. And I never feel that way! Two stars simply because it looked cute and promising. read more

Great place to stop for a quick sandwich while biking. Ordered the garlic chicken pita wrap and loved it. Half of the wrap was plenty so was enough to share with another! Plenty of seating outside on patio and lots of happy people all around. read more

Nancy's - Seafood Near Me - Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts

Donovan's Reef is a small outside bar that is part of Nancy's Restaurant & Snack Bar. The bar sits within the enclosed seating area for Nancy's Snack Bar and you can stand or sit outside within the roped-off area and get your drink on right on the dock with an amazing view of Oak Bluffs harbor. The dude who bartends there exclusively, I'm guessing his name is Donovan is the BEST! He kills it with the drinks, mostly frozen. From Mind Erasers to Dirty Bananas to delicious alcohol-based fruit smoothies, his drinks are THE BEST and STRONGEST ON THE ISLAND!! When I go to Oak Bluffs to get my annihilation on I ALWAYS pre-game at Donovan's first. I recommend you do the same. Peace. read more

See all

Nancy's enjoys a superior location in the town of Oak Bluffs, where they have been a booming presence for years. It's easy to spot in the summer, with its tiki bar decor outside and a massive amount of people getting sloshed in the sunshine. There's a take out/fast food place downstairs which I have never tried but the Obama family has. (Not sure why they chose Nancy's as there are so many other places with much better food.) Upstairs, there is an indoor bar/restaurant space and an outdoor bar and deck. This rooftop deck is where I have gone a few times this summer to have a drink and a simple late lunch. You get a glorious view of the harbor and on a nice day, I love being outdoors. I'm a bit embarrassed to say I have enjoyed my experiences at Nancy's although it's not necessarily due to their food. It's more about that roof deck atmosphere on a quiet sunny day. Most of my friends have a very strong opinion about Nancy's and would never admit to going. It's known as a tourist destination more than anything. I have only had two items here, and both were better than I thought they'd be. One was the mussels, which were perfectly cooked and in a wonderful broth. Huge portion. The other was called Shrimp Nancy's, and it was okay. Six slightly rubbery shrimp in a light tomato based sauce. The flavors could have been stronger. It just lacked the punch I need. I enjoyed some decent wine by the glass and just soaked up summer. At night and on weekends, and for the whole month of August, this place gets totally crazy, so don't expect to have anything close to a tranquil experience. When I went, it was after the usual lunch crowd had left and mid-week. One time was in September, when the summer crowds are gone and the island has the best weather ever. The staff is friendly and you just can't beat the location up there on that roof deck. read more

I'm not one to complain about restaurants, I consider myself pretty easy to please in that department. Decent food, decent service and I'm happy. Nancy's, however, will always live on in my memory due to the rude and obnoxious management. We had a large group and waited about 40-50 minutes for our food. We were there for a late lunch and the restaurant wasn't too crowded but we waited and finally the food arrived and the opinions ranged from "ok" to "great' between the 15 of us. Most people were happy with their food. Then... the manager talked to my mother as though she was a child. And when confronted, the manager managed very well to escalate the problem tenfold. When my grandfather chimed in with a suggestion the manager continued to be rude, aggressive and cocky. He assured all of us that we could complain to higher management and it didn't matter. That we could say whatever we wanted or think whatever we wanted and it wouldn't tarnish his business and he was perfectly satisfied with us leaving with a bad taste in our mouths. "It is the busy season, people come here and expect to wait... so wait. Rules are rules" with an overall "deal with it" attitude. This entire conversation took place in the middle of the dining area with other patrons watching and the manager seemed to enjoy escalating the problem. He stood aggressively, prodding and waiting for every chance to awkwardly assert himself while insulting the interests of the customer. This all happened because one female from our group used the men's room for 2 minutes because there was a line 10 women deep for the woman's room (which has 2 stalls). A simple "please use the women's room next time" would have sufficed, honestly. "Please use the women's room next time" "Ok." The End. So, after dropping almost $400... we all left with a good memory of our usually funny and overly kind Grandpa using words we never heard come from his mouth before and Grandma calling me a "man lady" for committing the ultimate sin. We spend a good amount of time on the Vineyard and Nancy's... never again. There are a bunch of well-meaning, well-managed establishments on the Vineyard that want and appreciate your business. Go there instead. read more

My salmon burger was way too salty, and his lobster sandwich barely had any lobster in it. I thought we were in Martha's Vineyard - how could you skimp on the lobster? Appetizers (calimari and fried clams) were also much too salty, and the calamari was more like a smidgen of squid battered over and over again - there was just too much batter! We left hungry. Had to grab pizza from a nearby shop before hopping back on the ferry. read more

This is a solid two star seafood restaurant with good views of the water. I ordered the fish sandwich and if you live a great sandwich bun, you will live this sandwich. I ordered a fish sandwich because I like fish. The fish was the size of a McDonald's piece of fish. A waste of good money. read more

Nancy's is an amazing place - lots of history and fun here. It's right off the harbor and has a great view of the dock. Obama ate here, and I hear he knows his fried clams. I had the fish and chips but asked them to substitute a side salad for the fries and they happily obliged. All the good eating on our trip meant it was time for some veggies, haha. The food was great, and people were relaxing on either side of us with drinks. Everyone looked so happy. It was our last meal before getting on the boat back to reality, and Nancy's was a great farewell to the island. read more

