When you hear “Atlantic City” what do you think of? Gambling, of course. Miss America? (Although the pageant is now held in Las Vegas). Monopoly? (Most of the streets in the game are named for real Atlantic City streets). How about great food? AC has some truly great eating places from a modest hoagie hut to expensive haute cuisine. If you can tear yourself away from the gaming tables long enough for a meal you can treat yourself to some great dining.
DOCK’S OYSTER HOUSE 2405 Atlantic Ave, Atlantic City, NJ 08401-6630 (609) 345-0092 Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 5 pm – 10 pm, Friday – Saturday: 5 pm – 11 pm Estimated cost per person for dinner: $30 - $50
Any top ten list is somewhat arbitrary and you can argue that your favorite should have been included. But it’s hard to imagine anyone arguing against the inclusion of this AC institution. Since its founding by Harry “Dock” Dougherty in 1897 four generations of the family have been serving up some of the freshest and tastiest Seafood in town. The menu lists a dozen different varieties of oyster alone, from sol azuls from Baja California in Mexico to raspberry points from Prince Edward Island, Canada. For a truly decadent treat try the Chilled Shellfish Sampler for four: six oysters, six clams, four shrimp, a dozen mussels, crabmeat, shrimp ceviche, and a chilled one pound lobster. And we haven’t even gotten to the steak and seafood entrees yet.
KNIFE AND FORK INN Atlantic Ave & Pacific Ave, Atlantic City, NJ 08401 (609) 344-1133 Hours: Dinner from 5 pm every day with lunch served from 11:30 am to 4 pm on Fridays Estimated cost per person for dinner: $35 - $85
Dock’s is the only restaurant older than the Knife and Fork, a youngster of 95 years. But there’s a bigger connection. In 2003 Frank Dougherty, fourth generation co-owner of Dock’s, bought the Knife and Fork then re-opened it after two years of renovations. The Inn has as many steak and chop entrées as it does seafood making it a good choice if some of your party aren’t seafood fans. You can order béarnaise, béchamel or au poivre sauces with your steaks but if they’ve got the crown roast rack of lamb on special be sure to order it. It’s heavenly.
LEFTY’S 1200 CLUB 1200 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City, NJ 08401 (609) 348-5677 Hours: Lunch Monday – Friday 11 am – 3 pm. Dinner seven days 6 pm – 10 pm. Estimated cost per person for dinner: $30 - $50
Lefty’s has been likened to a 1940s New York nightclub with live entertainment and a dress code to match. (Well, you don’t have to wear a white dinner jacket but this is definitely not a shorts and T-shirt kind of place.) On Friday and Saturday nights, owner Sandi Fontana steps up to the bandstand and, backed by the 1200 Club Band, belts out the old standards. The menu, best described as American-Continental, features seafood favorites like coco loco shrimp (shrimp battered with coconut) and crab imperial along with some decadently delicious desserts.
TUN TAVERN 2 Miss America Way (at the Sheraton), Atlantic City, NJ 08401-4163 (609) 347-7800 Hours: 11:30 am – 11 pm every day, late night menu until 1 am. Bar open until 2 am Estimated cost per person for dinner: $15 – $40
The Tun Tavern claims its heritage dates back to a pub that was founded in 1685 on the corner of Water Street and Tun Alley in Philadelphia. The current incarnation’s claim to fame is that it’s the only microbrewery in Atlantic City. The fare is mostly the burgers seafood and steaks (including 20 oz ribeyes and porterhouses) that you’d expect in a pub but the highlight of any evening at the Tun is sampling the beers that are brewed right on the premises. There are about eight of them and you can even see their brewing vats through the glass walls of the bar.
CUBA LIBRE The Quarter at Tropicana, 2801 Pacific Ave., (S. Iowa Ave.), Atlantic City, NJ 08401 609-348-6700 Hours: Lunch Monday – Friday 11 am – 3 pm. Dinner Daily 4pm – 11 pm, late night menu until 1 am. Friday & Saturday Tropical Brunch Saturday & Sunday 11 am – 3 pm. Estimated cost per person for dinner: $30 - $50
If you’d like to know what it was like to dine in pre-Castro Cuba then you’ll want to try Cuba Libre. Its design and ambiance harkens back to a 1950s bistro of the sort Ernest Hemingway might have dined in after a hard day at the typewriter. It’s in “The Quarter,” The Tropicana’s Latin-themed dining and shopping mall. Award winning executive chef Guillermo Pernot, an Argentina-born great-great grandson of a president of Cuba, offers such specialties a guava bbq ribs and el churrasco, his signature skirt steak. If you go for the tropical brunch try the Tortilla Especial, a fluffy three egg omelet filled with thin slices of serrano ham, chorizo, slow roasted pork leg and Swiss cheese. Oh and if you like rum you’d better bring a designated driver. Cuba Libre offers well over six dozen(!) varieties.
