🍲 Where to Eat · Ocean City, MD
Restaurants in Ocean City
70 real, currently-operating restaurants across every category — Boardwalk icons, Maryland crab houses, and bayside sunset dining.
🏙️ Maryland Blue Crab
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🦀 Seafood & Crab Houses
🍽️ Fine Dining
🥩 Steakhouses
⛵ Bayside Dining
🥞 Breakfast & Brunch
🍕 Pizza & Casual
🍺 Bars & Breweries
🌍 International
🍷 Wine Bar
Ocean City’s dining scene runs from century-old Boardwalk food stands — Thrasher’s Fries, Fisher’s Popcorn, Dolle’s saltwater taffy — to Maryland blue crab houses steaming crabs by the bushel, plus a growing bayside scene of sunset bars and waterfront restaurants. We checked each restaurant directly against its own official site rather than a generic aggregator list.
15 Restaurants
Captain’s Table
Sit-down seafood and American restaurant on the Boardwalk at 15th St, inside the Courtyard Oceanfront.
Coastal Salt
New American beachfront restaurant with fresh local seafood and boardwalk patio seating at 16th St.
Harrison’s Harbor Watch Restaurant & Raw Bar
Sit-down seafood restaurant and raw bar at the south end of the Boardwalk, a Harrison Group property.
Reef 118 Oceanfront Restaurant
Oceanview restaurant inside the Carousel Hotel serving breakfast and dinner with panoramic ocean views.
Bai-Tee Bakery & Cafe
Bakery, cafe, and poolside bar at the Commander Hotel on the Boardwalk.
Golden Plate
Small Boardwalk sub and breakfast shop, a local “Best of OC” award winner.
Thrasher’s French Fries
The iconic double-fried Boardwalk fry stand since 1929, with three boardwalk locations.
Fisher’s Popcorn
World-famous caramel popcorn stand, family-run on the Boardwalk since 1937.
Dolle’s Candyland
Landmark Boardwalk saltwater taffy and caramel corn candy shop, an OC icon since 1910.
Candy Kitchen
Boardwalk candy and fudge shop chain with multiple storefronts.
Dumser’s Dairyland
Classic Ocean City ice cream and soft-serve stand with several locations including the Boardwalk.
The Dough Roller
Boardwalk pizza-and-pancakes institution, a local favorite for decades.
Shenanigan’s Irish Pub & Grille
Boardwalk Irish pub with live music, a “Best of OC” Boardwalk Bar winner.
Purple Moose Saloon
Boardwalk rock ‘n’ roll bar and nightclub with live bands.
Cork Bar and Grill
Boardwalk sports bar and grill open since 1964, known for wings and cold beer.
10 Restaurants
Hooper’s Crab House
Longtime bayfront crab house famous for steamed blue crabs and a raw bar.
Higgins Crab House
All-you-can-eat crab house with multiple locations at 31st St and 128th St.
Assateague Crab House
Traditional steamed-crab house near Assateague, a “Best of OC” Best Crabs award winner.
Crabcake Factory USA
Long-running crab-cake-focused seafood restaurant, also known as the Original Crabcake Factory.
Blu Crabhouse & Raw Bar
Seafood and crab restaurant, a “Best of OC” Raw Bar award winner.
Captain’s Galley Crab Cake Shack
Casual crab-cake shack in West Ocean City.
Bull on the Beach
Casual all-you-can-eat crab and raw bar with two locations.
Coin’s Pub & Restaurant
Neighborhood pub and restaurant known for its crab cakes.
Delmarva Boil Company
Restaurant specializing in Southern-style seafood boils.
5 Restaurants
The Hobbit Restaurant
Long-standing upscale bayside fine-dining restaurant with Alice-in-Wonderland/Hobbit-themed decor, an OC classic since the 1980s.
Fager’s Island
Iconic bayside restaurant and nightclub famous for its sunset “1812 Overture” tradition, open since 1975.
32 Palm
Upscale coastal-contemporary restaurant inside the Hilton Suites.
Spain Wine Bar
Rooftop wine bar and restaurant overlooking the bay, a “Best of OC” Upscale Casual award winner.
Dry 85
Whiskey-focused upscale bar and restaurant, also with an Annapolis location.
2 Restaurants
1945 Steak & Seafood
Elevated rooftop chophouse and seafood concept atop the District 24 building downtown.
The Bonfire Restaurant
Long-running prime rib and seafood buffet restaurant, an Ocean City tradition.
13 Restaurants
The Angler Restaurant and Bar
Bayfront seafood restaurant known for sunset views, family-run since the 1930s.
Harborside Bar & Grill
Waterfront bar and grill in West Ocean City, a “Best of OC” Best Drinks award winner.
The Shark on the Harbor
Upscale seafood and sushi restaurant on the harbor.
