Our long list, in three groups. Every place here was open in 2026 when we checked; hours change, so call ahead in the off-season. Distances are in blocks from our front door at 12th and Haven.
On the boards
Pizza, custard, popcorn, taffy, rides, mini golf, and the arcade, all between 9th and 14th on the boards, six to nine blocks from our door. Manco’s is straight down 12th Street.
- Manco & Manco: Boardwalk pizza since 1956. 12th & Boardwalk, six blocks. Straight down our street. The Manco-vs-Prep’s argument is the town sport.
- Prep’s Pizzeria: The other pizza, since 1965, plus an ice cream window. 10th & Boardwalk, eight blocks. Pick a side.
- Kohr Bros: Frozen custard, vanilla-orange twist. 12th & Boardwalk, six blocks. The walk-the-boards cone.
- Johnson’s Popcorn: Copper-kettle caramel corn since 1940. 14th & Boardwalk, eight blocks. You’ll smell it first. Get the tub.
- Shriver’s: Salt water taffy and fudge since 1898. 9th & Boardwalk, nine blocks. Mix your own box; watch it pulled in the window.
- Playland’s Castaway Cove: Rides, the GaleForce coaster, arcade, pay per ride. 10th & Boardwalk, eight blocks. Summer evenings.
- Congo Falls: Three mini golf courses, one indoors. 11th & Boardwalk, six blocks. The rainy-day answer.
- JiLLy’s Arcade: Arcade with 100-plus games, bucket fries. 12th & Boardwalk, six blocks. Bike and surrey rentals out back.
- Family Nights and Mummers: Free boardwalk shows, July and August evenings. 6th to 14th & Boardwalk. Family Nights Mon and Wed, string bands Tue and Thu, 7 to 9pm.
Mornings
Doughnuts, sticky buns, tomato pie, and pancakes, all within four blocks except Brown’s and Uncle Bill’s, which are a bike ride.
- Fractured Prune: Hot doughnuts, dipped and topped to order. 12th & Asbury, two blocks. Mornings only. The line moves.
- Mallon’s Sticky Buns: The Ocean City sticky bun, since 1988. 14th & Bay, four blocks. Cash only, by the half dozen or dozen, 7am to 3pm.
- Cathy’s 14th Street Bakery: Cream doughnuts, cider doughnuts, croissants. 14th Street, four blocks. Mornings, closed Mondays, cash only.
- Bennie’s Bread: Tomato pie and rolls since 1957. 12th & Asbury, two blocks. Bring a tomato pie back for lunch.
- Brown’s: Hot donuts made in the window. 1st & Boardwalk, bike it. Ride the boards before noon, get in line, cash.
- Uncle Bill’s Pancake House: Pancakes since 1962. 21st & Asbury. Open year-round, 7am to 2pm.
Downtown and around
Coffee, diners, the Music Pier, the Wednesday farmers market, the state park at the south end, and the liquor stop before the bridge.
- Jon & Patty’s: Coffee bar and bistro downtown. 7th & Asbury. Our downtown lunch.
- Bakeria 1010: Neapolitan sourdough pizza, focaccia, paninis, Italian baked goods. 955 Asbury, five blocks. The starter came from Naples.
- Hooked on Breakfast: Downtown breakfast. 9th & Asbury, five blocks. Open on holidays too.
- Music Pier: Concert hall on the boards, Pops and summer concerts. Moorlyn Terrace & Boardwalk. Check the concert series before you come.
- Farmers Market: Wednesdays at the Tabernacle, June to mid-September. 6th & Asbury. 8am to 1pm.
- Corson’s Inlet: State park at the south tip, dunes and birds. South end, bike or drive. Free. No swimming, great walking.
- Circle Liquors: The BYO stop on the way in. Somers Point, before the 9th St bridge. Ocean City is dry. Stop here first.
Newer places, and where we actually eat
Ocean City’s food got a lot better in the last two years. Our short list off the boards: Blue Cactus on Haven for tacos and coffee, Dead End Bakehouse on Bay for bagels, La Autentica on Asbury for birria, Chop Wave for a salad after the beach, and Bakeria 1010 for sourdough pizza. Call ahead in the off-season; hours move.
- Blue Cactus Taco Shop: Cali-Mex tacos, burritos, bowls, and La Colombe coffee all day. 928 Haven, three blocks up our own street, patio and parking out front. Posted hours are summer hours, so call in the off-season (609-938-2427).
- Dead End Bakehouse: Hand-rolled boiled bagels, sourdough sandwiches, Elixr coffee. 1050 Bay at 11th, three blocks. Daily 7am to 2pm and open year-round. The boardwalk counter is the seasonal version; the Bay Ave shop is the real one.
- La Autentica: Mexican grocery in front, kitchen in back. Birria tacos, wet burritos, churros. 1018 Asbury, five blocks. Monday to Saturday 8am to 7pm, closed Sunday. Easy to walk past if you don’t know it’s there.
- Chop Wave: Build-your-own salads, grain bowls, wraps. 1000 Asbury, five blocks. Opened August 2026, daily 10am to 8pm. Salads and bowls, which the boardwalk does not really do.
