Something Natural

One of the best sunny-day activities in Nantucket is lunch at Something Natural. This hippie-flavored take-out place, first opened in the 1970's as a health food store, has been a hit since Matthew Fee converted it to a sandwich shop over 20 years ago. Here's the drill:

1. Take in the quaint view from the parking lot.






2. Get in line. Confusingly, there is a separate line for the bakery closer to the door. At lunch time assume that everyone who is waiting is waiting for sandwiches. If you accidentally cut in line, a displaced New Yorker may yell at you as one did at me. Insert yourself between people and their Something Natural sandwiches at your own risk.

3. Order at the counter. All the sandwiches are good here, but the vegetarian offerings are especially fresh, excellent and more like California sandwiches than anything else I've tasted on the East Coast. Try the sprouts, vegetables, and hummus sandwich on multi-grain or Portuguese bread.

A note on bread in Nantucket: The ubiquity of Portuguese bread on Nantucket may seem random, but it's actually in the island's blood. Many Portuguese entrepreneurs emigrated here over the centuries, because, as many a sailor knows, the Azores islands of Portugal are a straight shot here as the crow flies. Several Portuguese families bought and ran the Old Mill in the 19th century. Thus, Portuguese bread.

4. Go outside and find a seat. The lunchtime setting is slightly more bucolic than a midtown PAX deli, no?



5. Pick up your order inside or outside at the screened in porch. Make sure to get some chocolate chip cookies and Nantucket Nectars lemonade.



6. Chill out and enjoy.







Something Natural
50 Cliff Road
Nantucket, Massachusetts
508-228-0504