Wow!! Our best meal on the island was at Via Mare. Our server, Stephanie, was amazing and went above and beyond to accommodate our party. The restaurant is beautiful. It has a cozy, luxurious ambiance. I had a glass of chilled red wine, which was excellent and unique. We got various small plates for the table. For me the standouts were the straciatella, sunchokes, and risotto! Like everything on the island, it's a bit pricy, but I felt like Via Mare was a better value for our money than other places. Loved our experience here!
William L
Overpriced, poorly plated, noisy … There are better on Nantucket, so would give Via Mare a pass. Too bad, as the decor is pleasant, but the food does not measure up to expectations.
Larry D
Nicely decorated in a cozy way. It was a bit off-putting to have the servers wearing T-shirts and jeans, although the waitresses did have a uniform, but maybe that’s a thing now. Other than that the food and service were good. If you go, take two wallets.
ANNIE BRADSHAW
The food is amazing! When they say SMALl plates, they mean it. The flavors of everything was delicious and we ordered plenty. The menu is very limited so we ordered almost every small plate. The service was cold & not readily available. They also have a great bar area. Very old world
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Brussels Sprouts
Laura T.
It was such a relief to come to Via Mare after such a long trip to Nantucket complete with 6 hours of delays from California. I will say that the restaurant layout was surprising to me - I entered through the front door and it's very dark and unclear where I was supposed to go to have someone seat me. But if you walk through the hall then there's a waiting room of sorts with the registers and someone came to help out so that's good. We were fortunate enough to be seated during the last night of restaurant week with a chefs tasting menu. Wow what a treat! We were able to try so many things and it was all very delicious. We got 8 dishes: deviled eggs, hot chicken milanese on Moroccan pancakes, a summer salad, grilled beans, crispy brussel sprouts, crispy taters, agnolotti, and the pesce del giorno. My favorites were all the vegetables and the hot chicken milanese - so many crispy flavors! Especially loved the slice of pickle on top of the spicy hot chicken - super great blend of spicy and sweet with the right crunch from the chicken and soft chewiness of the pancake. My only bit of feedback is that 1. It's pretty dark and 2. We were seated in the bar area and the bartender would toss what I think were empty bottles in the recycling and it was shatteringly loud for such a small, tight space. Otherwise, our server was a gem and we loved the food!
Mitchell Roberts
Top 5 restaurant on Nantucket! Beautiful setting, great shared plates, great cocktails.Dietary restrictions: Excellent attention to food allergies.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brussels Sprouts
Michelle Sylvia
Loved the waitress. Who ever answers the phone needs etiquette training. Food was good.Vegetarian options: Risotto
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brussels Sprouts
Allison M
Delicious, inventive, full of flavor. Nice atmosphere. Highly recommend the lamb, although all 8 dishes we had were excellent. Wine list is great as well. Prices are Nantucket-normal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mary M.
Went here for a wonderful dinner last night. Had a nice outdoor table on the porch so we could enjoy the beautiful Nantucket evening. However looking inside it looked like a cozy space for dining also. As far as service - it was great - we had a primary waitress who was so nice , but several people also checked with us to make we had what we needed. With so many small plates its hard to choose on the menu but the wait staff provides guidance. We chose several of the small appetizer sizes plates and three of the small plates. No need to even order the larger dinners but they have a few choices for that as well. We topped it off with a delicious olive cake dessert and espresso Martini. Wonderful experience !
Andrew Parke
Great wine list with TSCHIDA! And awesome bartender
I started my food and wine hobby 25 years ago. I have written only a couple of restaurant reviews. Until now they have been very positive. My experience at this restaurant rates as the worst I have ever had…both the food and wine list are ridiculously overpriced. The small plate serving sizes are a joke. The place has the attitude and price points of a 3 star restaurant and it is a neighborhood restaurant. The sever was a born and raised local who clearly cannot stand the tourists who are providing her with a job. Skip this place, it’s a ripoff. There are several other places that are also expensive on Nantucket but the experience is much better…especially the places with a view of the ocean or harbor. This place has a view of the street!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
trhea50
Exactly what others have said. Overrated. Worst dinner we’ve had on island after our week stay. Ordered 6 plates - all were tasteless or over cooked… risotto was undercooked by a mile. So disappointing.
Paul Savage
Tasty dinner in a cool location. Some of the food feels rich (heavy & fatty). We loved the local salad, the soft shell crab (pictured) was great but a bit oily and the lamb has so much cumin it was almost not edible. The description does say lots of cumin and it lives up to that.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Ben Bachman
Excellent intimate restaurant in Nantucket. Great small plate menu with different flavors. Service was friendly and attentive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Holly M
The food is SO oversalted and overcooked, it’s by far the worst meal we’ve had. We tried this restaurant 2 years ago, avoided then and heard rumors of different chef. Just go and enjoy other places, you’ll regret this meal.
