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Restaurants, Bars, Cafés & Confections

When you dine at Provincetown restaurants, you’ll want to eat a lot of seafood, most of which is caught locally. 

When you dine at Provincetown restaurants, you’ll want to eat a lot of seafood, most of which is caught locally. Make sure to take a break from whale watching and hiking to grab a bite of the Town’s vibrant selection of restaurants and bars.

Mussels in a curry broth.

Seafood

At Provincetown restaurants, foods like the lobster rolls are loved and coveted. Seafood lovers can also get their fix of shrimp (fried, grilled, or chilled), oysters (fried, straight out of the shell, or on a roll), scallops, clams, mussels, cod, and whatever else is on the menu. Once you wake up from your food coma, go for a bike ride to make room for some of the pastries, gelato, and other amazing desserts around town.

Portuguese Food

Provincetown’s Portuguese Bakery make Malasadas, which are described as “Portuguese doughnuts.” Eater.com featured a story about the fried-treat. Provincetown’s Portuguese food is famous for its traditional recipes faithfully handed down generation to generation, originating with the 19th Century Portuguese fishermen who migrated to the Cape.

Dining outside at The Canteen in summer.

Beyond Seafood

Provincetown restaurants are known for more than seafood and go beyond the standard seaside fare. Provincetown has brunch menus that blend the best of both worlds between seafood and regular brunch favorites. 

A few pours away from a perfect mixed drink.

Drinks

There are many bars and clubs in Town, with most catering to the LGBTQ+ community. Eater has a great pulse on the best bars to check out. The bars close at 1 a.m., so the nightlife starts early. The New York Times gives the following tip:

Bars here close at 1 a.m., after which a spirited crowd routinely continues the party in front of Spiritus Pizza on Commercial Street.

“It’s very special. It’s a unique Cape Cod beach town. I’ve traveled a bit around the East Coast and the tourist destinations are replaceable. It’s the same t-shirt shops, the same food, but Ptown is totally different. It’s a real and unique community.”