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    The Nautilus

    4.4 (198 reviews)
    Closed 5:30 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)
    Updated 1 week ago

    The Nautilus Photos

    THE NAUTILUS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Trendy
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - The Nautilus

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    first time in Nantucket first time in this restaurant last time in this restaurant Here's my honest review of this place: Food: The food was decent, but I found it overpriced for what was offered. The menu felt somewhat limited, and overall the value didn't match the pricing. Drinks: My cocktail tasted good, but at $21 I expected more. It also seemed lighter on alcohol than expected, which made the price harder to justify. Atmosphere: The space is small, crowded, and loud. If you're looking for a quiet or romantic dinner where you can comfortably talk with your partner, this may not be the best fit. Service charge: I was surprised by the additional 4% back-of-house fee. I would have preferred to see pricing structured differently rather than adding an extra charge. Overall: I can understand why some snooty people enjoy it, but for me the experience didn't justify the cost.

    Pork buns
    Sarah R.

    Wow wow wow!!! Do not miss this spot on the island!! We came for our anniversary weekend and we were blown away by the whole experience. The drinks were phenomenal, but the food!! Scallion pancakes were a good start with a great dipping sauce. Yellowfin tuna wraps were super fresh and once again the sauces were insane. Steamed pork buns were delicious! But the best part of the night was the blue crab fried rice!! Highly recommend! Next time we want to try the duck when we come back.

    Roasted duck
    Jessyca M.

    One of the few dining options available on the island during the off-season, so reservations are highly recommended. The restaurant itself is beautiful--thoughtfully designed, scenic, and well aligned with the charm of the town. We were greeted warmly and seated at a lovely window-side table, away from the hustle of the kitchen. Unfortunately, the service didn't live up to the setting. We did the roasted duck experience, which took about an hour to arrive after ordering. While the food was delicious, the pacing was frustrating. Mid-meal, we realized the bao buns weren't enough and requested more. It took another 20 minutes for them to arrive--by which point, we were nearly done eating. All in all, the ambiance and food were great, but the painfully slow service made the experience feel drawn out and exhausting.

    Peking Duck- $155
    Sydney Y.

    Nautilus was hands down our favorite meal on the island. The standout was the Peking duck -- priced at $155, it's definitely a splurge, but it could easily serve 2 to 4 people and was well worth it. We started with the shishito peppers, which were good but could have used a touch more salt. The scallion pancake wasn't quite what we were accustomed to/not a traditional Chinese scallion pancake -- it was more hard and crispy and wouldn't order again. We also had the poke, which was incredibly fresh and flavorful, definitely a top bite of the night! Overall, a memorable dining experience and a must-visit spot.

    Tempura east coast oyster tacos ($27) - best bite of the night
    Heidi M.

    Big pro tip as I'm not one to gatekeep: reservations open up 7 days out at *midnight,* NOT 10am as advertised on their website... we unfortunately learned this the hard way and had to settle with a 9:30pm dinner which wasn't ideal. But hey, at least we got a table. Some notable dishes included the tempura oyster tacos, calamari, indonesian chicken drumettes and the dandan noodles. Fried rice was a bit disappointing. We were very tempted to go for one of the table feasts and it was a hard decision to make but ultimately decided against it and tried a bunch of small plates instead. All were tasty and had no regrets. Service was a bit weird. Very dark ambiance with loud music so not ideal for talking/catching up with friends. Still would've preferred an earlier seating (would've been a bit brighter and less hangry) but they were so packed and unable to accommodate, even on a Thursday evening.

    Asparagus
    Serene C.

    This place is pretty good. It was a mix though because I had one of the best dishes I've ever had and also one of the worst of its kind. Start with the low point: the scallion pancake. It was dry, not flaky and more like chapati. It does not anywhere resemble scallion pancake. Stay away from this and you'll be fine. Now the best dish for me was the szechuan ribeye au poivre which we got as part of the table feast so you have to order early on since it takes awhile. It was possibly the best steak I've ever had!! It came with some fried potato strings which was so good and the steak itself was perfectly cooked and I love the crust on it. Some other standout dishes were the Xo clams, the tuna poke and crab fried rice. For the island this is a good place. It doesn't beat other Asian places for authenticity if this were in a big city per se. Still it's a good place and you definitely need to book in advance or it'll be hard to find a spot as they have limited seating. Music is kinda loud.

    Menu - Sept, 2023
    Laura T.

    This is notorious for being one of the hardest to come by reservations on the island and we were able to snag one! Only down side is that the restaurant is pretty small so the table for 2 that we were going to sit at was squished in between two other tables - I mean literally could hardly fit between the two and I'm a small sized person. Fortunately, we asked to go to the bar and they were happy to accommodate so I was grateful for that! We ordered the pork belly buns, Szechuan style Dan Dan noodles and the blue crab fried rice. The buns had excellent flavor - the slightly sweet sauce with the tangy pickled veg and then the bun was perfectly textured. The noodles were also pretty delicious - not too spicy, and very soft and chewy. The crab fried rice is very well known and the truth is, it actually wasn't my favorite. There are large chunks of crab which is nice but the rice was mushy and the whole thing was a little too salty. Overall, it was a good restaurant and yummy with good presentation and flavor. Is it worth the impossible reservation? I don't think so, but I'm glad I got to try it.

    Peking duck
    Emily M.

    The Nautilus was the number one spot I wanted to try on Nantucket and I was ECSTATIC we got a table (would definitely recommend a reservation, but we didn't have one so lined up 30 minutes before opening). Our waitress was fantastic and the vibes were trendy. Here is what we tried and how I would rate: - Kermit the frog cocktail (8/10) - Blue crab fried rice (8/10) - Blistered shishito peppers (9/10) - Tempura east coast oyster tacos (9/10) - Peking duck (10/10) A tip: Right when we sat down, we mentioned we wanted to order the Peking duck - highly recommend doing this right away if you want to try the duck because there is a limited quantity they serve. It was so delicious so highly recommend!! If I'm ever back on Nantucket, I'm coming back here no questions. :)

    Scallion pancake

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    11 months ago

    Everything was 5 stars from the food to the service. We couldn't have asked for a better evening and meal!

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    3 years ago

    Best food and dinner on Nantucket, such a great time everytime we go. Just go, you'll be happy you did.

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    Or The Whale - Korean BBQ

    Or The Whale

    4.2(123 reviews)
    0.1 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 - Fantastic fries

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    Fantastic fries

    The Nautilus - tapas - Updated August 2026

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