Our Thanksgiving Feature is on Cape Cod Star, your site for lifestyle features on Cape Cod
Our Cape Cod Thanksgiving story has moved and it is updated all the time, while this one is three years old. For those of you looking for a last-minute restaurant for dinner, we can only advise you to call every restaurant on the list to see if they can find an early or late table or get you on a waiting list. If that doesn’t work, you might want to check out your local supermarket to see if they have take-out dinners available for Thursday.
Thanksgiving is one of the most anticipated family events of the year and sometimes the most stressful. To make your holiday celebrations a little easier, these Cape Cod restaurants are open to serve you and your family delicious holiday dinners without all the work.
Our guide covers the full range of offerings, from the simple to the extravagant, from P-town to Sandwich. We organize our listings by region like this: Outer Cape – Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet, Eastham; Lower Cape – Orleans, Chatham, Brewster, Harwich; Mid Cape – Dennis, Yarmouth, Barnstable; Upper Cape: Mashpee, Sandwich Falmouth, Bourne.
We’ll be updating this story with reservation information, photos, and a few recommendations from our in-house chef that cooked Thanksgiving for hundreds of happy families for over 30 years. If you know of an outstanding place for Thanksgiving (besides Grandma’s house), please let us know. Just leave a comment below or drop us a line.
Cape Cod Thanksgiving: Outer Cape
The Pointe Restaurant in Provincetown
The Pointe is celebrating Thanksgiving with a four-course dinner that includes soup, salad, entree and dessert for $54.95 per person. You’ll get your choice of Turkey, Grilled Salmon or Seared Tofu for your entree. They will be serving from 1:00 to 7:00 pm. The dinner comes with all the fixings like Chestnut & Date Stuffing, and Green Beans Almondine. There might not be tables available, but you can find out on their site. See More.
Red Inn in Provincetown:
The Red Inn in Provincetown has been welcoming guest to the Cape since 1915. For Thanksgiving, they are offering a fabulous 4-course prix fixe dinner for $90.00 per person. The dinner features soup, salad, entree, and dessert. Highlights include Lobster Corn Chowder, Pan Roasted Local Cod, Savory Vegetable Bread Pudding, Roasted Turkey with French Bread Stuffing and Ginger-Cranberry Relish, Savory Vegetable Bread Pudding, Smoked Long Island Duck, Lamb Chops, Local Codd, and Pepper Crusted Filet. See More.
The Whitman House Restaurant & Bass Tavern in Truro
The Whitman House is not serving Thanksgiving Dinner this year. They will be back in 2018. See More.
P. B. Boulangerie in Wellfleet
P. B. is offering a slightly different menu for Thanksgiving. The Wellfleet restaurant-bistro has a Prix Fixe Thanksgiving Dinner with three courses for $75.00. The menu features items like a Fall Artisanal Salad, a Homemade Pate, Foie Gras and Black Truffle Ravioli, Escargots De Bourgogne, Wasabi Pea Encrusted Yellowfin Tuna, Wellfleet Coconut Curry Clams, Monsieur Marin 12 oz Black Angus Ribeye with Steak Frites and of course a Turkey Dinner with Sweet Potato Gratin, Apricot and Sausage Stuffing and Braised Greens. For the dessert course, they are serving an apple pie with homemade Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream. The dinner is also available for takeout. You can order a dinner for 7-9 people for $240.00 that includes a whole roasted organic turkey, four side dishes, fresh baked bread and dessert. See more.
Cape Cod Thanksgiving: Lower Cape
Chillingsworth in Brewster:
Chillingsworth is offering a wide range of items for Thanksgiving. You’ll find a traditional turkey dinner, tenderloin, fish, lobster and vegetarian dinners with complimentary pates, charcuterie, and cheeses. There are two seatings for the dinner; one at 2:00 pm and another at 6:00 pm. There is a children’s menu available also. Regular pricing is in effect for this dinner. See more.
L’Alouette in Harwich Port
L’Alouette is the spot to find Thanksgiving dinner with a French flair on Cape Cod. The restaurant is fully booked for this year. See more.
Bramble Inn Now the Spinnaker in Brewster:
The Bramble Inn has been sold. It is now the Spinnaker. The restaurant is closed until the day after Thanksgiving.
Cape Cod Thanksgiving: Mid Cape
Old Yarmouth Inn in Yarmouth Port
The Old Yarmouth Inn offers a wide range of delightful choices for Thanksgiving from a traditional turkey feast to Filet Mignon with Bacon. Prices range from $39.00 to $49.00 per person. Unfortunately, the restaurant is fully booked for the holiday and is not accepting any more reservations. You can get on their waiting list if you would like. See more.
Yarmouth House in Yarmouth
Yarmouth House has been serving the families of Cape Cod since 1978 and for Thanksgiving, they are offering five different holiday dinners that come complete with soup or salad, smashed potatoes, butternut squash, creamed peas with onions and dessert. You can choose from a Roast Tom Turkey with Apple Sage Dressing, a Baked Virginia Ham, Roast Leg of Lamb, a Holiday Sampler Dinner with turkey, ham, and lamb or a Haddock Picatta. All the dinners are priced at $23.00 to $29.00 each. See more.
