In Nantucket, Nothing Tops Topper’s

The New England Restaurant is a Must-Visit, and Has the Awards to Prove It

Have you actually visited Nantucket if you haven’t eaten at Topper’s? The waterfront mainstay is housed in the Forbes Travel Award winning Wauwinet Hotel and has established itself a New England foodie paradise.

A place to experience New England fare at its finest through the seasonally inspired offerings produced with local produce and seafood, Topper’s menu takes a stable of local mainstays like crab cakes and lobster rolls and adds a fine-dining flair through artful presentation as well as creative specialities to titillate the senses. Think butter poached lobster with carrots, sea urchin risotto, and black garlic or Retsyo oyster chowder. The Retsyo oysters, by the way, are as locally sourced as can be as they are harvested from the water 300 feet away from the property (and are also available on the menu as a raw bar item).

This eye towards the gourmand has earned Topper’s the recognition as one of AAA’s Five Diamond Award winners, an award whose raison d'être is to honor restaurants specializing in “leading-edge cuisine, ingredients and preparation with extraordinary service and surroundings.” Also, for a restaurant to earn this award, there also must be no member complaints about it within the last 12 months. Topper’s is the only restaurant on Nantucket to receive this recognition.

Although, what is good food without good wine? Only half of the equation, we say. So it’s even more exciting that Topper’s wine collection has over 1500 varieties of wine which has earned the restaurant another prestigious accolade, the Wine Spectator Grand Award.

When visiting Topper’s, do expect a restaurant whose decor is simple, with a pared back idea towards its interiors where it is neither too casual nor too fancy. This lends to Topper’s authenticity to the region as an honest reflection of Nantucket's attitude of laid back, coastal New England values that has a clear preference for low-key refinement.

Which leaves the restaurant to shine in all the right places: food, wine, and phenomenal views of the water.