- Bakeria 1010: Neapolitan-style sourdough pizza, focaccia, paninis, Italian pastry. 955 Asbury, five blocks. Moved down from Linwood in 2024.
- Alex’s Pizza: The Roxborough pizzeria’s boardwalk outpost, straight down 12th Street from us. The pizza is fine; the smash burger is the order, and Craig LaBan said so in his 2026 shore list.
- Kyma: Greek frozen yogurt, acai bowls, smoothies. 838 Asbury, Unit B. Ask for the Beach Baklava.
- Capo Strada: A dozen tables of Italian street food, piadina and a muffuletta big enough to split. 501 E 9th. Listed Friday through Sunday, so confirm before you plan a Tuesday around it.
- Barefoot Market: Scones in rotating flavors, savory tarts, coffee. 214 West Ave. They sell out; go early.
- Hula: Hawaiian plates and poke on the boards, if you want something off the fried-basket circuit. 940 Boardwalk. Seasonal, so call first after October.
Where to watch a game, and the drink question
Ocean City is dry, so there is no sports bar on the island. For an Eagles Sunday, cross the 9th Street bridge to the Shore Road strip in Somers Point, five minutes away: Charlie’s Bar is the locals’ pick (many screens, cash only), with Josie Kelly’s at 908 Shore Rd and Gregory’s at 900 Shore Rd on the same stretch. At the house, stream it on the 75-inch and skip the drive.
- Charlie’s Bar, Shore Rd, Somers Point: the Eagles bar. Multiple screens, wings, cash only, open late on Sundays.
- Josie Kelly’s Public House, 908 Shore Rd: Irish pub with TVs and a full menu, Sundays 10am to 10pm.
- Gregory’s Restaurant and Bar, 900 Shore Rd: old-school sports bar, Sundays from 11:30am.
- The Crab Trap, 2 Broadway, Somers Point: year-round seafood with a full bar, the standard “dinner with a drink” answer at the foot of the bridge. Smitty’s Clam Bar nearby is louder and summer only, closing about two weeks after Labor Day.
- On the island: two members-only clubs sell BYOB memberships. The Betz Room at 504 E 9th (Thursday to Sunday, about $25 a person, memberships expire Dec 31) is the chef-driven one people talk about; Dockside Kitchen on Bay Ave does brunch daily plus a dinner club with a same-day trial pass.
What is actually open in the off-season
Fall and winter are quieter, not closed. The boardwalk amusements shut for the season (Playland runs late March to early October, and Wonderland Pier closed for good in 2024), but the town underneath keeps going: bikes are allowed on the boards all day once summer restrictions lift, the Moorlyn Square Theatre is open again on the boardwalk, and Corson’s Inlet and the Route 52 causeway walk are year-round.
- Boardwalk biking, all day: the 5am-to-noon rule is a summer rule. Off-season you can ride the boards whenever you like, which makes October the best biking month of the year. Rental shops are mostly seasonal, so call ahead or bring bikes.
- Moorlyn Square Theatre, 820 Boardwalk: the historic boardwalk movie house, renovated and reopened, currently Friday to Sunday afternoons. Good for a rainy afternoon.
- Route 52 causeway walk: a full-length path over the bay with fishing piers and overlooks, plus the welcome center’s second-floor bay view. Open year-round, best at sunset.
- Corson’s Inlet State Park: 341 acres of undeveloped dune and inlet at the south end, open year-round and close to empty in winter. Good birding.
- Closed for the winter: Playland’s Castaway Cove (late March to early October), Smitty’s Clam Bar (summer only), and the boardwalk food stands. Gillian’s Wonderland Pier is gone permanently; do not promise the kids that Ferris wheel.
Frequently asked questions
Which pizza on the Ocean City boardwalk, Manco or Prep's?
Both are on the boards a few blocks apart and both have been there for decades. Manco & Manco at 12th Street is the thin, saucy one most people mean when they say Ocean City pizza; Prep's at 10th is cheesier with an ice cream window. Try both and pick a side.
Where can you watch an Eagles game in Ocean City NJ?
Not on the island: Ocean City is dry, so there are no sports bars. Cross the 9th Street bridge to the Shore Road strip in Somers Point, about five minutes. Charlie's Bar is the locals' Eagles pick (multiple screens, wings, cash only), with Josie Kelly's Public House at 908 Shore Rd and Gregory's at 900 Shore Rd on the same stretch. Or stream it at the house on the 75-inch and skip the drive.
Can you get a drink in Ocean City NJ?
Not bought in town. Ocean City has been dry since it was founded, so no bars and no liquor stores; most families stop at Circle Liquors in Somers Point before the 9th Street bridge and bring their own. Restaurants on the island are BYOB, and two members-only clubs, The Betz Room and Dockside Kitchen, sell memberships that let them serve you what you bring.
Where do you get doughnuts near 12th Street in Ocean City?
Fractured Prune at 12th and Asbury dips hot cake doughnuts to order in the morning, two blocks from the house. Cathy's 14th Street Bakery does cream and cider doughnuts, mornings only, closed Mondays. Brown's on the north end of the boardwalk makes them in the window.