Ocean City's 5 Best Boardwalk Eateries With Delicious Bites

If you're planning on spending some time on the Jersey Shore, you might assume that the best place to be is Atlantic City. However, further down the coastline is the underrated beach town with a boardwalk and thriving downtown, Ocean City. It's also important to note that this Ocean City is different from Maryland's resort city with one of America's best beaches, which has the same name.

Although all of Ocean City is fun to explore, the boardwalk is where most of the action is. According to official accounts, the boardwalk is about 2.5 miles long, stretching from 1st street to about 23rd street. But despite its relatively small size, there are tons of places to eat, drink, and play along the way. And with so many options, it can be hard to narrow down your options, so we've compiled a list of our picks for Ocean City's five best boardwalk eateries.

For this list, we looked at social media sites (like this Reddit thread) and paid attention to online reviews. However, because there are many restaurants with similar food offerings (especially pizza, ice cream, and seafood), we picked five options each with a different type of cuisine. This way, no matter what you're craving, you should be able to find something to satisfy your taste buds. Finally, since it's hard to rank different types of restaurants objectively, we listed them in order from north to south. Just note, one thing you won't find are any fancy cocktails or wine — Ocean City, New Jersey, is a dry island.

Although the boardwalk technically stretches 22 blocks, most of the action is centered between 7th and 14th street, based on the number of businesses that pop up on Google Maps. In the heart of this area is the Hula Restaurant and Sauce Company, which sits near the end of a cul-de-sac, across the street from Seaport Village Golf, which has a replica pirate ship. So, if you're a mini-golf or go-kart aficionado, you can easily incorporate Hula Restaurant into your activities, either before or after.

As the name implies, this place makes and sells its own Hawaiian-style sauces, including teriyaki, barbecue, and a "house" sauce. But rather than buying them individually and making your own dishes at home, you can order off the menu and enjoy the flavors on-site. Here, you can order Hawaiian plates, like chicken, Mahi Mahi, Ahi tuna, or pulled pork. Or, you can order a variety of burgers, including beef, chicken, tuna, pork, or a veggie burger if you're avoiding meat. There's even a crab burger if you're feeling extra decadent.

As far as online reviews, Hula has an average 4.4-star rating over almost 600 Google reviews at the time of this writing. Many guests comment that Hula has some of the best food on the boardwalk, especially if you're in the mood for fresh seafood and non-fried dishes. Others comment that the portions are huge, so make sure to bring a healthy appetite.

We could literally just run down the five best pizza options on the Ocean City Boardwalk and still have plenty of pizza joints left over. Pizza is a big deal around here, as evidenced by the number of unique options, including Manco & Manco, Three Brothers From Italy, Angelo's, and many more. However, the one that stood out above the rest was Prep's Pizza & Dairy Bar. Not only did it get a shout-out from this Reddit thread, but it has the highest star rating and number of reviews on Google, with 4.5 and over 800, respectively. So, while some may rave about other pizza joints along the boardwalk, we can't feature them all, so we're taking a slightly more objective approach.

According to almost all of the reviews online, Prep's offers the best pizza in Ocean City, and the restaurant is larger and more accommodating than others on the boardwalk. Plus, since it's right on the edge of the walkway, you can look out at the ocean while enjoying your slice. Google reviewers comment that the ingredients are fresh, the service is fast and friendly, and the ice cream is the perfect dessert afterward.

As far as the pizza options go, Prep's is far more than just cheese and pepperoni (although those seem to hit the spot). Gourmet pies include Neopolitan, BBQ chicken, cheesesteak pie, and a whole selection of white pizzas. Additionally, you can get sandwiches, a stromboli, pepperoni bread, a calzone, or various salads. Plus, the ice cream flavors are abundant, so you're sure to find something for that sweet tooth.

If you're going to be next to the ocean, you might as well enjoy some seafood while you're at it. While nearby Atlantic City is known for delicious seafood, Ocean City's Boardwalk has a few choice spots for chowing on fish, shrimp, and, in this case, crab cakes. Ike's Famous Crab Cakes edged out other places like Quincy's Original Lobster Rolls and Clancy's By the Sea thanks to its 4.4-star rating and over 600 online reviews (at the time of this writing).

