This fine dining spot in Falmouth has been serving dishes like rich lobster strudel with mascarpone and white wine since 2009. Other favorites include seafood and mushroom risotto and duck breast that’s brined for hours before it gets a nice sear. While the wait staff still wear ties and pressed white shirts, this place isn’t super formal, and certainly is your best bet in Falmouth for a nicer sit-down dinner. Definitely make a reservation.

Up until recently, there weren’t many great Japanese or ramen options on Cape Cod, which is why we’re glad that Tiger Ramen and all their noodly dishes are here now. Start with a smashed cucumber salad, then focus on the spicy pork shoyu with a pleasant kick—and know that most of the menu can be made gluten-free. The space is pretty cozy with hanging red paper lanterns and lots of leafy green plants, and is perfect for quick lunch or a casual weeknight dinner.

If you’re looking for a place to take your friends for drinks after a long day at Kalmus Park Beach, come to Añejo in Hyannis. Go for chicken tacos, something from their large selection of margaritas, and vegetarian options like fried cauliflower tacos, salads, and roja enchiladas. Make sure to ask for a table outdoors on the patio, as there’s a beautiful beechtree with draping yellow lights in the middle of the dining area.

This casual seafood spot is directly on Hyannis Harbor, so you can get a table on the pier and watch the boats sail in and out while you snack on fried fish and sip harborside rum punch. There are always loud crowds of friends and families here, but odds are you won’t really mind—they have plenty of outdoor tables, meaning you can spread out with your own big group. Go for their delicious seafood stew or try their creamy, thick clam chowder before digging into some fried clams.

There are quite a few fancy old-school Italian restaurants on the Cape. Leonessa is one of the better places around for big bowls of pasta and big meaty entrees. The thumb-size ricotta cavatelli has heaps of shreddy wild boar ragu, the mezze rigatoni comes topped with crunchy chicharron (a nice surprise), and the sugarcane-marinated pork chop with a giant onion ring over creamy polenta could easily feed four. Explore something from their very long (and mostly under $100) Italian bottle list.

Fin is a seafood restaurant with Japanese twists, the magnum opus being the lobster donut. It’s sweet and savory, stuffed with a ton of lobster meat, and drizzled with punchy yuzu icing. They also have an A5 wagyu tallow candle that comes with focaccia for dipping as the fat melts. The oysters are worth getting, too, especially with the yuzu granita that they should be selling by the bucket for dessert. The operation is in an actual craftsman house, which makes it a fun date night spot.

Take Sesuit Harbor Cafe’s name at face value—this seafood shack is literally right next to a harbor. So it’s no surprise that you can find a very solid lobster roll that comes with shredded meat and knuckle and full raw bar here. The operation is pretty simple, but pretty idyllic for eating a bunch of things from the ocean at their picnic tables on a nice day.

If you’re prioritizing one special dinner on the Cape, look no further. Most days, they do an over-$100 tasting menu of New American dishes like duck frites, tuna crudo, and incredible sourdough bread with whipped butter. Reservations are tough since the place is small, but they take walk-ins on Wednesdays and Sundays for a la carte service. You’ll probably be seated at the bar, where you can watch the chefs cut gigantic logs of butter into cubes to baste over duck.

We took one bite of the giant and overstuffed lobster roll from The Wooden Shoe in Dennis Port and said, “Wow, that’s a lot of black pepper.” Then we kept eating until the whole thing disappeared. We then were left to contemplate why more places don’t use more of a heavy hand when it comes to pepper—it provides some great balance to the richness of the meat and mayo. Come here for lunch and get that lobster roll (which is over $40) and some dairy-heavy chowder.

Chillingsworth in Brewster is where you’ll find classic French food with a twist, like the pan-roasted halibut over Israeli couscous and yellowfin tuna tournedos with horseradish and ginger sauce. The outdoor tables are all set up in the front yard, which sits back from Route 6A, and you’ll be in a very pretty scene under some umbrellas and string lights. Make sure you don’t skip dessert, as the flourless chocolate cake is both rich and delicious.

