A verified “hidden gem”: Mo's on Martha’s Vineyard.
Calling all Martha's Vineyard residents, visitors, potential visitors: It's better - and bigger - at Mo's.
Bona-fide hidden gems are hard to uncover.
Let’s say you are looking for a new place to eat. Something unique, a little different, off the beaten path, a hidden gem.. You google “hidden gems” and the recommendations that you get are all the places that everyone knows because they are in all the guidebooks. On a small island like Martha’s Vineyard, the situation is even worse: the universe of restaurants is small and fairly steady; there is little that is not publicized.
But!! Occasionally the real deal hidden gem emerges – a somewhat unknown venue with rare and distinct sensibilities. Mo’s in the PA Club on MV is one of those rare places.
Mo’s is literally hard to find.
Mo’s is hidden in the PA Club, a.k.a the Portuguese American Club. The PA Club is, itself, a hidden gem, a 90+ year old membership organization committed to the local community. On the outside, it’s a simple-looking place; on the inside, you’ll find good works and good times!
The PA Club awards scholarships to local youth, provides a place for memorial services, hosts fundraisers and other community events, and is generally associated with good will.
Part of the good-will is the bar. It vaguely resembles Gilly’s, the quintessential townie bar in Urban Cowboy, the movie where where John Travolta dances and Debra Winger rides a mechanical bull.
No mechanical bull at the PA club, but there is live music, an even livelier bar (where the most expensive pinot noir sells for $7.50 a glass) and pool.
And then there’s Mo’s Lunch, a knock your-socks-off kitchen where Mo (that’s short for Maura) produces great and messy food you can eat-in or take out.
I went to Mo’s on quiet’s evening, with a small group of friends. We walked into the main room, a community center where the tv runs a loop of the traffic in a key town and tables are spaced wide apart.
We walked across the room to the counter to order our food.
I ordered the ban mi fish sandwich, the waffle fries and the largest shortbread cookie you’ll ever see. (Mo’s is well known for its large portions.)
The sandwich of fried filet of haddock, some bluefish mash, pickled carrots and onions, cilantro and fresh chewy bread was so big, I could barely take a bite. But I did - thankfully. At the beginning of the bite, you taste the mild fish and pickled veggies, then the doughy bread. It finishes a peppery kick. The all-together bite is a bit of mouth magic!
And the waffle fries! Waffle fries are a southern specialty. I look at them and wonder “how did they do this?”. Some googling around explained they are made with a special attachment to a mandolin. Waffle fries are amazing because their shape holds spices so well. These waffle fries are as satisfying as they come. They are crispy, salty, with soft chewy potato-y inside. The taste lingers longer than ordinary fries.
For dessert Mo’s offers the largest $5 cookies you’ll ever find. I love the shortbread cookie with sprinkles that tastes a bit like wedding cake. I took the picture on the measuring tape so you can get a sense of its dimensions!
We enjoyed our dinner in the bar.
It feels like eating in the high school cafeteria, but with beer, wine and the occasional vodka and tonic.
If you want to know more about Mo’s, here’s a fun 6 minute video featuring Mo (aka Maura Martin). If you meet her, she’ll tell you the place is full of regulars - Islanders who are teachers, hospital workers, builders, landscapers. They come because they love the huge sandwiches and the low prices. Mo, her partners and staff welcome everyone, from regulars to one-time visitors, with a smile as big as the sandwiches and cookies.
If you are looking for reasonably priced hidden gem, give this one a go! You won’t regret it.
What I paid: $53.48
fish banh mi
waffle fries
shortbread cookies
2 glasses of “the most expensive” (and fairly drinkable) pinot noir.
Where to find it:
Mo’s Lunch
137 Vineyard Avenue
Oak Bluffs, MA 02557
508-687-9744
info@moslunch.com
Shhh. Not a secret if it is widely advertised
HA! We will definitely do it. I really want to figure out the pizza thing at Orange Peel.