Restaurants in Falmouth and Woods Hole
Quick Snacks
You’ll see slackers, suits, and surfers all lined up for the best coffee in town at Coffee Obsession, 110 Palmer Ave., in the Queen’s Buyway Shops (tel. 508/540-2233), open 6am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and 7am to 6:30pm on Sunday. The line sometimes extends out the door of Maison Villatte, an authentic French bakery on 267 Main St. (tel. 774/255-1855). Chef Boris Villatte turns out a dozen kinds of bread in addition to wonderful patisseries, all lined up in a long glass bakery case.
For the best sticky buns anywhere, arrive before 9am at Pie in the Sky Dessert Café and Bake Shop, 10 Water St. (tel. 508/540-5475), conveniently near the ferry terminal for Martha’s Vineyard-bound travelers. Also on Water Street you’ll find a branch of Falmouth’s popular Coffee Obsession, at 38 Water St. (tel. 508/540-8130), open daily 6:30am to 9pm.
Winding Down
For a well-earned pick-me-up, take a biscotti break at Coffee Obsession (tel. 508/540-2233), a hip and friendly coffee bar in the Queens Buyway, at the corner of North Main and Palmer Avenue.
Takeout & Picnic Fare
The bagels made on the premises are definitely the best in town at Cape Cod Bagel Co., 419 Palmer Ave., Falmouth (tel. 508/548-8485). They also carry standard bagel sandwiches, soups, coffee, and other beverages. Open 6am to 5:30pm. Box Lunch, 781 Main St., Falmouth (tel. 508/457-7657), is one of a number of franchises on the Cape that carry pita "rollwiches." These excellent sandwiches, made fast in more than 50 variations, are perfect for picnics. Open 8am to 7pm. Steve's Pizzeria & More, 374 Main St., Falmouth (tel. 508/457-9454), offers good pizza and subs, and quick service. Open 11am to 10pm.
Coffee & Tea
Coffee Obsession, 110 Palmer Ave., in the Queen's Buyway Shops (tel. 508/540-2233), is a hip coffee bar where everyone goes for a cuppa joe. It's open from 6am to 7pm Monday through Saturday and 7am to 6:30pm on Sunday. You'll see slackers, suits, and surfers all lined up for the best coffee in town. Coffee O., as it's known to locals, has a branch in Woods Hole, at 38 Water St. (tel. 508/540-8130). The Woods Hole location has several computers with Internet access and a play area for children; it's open daily 6:30am to 9pm.
Molly's Tea Room, 227 Main St. (tel. 508/457-1666), is the place for an authentic cup of tea and a light meal, perhaps a sandwich or a salad. A full case of baked goodies beckons. It's open year-round, daily 11am to 6pm.
Sweets
Locals know to get to Pie in the Sky Dessert Café and Bake Shop, 10 Water St., Woods Hole (tel. 508/540-5475), by 9am for the best sticky buns anywhere. Those bound for Martha's Vineyard stop at this small bakery near the ferry terminal for treats before hopping on the boat.
Falmouth residents are the beneficiaries of a struggle for ice cream bragging rights: Ben & Bill's Chocolate Emporium, at 209 Main St., in the center of town (tel. 508/548-7878), draws crowds even in winter, late into the evening. They come for the homemade ice cream, not to mention the hand-dipped candies showcased in a wraparound display. It's the only place on Cape Cod where you can get surprisingly yummy lobster ice cream, and customers can watch the ice cream being made. Open 9am to 11pm.
Pies A La Mode, 352 Main St., unit 4, Falmouth (tel. 508/540-8777), sells delicious homemade ice cream and gelato, plus wonderful baked goods, including homemade quiches. Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 10pm and Sunday noon to 9pm in season; call for off-season hours.
There's also Smitty's Homemade Ice Cream, at 326 E. Falmouth Hwy., East Falmouth (tel. 508/457-1060), whose proprietor, the cheerful, blond Smitty, is an ice cream man straight out of central casting.