Wow!! Our best meal on the island was at Via Mare. Our server, Stephanie, was amazing and went above and beyond to accommodate our party. The restaurant is beautiful. It has a cozy, luxurious ambiance. I had a glass of chilled red wine, which was excellent and unique. We got various small plates for the table. For me the standouts were the straciatella, sunchokes, and risotto! Like everything on the island, it's a bit pricy, but I felt like Via Mare was a better value for our money than other places. Loved our experience here!
Overpriced, poorly plated, noisy … There are better on Nantucket, so would give Via Mare a pass. Too bad, as the decor is pleasant, but the food does not measure up to expectations.
Nicely decorated in a cozy way. It was a bit off-putting to have the servers wearing T-shirts and jeans, although the waitresses did have a uniform, but maybe that’s a thing now. Other than that the food and service were good. If you go, take two wallets.
The food is amazing! When they say SMALl plates, they mean it. The flavors of everything was delicious and we ordered plenty. The menu is very limited so we ordered almost every small plate. The service was cold & not readily available. They also have a great bar area. Very old world
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Brussels Sprouts
It was such a relief to come to Via Mare after such a long trip to Nantucket complete with 6 hours of delays from California. I will say that the restaurant layout was surprising to me - I entered through the front door and it's very dark and unclear where I was supposed to go to have someone seat me. But if you walk through the hall then there's a waiting room of sorts with the registers and someone came to help out so that's good. We were fortunate enough to be seated during the last night of restaurant week with a chefs tasting menu. Wow what a treat! We were able to try so many things and it was all very delicious. We got 8 dishes: deviled eggs, hot chicken milanese on Moroccan pancakes, a summer salad, grilled beans, crispy brussel sprouts, crispy taters, agnolotti, and the pesce del giorno. My favorites were all the vegetables and the hot chicken milanese - so many crispy flavors! Especially loved the slice of pickle on top of the spicy hot chicken - super great blend of spicy and sweet with the right crunch from the chicken and soft chewiness of the pancake. My only bit of feedback is that 1. It's pretty dark and 2. We were seated in the bar area and the bartender would toss what I think were empty bottles in the recycling and it was shatteringly loud for such a small, tight space. Otherwise, our server was a gem and we loved the food!
Top 5 restaurant on Nantucket! Beautiful setting, great shared plates, great cocktails.Dietary restrictions: Excellent attention to food allergies.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brussels Sprouts
Loved the waitress. Who ever answers the phone needs etiquette training. Food was good.Vegetarian options: Risotto
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brussels Sprouts
Delicious, inventive, full of flavor. Nice atmosphere. Highly recommend the lamb, although all 8 dishes we had were excellent. Wine list is great as well. Prices are Nantucket-normal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went here for a wonderful dinner last night. Had a nice outdoor table on the porch so we could enjoy the beautiful Nantucket evening. However looking inside it looked like a cozy space for dining also. As far as service - it was great - we had a primary waitress who was so nice , but several people also checked with us to make we had what we needed. With so many small plates its hard to choose on the menu but the wait staff provides guidance. We chose several of the small appetizer sizes plates and three of the small plates. No need to even order the larger dinners but they have a few choices for that as well. We topped it off with a delicious olive cake dessert and espresso Martini. Wonderful experience !
Great wine list with TSCHIDA! And awesome bartender
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I started my food and wine hobby 25 years ago. I have written only a couple of restaurant reviews. Until now they have been very positive. My experience at this restaurant rates as the worst I have ever had…both the food and wine list are ridiculously overpriced. The small plate serving sizes are a joke. The place has the attitude and price points of a 3 star restaurant and it is a neighborhood restaurant. The sever was a born and raised local who clearly cannot stand the tourists who are providing her with a job. Skip this place, it’s a ripoff. There are several other places that are also expensive on Nantucket but the experience is much better…especially the places with a view of the ocean or harbor. This place has a view of the street!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Exactly what others have said. Overrated. Worst dinner we’ve had on island after our week stay. Ordered 6 plates - all were tasteless or over cooked… risotto was undercooked by a mile. So disappointing.
Tasty dinner in a cool location. Some of the food feels rich (heavy & fatty). We loved the local salad, the soft shell crab (pictured) was great but a bit oily and the lamb has so much cumin it was almost not edible. The description does say lots of cumin and it lives up to that.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Excellent intimate restaurant in Nantucket. Great small plate menu with different flavors. Service was friendly and attentive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is SO oversalted and overcooked, it’s by far the worst meal we’ve had. We tried this restaurant 2 years ago, avoided then and heard rumors of different chef. Just go and enjoy other places, you’ll regret this meal.