Had the pleasure of eating here on two occasions recently while on vacation. Both the staff and the ambiance were perfect! The first time I visited, I ordered the Thick Cut 12oz NY Strip with Truffle Fries & Garden Vegetables and it was one of the best steaks I've ever ate. The second time I visited, I ordered the Pan Seared (8oz) Filet Mignon with Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes, which was extremely delightful. If you vacation to Nantucket, and you enjoy the best food you can find there, then I highly recommend you visit The Summer House Restaurant. read more

Great ambiance beautiful venue. Attentive service. Average food. Will come back again soon! read more

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If you want to feel like you're eating the most delicious food at a fabulous dinner party with great company- go to the summer house. We had an incredible experience for dinner. From the moment we walked in we felt welcomed by Salvatore and his staff! They were incredibly attentive to our party's needs. When we wanted a group photo, Salvatore volunteered and literally stood up on a chair to get the best angle. My friends and I couldn't decide between the different pastas on the menu, so they split three different pasta on a large plate for us--family style. Each pasta was delicious especially the téléphon. At the end of the night, we went to the bar to have a night cap, and they gave us complimentary espresso martini samples. It was all simply amazing! Truly we have never been treated nicer at a restaurant; the hospitality and service is absolutely unmatched. We will definitely be back! read more

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A big letdown. We were so excited to celebrate my husband's birthday, and made reservations two weeks in advance. When we got there the hostess who was not at all warm or gracious, told us that there was a 20 minute wait or maybe longer and we could have a drink at the bar. When I mentioned to her in a very nice tone that we had a reservation she snapped back, You can have a drink at the bar. $100 later she came over to us and said table was ready. It took us a minute to gather our drinks and by the time we followed her over to the dining room she was nowhere to be found. Again, not at all engaging for someone in a customer facing position. She seemed more interested in sitting at the bar and drinking with a baseball hat on. Later during the meal, my son asked her for the Wi-Fi code for an important email he was waiting for, and she blurted it out to him. When he asked her to repeat it again, she said it in a very slow, sarcastic tone. The food was delicious, the service acceptable, but not over the top. The restaurant was also very loud, they should do something about the acoustics. The piano player was lovely. I did mention to our server that we loved the food, but that the hostess was Unwelcoming and he mentioned that people give her a hard time. Wow, I thought that was her job. So many other beautiful restaurants on Nantucket where we could've gone. We expected more and we are a pretty low maintenance group, read more

New kitchen and service crew from Palm Beach make this restaurant the best option in sconset, after years of mismanagement and ineptitude. (At one low point before the mgmt change there was a dog poo on the kitchen floor when food inspectors came, I heard) Way to go Salvador! read more

Charming upbeat restaurant with incredible food. Service staff does not miss a beat. Salvador is attentive and passionate about his guests happy Tuna tartare was amazing, and the filet mignon was cooked perfectly! Thank You Summer House!! read more

The summer house comes at you with their "three pronged attack", which has been consistently implied over several decades: (i) mediocre food, (ii) poor service and (iii) very high prices. All Nantucket residents know - avoid, avoid, avoid. read more

Great family place with a bar scene for adults. Outdoor seating was nice, quiet with a lovely view of the property and garden. Indoor seemed like more of a party scene with louder music but there seems to be a good balance between both. The food was all very good. Strip steak cooked to a perfect medium rare. Linguine was a little on the salty side but still pretty good. Clam chowder and arugula & watermelon salad was a great starter. Service was great. One of the better meals we've had on the island. read more

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What a fabulous view! We had such a lovely dinner at Summer House. The location is terrific. I believe diners should know a few facts: -Paper napkins are being used during Covid -Plastic cups are served for beverages -Our Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc was $72 for the bottle, but it costs myself $14 at the liquor store in town -The musician only performed "hippie" music and doesn't know any George Strait! The view makes up for all of this. We still had a lovely evening. The serve healthy portions of fish, not a sliver like most places. I had the cod which was lovely. read more

The Summer House Restaurant - Plastic cups, but glass for the wine. - American Near Me - Siasconset, Massachusetts

