A Foodie's Beach Town Dream: Best Foods in Ocean City, Maryland
Ocean City, Maryland, is one of the quintessential vacation towns along the United States' Atlantic coastline. With Virginia to the south, Delaware to the north, and the beautiful Atlantic Ocean to its east, it is in the perfect spot for the American family vacation. Massive hotels line the sandy ground like guards on patrol. The boardwalk is a three-mile-long walk of nostalgia, food, and stores.
This barrier island has developed from a simple fishing village in the early 1900s to the epitome of an American vacation town from the 1960s on. As the city developed into what it is today, the landscape was transformed into a new identity that people will not forget once they visit. Along with the development of the physical landscape came the experiences that stick with you forever. Beyond the fun of the boardwalk rides and the endless frolicking on the beach, another staple of Ocean City is the food!
Ocean City is known for a number of their great treats. From candy to seafood, this place has it all. Below, I will list the best places for food in Ocean City, with the occasional photo from my vacation there. The places I will list include:
- Candy Kitchen,
- Hooper's Crab House,
- Phillips Seafood,
- Fisher's Popcorn,
- Fractured Prune,
- and Ocean City's Famous Thrasher fries!
Candy Kitchen
For the best candy, sweets, and treats, the best spot is Candy Kitchen. Among the dozens of treats, you can also get fudge and salt water taffy! Many locations offer ice cream as well. You can't miss a Candy Kitchen in Ocean City or up into the Delaware beaches because of their bright pink and orange décor. My personal favorite treat from Candy Kitchen is the dark chocolate covered marshmallows!
Below is an old Candy Kitchen TV commercial, most likely from the late 1980s or 1990s. It's definitely a dated commercial but the famous eastern shore candy store is still around today!
Candy Kitchen Old TV Commercial
Best Seafood in Ocean City
Being a city named after the ocean and having the Atlantic Ocean as a boarder makes this place a great spot for seafood! There are two well known places to dine in Ocean City for seafood. One is the famous Phillipp's Seafood. This place always has a line out the door. However, my favorite seafood spot in Ocean City is Hooper's Crab House. It's across the bay from downtown Ocean City, but you can't miss the place as you go over the Route 50 bridge.
Hooper's Crab House offers you great seating on a deck overlooking the bay and looking out towards the strip of land known as Ocean City. This place offers a true seafood experience. The all-you-can eat buffet for less then $30 supplies you with unlimited whole crabs, corn on the cob, hush puppies, and steamed spiced shrimp. All of it just thrown on your table (which is covered in paper) for you to eat like the feast that it is! Even though Hooper's Crab House looks like a warehouse from the outside, it is a true seafood lover's palace.
Fisher's Popcorn
If your down in Ocean City for the weekend or the whole week, and you need something to snack on or something to bring back to that friend that watched your house, go no further than Fisher's Popcorn. This iconic popcorn stand has been around for decades and offers a great assortment in popcorn. My family usually gets the white bucket of carmel popcorn. There's two great things about this place; they make the popcorn right in front of you and if you bring back your empty white bucket, you get a discounted refill! A trip to Ocean City wouldn't be right without some Fisher's Popcorn. Below is a picture of Fisher's Popcorn Stand on the Boardwalk. The photo was taken at 10 AM and yet people are still gathering to get some popcorn!
Best Breakfast in Ocean City
If your looking for a great breakfast treat, look out for the strangely named Fractured Prune. This place offers great donuts and has been around for decades. The variety of donuts they offer is amazing, it's like picking out toppings for ice cream! My personal favorites include the chocolate sprinkles and rainbow sprinkles on plain donuts, but I also love a creamsicle donut!
Get to Fracture Prune early because the line gets long fast and it's the go to for breakfast take out! To get your mouth watering, check out some of the Fractured Prune donuts in the photo below!
Best Fries in the World!
Finally, what would Ocean City cuisine be without the infamous Thrasher Fries!
These fries are the best I have ever had. They have been nationally recognized and I've even seen them on national talk shows. There is always lines 20 to 30 feet long at the main store at the beginning of the boardwalk but it's well worth the wait!
The best way to have your french fries is with salt and vinegar! There have been many times where my family and I have substituted whole meals for a bucket of Thrasher Fries! The picture is from the smaller Thrasher Fries store halfway down the boardwalk. Once again, the photo was taken early in the morning before the store really opened up, hence no lines.
Well, I hope my suggestions help! After going to Ocean City for almost every summer of my life and my parents going even longer, I still find the food above amazing. If you ever get to visit Ocean City, I hope you will try some of these great gems. Enjoy your food at the beach!
Ocean City Links
- Ocean City Maryland Tradition | The Original Thrasher’s French Fries
Thrasher’s French Fries are an Ocean City, MD tradition. A visit to the Ocean City Maryland boardwalk is not complete without stopping for those amazing french fries, cooked in peanut oil, and topped with vinegar. Come see us at our other location in - Candy Kitchen
Candy Kitchen - located in Ocean City, Maryland - Ocean City Maryland Crab Houses and Restaurants -- Hooper\'s Crab House
Hooper's Crab House is an Ocean City, Maryland Restaurant tradition since 1978. Hooper's provides fresh steamed crabs and seafood entrees. Don't miss our All You Can Eat steamed crab specials! - Phillips Seafood Restaurants | Maryland's Crab Ambassadors
For over a century, Phillips Seafood has been sharing Eastern Shore seafood classics, such as our award winning Maryland crab cakes, with our guests. - All Natural Caramel Popcorn - Handmade for over 70 Years - Gift Tins - Plastic Buckets - Gluten Free
Fisher's famous caramel popcorn. Handmade in small batches for over 70 years. Available in decorated tins, Buckets & bags. - Hot Hand-Dipped Homemade Donuts - The Fractured Prune Donut Shoppe
At the Fractured Prune Donut Shoppe, we don't just serve donuts, we serve an experience. With many locations throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, the Fractured Prune features hot hand-dipped donuts, bagels and bakery and breakfast sandwiches. Our spec
Questions & Answers
Have you ever eaten at any of these restaurants?
Yes! Although I haven’t been to Ocean City in a couple of years now, I grew up visiting the Eastern Shore every summer. Many of the photos of the storefronts in this article are ones that I took. And even though I haven’t gotten down to Ocean City lately, I sometimes order Fisher’s Popcorn and Candy Kitchen via mail!
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