BY CHRISTINE LYNCH
Ask 10 people about their favorite restaurant and you will get a dozen different answers. Dining places tap each of us personally, so that someone’s favorite may not impress another. There are no pat answers for what makes a restaurant stand out. Some well-loved spots are now shuttered, while others endure.
The Upper Cape claims its share of memorable venues. Only a few selected places are highlighted here. Those reading this, no doubt, will fondly recall other establishments.
Storied Historic Restaurants
Steeped in history, these locales continue serving superb food and drinks:
The Dan’l Webster Inn is a lovely inn at the heart of Sandwich’s historic district. Originally known as the Fessenden Tavern prior to the American Revolution and later as the Central House, this inn takes its name from frequent visitor Daniel Webster.
The Old Yarmouth Inn in Yarmouth Port dates from 1696 and counts Frederick Douglas as a notable guest.
The Rye Tavern in Plymouth opened in 1792 as the Cornish Tavern. One rainy night in 1794, John Adams—yes, that John Adams—stopped there to dry off by its hearth and covertly heard locals discussing politics.
Gone, But Not Forgotten
The Dome Restaurant in Woods Hole. The notable menu and fresh seafood drew crowds, but people were just as enamored with the noteworthy structure, an iconic geodesic dome based on the R. Buckminster Fuller design. Falmouth architect E. Gunar Peterson built the 54-foot dome. The restaurant may be gone, but the Dome still stands over Woods Hole.
Elsie’s, redolent with Bavarian food and music, opened in 1966 and remained popular on the Palmer Avenue site where Crabapples is today.
The Flume in Mashpee. A beloved eatery with chef Earl Mills Sr. providing incomparable food and friendly banter. Something special was happening here.
Grandma’s Restaurant and Pie Shop, Bourne. Even though it meant crossing just over the bridge, this dining experience was enhanced by the adjacent Tugboat No. 16 that served sweet treats. When the restaurant closed and CVS took over the property, folks wondered what happened to the tug. Pieces of the tug were salvaged and sent to the North River Tugboat Museum in Kingston, New York.
Lawrence’s Restaurant on Nantucket Avenue in Falmouth Heights morphed from the original Lawrence’s Sandwich Depot, established in 1930. As a full-service restaurant, Lawrence’s offered quality dining with a neighborly feel well into the 1980s.
Nimrod Restaurant, Falmouth. This was another lovely dining/drinking experience. And, there was the celebrated 1815 cannonball hole. Live music and a resident ghost made an evening here all the more inviting.
Other nostalgic mentions people shared were the Big Fisherman/Oysters Too on Route 28 in East Falmouth; Cautamet House on Route 28A in Cataumet; Cherrystones on Route 151 in Mashpee; Christopher’s at the busy intersection of Jones Road and Davis Straits; The Hearth & Kettle with the waitstaff wearing full colonial garb, including a mobcap; and Shady Nook behind Falmouth’s Main Street.
Still Serving
Belfry Inne and Bistro in historic Sandwich Center merges three historic properties. In addition to the 1827 Village Inn, the property includes a renovated church and a lovely Painted Lady mansion dating from the 1880s. The impressive structures are a setting for an innovative visit and the food solidly completes the experience.
Captain Kidd on Eel Pond Harbor in Woods Hole. Hand-carved in 1865, the 40-foot mahogany bar along with the pirate mural painted by the famous local artist Joe Miron in 1939 set the stage. These walls have seen a lot of locals, seafarers and visitors for well over a century. The character of the place makes it one of a kind. Now there’s also outdoor dining over Eel Pond. One claim to fame is the Kidd took on a mythic role as the unofficial start of the inaugural 1973 Falmouth Road Race and has been the starting line since.
The Chart Room in Cataumet was built on an antique New Jersey Central Railroad barge by the Cataumet Marina. Nautical inside and out with creative, fresh menu items, this popular seaside location is seasonal.
Coonamessett Inn originally sat on the shores of Coonamessett Pond, hence the name. Legendary restauranteur Edna Harris, who was proprietress of the Megansett Tea Room while raising four children, was put in charge of running the Coonamessett Inn. And she made it world-renowned with an international following. She also opened The Popponesset Inn, but found she couldn’t run both busy places, so she handed that operation to her daughter, Hilda Coppage, to run. Being as savvy as her mom, Ms. Coppage hired local Mashpee resident Earl Mills Sr. as chef and put this inn on the map.
Even with the Coonamessett Inn’s outstanding success, the owners decided not to renew her lease on the pondside venue, so this shrewd business woman purchased the 1796 Longyear House on Jones Road in Falmouth. The transition went swimmingly with wider success in store for Ms. Harris. Today both the Coonamessett and Popponeset Inns retain their comfortable luxury and inviting menus.
Landfall Restaurant, Woods Hole, has been family owned since 1946, this is another spot with fascinating nautical décor. Displaying sections of old shipwrecks and portions of local buildings, the eatery also has a stained-glass mural from a Penzance Point mansion, and nautical artifacts including a 2,000-year-old amphora. Besides the prime location by the Steamship wharf and Eel Pond drawbridge, Landfall offers great food, drinks, music and unforgettable sea views.
The Quarterdeck Restaurant, built on the site of Falmouth’s beloved The Little New Yorker Restaurant. Opened in 1967, the owners wanted a nautical interior, so they used salvaged wood from MacDougall’s Boatyard, some of which dates to the 1600s. A stained-glass mural designed by local artist Joe Down brightens the back dining room, while other pieces reclaimed from a ruined church accentuate the cozy bar area.