The Nautilus in Nantucket is an easy 5 stars. The energy is fun and buzzy, the space feels cozy, and the whole menu is built for sharing. Every dish that came out was packed with flavor, super fresh, and really creative - the kind of food that makes you want to order "one more" just to see what else they can do. Cocktails are just as impressive and pair perfectly with the food. Service was spot on - friendly, knowledgeable, and great with recommendations without ever feeling pushy. It's the perfect spot for a special night out on island, whether it's a date, a celebration, or just treating yourself. Definitely a must-visit in Nantucket. read more

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. read more

The Nautilus - Pork buns - Tapas Bars Near Me - Nantucket, Massachusetts

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Outstanding. Come here for the duck, it's incredible and super unique. And for $165, it's very well priced for the amount of food you're getting. It's pretty small and dark in here but it's got a good vibe and a lively crowd. Service here is great - I asked about trying a few aoilis and the kitchen staff sent out a sampler platter with fries for dipping. Truly an above and beyond experience. If you want a res - be diligent and set an alarm. They drop right at 10am 7 days in advance. read more

The Nautilus - Peking Duck + Custom aoili dish - Tapas Bars Near Me - Nantucket, Massachusetts

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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. read more

The Nautilus - Roasted duck - Tapas Bars Near Me - Nantucket, Massachusetts

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. read more

The Nautilus - Peking Duck- $155 - Tapas Bars Near Me - Nantucket, Massachusetts

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. read more

The Nautilus - Tempura east coast oyster tacos ($27) - best bite of the night - Tapas Bars Near Me - Nantucket, Massachusetts

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. read more

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Great food, a little over hyped? We got a seasonal sashimi which was lack luster but we of course loved the whole duck - the sauces were fabulous. read more

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. :) read more

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

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. read more

The Nautilus - Menu - Sept, 2023 - Tapas Bars Near Me - Nantucket, Massachusetts

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Can I give 0? Best restaurant in Nantucket ha ha ha. Nope....scallion pancake/pork buns/crab rice not good. Ran out of all main entrees. Dan Dan noodles taste like ramen noodles drenched in soy sauce, $30+ for these is insane. Aftertaste is so bad, mouth so salty and can't taste anything but salt for the duration of my vacation. Wouldn't pay $5 for it. Don't recommend and highly don't recommend waiting for a resy go elsewhere. The way they time the food is outrageous. Apps after dinner wtf. They even added a kitchen service fee what is that? Figure it tf out nautilus read more

GET IN LINE. Wait for the bar. Eclectic vibe, warm inviting, a culinary experience - food quality is amazing! the bar company was fantastic, we met 2 lovely girls from London, designers who have their own store in Notting Hill. We also met 2 sisters who live on island periodically, lovely girls, met great people in line too. Great lively ambiance, craft cocktails. Worth the wait although we stood in line at 5PM to grab bar seats at 5:30p when they opened and it was worth it. read more

It was my sister's 70th birthday and we were so excited to get in without reservations. The food was delicious, but the chef in charge, Sarah Barlow, was very arrogant when I commented on the lack of cocoa powder on the pineapple tiramisu. She was very arrogant and flippant on the way it was prepared ...a take it our leave it attitude. Without the garnishment it tasted like baby food and by the way they don't give complimentary dessert to the birthday person. read more

And they do it again! Best food on the Island hands down , Tempura oysters are the best, Just couldn't get enough. Must try ! Make a reservation if you're going during a peak time. Great staff and atmosphere ! read more

Vacationing in Nantucket for the first time. I researched all the restaurants and read just about every menu of every place on the island. By far the most intriguing menu was of The Nautilus. I set my alarm and made a reservation a week in advance, which was a very good call. We got the tuna poke, the blue crab fried rice and the scallion pancake. All were phenomenal. THE TWO HAWAIIAN POKE: Loved the different flavors and textures. There were two types of tuna that really complimented each other. One was a lighter Hawaiian tuna in dynamite sauce. The other was dark red, chopped in as-is. There were also tempura bits, slightly sweet, refreshing seaweed, sushi rice with a touch of soy sauce and a yuzu dressing. It could have easily been confused but it really worked. $28 so on the pricey side but worth it. THE SCALLION PANCAKE: Really good but not any better than scallion pancakes you can get in any decent Chinese restaurant, for much less than $14. THE BLUE CRAB FRIED RICE: Amazing! Having had fried rice 1,529 times in my life it's always great to have elevated fried rice. Crab in standard crab fried rice is usually dry but this blue crab was juicy and substantial. The dried scallop crunchy and flavorful. The whole egg perfectly cooked over easy. The rice was moist without being mushy. The rice had a perfect texture. The crab fried rice was $44, undoubtedly the most I've ever paid for fried rice, but it was worth it. The food was so good that we returned two days later (last night) on a late reservation. We got the poke again but tried to mix it up a bit with the pork bbuns ($16) and the soft shell crab noodles ($33). Both dishes were good but we agreed that we should have gotten the fried rice again. Looking forward to returning someday! read more