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19 Results
- Mexican
Añejo Mexican Bistro & Tequila Bar
People love the hip vibe and affordable prices at this popular Mexican restaurant on Falmouth’s Main Street. Although the menu features house specials like pescado encornflecado (cornflake-crusted cod) and carne asada (Mexican-style grilled skirt steak), the best part of the menu is…$$Around Town - American
Betsy’s Diner
The neon sign out front of this vintage diner says “eat heavy,” and I guess that’s one way to sum up diner food. But a more apt phrase for Betsy’s might be “comfort food.” That includes wonderful meatloaf and macaroni and cheese, and breakfast served all day. The booths have…$Around Town - New American
C Salt Wine Bar & Grille
This smart beachy-chic restaurant, inside a cozy house on a busy commercial stretch of Route 28, is a respite from all the commotion outside. The menu, American cuisine with French and Asian influences, includes two standouts: Thai pork coconut cashew stir-fry, served over jasmine…$$$Around Town - Mexican
Casa Vallarta
Large portions of Mexican favorites like tacos, burritos, and enchiladas—piled high with cheese, beans, and guacamole—are standard fare at this bargain-priced option just east of the center of town. Every table starts off with a complimentary basket of warm chips with a salty bean…$ - Seafood
Casino Wharf FX
The Casino is the place to go for those looking for a meal with views out across Vineyard Sound to Martha’s Vineyard. Dining is on two levels, but the best bet is to get a table out on one of the decks overlooking the beach. Seafood dishes like the tuna with citrus couscous are the…$$$Around Town - Crepes
Crepe Cod
Authentic Brittany-style crepes with some North African influences come from this stylish cafe on the east end of Main Street. Those who have traveled to France will recognize the flavors of savory crepes made with mushrooms and an aromatic rich tomato sauce. The sweet crepes—a…$ - Italian
La Cucina Sul Mare Italian Ristorante
It’s no wonder this friendly, popular restaurant in the center of town had to double in size a few years back. It all resembles a European bistro, with ceilings elaborately decorated in tin, and 19th-century-style light fixtures. The chef-owner Mark Cilfone will often wander out of…$$ - American
Landfall
Falmouth’s longest-standing restaurant still run by the same family, Landfall brings to mind old Cape Cod. Buoys, lobster pots, oars, and other flotsam and jetsam hang from the rafters; the huge Gothic window came out of a library, and the stained glass window came from a mansion on…$$Around Town - Diner/Breakfast
Moonakis Cafe
On summer mornings, people line up to get into this friendly, folksy diner in Waquoit village, east of East Falmouth. Don’t bother if you are running late; the line will have already formed. They come for the creative and delicious omelets, like the one with lobster, asparagus, and…$Around Town - Northern Italian
Osteria La Civetta
“The Little Owl” is unique on the Cape for serving food the way they do in Italy, not an Americanized version of it—you could almost imagine you have wandered into this place from a side street in Rome. The dining room, which has a small bar, feels cozy but sophisticated. On the…$$$Around Town - Chinese/Japanese/Thai
Peking Palace
A voluminous menu of all manner of Asian cuisine, including Chinese, Japanese, and Thai, awaits you at Peking Palace, easily the best restaurant of its kind on Cape Cod. The featured items include Peking duck and Thai clay pot curry. Seafood choices include the delectable Hunan spicy…$Around Town - New American
Phusion Grille
Set on a dock over Eel Pond in Woods Hole, this upscale restaurant is well worth the trip. It’s the perfect spot to come on a clear night: All the doors and windows—two sides of almost floor-to-ceiling glass here—can be swung open (there’s also ample seating on the deck). The menus…$$$Around Town - Mexican
Quicks Hole Tavern
An affordable option in Woods Hole is this authentic take on California-style Mexican street food. Set in a casual atmosphere with most tables on an outside deck where live music is played on summer afternoons, the taqueria is the place to get fish tacos with homemade slaw and sweet…$Around Town - Italian
Soprano's Casino by the Sea
The Casino is the place to go for those looking for a meal with views out across Vineyard Sound to Martha’s Vineyard. Dining is on two levels, but the best bet is to get a table out on one of the decks overlooking the beach. The menu offers a high-end twist to traditional Italian…$$$ - Seafood
The Clam Shack
Sitting near the entrance to Falmouth harbor, this is a slice of old Cape Cod as well as a great place for fried seafood. Climbing up to the second floor to sit on the roof of the Clam Shack with a steaming plate of fried fish just feels like summer. The cool breeze blows across…$Around Town - American/Continental
The Flying Bridge
This dockside cafe is the place to go for traditional Cape cod cuisine with a water view. It’s also a great place for boaters who want to step right off the docks of Falmouth Harbor and onto the restaurant’s ample decking. You’ll want to go on a sunny day and sit outside under the…$$Around Town - New American
The Glass Onion
Regularly cited as Falmouth’s top upscale restaurant, the Glass Onion is a labor of love, and it shows. It’s very popular: Try it on an off night if you don’t want a long wait for a table. The formal touches here manage to make it feel friendly, if not exactly casual. Have no fear…$$$Around Town - Cafe
The Pickle Jar Kitchen
This charming cafe is that rare place where after a big meal you feel like you had something healthy, not a belly bomb—for example, a “marathon scrambler,” egg whites sautéed with garden fresh veggies and kale, served with homemade toasted bread and home fries. The lunch menu also…$Around Town - New American
Water Street Kitchen
Located beside the Eel Pond Drawbridge at the entrance to the pond, this is one of Woods Hole’s newer upscale restaurants. In a casual atmosphere of old wooden wide-plank floors and two walls of windows with water views, the common denominators here are home-cooked,…$$$
