50 Best Restaurants in Cape Cod, Massachusetts

This cozy, festive tavern, a favorite for more than 50 years, is a great place for a romantic meal or dinner with the kids. At lunchtime, the menu offers burgers and sandwiches, as well as more-substantial fare. It's always packed, and there's not a ton of seating, so reserve on weekends.

Fried clams are crisp and fresh at this basic seafood joint right on Falmouth Harbor; the meaty lobster roll and the fish-and-chips platter are good choices, too. Place your order at the counter, and then take your tray to the picnic tables on the roof deck for the best views.

Fresh and ample portions of fried seafood take center stage at this casual joint, which is very popular with families. Place your order at the counter and sit inside or out: be sure to save room for ice cream.

Making small batch ice cream and pastries in-house daily, Katie's has a huge following for its delicious flavors, like the popular Cape Cod Mud, a concoction of coffee ice cream, chocolate, house-made fudge, roasted almonds, and chopped chocolate sandwich cookies. Try to figure out the secret recipe of the Cape Cod Sand ice cream, a hit since 2002, when it was developed by Katie’s younger brother Gene, but don't expect anyone to give it away. Cookies and other sweet treats are also available.

Tried-and-true tavern fare—fish-and-chips and pastrami sandwiches are popular choices—is the rule at Orleans's flagship local restaurant. The scene is usually fun and boisterous; dozens of homemade wooden signs heralding local businesses hang from the rafters above the red-checker tablecloths.

Refined, adult-friendly ice cream flavors—think crystallized ginger, beach plum, and lavender sea salt—make this P'town shop a must-stop for discerning palates. Everything is made on-site, including boozy options like mudslide chip, White Russian, and Belle de Brillet. Look for their ice cream truck at Truro Beach. 

Located at Wellfleet Harbor, this rustic but ambitious little spot serves some of the freshest seafood around. Sit along the pier and soak up the great water views while you chow down on a vast variety of local fish dishes, plus globe-trotting fare like burritos (with their house-made Scotch bonnet pepper sauce), a Caribbean seafood bowl, and tuna poke made with fresh local fish. The adjacent ice cream counter offers hard and soft-serve treats, plus sundaes, smoothies, and frappes.

This always-hopping downtown spot serves commendable dinner fare and draws big crowds for cocktails and appetizers. The bar is long and comfortable, and is a good spot to dine if there are no tables available.

A meal at this friendly, rough-hewn fish shack with an over-the-top nautical theme is a Cape Cod tradition for some people. Bring your own libations, and if you need to kill time (the lines are sometimes daunting), stop inside Moby's Cargo, the bustling gift shop next door.

The food and the interior share a penchant for unusual, striking juxtapositions—a classical sculpture in front of an abstract canvas, for instance, or an artful plate of boneless chicken and scallops in Thai peanut sauce arrayed on a bed of lo mein noodles. The art collection on display here is significant, and includes many noted Provincetown artists; the late Napi Van Dereck and his wife Helen collected gems for many, many years.

This fine-dining hot spot boasts exquisite views of Nantucket Sound, and the food is equally sublime—some consider it the best on the Cape. Seafood is the featured attraction, with a Pan-Asian tilt, especially on the appetizer side; think tempura, sashimi, and ramen.

Briny bivalves pour in from the restaurant's own oyster farm in the bay, though oysters (and clams) from other towns are well represented and can be had a variety of ways—raw on the half shell is the best way to enjoy these super-fresh delicacies. It's a fun place all around, with great food and a boisterous atmosphere, and oysters are half-price daily until 6:30 pm. They offer lunch in season (until Veteran's Day) on Sat. and Sun.

Crowds line up for tasty treats at this beloved year-round bakery, in business since 1982, which serves up a lot more than pie, though that is not to be missed. Sticky buns and scones fly out of the kitchen at breakfast, while daily soup specials, wraps, and salads are popular at lunch.

Since 1971, this family-run seafood and ice cream shack has been serving hungry vacationers. It's a go-to joint for a quick post-beach dinner (or pre-beach lunch) with a menu that goes beyond the usual deep-fried items: options include broiled seafood plates, hot and cold lobster rolls, and more than a dozen different salads. Order dessert at the soft-serve ice cream window. 

Head to the "cave" (a jolly colorful ice cream shop) to treat yourself to an array of traditional and unique flavors including "Death by Chocolate," an in-your-face punch of chocolate-y deliciousness that features super-creamy chocolate ice cream with a swirl of fudge and dark-chocolate chips. There are also options for a variety of dietary restrictions, sundaes, and made-to-order ice cream cakes and pies. 

This fun and funky establishment offers a range of craft beers and bar food in a convivial space. Relax with a Double Rainbow IPA or nonalcoholic kombucha on a comfy couch inside, or bring Fido and sit on the pet-friendly patio. Burgers, sandwiches, and shared plates like pretzels and mozzarella sticks are on the menu. Not only does this brewery offer great beers, it offers a side of activism with each pour: 15% of all beer sales go to a worthy cause.

With the Cape Playhouse right across the street, this upscale contemporary American restaurant is a favorite before- and after-show haunt. There's plenty of seafood on the eclectic menu, which includes seafood strudel with crab, shrimp, and scallops baked in a pastry crust and topped with Newburg sauce, but carnivores will delight in dishes like linguine Bolognese or the Mongolian pork chop with braised red cabbage. Lighter meals include a ginger shrimp salad and an Asian-style fish sandwich served with seaweed salad. Save room for their signature grape-nut custard.

Award-winning clam chowder and crave-worthy hot-buttered lobster rolls draw seafood lovers to this Cape Cod mainstay, wooing diners since 1936. If there's a long wait (and there will be) at this spot across the street from the beach, eat dessert first; there's an ice cream shack adjoining the restaurant.

Churning out ice cream in small batches since 1976, this award-winning shop usually has lines out the door. The shop uses only the freshest ingredients, so flavors like banana or blueberry are made with the real deal, with fresh fruit toppings, while classics like vanilla and chocolate never disappoint. They also sell frozen yogurt and frappes (milk shakes). There's another location in Dennis Port.

Pop into this popular spot for an ice cream cone, sausage roll, or a sundae and enjoy it on the 2 acres of landscaped grounds dotted with gardens.