I normally don't write reviews anymore but the situation here compels me to do so. I've been a visitor to Nantucket for many decades and would often eat at the Summer House and went to their pool as kid 30 years ago. It used to be pretty nice, but the owner, Ms. DeBenedictis, has cut corners, and as a result, it has gone downhill badly since the mid-2000's... Food quality, staff morale and building safety have all been compromised. Her restaurant had an electrical fire on the top floor where here workers slept, and another one of her restaurants was condemned by the town health department for code and safety violations. The restaurant's owner is basically Nantucket's version of Leona Helmsley. I still visit the island regularly, but never again will eat here. Some many better places in town that have better food at comparable prices. read more

Winner of the phoenix award literally for recovering from a fire. Many things got attention, hardworking staff has grown up and come into their own, genuinely running the place with great support from the owner, who lost her husband recently and/but is determined that the place achieve the potential it always had. Give it a try, they're working hard. read more

To say the Summer House left much to be desired would be an understatement. It's generally a "no rules" situation in there, which I've come to appreciate, but it also appears there are no rules in the kitchen. Even if we all got the drinks we ordered, even if they didn't confuse a short rib order with a side order of salad and even IF their tuna was 24 hours more fresh, it wouldn't make up for one thing.....the steak. We found ourselves in shock at the color of the inside of the steak. Could it be? Really? I think it is: GRAY. The only excuse for over cooking it to such a degree would be a line cook nodding off while it was being finished off in a pizza oven. My poor friend had to chase his few (very few) bites of steak with water just to get it all down, like he was competing against Joey Chestnut and Kobeyashi. We thought this was Nantucket, not Coney Island. Once we saw steak / saw dust flying off the knife as it bandsaw'ed through the salted hockey puck we knew it was time to call it quits. That same poor friend (remember, the one with the steak and water combo) still thinks about the steak to this day, and it's been almost two weeks. His decision not to force it back into the kitchen haunts him, which I surprisingly understand. Poor guy. But it's not all bad. I think the person who ordered the short rib but got the Caesar salad said the dressing was her favorite store-bought brand. I think it's Newmans Own. Would still come back to drink (not eat) and listen to the piano man, he's got some soul. read more

THE establishment of Sconset Nantucket forever and it is a must! The restaurant serves huge portion lobster rolls and the hamburger is the best on island! Excited for the reopening of the main restaurant (had a fire oh no!) but the quality of their restaurant pool/beachside (the only one like it on island!) is always a happening scene lunch and dinner. Cocktails are fantastic. Seek out Phillipe for one of his Mojitos- best anywhere. read more

The Summer House Restaurant - Mojito!!! - American Near Me - Siasconset, Massachusetts

Well... it's a gorgeous room. Really perfect Nantucket. Every time i come I wish for more and it just doesn't make it. I was treating significant other & really wanted to impress. Half way thru dinner I just stopped the charade: this is mediocre at best I said. They agreed. Sad. The food is completely institutional and like something from a second tier country club. Service was ok .. Lil pushy about ordering even though it was empty. Drinks are tiny, bill is BIG... sorry guysREALLY need to step up your game! Shame... Prob my last time. read more

We made dinner reservations and were seated promptly and received water. However we had to wait for a server- 2 walked by without even glancing at us. Finally the host came and took our order. I got fish tacos- not great. I didn't feel well after eating. My husband got pasta Bolognese and was fine but nothing special (he said a child could cook the same dish). Our daughter got cheese pizza from kids menu and it looked burnt. It took another while to get our check (provided by another waiter) and the for the quality of food it price was very high. We will not be coming back. read more

Unfortunately, I would have been disappointed with the quality of food if It came out at a chain restaurant. The $30+ burger was definitely frozen, overcooked (ordered medium rare) to the point of being grey, and when we asked about subbing sautéed onions instead of raw, the chef couldn't accommodate. One of the more expensive restaurants on the island but you can tell they are cutting corners on ingredients and effort. Great location/view and seemingly nice staff. read more

I don't mind that they were pretty under-staffed (that is to be expected in this post covid world), but I felt like asking "what kind of scam are you trying to push on me?" This place is ridiculously overpriced for what you get. We were in a tent surrounded by screaming kids, plastic tables, the waiters were in t-shirts running around, there was no personal service whatsoever. So its basically a poolside restaurant, right? But add to that a menu that has $40+ entrees (including a $43 lobster roll) and no wine by the glass under $20; You're going to pay several hundred dollars for a family of 4, for that poolside experience. As many others say, there are many excellent restaurants on Nantucket, you might as well go to one that actually trying to deliver a real dining experience. Food was fine, and service was actually speedy, thus the two stars, but the experience was awful. read more

Beware the Dover Sole Trap. You may be offered the dover sole special and won't be told the price. It costs $85, almost twice the average entree price. If you know that and don't mind paying it, great, but several friends, like us, we're quite surprised when the bill arrived. read more

Horrible slow service and the food was ice cold. It's a shame because it has such a nice atmosphere.

