Millie’s – Nantucket, Massachusetts – Round two

Millie's of Madekat, Nantucket — Millie’s of Madekat, Nantucket

Alright we’re doing a round two for Millie’s in Nantucket, Massachusetts or lovingly known as ACK for its Airport code. Millie’s is a seasonal restaurant like many places in Nantucket, their hours change as the summer draws to an end in September. I took a break from New Jersey and hopped on a 40 minute flight via Jet Blue from JFK. Last year I gave a great review of the cart Millie’s brought to Cisco Brewery. I rented a Jeep earlier on the trip for a drive out to Great point on the beach, unfortunately the off season meant Millies (the restaurant) wasn’t open that day (end of Summer means Thursday – Sunday). Luckily Nantucket does have a limited public transport system known as the Wave. The Wave makes the trip outside of town to Madekat where Millie’s is located. (west end of the island)

2nd floor view from Millie's of Nantucket — 2nd floor view from Millie’s of Nantucket

So on somewhat rainy Thursday we took the ride on the Madekat route shuttle, catch it in front of the Whaling Museum in town. A quick ride to the last stop brought us to Millie’s right on the beach, standing by itself in a residential neighborhood.

Upstairs bar at Millie's Nantucket — Upstairs bar at Millie’s Nantucket

Walk in and you’ll be greeted to a vibrant atmosphere and decor. Downstairs you’ll find a bar, walk upstairs for a better view with your dining experience as well as a second bar with a larger dining area.

Millie's of Nantucket — Millie’s of Nantucket

So quickly let’s get down to the tacos, each order contains two tacos. Millie’s has a great selection of tacos and since you’ve come to Nantucket, any of the local fish options are a good choice. The topping and meat are going to be top notch in preparation. I ordered the Pocomo, a beautifully braised pork carnitas tacos, named after the Native Massachusett area Pocomo on Nantucket. My fellow taco taster and girlfriend ordered the Westender a mahi mahi taco. We also ordered two sides of the Mexican Street corn and a Cisco Brewers Shark Tracker light beer.

So well jump into the Pocomo first, all the tacos are flour with the exception of that are corn. The Pocomo carnitas tacos were a nicely marinated pork shoulder cut, soft and tender, but not prepared in the traditional sense of Mexican carnitas. The Pocomo was bursting with flavor, a great balance of sweet, spice and the natural flavors of the pork. The soft flour tortilla brought everything together with the pineapple salsa, and roasted poblano peppers.

The Westender Mahi mahi at Millie's Nantucket — The Westender Mahi mahi taco at Millie’s Nantucket

While the Pocomo scored well for me I tried the Westender mahi mahi taco and it fell short for me. To begin the the tortilla was a generic store bought double wrapped corn tortilla. At $21 dollars for two tacos I would expect a better tortilla or at the very least not a burnt rubbery corn tortilla. Sadly the fish was right at the tipping point of being overcooked. In hindsight we should have sent the Westender back for a replacement.

Mexican Street corn from Millie's Nantucket — Mexican Street corn from Millie’s Nantucket

As for the Mexican street it’s still some of the best Elote or Mexican Corn we’ve had, but I’ll give the crown to Gringo’s Tacos in Jersey City, NJ

Our experience last year eating from the Millie’s cart at Cisco Brewers was much better (it wasn’t because of the alcohol, we ate the food with our first beer!)

So all in all I’d give the Carnitas a 8.8/10 and the Westender a sad 4.5/10. Find my overall review below. While our Millie’s experience was disappointing since we had been looking forward to our visit, its important to point out that the year round residents bust their asses for the tourists during the busy season. Millie’s like most places is seasonal and you are on an island, so food prices are pretty fair relative to the location.