It's also important to note that Ike's, like other Boardwalk eateries, is seasonal. Typically, it opens during the warmer months, and it's best to check the restaurant's Facebook page for updates as they come in. According to reviewers, the food is as fresh as it gets. Most people rave about the sauces and, as you would expect, the crab cakes. In fact, you can order Ike's crab cakes through the mail if you're craving them and not in the area.

Ike's is more than just crab cakes, although you can get them individually or as part of a sandwich or wrap. Ike's also serves delicious clam chowder, fried clam strips, fish and chips, shrimp, tuna nachos, and even grilled tuna steaks. Many guests also comment that the grouper is phenomenal, as well as the soft-shell crab.

As we near the end of the main drag of the Ocean City Boardwalk, we run into Bob's Grill. Bob's is practically next door to Ike's, so if you're extra hungry and want to try more than one place at once, Bob's and Ike's can work well as a twofer. Plus, you can even compare the crab cakes at both restaurants to determine which one is better. While Bob's has some decent seafood options (including a lobster roll and a fish and chips plate), the eatery is more designed around standard American bites, such as sandwiches, wraps, and burgers. Overall, it's a very family-friendly place with all of the traditional favorites.

As far as Google ratings go, Bob's holds an average of 4.1 stars with just under 500 reviews at the time of this writing, putting it on the lower end of restaurants on our list. However, when looking at the restaurants along the boardwalk, many of them hover around four stars or fewer. Most of the reviews for Bob's mention its breakfast menu, with one guest remarking that it's the best breakfast spot in Ocean City. The item that gets the most shout-outs in reviews is the freshly-made donuts, so if you're looking for something sweet, make sure to leave room.

Another element that makes Bob's Grill unique among other spots on our list is that it's a combination restaurant/bike rental shop. In fact, the main webpage highlights bike and surrey rentals before you can even see a menu. Riding a bike or surrey (which holds more than one person) is an excellent way to explore the boardwalk and the surrounding beach, so you can rent one for a couple of hours, work up an appetite, and then chow down at the grill.

For our last stop, we're technically off the boardwalk, but not by much. We chose Uncle Bill's for a couple of reasons. First, Uncle Bill's rounds out the types of cuisine our top five eateries offer (in this case, Uncle Bill's is only open for breakfast). Second, this spot has such a high rating, with an average of 4.6 stars and over 1,500 reviews for this location alone. In fact, there are two Pancake Houses in Ocean City, but this one is closest to the boardwalk. Basically, while other places serve decent breakfast dishes and sandwiches, Uncle Bill's is so good that you have to try once during your vacation, if possible.

But don't take our word for it. The reviews for this place rave about everything, from the fast and friendly service to the quality of the pancakes to how well it can accommodate large crowds. According to one reviewer, Uncle Bill's has the best pancakes she's ever had. In addition to the pancakes, guests also love the stuffed French toast, just in case you're not in the mood for flapjacks. However, there are numerous pancake varieties, including blueberry, strawberry, pecan, apple, and peanut butter.

Although Uncle Bill's prides itself as a pancake house, the menu is surprisingly diverse, especially considering it's only open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day. Beyond pancakes, waffles, and French toast, you can order steak and eggs, burgers, cheesesteaks, corned beef hash, and various cereals. Basically, no matter what you crave for breakfast, you can indulge yourself in some delicious bites at Uncle Bill's.

Because the Ocean City Boardwalk has so many eateries, picking the top five was always going to be a challenge. However, for this particular list, we focused on two key criteria. First, we didn't want to feature multiple eateries that specialize in the same kind of food. As we mentioned, we could literally just give a rundown of the top five pizza places and ignore everything else.

Second, we paid attention to online reviews. So, some places that offered unique cuisine were skipped because they had lower ratings than the ones we chose. That's a big reason why we added Uncle Bill's to the mix, even though it's not technically on the boardwalk, just boardwalk-adjacent. Its delicious bites warranted a mention.

Finally, we prioritized actual restaurants, not food stands or pop-ups. For example, Chickie's & Pete's is a restaurant we almost included, but the one on the boardwalk was a limited-service stand, not a sit-down eatery, so it didn't make the cut.