Hearth & Kettle in Yarmouth & Hyannis:
Hearth and Kettle restaurants are known for their All-American holiday dinners. For Thanksgiving, they are offering one of the best bargains on the Cape. Their Roast Turkey Dinner that comes in at $25.99, includes turkey, cranberry sage dressing, cranberry sauce, corn chowder or salad, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, peas with onions, bread, and dessert. You can also choose Prime Rib, Ham or Broiled Scrod for a slightly higher price, up to $29.99. See more.
Villaggio Ristorante in Cotuit:
Villaggio serves holiday dinners throughout the year and for Thanksgiving, they are offering three seatings: one at noon, another at 2:00, and a final seating at 4:00 pm. For Thanksgiving, you can choose from turkey, prime rib or their regular menu. Owner and Chef Jay Bartolomei’s regular menu features items like Asparagus Wraps, Crispy Pork Belly Bites, a classic Rustic Bruschetta, Roasted Beet Salad, Chicken Francese, Saltimbocca, Pancetta Scallops, Lobster Ravioli, Rib Eyes, and Filet Mignons. Reservations are taken by phone only. Call 508-548-5000. See More.
Cape Cod Thanksgiving: Upper Cape
Sea Crest in Falmouth:
The Sea Crest Beach Hotel in Falmouth has the most extravagant buffet on Cape Cod for Thanksgiving. The hotel lays out a huge buffet for the holiday that features hot and cold stations, carving stations and a dessert station. Highlights from the buffet include Cider Glazed Turkey and Virginia Ham that is carved to order, Cornbread Dressing, Petite Sirloins, Salmon, Butternut Squash, Shrimp Cocktail, Fall Greens, Salads, Cheeses, Clam Chowder, Pecan Pie and Cranberry Apple Cobbler with Cinnamon Chantilly. The price is $49.00 per person and $23.00 each for children 12 years of age and under. See more.
Coonamessett Inn in Falmouth
The Coonamessett has been welcoming guests on the Cape since 1926. For Thanksgiving, they offer a wide selection of traditional dishes from Turkey to Prime Rib to Pan Roasted Cod or a Roasted Vegetable Lasagna. They also offer a prix fixe Turkey Dinner for $44.00 that comes with Turkey, Giblet Gravy, Herb Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Soup, Salad and Dessert. See More.
Dan’l Webster Inn in Sandwich:
The Dan’l Webster has been hosting celebrations on Cape Cod for centuries. For Thanksgiving, they are offering a traditional Turkey Dinner with all the fixings for $41.95. The holiday feast includes soup, salad, bread, turkey with all the fixings, Mashed Potatoes, Maple Glazed Butternut Squash, Peas & Mushrooms, and desserts like Maple Pecan Pie and Warm Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream. Salmon can be ordered instead of turkey and a filet is available for $12.00 more. See More.
Cape Cod Thanksgiving: Pick Up & Take Out Thanksgiving Dinners
Nauset Farms in Orleans
Nauset Farms is a bakery, a butcher, a market, a deli, a wine shop, and more. For Thanksgiving, you can have them bake your turkey or pick up a fully prepared dinner with all the trimmings. You can get a deconstructed turkey for $20.00, a Plainville Fresh Turkey for $3.69 per pound, Farm Cranberry Sauce for $7.99 per pint, or try some Eastham Turnip Mash at market price. They also offer dinner packages for 4-8 people for $129.99 or one for 10-14 for $199.99. See More.
Hearth & Kettle @ the Cape Codder Resort in Hyannis
H & K is offering dinners from $23.99 to $29.99 each. Call the restaurant for information on takeout. See our description above or see more here.
Whole Foods in Hyannis
Whole Foods is one of our favorite foodie spots on the Cape and for Thanksgiving, they are offering a holiday turkey dinner for four people for the low price of $69.99. The meal includes a 10-pound Roasted Turkey, Herb Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Organic Turkey Gravy, Green Beans with Crispy Garlic and Parsley, and Organic Cranberry-Orange Relish. There are other items available like a 6 pound roasted turkey for $39.99, side dishes like herb stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, lentil-mushroom stuffing, cheesy rutabaga-potato vegan mash, roasted mustard-glazed whole cauliflower, maple roasted Brussels Sprouts, butterflake dinner rolls, organic vegan cranberry-orange suace, appetizers, and desserts. See More.
Thanksgiving Tips from a Retired Chef
My partner, Val Gerischer worked as a chef in restaurants in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for over thirty years. Most of those years, he was in the kitchen on Thanksgiving day and offers these quick tips for dining out on Thanksgiving Day.
- Reserve your table for early in the day so that you get the freshest turkey and avoid the crowds that tend to pack in around mid to late afternoon.
- If you are a real fan of turkey and dressing and hate crowds, just reserve your table for the day after Thanksgiving. You’ll pay a lot less for the same dinner, avoid the noise and fuss of a busy restaurant.
- Save a little of your holiday dinner so that you can have one of those yummy day-after-Thanksgiving sandwiches with turkey, cranberry sauce, and mayonnaise.
- Finally, if you are cooking Thanksgiving dinner at home, please don’t get too creative or too fussy with your menu. This is one of those holidays that people want classic American turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce like Grandma used to make. Stick with the basics on this day and go foodie-gourmand crazy next week.