The Woods Restaurant at Lambert’s Cove Inn — Restaurant in West Tisbury

I’ve heard great things but did not experience that on our visit yesterday. We had a 7:45 seating and were disappointed, first by the inexperienced crew being trained; when two servers are essentially taking your order how did I get the wrong beer? When I asked if it was the correct beer, as I was expecting a can, I was told they had it on tap too. Unfortunately it wasn’t a golden ale but a NEIPA, not even close. He was apologetic when again I asked for the correct beer. We only chose a beer as the wine list seemed unimpressive and overpriced. Started with oysters and tuna, both very, very good. Then a tomato salad (with three small wedges of bland tomato and mostly lettuce), that was just ok, the soft mozzarella was good. My wife had the braised short ribs which were excellent. Here’s the worst; ordered “fresh, house made pasta in a sweet corn sauce” and what I got was clearly NOT fresh, but a store bought spiral pasta with barely any sauce and super dry. Shameful at that price!! The vanilla ice cream on two small brownies (that sure seemed store bought too) covered with some super sweet caramel sauce wasn’t special either. For a $265.00 meal (still tipped well as most of our family is in the food and beverage business) we were both very disappointed. While I understand running a good food and service business on an island has it’s unique challenges, especially these days, some things are just not acceptable and management...

So glad I got to have an amazing meal at this very special restaurant before the word gets out!! Lambert's Cove Inn is under new ownership this year and the restaurant is now under the direction of very accomplished and talented executive chef, Galen Sampson. His experience ranges from executive chef at Luxury Hotels and Resorts, to working on an organic farm, implementing and directing a comprehensive culinary program at a regenerative agricultural farm in Vermont that uses innovative, ecologically sustainable practices, to owning an award winning farm-to-table restaurant in Baltimore. A few of the choices on last night's delightful prefix menu included Menemsha oysters with a garden mignonette, lamb borek (slow braised lamb, Moroccan spices, golden raisins & herbs, baked in phyllo with cucumber, lemon-dill yogurt, Charred spring vegetables served with hushpuppy croutons, and the best short ribs I have ever tasted! All dishes feature locally grown and raised ingredients which results in food that is fresh and delicious, and helps the local farms to thrive. While most restaurants today throw out the terms "sustainable", "locally sourced", "fresh from the market ingredients", etc. ... this is the real deal. The setting (off the beaten path) in a charming inn just made the dinner experience that much more enchanting! Can't wait...

My wife and I were recently discussing our travels this summer (2024) and the amazing meals we enjoyed. We were in complete agreement that our favorite meal was at Lambert’s Cove Inn during the week of July 4th while on Martha’s Vineyard for the holiday. It was a perfectly lovely experience from our arrival until we departed. We sat in the garden and highly recommend doing so if you are able. We had an early dinner and ended up having the entire garden to ourselves...which made it very special. The garden is such a beautiful, relaxing space for dining. A cool summer evening listening the Cat Birds fly about. The hustle and bustle of the outside world seemed miles away. The hospitality was so welcoming...with Bridget checking in with us at different times though out the evening to make sure everything was to our liking. The meal was perfect! Each course was superbly prepared, spaced, and delicious! Our compliments to Chef Galen.

We cannot say enough about the service. Our server was a delightful young lady (name is escaping me) from Ireland. My wife and I had a wonderful time chatting with her throughout our meal. She was the perfect hostess for a truly wonderful evening.

Lambert’s Cove Inn has our highest recommendation and my wife and I plan to dine with them each time we visit the...