Fish Tales Bar & Grill
Casual bayfront bar and grill overlooking Assawoman Bay, popular for its swim platform.
Macky’s Bayside Bar & Grill
Bayfront bar and grill known for volleyball courts and sunset views.
Ropewalk Ocean City
Waterfront seafood and raw bar restaurant with tiki-style bayside seating.
Seacrets
Sprawling Jamaican-themed bayside bar, restaurant, and nightclub complex, an OC institution since 1988.
Micky Fin’s Bar & Grill
Waterfront restaurant and bar serving seafood, steaks, and more.
Marina Deck Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge
Bayfront restaurant with a large deck overlooking the marina.
Coral Reef Restaurant & Bar
Restaurant inside the Holiday Inn & Suites overlooking the bay.
Skye Bar & Grille
American bar and grill on Coastal Highway.
Sunset Grille / Dockside Bar & Restaurant
Waterfront bar and restaurant in West Ocean City known for sunset views.
6 Restaurants
Barn 34
Farm-to-table breakfast, brunch, and dinner restaurant, a “Best of OC” Breakfast/Brunch award winner.
Oyster and Scales
Waterfront brunch and dinner restaurant on the bay, a “Best of OC” Brunch award winner.
Longboard Cafe
Casual American cafe known for breakfast and casual fare.
The Fractured Prune
Made-to-order gourmet donut chain with a West Ocean City location.
Crawl Street Tavern
Breakfast and bar spot in downtown Ocean City, a “Best of OC” Breakfast award winner.
7 Restaurants
Pizza Tugos
Popular local pizza chain with Downtown and West Ocean City locations.
Mione’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant
Italian and pizza restaurant, a “Best of OC” Pizza award winner.
Sello’s Italian Oven & Bar
Wood-fired Italian restaurant.
Touch of Italy
Italian deli, bakery, and restaurant, part of a regional Delmarva chain.
Cantina Los Agaves
Mexican grill with multiple locations including West Ocean City.
Layton’s Family Restaurant
Family-style diner and restaurant, an OC staple for decades with multiple locations.
9 Restaurants
Buxy’s Salty Dog Saloon
Sports bar and restaurant, a regular “Best of OC” nightlife pick.
Beach Barrels
Large sports bar with live music, a “Best of OC” Sports Bar/Live Music award winner.
The Original Greene Turtle
Original location of the popular regional sports bar and grille chain, founded in Ocean City in 1976.
Coconuts Beach Bar & Grill
Oceanfront bar at 37th St, a “Best of OC” Happy Hour award winner.
Vista Rooftop
Rooftop bar and restaurant at the north end, a “Best of OC” Upscale Casual award winner.
Marlin Moon Restaurant
Waterfront seafood restaurant and bar.
Ocean City Taphouse
Craft beer bar with a large tap selection, multiple locations.
Burley Oak Brewing Company
Well-regarded independent craft brewery and taproom in nearby Berlin, MD.
Fin City Brewing Company
Local craft brewery in West Ocean City.
2 Restaurants
Blue Fish Restaurant & Sushi Bar
Sushi and Asian fusion restaurant, a “Best of OC” Asian Food award winner.
Kalamata Meze Bar
Mediterranean restaurant in West Ocean City.
1 Restaurants
Liquid Assets
Wine and martini bar and bistro with an extensive wine list, a long-running OC favorite.
Planning Tips for This Area
- Reserve ahead for Boardwalk tables in summer. The Boardwalk-facing spots book up fast on peak summer weekends.
- Look for steamed Maryland blue crabs. They’re the local specialty, especially at long-running crab houses like Hooper’s and Higgins.
- The bayside is worth a dedicated sunset dinner trip. Fager’s Island’s nightly “1812 Overture” tradition and Macky’s volleyball-court scene are both local institutions.
- Many spots scale back hours off-season. Call ahead outside the June-August peak, especially for smaller independent restaurants.
Where’s the best crab house in Ocean City?
Hooper’s Crab House and Higgins Crab House are the area’s longest-running, both known for steamed blue crabs and a raw bar; Assateague Crab House and Blu Crabhouse are strong newer picks.
Is there good dining away from the Boardwalk?
Yes — the bayside has a genuinely different scene of sunset bars and waterfront restaurants like Fager’s Island, Seacrets, and Macky’s, and West Ocean City near the fishing marina has several waterfront spots of its own.
How does NME choose which restaurants to feature?
We verify each restaurant directly against its own official site and current operating status rather than relying on aggregator lists, and we exclude anything we can’t confirm is still open. Read more on our methodology page.
Know a Restaurant We Missed?
If you know a great restaurant in Ocean City we’re missing, email us and we’ll take a look.
Heading to Ocean City?
See the full trip guide — where to stay and what to do, organized the same way, by category.
