Our Story

The Nautilus is an idea created in the fall of 2013 when a small space on a side street of a tiny island in Massachusetts became available to rent, and three young industry professionals and co-workers decided to start their own restaurant. Liam was the food, Clinton was the drink, Steve was the wine, and many Peking ducks, tuna pokes, cocktail porrons, fernet shots, sake cans, little known wine bottles, late nights with loud music and dim lights, and long, long lines to get a table later, the rest is history.

Located on Nantucket (2014) and in Boston (2021), The Nautilus was founded on the principle that everything is better when shared. The restaurants are built around this idea of a shared social experience, and seek to provide a setting for guests to enjoy the interplay between food, cocktails, and wine, as well as ambiance, energy, and atmosphere. The Nautilus is very much a New England restaurant with a coastal/seafood base, however the inspiration is deeply-rooted in Asian flavors and ingredients of the haute, street food variety, taking ideas from the traditional Japanese izakaya type establishment, with a major nod to the tapas-style of Spanish cuisine, and additional influences from mainland Latin America and the Mediterranean. The cocktails bring a culinary approach to drink making by drawing on both seasonal and regional inspirations. The wine, sake and spirits selections are award winning and seek to be all things to all people, hitting regions all over the world with a broad range of price points and accessibility. The unique, subtly nautical decor gives nods to Jules Verne and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The music is well curated and lively, the atmosphere energetic, and every effort is made to make the new and unfamiliar feel comfortable and at home.

In The Press

AFAR Media

10 Best Weekend Getaways From NYC For Nature, Food, and Art

Time Out Boston

The Best Nantucket Restaurants: 10 Eateries to Try This Summer

Esquire

30 Things to Do in Boston - Fun Boston Places to Visit Eat and Drink

Boston Common

The Luxe List 2023

Boston Magazine

The Best Restaurants in Boston's Seaport and Fort Point

Restaurant Spotlight

The Nautilus Pier 4 in Boston

Founders

Liam Mackey

Co-Founder & Culinary Director

A Vermont native, Liam Mackey developed a passion for food growing up on his family’s sustenance farm, The Old Dam Farm. They raised livestock for family and friends, grew vegetables and made maple syrup in the spring.

Living near the ski areas of central Vermont, Liam cut his teeth in the hospitality industry early on, primarily to earn season passes so he could enjoy winter sports. Once he found his way into the kitchen, he became hooked on the excitement of the back of the house. He soon realized he needed to refine his skills and enrolled at The New England Culinary Institute (NECI).

Graduating from NECI in 2004, Liam traded the mountains of Vermont for the beaches of Nantucket. He began working for Seth and Angela Raynor at The Boarding House and The Pearl restaurants. He helped open new concepts and develop products with the Raynor Team, rising through the ranks to the level of Chef de Cuisine of The Pearl, a position he held for five years before branching out to start The Nautilus.

When not working Liam enjoys spending time with his wife (Courtney) and two children (Calvin and Gigi), friends, trying new restaurants, and getting back to his outdoor Vermont roots.

Working seasonally on Nantucket allowed time in the winter to combine his interests of Asian cuisines with his love of travel. Liam was able to explore the food and culture of Southeast Asia, China and Japan. These trips continue to influence and inform his cooking to this day. Not every off season was filled with travel however, he also spent time in the kitchens of Clio, Uni and Toro in Boston and two winters cooking and eating in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Near the end of his five year tenure as head chef of The Pearl, Liam met Stephen Bowler and Clinton Terry. Together the three teamed up to create what would be a long journey of The Nautilus in 2014, that was then followed by The Gaslight in 2019. The Nautilus’ second location opens on Boston’s iconic Pier 4 in 2021.

Liam has been recognized by Star Chefs as one of the Best Young Chefs in the Northeast, as well as one of the Best Chefs of America. Additionally, his food has been recognized in Boston magazine’s Best of Boston awards (Best Restaurant, Overall Excellence - Cape & Islands). He has also been featured in The New York Times, Wall St no reet Journal, Travel & Leisure, and Conde Nast Traveler.

Clinton Terry

Co-Founder & Bar Director

A Vermont native with over 20 years of food and beverage experience, Clinton Terry uses his creativity and passion to tell his life story through fresh, fruit-forward, culinary inspired cocktails that highlight locally sourced ingredients and seasonality. Drinking is a very personal experience and Clinton wants to be part of the process, whether that means building a cocktail around the maple syrup from the first little farm he worked at in Vermont, or hand harvesting blackberries from his front yard for a special garnish or base.

