Dinner for Two with an Ocean View

Dinner for Two with an Ocean View

As innkeepers on Cape Cod, Rich and I are often asked for restaurant recommendations by our guests. Part of our job, as we see it, is to be knowledgeable about all things Cape Cod so that we can guide our guests to the best places for an authentic and memorable experience. This includes scouting out the best places to catch a sunset, off-the-beaten path spots for a hike or a picnic, and knowing where all the lighthouses are located and when they might be offering tours. It’s a challenge, but well worth the effort and much-appreciated by our guests.

The High Pointe Inn sits up on a hill overlooking the Great Salt Marsh and the dunes of Sandy Neck Beach, with Cape Cod Bay in the distance. In season, we have the distinct pleasure of serving breakfast on the 75-foot deck that spans the back of the Inn. Guests enjoy having a leisurely breakfast al fresco, listening to and watching the birds, with the scent of summer hydrangea wafting up from the cobblestone courtyard and fountain below.

Dining on or near the water adds a certain something to the experience that is hard to define. Perhaps it’s the vastness of the ocean that puts things into perspective, or the gentle ebb and flow of the sea as it washes ashore that seems to sooth the soul. Whatever it is, dinner for two with an ocean view is one of the most-requested recommendations we are asked for by our guests.

So this year it was our personal goal to seek out, and of course sample, as many restaurants with a water- or ocean-view as time and waistlines allowed. Many restaurants offer an outside dining option along with enclosed dining, but the unifying feature, whether inside or out, is a water view. Here, in no particular order, are several restaurants that meet the criteria and are well worth considering on your next trip to Cape Cod. Bon Appetit!

• Aqua Grille, Sandwich
• Boat House Restaurant, Falmouth
• Chart Room, Cataumet
• Fishmonger Café, Woods Hole
• Flying Bridge Restaurant, Falmouth
• Hemisphere, Sandwich
• Baxter’s, Hyannis
• The Black Cat, Hyannis
• Clancy’s of Dennisport
• Mattakeese Wharf, Barnstable
• Ocean House, Dennisport
• Sesuit Harbor Café, Dennis
• Spanky’s Clam Shack, Hyannis
• Swan River Restaurant, Dennisport
• Tugboats, Hyannis
• Brax Landing, Harwichport
• Captain Cass, Rock Harbor
• Orleans Inn, Orleans
• Bookstore & Restaurant, Wellfleet
• Mac’s Seafood, Wellfleet
• Mac’s Shack, Wellfleet
• Pearl, Wellfleet