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The Ocean Club restaurant opens in Martha’s Vineyard landmark bank building
Award-winning chef Marc Orfaly leads The Ocean Club, a new fine dining restaurant in the historic Martha’s Vineyard landmark bank building.
What was once Martha’s Vineyard National Bank is now a newly opened seaside restaurant with award-winning chef Marc Orfaly at the helm.
The Ocean Club, which opened Aug. 27 at 75 Main St. in Vineyard Haven, offers a seasonal menu crafted by Orfaly. The seafood- and pasta-focused fine dining restaurant is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, with plans to expand its hours in the future.
“The building is unbelievably beautiful and it’s just a very, very cool place to be. But really, it’s the food and service part of it. That’s one of the most exciting things to me,” said Luke Beardslee, The Ocean Club’s project manager.
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Orfaly is a seven-time nominated James Beard Awardee, Food & Wine “Best Chef in America” honoree, and named “One of the Top Chefs to Watch in the Country” by Esquire and Boston magazine.
“The technique that he brings in incorporating fresh, ingredient-driven cuisine, it’s just something that I don’t think the island has ever seen. If they have, not for some time in my experience,” Beardslee said.
The menu highlights local farms and seafood, and features handmade pasta. Future additions will include a raw bar. The 20-seat bar area will serve a curated wine selection, craft beer, and inventive cocktails.
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As a former bank, the building has been a neighborhood fixture for decades. During renovations, the team kept the doors open so residents could get a peek into the transformation.
“A lot of people on the island had a really personal connection to it because they did their banking there. We had somebody come in who met their husband while she worked there,” Beardslee said.
The team tried to preserve as much of the original aesthetic as possible, including the original stained glass clerestory arches, grand domed ceiling, and mahogany doors. The old bank vault has been transformed into a wine cellar and the three-foot wide vault door seats 10 for a communal dining experience. The restaurant also features a 32-seat private dining room.
Although the summer draws the Vineyard’s largest crowds, Beardslee said that the restaurant’s ever-changing menu will accommodate its neighborhood year round.
“It’s unbelievable, great food and wonderful service in a very beautiful environment. So I’m really just excited about the whole thing, to be honest. It’s a great project to have been a part of,” Beardslee said.
The Ocean Club, 75 Main St., Vineyard Haven, Martha’s Vineyard; Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
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