Nantucket Restaurants

Hand-rolled, boiled bagels and buttercream-frosted cupcakes are the main draws at this new bakery from Tiina Polvere and Donald Polvere, Jr., formerly of the Nantucket Cake Company. "We sold out by 9 a.m. the first day," Donald recalls. Show up at the right time and you might get to try special daily cupcake flavors, like cookies-and-cream or key lime.

Visitors arriving on the last ferry can wheel their bags over to 12 Degrees East. Its late-night menu offers snacks like lobster fritters and muffaletta until 11:30 p.m. The main menu is divided by US regions: North (lobster salad), South (pulled pork), East (scallops with bacon) and West (salmon tacos). A raw bar showcases oysters from Martha's Vineyard and other local seafood.

F&W Best New Chef 2000 Amanda Lydon and her husband, chef Gabriel Frasca—the couple behind the island's Straight Wharf restaurant—have a new spot. Says Frasca, "We're reimagining Nantucket through Italian traditions." The couple has partnered with local farmers and fishermen to get the best pork, poultry, lamb and seafood. They're proud of their outdoor bar, modeled after frascas—the farmhouses in Friuli that serve wine and food, and happen to share Gabriel's last name.

The menu at this new osteria from local chef Marco Coelho hits on iconic Mediterranean cooking styles: There's a section dedicated to dishes cooked in cazuelas (Spanish earthenware pots), one for Moroccan tagines and another for handmade pastas. Coelho also has the island's only rotisserie, fueled with a mix of grapevines, cherry and pecan wood.

The 1845 Jared Coffin House opened a new restaurant in April. "You won't even recognize the new space," says owner Mike Sturgis. "And the two patios offer spectacular people-watching." On offer: fancy takes on New England-style comfort foods, a well-edited global wine list and serious cocktails.