Raised in Morrisville, VT, food was always a huge part of his life. Whether it was buttering the pan for his mom's brownies, or picking cherry tomatoes in the community garden, Clinton always knew he wanted to own his own restaurant and to show his vision to the world. He discovered his passion for cooking at a young age, attending vocational culinary arts high school, and working at a variety of restaurants in Stowe, VT. Something about creating dishes and drinks has always spoken to him, using the preparation as a creative outlet - he can't draw to save his life, but can concoct and stylize a beautiful and delicious drink with the best of them. His humble beginnings led him to the Culinary Institute of America (NYC), graduating with a B.A. in Culinary Arts. It wasn’t until he moved to Washington, D.C. where he decided to pursue a different dream by making the transition behind the bar.

When not behind the bar you can find Clinton playing disc golf, rooting for his race horses, foraging for fruit and drinking and dining of course!

Clinton got his 'PHD' in cocktail creation working for famed Bartender Todd Thrasher at Restaurant Eve. He helped open their speakeasy, the PX, a truly unique drinking experience and one of the first modern day speakeasies in the country. During his tenure as General Manager, PX was rated a top 10 domestic bar by Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and The New York Times.

In 2012, Clinton made the move to Nantucket where he created cocktail programs at The Pearl (meeting his future partners Stephen Bowler and Liam Mackey), Corazon del Mar, The Boarding House and Fog Island. Not long after arriving on the island, Clinton teamed up with Stephen and Liam to open The Nautilus (2014), The Gaslight (2019), and the soon-to-open Nautilus Pier 4 in Boston (2021).

Clinton’s passion for beverage has been recognized by Star Chefs and Imbibe Magazine, and he has had the pleasure of teaching and training throughout the world. The bar program at The Nautilus has been recognized by Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston awards (Best Bar - Cape & Islands).

Stephen Bowler

Co-Founder, Director of Operations & Finance

Stephen Bowler combines his passion for both form and function along with a unique aesthetic and approach to problem solving in creating his views on hospitality, business management, entertainment, ambiance, and life. It is his goal to continually find new things that excite people, and to bring that to the guest experience at The Nautilus.

Born in Boston and raised on Nantucket, Stephen grew up in an entrepreneurial family, spending many of his days with his parents at their men’s clothing stores, the Bowler Company (Main Street Nantucket, Copley Place Boston). He is an alumnus of Milton Academy (Milton, MA) and Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA) where he graduated with a B.S. in finance and a minor in engineering. Upon graduation, Stephen packed his bags for San Francisco where he lived and worked for two years as a financial analyst for a leading national department store. After two years, Stephen began the next phase of his life “education” by traveling extensively around the globe - half a year each in Asia, South America & Central America as well as several months in a variety of European countries - and by working extended summer seasons in the food and beverage industry in his hometown of Nantucket.

When not in one of the restaurants or click-clacking at a computer, Stephen is probably traveling, beaching, eating, going to shows, writing, reading the classics, or relaxing with his wife Mary, their daughters Birdie & Louisa, and their dog Moby.

Building upon the wine knowledge he gained from his time in San Francisco, while traveling, and while working summers in a wine shop on Nantucket, Stephen began working on the island as a sommelier in 2010 at the Boarding House. He grew to become the wine director and lead sommelier for both the Boarding House and their sister restaurant the Pearl. In 2013, Stephen became a certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and lived in Napa for several months. Throughout his wine travels he has visited over 100 wineries in California, New York, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Portugal, France and New Zealand.

It was at The Pearl where Stephen would meet his future business partners - The Nautilus’ Culinary Director Liam Makey and Beverage Director Clinton Terry. The three budding restaurateurs began to discuss what their ideal restaurant would be - and quickly found that each of their specific areas of expertise complimented each other perfectly. When a small space on Cambridge Street became available to lease at the end of 2013, the team finally decided to begin working on what would become Nantucket’s iconic The Nautilus that opened in May 2014. The team again collaborated (along with Callie Kever & Caleb Cressman) at The Gaslight, which combines food and beverage with an extensive live music scene, in June 2019. In 2021, The Nautilus team expanded to open The Nautilus Pier 4 in Boston’s Seaport District, a project over 30 months in the making.