Exclusive | Provincetown: Where to Eat Part Three

CASUAL
Bubala's By the Bay (183 Commercial St; 508-487-0773; $9-32) is a good place to eat and people-watch. The large outdoor patio offers great views of Commercial Street, and you can always get a table inside without waiting. The food is just fine, and includes highlights like grilled tuna wasabi and seafood cassoulet. Weekend brunch is Bubala's most popular, see-and-be-seen meal. Caf? Heaven (199 Commercial St; 508-487-9639; $7-15) offers consistently good, basic American food in a light, airy space with huge windows overlooking Commercial and a rotating roster of locally produced art. It's perfect for weekend brunch, or a light, easy dinner. The proprietors of Bubala's also own Enzo (186 Commercial St; 508-487-7555; $20-38), a classy Italian restaurant across the street. It's also a nice spot for drinks, down in the intimate basement Grotta Bar.

Campy Bayside Betsy's (177 Commercial St; 508-487-6566; $17-35) is known as nice a place to relax over cocktails early in the evening as it is a quite respectable restaurant. It's a great bet for breakfast as well as lunch and dinner, with mostly pastas, seafood grills, and creative salads on offer. Enjoy the views of the water from the dining room. In a town lacking Asian restaurants, the very gay Thai Aroi (9 Carver St; 508-487-0889; $12-19), which is tucked gracefully inside the Gifford House Inn, is a fabulous restaurant. The kitchen serves a wide range of Thai favorites. Spiritus Pizza (190 Commercial St; 508-487-2808; pizzas $18-27) is the town's social hub. Grab a slice, an iced tea, or an ice cream, sit on the steps or a bench outside, and watch the parade go by. Or gather starting about 12:45 a.m. to watch the randy, drunken post-bar crowd assemble.

The Central House Bar & Grill (247 Commercial St; 508-487-1430; $8-29) is part of the lively Crown & Anchor complex and serves up good bistro fare right in the middle of town. You can't go wrong with one of their great burgers, but there's also more substantial, sophisticated fare on offer.

The Landmark (269 Commercial St; 508-487-6500; $12-28) is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails. Stop here for good hearty breakfast offerings and a nice view of the harbor. They offer live entertainment in premises. For an entertaining alternative to T-dance, grab a caf?; latte at Joe (148A Commercial St; 508-487-6656), sit along Commercial, and enjoy the parade of tipsy women, leather types, drag queens, and muscle boys who march to the Pied en masse starting at 6:31 p.m. The hippest java joint and tearoom in town is Wired Puppy (379 Commercial St; 508-487-0017), a slick storefront space that serves up organic coffee and tea drinks plus all kinds of sweets and snacks. Bring your own laptop, or borrow one here, provided for patrons.

For an authentic taste of old Cape Cod, head to Clem & Ursie's (85 Shank Painter Rd; 508-487-2333; $9-25). A self-proclaimed "food ghetto," this is a sort of fast-food meets picnic spot attached to an outstanding gourmet-foods and seafood market, with tantalizing desserts, to boot. This is one of the best places on the entire Cape to enjoy a memorable seafood dinner.

TAKE IT AWAY!
You don't have to sit down to get good grub in P-town. In the quiet and artsy east end you'll find one of the best food resources in town, Angel Foods (467 Commercial St; 508-487-6666; sandwiches $7-9). A dreamy little gourmet grocery with organic produce and the freshest meat and fish, there's also a fantastic deli counter where you can get sandwiches, salads, freshly baked goods, and other yummy delicacies. It's the perfect place to stock up for your gourmet beach picnic or for a nice meal at home. At the other end of town is another grocery/deli treasure, Relish (93 Commercial St; 508-487-8077). Here, too you can get divine take-out items, fresh coffee, and baked goods. The Food Court at the Aquarium Shops (205-209 Commercial St; no phone) is a great option for light snacking as you saunter up and down Commercial Street. Take-out restaurants here include Big Daddy's Burritos, Fortune Cookie, and I Dream of Gelato.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Related Articles:
Provincetown: Introduction
Provincetown: Gay Life
Provincetown: Where to Stay
Provincetown: Where to Play
Provincetown: What to See & Do
Provincetown: Where to Shop
Provincetown: Artistic/Cultural
Provincetown: Resources