The Sweet Life Café

No longer great, but very good.

such a nice atmosphere, very pretty. really good risotto and pork chop too!!

The best food we had on Martha's Vineyard was at The Sweet Life. Excellent Service as well.

We had a terrific and pleasantly unhurried meal here last night on the outdoor patio before catching a boat off the island. The cocktails were original and refreshing and delicious, especially one made with gin and cucumber. We gobbled up the appetizers....grilled oysters (hurray for offering this preparation) and a terrific beet salad. Entrees...striped bass, gnocchi, scallops, squidnink tagliatelle...also superb. We are only sorry we did not have time for dessert. Lovely, friendly staff...welcoming and warm without seeming overbearing. We look forward to a return visit!

10 years ago before Obama visited, this place was 5++ stars by previous owner/chef. Was the most memorable meal I ever had in a town not known for fancy restaurants (Oak bluffs is the casual, fun town). 10 years later, name remained the same but the owner/chef changed and now over-run by tourists due to Obama-effect -- we had the tasting menu, food was still pretty good but def not the same amazingness as back then. There were over-used themes recurring thru the dishes like smoked pepper sauce, pureed green sauce that doesn't do much to elevate the flavor, fatty bone marrow risotto with fatty wagyu steak does not help=fatty!; heavy handed on the salt (you do not ever need to salt scallops! it came from the sea already!) -- All that aside, the food was well-cooked and enjoyable but I no longer yearn to return like I did back then.

One final tip: if they have the potato gnocchi with duck confit -- get that! Probably the best well-flavored dish there is despite it sounding the most boring. The gnocchi was fluffy and the duck confit was actually not overly salty nor dry and the broth was excellent.

Drink Tip: the SHISO SOUR! Best thing ever -- Shiso is a slightly minty and citrusy herb in Japan that's usually served with sushi(aka seafood). Since a lot of their seafood dishes at Sweet Life lacked a citrus component, the shiso sour paired very well with any seafood dishes that they offer. So skip the wine, and order the shiso sour - $16, a hefty cocktail.

Atmosphere: AC minimal, ask for outdoor if plausible. Bathroom was a disgust for a white-handkerchief restaurant. They should be ashamed!

Attire: It's the Vineyard, casual is acceptable here despite being white-hankerchief.

Worth trying but be warned to not have high expectations.