RFK Rankings · Nantucket
Best Restaurants for Brunch in Nantucket (2026)
Weekend brunch · Nantucket · 6 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published May 18, 2024 · Updated June 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Nantucket eats its mornings slowly, between the cobblestones of town and the inns out at the harbor. The season runs short, so the kitchens that matter open in April and book up by July. These six, ranked, are where to spend a summer morning when the table is the point, not just a stop before the beach.
1.Topper's at The Wauwinet
The grand harbor brunch, reached by the Wauwinet Lady launch; book the Sunday table for the island's dressiest morning.
Topper's is the dining room at The Wauwinet, the Relais & Chateaux inn at the head of the harbor, and it reopened for the 2026 season in mid-April. In summer you can ride the Wauwinet Lady, the inn's open launch, on a 45-minute harbor cruise out to the table.
Brunch leans New England, all lobster and local seafood with a serious wine list, in a white-clapboard room looking over Nantucket Bay. It is the island's most formal weekend morning, so reserve well ahead and plan the launch ride both ways.
2.Brant Point Grill
The White Elephant's waterfront room runs a proper Sunday brunch from ten; book a harbor-view table near Brant Point.
Brant Point Grill is the waterfront restaurant at the White Elephant resort, and it reopened for the 2026 season on April 16. Sunday brunch runs from ten until half past two, with breakfast served daily through the summer.
The room looks straight onto the harbor and Brant Point Light, an open-fire American kitchen built around seafood and steak. It is an easy walk from Steamboat Wharf, so book a window table and watch the ferries come in over coffee.
3.Island Kitchen
The island's everyday brunch favorite for a panko-crusted Benedict; grab the patio and order a craft cocktail.
Island Kitchen on Chin's Way has long been the island's workhorse brunch room, named best breakfast on Nantucket by the Inquirer & Mirror and Boston Magazine. It serves brunch all day, built on a panko-crusted eggs Benedict and big morning plates.
A refresh added a large patio, an outdoor bar and a craft-cocktail list, so it now reads more brunch destination than diner. It takes the summer crowd well, but arrive before the late-morning rush or expect a wait on a sunny Saturday.
4.Black-Eyed Susan's
The cult India Street breakfast room for sourdough French toast; arrive early because it is cash-only and walk-in.
Black-Eyed Susan's on India Street is the island's most beloved breakfast spot, an open-kitchen room famous for its sourdough French toast with caramelized pecans and Jack Daniel's butter. Mornings run from seven, and the queue forms not long after.
It is cash-only, walk-in only and unfussy, the antidote to the inns out at the harbor. Come early on a weekday for the quiet counter, or join the line on a summer Saturday and order the spicy Thai scramble while you wait.
5.Lemon Press
The bright, healthy morning pick for acai bowls and pressed juice; the easy walk-in between town errands.
Lemon Press on Main Street is the island's health-leaning cafe, a juice bar and breakfast counter built around acai bowls, avocado toast and cold-pressed juice. It runs from early morning through the afternoon all season.
The room is small and sunny, the brunch for a lighter morning after a heavier night out. It is walk-in, so it suits a quick stop between shops, though the line on a July weekend can spill onto the sidewalk.
6.Or, The Whale
A waterfront town room for a relaxed weekend brunch; book a table near the boat basin and linger.
Or, The Whale sits on Easy Street looking over the boat basin, a relaxed American room that runs a weekend brunch through the season. The menu reads coastal and easy, eggs and seafood and a few bigger plates.
The draw is the setting, a short walk from the wharves with water on three sides, less formal than the inns but more polished than the town diners. Book ahead for a window table on a Sunday, then walk it off along the harbor.
Not for everyone
Famous, but not your brunch
Downyflake. The beloved no-frills diner is a homestyle breakfast and doughnut counter, not a sit-down weekend brunch. It is a fine early stop for cake doughnuts, but do not arrive expecting cocktails and a harbor view.
Cru. The Straight Wharf oyster bar is a lunch-and-dinner raw-bar destination, not a morning room. Save it for a midday dozen and a glass of Champagne rather than a brunch table.
The Club Car. The Main Street institution is a dinner and piano-bar room, not a brunch service. For a weekend morning instead, book Topper's at the Wauwinet or the Brant Point Grill.
How to brunch well on Nantucket
Nantucket brunch splits between the town and the harbor inns. Town rooms like Black-Eyed Susan's, Lemon Press and Island Kitchen are walk-in and central, an easy stroll from the cobblestones. The dressed-up mornings are out at the water, at Topper's at the Wauwinet and the Brant Point Grill, where you reserve and often arrive by launch or a short drive.
The season is the real constraint. Most kitchens open in April and run through Columbus Day, and the destination inns fill their weekend tables fast in July and August. Reserve ahead at the harbor rooms, carry cash for Black-Eyed Susan's, and start early, because a Nantucket morning is best before the day-trippers arrive on the ferry.
Frequently asked
Where is the best brunch on Nantucket?
Topper's at The Wauwinet is the marquee weekend table, an inn dining room reached by the Wauwinet Lady launch. For an everyday brunch in town, Island Kitchen runs an all-day service, and Black-Eyed Susan's on India Street is the cult breakfast room.
Do you need a reservation for brunch on Nantucket?
Yes at the harbor rooms. Topper's at the Wauwinet and the Brant Point Grill both fill their weekend tables early in summer, so book ahead. In town, Black-Eyed Susan's, Lemon Press and Island Kitchen are walk-in, so arrive before the late-morning rush.
Is Black-Eyed Susan's cash only?
Yes. Black-Eyed Susan's on India Street is cash-only and walk-in, with no reservations taken, so bring cash and arrive early. Its sourdough French toast is the order, and the line forms not long after the seven o'clock opening.
When do Nantucket restaurants open for the season?
Most open in April and run through the fall. The Wauwinet and the White Elephant reopened for 2026 in mid-April, so Topper's and the Brant Point Grill are serving brunch through the summer. Confirm hours directly before a shoulder-season visit.
What is a good casual brunch on Nantucket?
Island Kitchen on Chin's Way is the easy mid-island pick, an all-day brunch with a patio and an outdoor bar. For a lighter morning, Lemon Press on Main Street runs acai bowls and pressed juice as a quick walk-in.
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Browse the full Nantucket dining guide, compare the island's quiet tables in the Nantucket solo dining ranking and its business rooms in the Nantucket impress-clients ranking, or open the full RFK rankings index.
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