1. Alberto’S Ristorante
City: Hyannis, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (508) 778-1770
Address: 360 Main St.
Description: Serving fine Northern Italian cuisine featuring freshly made pasta, this restaurant has definitely made its mark on Main Street in Hyannis. The elegantly decorated restaurant is bright, comfortable, consistent, and well managed. Alberto’s Italian hospitality will have you coming back again and again, whether for stuffed pasta, seafood dishes, or sirloin. Or perhaps you’d like to try the Seafood Alberto for Two, an oceanic feast filled with clams, calamari, muscles, shrimp, scallops, and a 1½-pound lobster. Daily and early-bird specials are offered. Alberto’s is open daily for dinner year-round. Reservations are suggested.
2. Baxter’S Boathouse And Club
City: Hyannis, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (508) 775-4490
Address: 177 Pleasant St.
Description: When tourists ask the locals where to find a waterfront restaurant in Hyannis, the answer is often “Go to Baxter’s.” It’s a perfect choice for a casual meal or cocktails in a waterfront setting. If you are arriving by boat, you can tie up at the small dock, or you can stay on your boat and be waited on. Fried clams are the most popular menu item, and, in addition to seafood, Baxter’s also serves steaks, sandwiches, and burgers. Baxter’s serves lunch and dinner daily from Apr through Columbus Day.
3. The Black Cat
City: Hyannis, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (508) 778-1233
Address: 165 Ocean St.
Description: Many places advertise that they buy their fish fresh each day, but the Black Cat maintains that they buy their fish twice a day. Open year-round, seven days a week, the Black Cat features upscale, American-style food. Its large and varied menu covers seafood, pasta, and beef, and features several fried dishes. In the spring and fall, the Black Cat accepts reservations, but in the busy summer season, you may experience a slight wait for a table, as this restaurant is popular with both locals and tourists. It has an outdoor patio seating overlooking Hyannis Harbor and features live entertainment Thurs through Sun during the off-season and seven days a week during the summer.
4. Bobby Byrne’S Pub
City: Hyannis, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (508) 775-1425
Address: 345 Rte. 28 and Bearses Way
Description: This favorite Mid-Cape restaurant is open year-round, serving lunch and dinner daily, as well as brunch on Sunday. Specials are offered throughout the week. Bobby Byrne’s has two other Cape locations, on Tupper Road in Sandwich and at Mashpee Commons in Mashpee.
5. Colombo’S Café
City: Hyannis, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (508) 790-5700
Address: 544 Main St.
Description: New on the scene with a good location on Hyannis’s Main Street, this offering from David Colombo, owner of the popular Roadhouse Cafe, has attracted a crowd since it opened in 2008. The space does its job in bringing the feel of an Italian cafe to the Cape, including the luminescent glow from glass displays of treats for both the eyes and the mouth. The atmosphere alone is worth a visit.
6. Cooke’S Seafood
City: Hyannis, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (508) 775-0450
Address: 1120 Rte. 132
Description: Cooke’s is one of those casual establishments that help define the Cape season—when Cooke’s opens its doors in mid-March, you know the summer crowds aren’t too far away. Cooke’s has a reputation for serving great seafood, especially fried clams; also try the fish and chips and fresh scallops. Don’t fret if you aren’t a fish aficionado—Cooke’s also has non-fish favorites such as burgers. They’re open daily for lunch and dinner from Mar to the end of Nov. There’s another Cooke’s in Mashpee.
7. The Gourmet Brunch
City: Hyannis, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (508) 771-2558
Address: 517 Main St.
Description: Not for the indecisive, this menu has over 100 omelets from which to choose. Or order waffles or a specialty item such as Brunch Supreme, which is made with puff pastry, ham, artichoke hearts, poached egg, cheese sauce, and crabmeat. Belgian waffles and quiches round out the breakfast selections, and a glass of champagne with strawberries makes for a festive brunch indeed. You can order breakfast at any time, but don’t overlook the lunch menu. Soups, clam chowder, hot and cold sandwiches, and salads are standouts. The offerings continue beyond the menu with daily blackboard specials. The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch daily year-round.
City: Hyannis, MA
Category: Restaurants
Address: 20 Independence Dr.
9. The Paddock
City: Hyannis, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (508) 775-7677
Address: 20 Scudder Ave.
Description: The Paddock Restaurant has been serving elegant cuisine in a casual, friendly setting for more than 30 years. The Paddock offers a delicious menu and an extensive wine list. Owners John and Maxine Zartarian operate the restaurant (they met as college students working at the Flying Bridge in Falmouth), and their two sons are also involved in the family business. The menu offers a wide selection of seafood, poultry, steaks, and the house specialty—the two-pound baked stuffed lobster. The Paddock Restaurant can comfortably accommodate up to 150 people for cocktail parties or up to 125 people for dining. It is open from Apr through mid-Nov for lunch and dinner.
10. The Roadhouse Cafe
City: Hyannis, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (508) 775-2386
Address: 488 South St.
Description: The Roadhouse is a favorite in downtown Hyannis. The lobster bisque has huge chunks of lobster; the chicken homard, rolled with lobster and Swiss cheese, is manna from heaven; and some patrons say the cafe has better Italian cuisine than most Italian restaurants. The bistro tavern area looks a bit like backwoods Maine with its fireplace and beamed ceiling; you can sit at bar stools or booths, enjoy fabulous piano music, and order from either the bistro or the Roadhouse’s menu. The Back Door Bistro presents the finest musicians on the East Coast as part of its Monday Night Jazz. The live entertainment adds a perfect touch to this fun restaurant. The Roadhouse is open for dinner daily year-round; reservations are recommended.
11. Sam Diego’S
City: Hyannis, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (508) 771-8816
Address: 950 Rte. 132
Description: Sam Diego’s has a fiesta atmosphere and a location convenient to the mall and other shopping. Free chips and salsa arrive shortly after you sit down, giving you something to munch on as you peruse the extensive menu and wait for a golden margarita. Sam Diego’s offers an enjoyable and comfortable dining experience, reasonable prices, and plenty of parking. Sam Diego’s is open for lunch and dinner daily year-round.
12. Cooke’S Seafood
City: Hyannis, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (508) 775-0450
Address: 1120 Iyannough Rd.
Insider Pick:
Description: This busy restaurant is popular with both visitors and locals. This isn’t an elegant place; you order your seafood at the counter and then find a booth and wait for someone to call your number. But the food is ultra-fresh and expertly prepared. The many fried seafood options include clams, scallops, shrimp, and haddock. You can also opt for broiled fish and shellfish. Be forewarned: All the portions are humongous. A second location is in Mashpee at 7 Ryan’s Way (508-477-9595).
13. Naked Oyster
City: Hyannis, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (508) 778-6500
Address: 410 Main St.
Description: Depending on the day’s haul, this restaurant’s extensive raw bar features several varieties of oysters, along with clams, lobster, and shrimp. There are also steamed local mussels with Chablis and salmon with a pistachio crust that share space on the menu with pasta, steak, and chicken dishes.