The Nautilus - Scallion pancake - Tapas Bars Near Me - Nantucket, Massachusetts

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Truly just a fabulous spot! I was in Nantucket for the first time over the summer and the Nautilus truly stunned. read more

The Nautilus - Menu - Tapas Bars Near Me - Nantucket, Massachusetts

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Great meal, great service and wonderful venue! Elizabetta our server was terrific and welcoming. She did a tremendous job answering our questions regarding the menu. Each plate that was served was terrific...seasoned and cooked to perfection...from the shishito peppers to the tuna poke, oyster tacos, crab tacos and skirt steak w duck fat potatoes, everything was amazing. Highly recommend! read more

The Nautilus serves some of the best food that I've ever had, no joke. Sarah is an extremely talent chef. Eating elsewhere doesn't compare. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu but my absolute favorites are the oyster tacos, calamari and the blue crab fried rice. If I had to choose a last meal it would be that with a spicy margarita to top it off. The best food, drinks, staff and atmosphere on island. read more

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One of the perks of going to Nantucket during the off-season is being able to get into Nautilus with very little wait! This is a tapas-style restaurant, so you order multiple dishes to share that come out as they're ready. For two people, I'd recommend getting 3-4 small plates and one large plate. I got the scallops, bao buns, hamachi crudo, and the blue crab fried rice based on recommendations from our waitress, and I would get all of those again. The mezcal drinks are amazing and the staff is incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. Definitely worth going to, even if there is a wait! read more

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Hands down the best food I've ever had! If you want to come here you must be online to snag a reservation at 10am the week before. If you are even one minute late all time slots will be gone! I was so excited when I got a reservation here, the menu looked and was phenomenal. Our favorite items were the oyster tacos, pork bao buns and the sushi don. While we liked the calamari it wasn't a standout for us and we wished we had skipped it to try another item. In terms of drinks I highly recommend the watermelon tequila cocktail! We are dreaming about coming back here! This is a must try in Nantucket. It was the best food we had while staying on the island. read more

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Their reservation system is BULLPIPPY. Year after year they allow very few "reservations" in contrast to the number of actual tables they have. This drives the demand and makes it more exclusive than it actually is. The food is decent but not up to the hype. Stop screwing with the reservations and actually release all tables. read more

I honestly have no words. I'm not an adventurous foodie, I'm often referred to as "Picky". We were visiting Nantucket from CA and this place blew my socks off. Everything we tried was amazing! We did not have reservations, it was a Tuesday night and our wait was maybe 20 min at the chefs bar. Cool spot, you can almost see all of the food prep while enjoying a glass of wine off their diverse wine list. We had the Shishito's, pork belly buns, pork riblets and Dan-Dan noodles. I'm 100% serious when I say amazing! Outstanding! We were walking out and I'm telling my husband we are coming back tomorrow to try the items we didn't try tonight. Sorry no pics - all that was left was empty plates read more

Cocktails were delicious (tequila mockingbird). The appetizers (street corn, Scalia pancakes, pork bao buns) and entrees (Dan dan pork noodles, chicken) were delicious. Good wine selection by the glass. Staff were friendly and helpful. We had a hard time getting reservations so appreciated that the bar is first come first serve with a waiting list. An absolute must for dinner read more

Poor customer service; we didn't have dinner here. I usually disregard reviews where people don't even eat at the place but how this place treats customers is so bad it merits a review. They gave us a 2 hour wait time - not a big deal - we said we would walk around. Hostess said nope you have to wait here. Excuse me?!! No way - there's no space to sit or even stand. The bar was full and we had a baby. There is zero reason why they can't put our name down and call us when our table is ready. Or if they don't want to bother with calling people - then if we don't happen to be around then they could move to the next party on the list. (we would have come back and checked on our place in line multiple times) Their complete disregard for customer's time or comfort is outrageous. I don't care how good their food is - I'm sure it isn't that good - we won't be coming back. read more

Excellent and interesting. This was by far the best meal I have had in Nantucket. I think I have tried almost every restaurant on the island and this was the best meal I have had here or anywhere. I had been waiting to try Nautilus since last summer but it is not an easy reservation during the high season. I came with 3 friends who were not happy to be going after looking over the menu. In fact they had me cancel my original reservation but lucky enough I convinced them to give it a shot. Long story short they all agreed the meal was amazing. We were seated early in the evening and the restaurant was quiet but lively at the bar. Our waitress was great and offered us some suggestions. The menu is split up into 3 sections. Tapas, noodles and rice, and large plates to share. The drink menu is interesting and fun. I had a drink which was a twist on a whiskey sour. Everything we had was excellent. I would have changed a thing. Tapas - Scallion Pancakes Oyster Tacos - these were over the top interesting and unique. Crispy Calamari Pork buns Clams and toast Noodles- Blue crab fried rice - I am still craving it right now Dan Dan noodles Large plates - Peking Duck - Best Peking Duck I have ever had. It was just as good cold the next day as a left over. Ribeye - perfectly cooked and seasoned. Dessert- Olive Oil cake - I had no room left but I was told it was light and moist. Service was great, food was great. Can't wait to go back. read more

