We eat here in November, too.

Half the island is temporary.

Thirty-three of Edgartown's fifty-six restaurants are seasonal. Thirty-nine of Oak Bluffs' fifty-five are. Vineyard Haven has thirty-five and only seven of them close.

That is the whole winter explained in three numbers. Come February, the island's dining scene is, mostly, Vineyard Haven — which is why the Dispatch spends more of the cold months up-harbour than the summer coverage would suggest.

Most of the island does not take reservations.

Thirty-three of the 165 places in our listings accept them. The other hundred and thirty-two are first-come, which in August means the queue is the reservation system.

The practical consequence, if you are planning an eight o'clock dinner in high season: you are choosing between those thirty-three rooms and standing up. Both are fine. Knowing which one you picked before you drive there is the difference between a good night and an argument in a parking lot.

Larsen's Fish Market, Menemsha

Family-run since 1969. Betsy Larsen — daughter of the founders — has managed it for forty-odd years, and the building was taken back to the studs and rebuilt in 2021.

It is a fish market with a raw bar attached, not a restaurant. You order at the counter and you eat on the dock. Nine to seven, seven days, May through October. Two things to know before you go: lobsters have to be pre-ordered by phone in the morning, not asked for at the window at five with everyone else, and it is one of only seven BYOB rooms in our entire listings. Bring the wine. There is no table to reserve, because there is no table.

Hours, phone and directions →