Good, but pricey. My wife and I had chowder and steamers just before leaving on the ferry. The steamers were fresh and cooked just right. The chowder was fine. The outside patio is a bit of a scene. Loud, lots of drinking. Tanned, leathery people. Sit inside if you want a quiet meal. read more

I liked it here for a quick lunch. I've also gone here for a nice dinner on the upper level patio. They've got a huge list of frozen concoctions that could rival Jimmy Buffet's catalog of songs, and they're all pretty tasty. The staff is quick, efficient and attentive, and food is really good, but a tad bit pricy. I was blessed in the fact that I got to dine here on a clear night, as well as a bright sunny day. There are also picnic tables where you can eat outside, complete with huge straw umbrellas to shade you from the sun. Don't worry, if there's clouds in the sky, there's indoor seating! read more

Love love Nancy's for casual, harbor side dining! The lobster rolls are great as well as all the seafood take out. But my absolute favorite take out is a piña colada from Donovan's Reef! Reggae while you wait. My tip to you...get two on your first trip because the line can be long! Highly recommend it! read more

One of Obama's favorite restaurants at Martha's Vineyard this was my 2nd time there. My friend shrimp was yummy I originally wanted pasta like i had last time but it was the lunch menu so I guess. read more

Nancy's - Seafood Near Me - Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts

A fun atmosphere with great views, and we had a lovely server but other than that the dinner fell short. I got a white fish dish with crab and corn and I could not believe how dry it was. I did not enjoy it at all. It came with seasonal vegetable and mashed potatoes and the season veggie was cauliflower so my whole plate was white which was just aesthetically disappointing as well. My sister had the lobster quesadilla and thought it was too greasy with not a lot of lobster. My Mom had the chicken and chickpea dish and loved it. I thought hers looked the best too which I found surprising because I thought the seafood would be the choice at a place like Nancy's. All in all it felt like an overpriced tourist trap and I was disappointed. read more

Clam cowder had no clam, just tiny dried up pink pieces of clam "jerky." But a decent "potatoe" chowder. Stuffed calm was mostly ritz crackers and sausage. My family is from the island and said "locals don't go here." I can see why. read more

This is a must if you come to the Vineyard. Dirty Banana! Best way to describe it is similar to mudslide but just 100X better. Donovan(bartender) is really cool and always has the reggae music on blast. read more

Nancy's - Get a drink at Donovan's Reef! - Seafood Near Me - Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts

My mother grew up summering on the Vineyard, and she carried on the tradition with us where we would spend 2 weeks a summer on the Vineyard. Given my mother's name (Nancy), Nancy's holds a special place in our memories. We have always been spoiled by trips to Nancy's. In our family, Nancy's is always a 10 star rating. But I will write an unbiased review. Growing up, I only ate chicken fingers, literally. So for the first 22 years that I had Nancy's, thats all I got. Don't worry, they are fantastic, you wouldn't get sick of them after that long either. Short and sweet, If I were to write nancy's a report card: Chicken fingers: A + French Fries: A+ Fish and Chips: A+, but certainly not worth the $16.50 Service: You order at bar, and pick up at bar. Makes it easy. Atmosphere: Tourist trap but fun vibe. No matter the occasion, you instantly feel like you are on vacation. I have never sat inside, so outside is the only place to be. You can watch all the tourists walk by, and listen to the reggae. Plus, you are on the vineyard... it should be illegial to be inside while on MV! But lets be honest.... The real reason you go to Nancy's ? Donovans!!! He has his own bar and makes the most LETHAL drinks. His specialty is the dirty banana, which if you come here, it's a necessity that you try it. However, my favorite is his daiquri. :) Come here knowing its an overpriced tourist trap, but the flavors of the food, the vibes set in your mood and the drinks running your groove will make it the best decision you make all day. read more

Love the drinks and lobster rolls. A must visit in MV. Haven't had a bad meal there.

Well, I've read the reviews and I still think some of you have it ALL wrong. It's not strictly a tourist place. A LOT of island folk come and eat, drink and gather at this great location on OB Harbor. Don't know how a tourist can call a place super touristy when a ton of locals hang out here on any given night. But whatever you think, it's still worth the trip. I can't get enough of the Dirty Banana's and not just at Donovan's reef downstairs but upstairs bartenders make a killer Dirty B! Let's address reviews by vindictive people that used to drive taxi's on MV and bash this location with a 1 star rating. First off, summer on the Vineyard means hurry up and wait and sometimes people that work at restaurants slip up, they're human. Why not approach them in a nice way and ASK! I just don't get the attitude that I'll stew about something and then leave.. then write a bad yelp review. It's almost like they wanted to have a bad experience to bash the place. I can tell you the management at this wonderful Harbor front restaurant and bar are not "atrocious " but they are busy and customer orientated. Whoever wrote about watered down drinks, you've got issues! Far from it here. read more

We have come to this place for years, love the atmosphere but we were completely disappointed with the service this time around. The dirty banana was excellent as always, however the rest of the menu was underwhelming. It's a fantastic ambiance but our waitress Coleen was very curt and unwelcoming. She also rushed us and was not very pleasant. We were a group of four and she said we had to get four food items when one person in our group wasn't even drinking. She then got her manager to come and kick us out saying we had been here for over the time limit, conveniently waiting for us to finish tipping her prior to letting us know. Furthermore, there was a much more professional way to do this- just let us know in a nice way you need the table vs being rude in how you asked us to leave. We understand COVID has dining regulations which we are happy to respect but there is absolutely no need to be rude and disrespectful of us in the process read more