MEXICO 3810 Ventnor Ave., Atlantic City, NJ 08401 (609)344-0366 Hours: 11 am – 1 am Estimated cost per person for dinner: $9 - $15
If you’re hankering for Latin fare but you’ve left too much money at the casino, Mexico is sure to fit the bill. This modestly priced (if immodestly named) family restaurant offers huge portions of favorites like enchiladas, fajitas, tacos and quesadillas. And the dishes are both delicious and muy authentico. The bar features a variety of Mexican beers and the restaurant is known for its authentic weekend specials like barbecued goat.
CHEF VOLA’S 111 South Albion Place, Atlantic City 08401-6407 (609) 345-2022 Hours: Call for reservations. Estimated cost per person for dinner: $35 – $100+
You either hate or (like a legion of fans) love Chef Vola’s. What could anyone dislike about this legendary mom and pop basement establishment? Well it starts with the reservations. Make them weeks or even months in advance. Then you have to find the place. There’s only a tiny sign out front. Once you get in you’ll discover you’re in the cramped (fans would say intimate and romantic) basement of a former boarding house. And when it comes time to pay, you better have cash (and lots of it, prices are steep). They don’t take credit cards.
Still, fans rhapsodize about the generous portions of delicious specialties like Chilean sea bass and veal parmigiana. And it’s BYOB. The menu is small and changes frequently but your waiter will be able to rattle off scores of specials from memory (without mentioning the prices—don’t say we didn’t warn you!). The salmon, pesto and, for you landlubbers, the veal are often cited as among the best anywhere.
WHITE HOUSE SUB SHOP 2301 Arctic Ave., Atlantic City, NJ 08401-4001 609-345-1564 Hours: 10 am – 9:30 pm Estimated cost per person for dinner: $9 - $15
A sub shop in the top ten? Yeah. It’s a Jersey thing. You gotta problem with that? Perhaps it won’t sound so strange when you see the autographed photos of fans like Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio and several Miss Americas among the scores of testimonials that cover the walls. The bread is delivered fresh throughout the day from a bakery across the street. Forget about foot long subs. The full-size sub is almost twice that so many people share them or get the half sub (or better yet wrap up and take home the unfinished half). The Italian cold-cut subs are among the specialties here and their cheese steaks, made with a tangy and gooey provolone, also get high marks. This small place gets awfully crowded though, so going on a weekday right as it opens or late in the afternoon is best.
Peregrine's Hilton Casino Resort, 3400 Boardwalk, Atlantic City 08401 609-347-7111 Hours: Thursday – Sunday 6 pm – 11 pm Estimated cost per person for dinner: $60 – $120
It’s named for the peregrine falcons that roost on the casino’s penthouse ledge and aptly so. Peregrine’s soars over its competition with a slew of awards, including a five star rating from the American Academy of Restaurant and Hospitality Sciences and its prices are well, sky-high. But for your money you get the best in contemporary American steaks and seafood and service that many say is the best you’ll encounter in Atlantic City.
OPA BAR AND GRILLE 1700 Boardwalk, Atlantic City 08401 (609) 344-0094 Hours: 11 am to 10 pm with a late night menu from 10 pm “until closing” Estimated cost per person for dinner: $15 – $35
Opa! is a celebratory exclamation Greeks shout out when they’re dancing, they’re happy or for no reason in particular. This attractive but unpretentious Greek restaurant on the Boardwalk at Indiana Avenue offers a variety of dining venues in one place. In fair weather you can take a table right on the Boardwalk. Or sit at the bar or inside dining room and watch the chefs prepare your meal in the open kitchen. Upstairs, dubbed “The Living Room” you’ll find a more intimate setting to enjoy such Greek treats as saganaki (pan friend kasseri cheese, flambéed with ouzo and then doused with lemon) and crab cakes Santorini. Also highly recommended are George’s Greek salad and the piediekia (baby lamb chops, Greek style.)
The Top List of Great Restaurants - Atlantic City, NJ