7 Hidden Menu Gems to Try on Martha’s Vineyard Before Summer Ends

These select menu items sneak up on you with their greatness.

Summer 2025, New England version, is coming to a close. The leaves are loosing their bright summer green, the vacationers are returning to school and work, my tennis buddies are drifting back to their other lives. Soon stores and restaurants will start shutting down.

Now is the last chance to store your final summer food memories in your brain until 2026 rolls around.

Here’s my list of 5 sneaky stunners plus 2 bonus stunners I’ve only heard rumors about. And then there’s a weird item you need to see.

Put all of them on your summer food zen bucket list. They will all make you say: “OMGOMGOMGTHAT’SSOGOOD”.

Aalia’s. Oak Bluffs, MA. Foul Moudamass. AND the cinnamon bun.

This tiny little spot has it going on. It is punching way over its weight. Everything on the menu is great. The coffees lean toward the Italian variety - with specialties like cortados, macchiatos, cappuccino and latte. The food has a Lebanese twist. Here’s what to experiment with:

• Foul Moudamass. I know. A weird name. It’s a fava bean stew invented in ancient Egypt and now considered a stable there. The Aalia version is fava beans cooked in a ton of garlic and other spices I couldn’t decipher, served with soft, hot and chewy pita bread. It’s addictive and very shareable. $15.

  

  Trying the Foul Moudamass

The Cinnamon roll. The baker has been baking this yeast roll for over 20 years and he clearly knows what he is doing. The dough itself is soft and only slightly sweet, like Challah bread. It’s rolled around cinnamon and sugar. After baking, it is topped with a heap of whipped and sweetened cream cheese. I can’t do it justice with words. Just try it. $6.

Maybe not the prettiest cinnamon roll on the planet, but definitely one of the best.

Beach Road. Vineyard Haven, MA The Hot Dog. And the always weird bonita flakes on the shoshito peppers.

• The hot dog. All summer, I’ve been telling anyone who will listen to me to go to Beach Road Restaurant and order the hot dog. Yes, the hot dog. It’s a perfectly spiced beef dog, on a brioche bun, then covered in a grainy mustard, kimchi, and, to top it off, a handful of fried onion rings. On the side is a pile of thin and nicely spiced fries. Just do it. $24. And well worth it.

The best hot dog. Ever.

• The Shoshito peppers.

The shoshito peppers are delicious. Perfectly cooked and salted. And then topped with Bonita flakes, which are dried, shaved pieces of tuna. When the flakes feel the heat of the peppers, they dance. $14.

19 Raw. Edgartown, MA. The Lobster Salad.

It was lunchtime, a random Tuesday. Edgartown was bustling with tourists sporting name tags and looking for a place to eat. The Atlantic was closed. The line at the Seafood Shanty looked like it could crawl forward for days. And Behind the Bookstore just didn’t appeal. We ended up on the front patio at 19 Raw.

I took what felt like a food risk and ordered the lobster salad. By a risk, I mean I was hoping the lobster wouldn’t be drowning in mayonnaise. In fact, the salad I received was one of the freshest tasting, healthiest feeling lobster salad I have ever had. A mound of fresh, local lettuces like arugula and spinach, baby tomatoes, some sliced watermelon, a little gorgonzola and what looked like meat from an entire 1 pound lobster. And a light lemony dressing. I’m telling you, it was perfect. It’s $34.

Homeport. Menemsha. Lobster Dinner.

Feel the trend? Nothing says summer in New England like lobster. And eating a whole 1.5 pound boiled lobster, with the fixins’, on a deck overlook Menemsha pond, is an experience that cannot be beat. The fixins’ include steamers, mussels, boiled dilled potatoes, an ear of corn, it’s impossible to resist. $69. Pricey, I know.

Classic New England Lobster dinner

And while you are there, give the green gazpacho a go. Honeydew, cucumber, what grapes, almonds and olive oil. Slightly sweet, with depth, refreshing. $15.

S&S Kitchenette. Vineyard Haven. Go for the pastries. Stay for the flowers.

S&S is a gem – small, quirky, personal. The counter is on the left and a communal table is on the right. The table is lined with fresh flowers, that are changed weekly. They are worth the visit.

The gorgeous, ever-changing flowers at S&S.

The coffee comes in an old fashion teacup. I love the scones.

They serve dinner as well, but I haven’t made it there yet.

Two bonus extra-secrets.

I haven’t tried these but I plan to:

Covington. Edgartown. The home made root beer.

I’m secretly hoping there is ice cream in it.

Expresso Love. Edgartown. the burger.

And I know - would never think of going there for a burger.

I’m sad summer is closing down. But, as always, when one door closes another door opens.

We’ll have a few more posts from Martha’s Vineyard in the next 6 weeks, but stay tuned for “Eating in Belgium” and “Eating in Miami”.

Enjoy!

Anne

Do you have any sneaky menu stunners you want to share? On the Vineyard or elsewhere? Tell us about it! I’ll go anywhere for memorable food.