The Nautilus - Peking Duck - Tapas Bars Near Me - Nantucket, Massachusetts

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The Asian-inspired menu is excellent. Best food on the island I think. The service is efficient and friendly and the cocktails are excellent. There's a great buzz in the restaurant too, so it's a fun atmosphere. read more

Outside of a great menu, delicious food and exceptional service there was a great vibe in this place. Definitely worth a stop on, but during peak season you need to reserve a table 7 days in advance. read more

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Service was sub par. Waitress was disappointingly unfriendly for so early in the season. She likely forgot to place our app order as others around us were being served. We asked about status and she was very short with us. Good was surprisingly below average. I won't be back and will advise others to find alternatives. read more

Another excellent time at The Nautilus! Reservations are always tough, so we got there early to sit at the bar. Fortunately, we were served by Rachael, whom had great drink and food recommendations. Blue Crab fried rice and Old Southern made a nice dinner experience. Atmosphere is lively and you won't regret dining at the bar. Just get in line and hope you get served by the talented and experienced Bartender Rachael! read more

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

Got a seat at the chefs table - enjoyed brussels sprouts, tuna poke, crispy rice salad, dan dan noodles, blue crab rice & peppermint creme brûlée! Drank the pineapple vodka drink. Would definitely return! Only wish there were more dessert options! read more

The Nautilus - Tuna poke - Tapas Bars Near Me - Nantucket, Massachusetts

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Had an amazing dinner. Service and food excellent! Shisito peppers, outstanding! Blue claw rice, so delicious! It's a must!! read more

The Nautilus - BlueClaw Rice - Tapas Bars Near Me - Nantucket, Massachusetts

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Really good. Global menu , absolutely delicious food. We would go more often but the reservation system is weird ( wait in line on day of to make reservations!) not our idea of fine dining going through all that and the NOISE.... I said THE NOISE..., what? You didn't hear me? I SAID ITS REALLY LOUD read more

Reservations are very hard to get, they become available at 10am every morning and are gone within 2 minutes. We were only going to be in Nantucket for 3 nights so I was determined to get a reservation. We got an 8:30 table on a Friday night and the food did not disappoint. It does get very loud in the evening making it hard to have a conversation but the noise was tolerable. We started with the pork buns and the calamari. Then got the dan dan noodles and crab fried rice. The pork buns were super fresh and the meat was tender, i could identify so many flavors in every bite i just wish they were bigger. The calamari was fantastic, fresh and well combined with other ingredients, our only complaint was that there were a alot of greens and not so much calamari, it felt more like a salad but the flavors were unmatched. The dan dan noodles were perfectly spicy and slurpy, served lukewarm which helped ease the heat lol. The crab fried rice was also delicious, hot and fresh without tasting too fatty. Lastly we ended with the peach upside down cake (it was the only dessert they had) it was good but nothing special. Our server was super friendly and attentive, they even knew it was our anniversary and brought our cake out with a candle. Overall, our experience was fantastic and we highly recommend this place. read more

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Sat at the bar and enjoyed amazing cocktails and phenomenal food! my favorite being the papaya salad, the staff was so friendly and the food came out so quick we couldn't have had a better experience read more

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Can't go wrong at The Nautilus! Wish I could eat there every week. Food is awesome with tasty choices, drinks are super chill and service is always great. read more

Incredible must have meal in Nantucket. Crab fried rice I still dream about Worth the wait, worth the crazy Resy searching. Awesome cocktails too. read more

Great menu and terrific staff! The food and drinks are loaded with flavor. Don't miss the Crab rice and the steam bun duck! There is a line for reservations for a reason. We always try to go as early as possible and beat the crowd. read more

Nautilus was my first and most memorable dinner in Nantucket! Our server was awesome (Bearded guy-- forgetting his name), and everything we ordered was delicious. We started with the Shitito peppers and chicken drumettes, followed by the grilled lamb chops (amazing) and the saikoro beef. For mains we ordered the sirloin, the Dan Dan noodle (fantastic) and the crab fried rice. The portion size on the sirloin was our only complaint (it was quite small), other than that it was a great meal. read more

The Nautilus - A crisp evening but the Temparanillo kept me warm :) - Tapas Bars Near Me - Nantucket, Massachusetts