This is the best Italian restaurant on the Cape. Order the veal scallopini or any of the pastas, and always save room for dessert. Both the blueberry crisp and hazelnut torte with figs make the most of the seasonal produce, but there’s also a great tiramisu if you want to keep things classic. The atmosphere kind of feels like a moodier Olive Garden in the best way possible, with red-and-white checkered tablecloths and white string lights hanging from above.

This fine dining restaurant located at the Wequassett Resort & Golf Club is somewhere you should save for your one nice vacation dinner. Make a reservation. The restaurant is located in a renovated 18th-century sea captain’s home with tall glass windows that open onto Pleasant Bay. Like every other sit-down place on the Cape, the menu constantly rotates with all the seasonal produce. But expect a lot of seafood, and know you can also order something with duck or wagyu if you need a break.

This fine dining restaurant inside the Chatham Bars Inn resort might just be the best place to eat on Cape Cod. Try the local scallops with a creamy fava risotto, or the wagyu strip loin with creamed spinach and brown butter hollandaise. All the vegetables come from the resort’s own farm in Brewster, the fish is caught every day, and the dining room has spectacular views of the Atlantic. All of that makes this the perfect dinner spot when you want to splurge.

Aplaya is a Filipino restaurant and tiki bar is an elite Chatham outdoor hang for small bites and cocktails. The drinks are full of bright colors and flavors from ingredients like yuzu and pandan, upping the already tropical bases of mai tais and scorpion bowls. Crispy lumpia, sticky BBQ chicken skewers, and other Filipino dishes are the exact things you’ll want after a couple of frozen calamansi margaritas. The outdoor bar and garden is also one of the few places open late in town.

Sunbird is one of the best spots for a morning coffee before heading to the National Seashore or Outer Cape bayside beaches. You’ll probably see a lot of tourists here and a fair amount of surfers, but everyone gets along and the energy is pretty relaxed. We love the breakfast tacos and muffins, but it’s also a good lunch spot for things like chicken salad sandwiches and grain bowls.

Mac’s has a number of locations across the Outer Cape now, but their original Wellfleet location is the best. They serve great lobster rolls, fried clams, and more at picnic tables on the sand overlooking the bay. The fried stuff is gluten-free and the menu is massive—Mac’s is perfect for a great lunch, but an equally good casual dinner. It’s a meal you’ll remember months later when the sun is setting at 4pm and you can't go outside without a puffy coat.

This French bistro in Wellfleet works well for lunch outside on the picnic tables or a sit-down dinner inside, but is best for to-go options at the bakery. Stop by for watermelon gazpacho, quiche lorraine, and lunch sandwich specials like boursin, bacon, honey, and scallions on a tasty baguette. Or, pick up picnic provisions like housemade pâté with dijon mustard and pickles, a loaf of french bread, chocolate or almond croissants, and some canned drinks on your way to Lecount Hollow Beach.

The Canteen gets our vote for the best lobster roll on the Cape. This particular iteration takes toasted brioche and stacks it with a quarter pound of meaty lobster with chives, all served open-face. Order at the counter and head to the backyard where you can eat your roll away from the crowds of tourists on Commercial Street, Provincetown’s main thoroughfare. Almost everything they do that involves seafood here is good, like bowls of tuna poke and fried fish sandwiches.

This perpetually busy institution has been around since 1943—Anthony Bourdain even worked here as a dishwasher in 1972. This is where you should eat some lobster for lunch or dinner. Order the pan-roasted variety, which consists of a lobster cut in half, seared, and flambéed with brandy over a butter sauce made of leeks, chill sauce, and fine herbs. If you’re looking to eat as much seafood as possible, get the shellfish algarve bouillabaisse.

The Mews Restaurant and Cafe is located toward the end of Commercial Street and is a longtime Ptown local favorite—both for the food and the views of the sandy beach and water right outside the windows. The menu is always changing, with stuff like baked miso cod, seared scallops, and vegetarian meatloaf, but you can always count on any of the fish specials being exceptional.

Far Land is far more than a deli. Try the breakfast and lunch sandwiches, which are named after the area’s landmark beaches. We like the Head Of The Meadow with brie, apple, and honey mustard or the Herring Cove that’s loaded with roast beef, garlic herb spread, and roasted red peppers. Mornings and lunch are the busiest and always filled with creatives from the Fine Arts Work Center around the corner.