or, The Whale

4.6

603 Reviews

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Good for groups
Hot spot
Innovative

With a prime location in a storied Main Street building, or, The Whale, bistro, bar & patio will be serving dinner nightly and weekend brunch in summer season. The spacious outdoor patio is the perfect spot to enjoy Chef Manny's inspired menu. Indoor and outdoor dining reservations are accepted 2 weeks in advance - bar seating is first come first serve.

Not bookable

This restaurant is open seasonally. Unfortunately, it is currently closed.

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Additional information

Location
38 Main St, Nantucket, MA 02554-3531
Phone number
(508) 825-5897
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Contemporary American
Hours of operation
Brunch Sun 10:00 am–2:30 pm Lunch Wed–Sat 11:30 am–2:30 pm Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Manny Rojas

Popular dishes

House Pickled Vegetables$14.00
assorted farm selection
Tuna Tostada$24.00
red onion - avocado puree - blue corn tortillas
OTW Wings$17.00
tempura batter - korean chili glaze - sesame - scallion
Soft Shell Crab Buns$25.00
thai basil - mint - cilantro - radish - dynamite aioli
Shrimp Croquettes$18.00
watermelon radish - microgreens - peashoots - sriracha aioli

Greens

Asparagus Salad$18.00
haricots vert - herbed goat cheese - everything bagel spice - lemon vinaigrette
Caesar Salad$17.00
baby gem lettuce - croutons - citrus caesar dressing
Spring Salad$18.00
mesclun greens - spring vegetables & herbs - balsamic vinaigrette
Broccoli Salad$17.00
purple cabbage - crispy quinoa - ramp ranch

Salad Additions

To any salad add

Chicken$12.00
Falafel$10.00
Steak$22.00

Mains

Grilled Branzino$35.00
coconut rice - arugula puree - vegetables escabeche
Pan-Roasted Chicken$38.00
grilled cippolini onions - radish - snap peas - brioche croutons - ramp ranch
Spicy Rice Cakes$28.00
eggplant ragu - chinese broccoli - fried shallot - scallion
Bistro Steak Frites$38.00
handcut fries - shishito peppers - sunchoke chips - chimichurri

Table

Duck Carnitas for 2$70.00
chili-peanut salsa - raw tomatillo salsa - curtido - blue corn tortilla
Tomahawk Ribeye Steak Frites for 2$120.00
handcut fries - bacon ketchup - ramp butter
Korean Pork BBQ for 4-6$140.00
sushi rice - cucumber kimchi - korean bbq sauce - ginger scallion sauce

Sides

Papas Bravas$16.00
green harissa - lemon gralic aioli
Baby Bok Choy$14.00
chili crisp oil - fried shallot

What 603 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6

4.6 based on recent ratings

4.4Food
4.6Service
4.4Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Energetic

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Or, The Whale on Nantucket offers a delightful dining experience with "great food, great service" and a charming outdoor patio. Chef Manny Rojas' dishes, especially the "duck carnitas," are "so delicious." Despite occasional noise, the atmosphere is lively and fun. A must-visit for its "beautiful ambiance" and creative menu.

603 Reviews

S
Sharron
Greater Boston32 reviews
5.0
Dined on December 8, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Or the Whale has a wonderful atmosphere for visitors and year-round Islanders alike! It has the largest bar on island as well as a wonderful outdoor patio area for alfresco dining! It’s a must stop on your visit to Nantucket! The staff are amazing and we consider it our island Cheers! Kudos to the team!!
Is this helpful?
S
Sean VIP
Greater Boston15 reviews
5.0
Dined on December 7, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Good food, was there during Christmas Stroll so it was noisy but still great.
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J
Jerry
New Orleans3 reviews
4.0
Dined on October 19, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We enjoyed our lunch today! We shared the burger (best on Nantucket) and the new on the menu Beet Salad... Cocktails were wonderful... especially the Kelly Kowaski (?) and Bloody Mary!
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M
Mary VIP
Chicago12 reviews
5.0
Dined on October 18, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food and atmosphere and service at O’er the Whale are all astoundingly good.it isn’t often that you can say this about a restauant, but it is true here. The Duck dish to share was the best meal I have had in a long time, and all of the shared appetizers to start were delicious as well! I can’t wait to return and try more items on the menu! I highly recommendO’er the Whale for dining on Nantucket!
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+
+Liz
Montreal4 reviews
3.0
Dined on October 18, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Very loud group at the bar which made it hard to enjoy our dinner. Service was excellent. The steak was thin and unremarkable for the price.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Greater Boston8 reviews
5.0
Dined on October 12, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Host and bar were very accommodating as we arrived early for our reservation and were able to enjoy drinks out on the beautiful patio before heading inside for our reservation .
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T
Tony VIP
New York City7 reviews
5.0
Dined on October 12, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
A beautiful day on the island, perfect for an Al fresco lunch. Short , but varied innovative menu. Service was first rate and it will remain one of our favorites
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T
Tim VIP
Greater Boston4 reviews
3.0
Dined on October 5, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 5
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 4
Excellent food. However, zero flexibility on dishes - couldn’t remove meat from a dish for a vegetarian, couldn’t serve a side for a person with allergies, and so on. Service friendly but not helpful. Pretty disappointing at the elevated price level.
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SB
ScottB
Greater Boston7 reviews
5.0
Dined on October 5, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The restaurant has a nice easy vibe. Then the food and service were outstanding!
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D
Dawn
Salt Lake City11 reviews
5.0
Dined on October 5, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We shared the prefix dinner and it was plenty of food for the two of us to share. The chocolate dessert was so good I ordered an extra one!
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FAQs

or, The Whale offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (508) 825-5897.

or, The Whale is rated 4.6 stars by 603 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Not bookable

This restaurant is open seasonally. Unfortunately, it is currently closed.

38 Main St, Nantucket, MA 02554-3531

Additional information

Phone number
(508) 825-5897
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Contemporary American
Hours of operation
Brunch Sun 10:00 am–2:30 pm Lunch Wed–Sat 11:30 am–2:30 pm Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Manny Rojas

or, The Whale

Not bookable

There’s more to explore

Additional information

Grilled Branzino

Korean BBQ Pork Burrito

Korean Pork BBQ for 4-6

To Start

House Pickled Vegetables$14.00

Tuna Tostada$24.00

OTW Wings$17.00

Soft Shell Crab Buns$25.00

Shrimp Croquettes$18.00

Greens

Asparagus Salad$18.00

Caesar Salad$17.00

Spring Salad$18.00

Broccoli Salad$17.00

Salad Additions

Chicken$12.00

Falafel$10.00

Steak$22.00

Mains

Grilled Branzino$35.00

Pan-Roasted Chicken$38.00

Spicy Rice Cakes$28.00

Bistro Steak Frites$38.00

Table

Duck Carnitas for 2$70.00

Tomahawk Ribeye Steak Frites for 2$120.00

Korean Pork BBQ for 4-6$140.00

Sides

Papas Bravas$16.00

Baby Bok Choy$14.00

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

Does or, The Whale offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is or, The Whale restaurant rated?

Is or, The Whale currently accepting reservations?

Not bookable

Additional information