Nothing to do with COVID. I actually really appreciated their efforts - truly socially distanced tables, paper napkins and menus, plastic waters, etc. The three stars is for the food. I ordered the pappardelle bolognese and my brother had the clam linguine. Both dishes had good portions but were too salty to finish. Just be aware of this when you order. My mom had the cod and loved it. The cherry gelato was delicious also. read more

The Summer House Restaurant - Bolognese - American Near Me - Siasconset, Massachusetts

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The summer house food is digesting. I eat lobster weekly and I am 100% their lobster meat is fake. We booked an inn through them to stay in last month and showed up on Nantucket only to find out they had sold the inn and never refunded us or told us. After hours of back and forth they refunded us only to charge us again and claim we crashed a wedding and harassed them. (There was no wedding and they did not offer credits for future stay as they had claimed. Not that we would ever want to stay in such a poorly run business). I don't suggested eating or staying there and heard terrible things about them from Nantucket locals. They'll probably sell the place or go out of business soon. read more

2 stars because the restaurant accommodated a reservation for 6 at the last minute, and the view was nice. But the rest of the experience was mediocre and overpriced. The wait staff is overwhelmed and the food is a clear miss. We arrived at 6:30 PM and we weren't served our drinks until 7:20 PM. The first course came at 8:00 PM. At last, the main course came out at 8:35 PM. Geesh! We weren't all served at the same time which, at this price point, is disgraceful. The $18 salad had wilted greens and all of our main courses were quite small (even for Nantucket!) and cold. So disappointing. The second bottle of wine we ordered took so long to come that we just canceled it. Pass. read more

Had such a great time here, and mainly because of the staff and the locals. The drinks were amazing. The food was good. And, the bartender, Felipe, was outstanding!!! I met so many great people- such a wonderful time! read more

We went for cocktails on the beach. Not only were the drinks poorly made but they were way overpriced!! $50 for two cocktails and we couldnt even drink them they were so bad! Not sure we will be back unfortunately. read more

Omg love. Such a gorgeous location. Very private and was lively without being overcrowded like some places in town. We got the pizza app and then lobster roll, burgers, crab cake, and fish of the day and was a 10/10. Definitely a perfect lunch spot on Nantucket!!! read more

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I have been there many times and enjoyed incredible meals. That time is over! Was there on Oct 16, 2021. The service was horrible. We asked for a Manhattan straight up, when served it was full of ice. They took it back, strained the ice and gave it to us in the same glasses for $20 a pop. Then the food, small clams and pasta / that's it / $46. I could have made this a my house. I felt like we had been completely ripped off. Used to be one of our favs / NO More. read more

A fine outdoor dining venue on the beach serving stellar seafood in an idyllic setting. read more

The Summer House Restaurant - A very happy 17 year old celebrating a spectacular birthday at the Summer House Bistro. - American Near Me - Siasconset, Massachusetts

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The main house is still under construction after its fire so dining is under a tent down the hill on the pool deck. Really beautiful setting - just wish it had been a clearer night for sunsets sake. The tent backs up to the beach so the views would be spectacular. They appeared to be doing a good job with corona precautions. I had the burratta to start, Bolognese for a main, and chocolate mouse to finish. All three were good, though not the best i had ever had. Service was friendly, though they were definitely short staffed. We waited pretty long between courses to be seen by our waiter but they were trying their best. One thing to note-it is down about 2 flights of stairs from the road so people with mobility issues would have difficulty read more

The Summer House Restaurant - American Near Me - Siasconset, Massachusetts

The Summer House is back -- and better than ever! We booked a table for eight the night after their big re-opening. The place has been spruced up and the vibe is cool and sophisticated in a classic, oceanfront setting. The service was prompt, water was poured, drinks were ordered, warm rolls materialized with olive oil dipping sauce. The menu featured some old favorites and some new temptations. Each of us ordered something different. A half portion of Bolognese as a starter? No problem! Watermelon and feta salad, DELICIOUS. The entrees were extraordinary: Linguine a la Vongole with tons of succulent, small clams, a large piece of expertly cooked swordfish served with a mushroom risotto, Chicken Milanese with arugula -- all the entrees were large portions, great value, and totally worth the calories. The pianist tickled the ivories while patrons sat at the charming bar and, looking out at the nearly full moon over the Atlantic, we were happy, sated, and glad to be back at The Summer House. Come dine at the most beautiful spot on Nantucket -- you won't be disappointed. read more

We were seated for about 15 minutes before the bartender came by. He gave us a hard time about our IDs (all over 25 Massachusetts residents), we gave him our drink order and he walked away mid-sentence, telling us we were "too undecided." I went up to the bar to put in our order again, was ignored and again chastised for our IDs and being "undecided." We left. Don't come here, servers are extremely rude. read more

Parking-took bus, great transportation system!! Food-salads, pizza, BLT Ambience-great spot!! Service-excellent Drinks-good Clean-cleanliness Focused Foodie read more

This should be on an episode of bar rescue it's so bad...comically bad. Food is ridiculously overpriced and mediocre at best and the place operates like some type of circus. Save your time and money for one of the other unbelievable spots on the island....there are too many good spots to waste time and money here. read more

We had a fantastic meal for our party of 10. Arguably one of our best meals the entire week on island! Kudos to the host, service and chef. The tuna tartare appetizer is to die for! We can't wait to come back in August! read more

infinite stars across the board. if i was on the electric chair and had to choose one final meal, it would be the lobster pasta from here- or any of their dishes. chefs kiss. phenomenal vibes all around. immaculate friendly service. to any of the negative reviews.... you must be an uptight bore and have no tastebuds from covid read more

Disappointing meal. Workmanlike but nowhere near as nice as it looks on the menu Nice setting for sure Also it has earned a reputation locally of not being honest. Some complain of padded bills and some who worked there quit because they did not pay the staff what they were owed. So we do not go anymore even though it is bike-able from our house. read more

I had such a good experience at the Summer House. The food was great especially the dessert! The staff was so kind and helpful. I can't wait to go back! read more

STAY VERY, VERY FAR AWAY!!!! The only bad place on the island. 2 drinks spilled on us from a drunk server, crappy food, awful prices, disgracefully long service and then they took 25 minutes to try to figure out the bill. At which point, they charged the tip to my card. . .TWICE!!! Have called 7 times about getting a refund for the overcharged $200 tip but nothing yet. STAY VERY, VERY FAR AWAY!!!! read more

Staff and ownership are so unbelievably rude and condescending. Went as far as shouting racist profanity at someone in my group for NO REASON. You might think I'm kidding. I am not. Never felt so disrespected, so degraded in my life. Stay far from this establishment. read more

This is easily the best food on island outside of town, however, you certainly pay for it. Sitting on the side of a cliff in Siasconset, one's view is a 180 degree panorama of the Atlantic ocean. It is breathtaking, calming, astonishing and peaceful all at once. Simply put: Beautiful. For cocktails I got my standard, a Cape Codder (cranberry and Vodka for those outside of New England). It was fairly strong, though I prefer them strong enough to burn all the way to the stomach. After that I had a few vodka tonics, a gin and tonic and I finished with a DACK and Stormy, which is an ACK island variation on the Bermudian classic Dark and Stormy. For the meal I got the Bartlett's Farm Mozzarella and Tomato salad. I am on a diet right now WHICH FUCKING BLOWS CAUSE THE BURGER LOOKED AMAZING BUT I GOTTA LOSE SOME WEIGHT SO I CAN BONES ARIEL K. HARD. Anyways, the salad was amazing. The mozz was so soft and tasty, it melted in mouth like the nectar of the gods, and the tomatoes were so juicy and fresh. Both products are cultivated on an all organic farm a mere 2 miles away, so you can imagine how delightfully fresh it was. The accoutrement was a few slices of fresh toasted bread from Something Natural (read my review) and a nice light pesto dressing. I capped off this truly original Nantucket meal with a half-dozen Sankaty Lights, a light beer brewed locally at Cisco Breweries (read my review). God I never want to leave this place. read more

Very disappointing return. Last year we had a super experience at the Summer House. Huge letdown this year. The lobster bisque had a burnt beef broth flavor, the halibut was over cooked and dry, and the dessert was an embarrassment. A single strawberry sliced in a small bowl with a dollop of whipped cream was served with a straight face. Never again for us. read more