ACGuide

The Best Restaurants In Atlantic City

You’re probably not here for the food, but you might as well have a great meal while you’re in town.
The Best Restaurants In Atlantic City  image

photo credit: Emily Schindler

You might find yourself in Atlantic City for a few reasons. Maybe your friends didn’t want to get on a plane to Vegas, or you couldn’t commit to the yeehaw vibes required for a Nashville bachelorette weekend. If you grew up nearby, maybe you just want to relive your post-prom rager.

Whatever reason you’re here, there are lots of bars and restaurants scattered around, and most of them are just OK. It might sound convenient to eat at whatever resort or hotel you’re staying in, but you’re better off hitting up one of the spots that are just a quick car (or party van decked out in LED lights) ride away from the casinos. There’s no shortage of great Italian restaurants where you can get down on a veal parm before going to a Wu-Tang show at Boardwalk Hall, late-night and brunch places to keep the party going into the next day, and quick spots to grab tacos or a giant sub on your way home.

We’ve also planned a weekend of low-key but still fun eating and drinking if you're not trying to lose a sandal at a club.

THE SPOTS

photo credit: Emily Schindler

Italian

$$$$Perfect For:First/Early in the Game DatesDate NightKids
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Atlantic City is a place inexplicably known for bachelor parties that result in unspoken oaths of secrecy and wholesome family vacations. Even still, there aren’t that many places where you can take the whole family for a good time and a pleasant meal. Enter Cafe 2825. The Italian spot is off the chaos of the boardwalk, but still close enough to the hotels that it’s not a total trek to get there. The space is decked out with cozy string lights and hanging plants, creating the perfect ambiance for your family to “ooh” and “aah” at table-side preparations of cacio e pepe, finished off in a giant cheese wheel.


After a long night partying, White House Subs Shop is a cheap way to restore your ego (and fortify your stomach) on your way out of town. Get the $20 White House Special that’s the length and width of your arm, loaded up with thick-cut salami, provolone, ham, capicola, and hot pepper giardiniera—the regular Italian is also good if you don’t want to overload on meat (unlikely, but possible). Be prepared to wait for a bit on weekends, but we promise it’s worth it.


Don’t let Pancho’s Taqueria get overshadowed by its next-door neighbor, White House Subs—this taco spot is worth going out of your way for the tender chunks of beef tucked into homemade tortillas. Snag one of the few wooden tables, or take a seat at the tiled bar where you can watch your tortillas toast up on the plancha. It’s an ideal spot for a pit stop when you’re waiting to check into your hotel or if you’re morally opposed to spending triple digits on dinner before a show at the Hard Rock. Get multiple orders of tacos so you can taste both the suadero and al pastor, and always add on some enchiladas that come napping in a warm blanket of mole. 


Setaara doesn’t look like much from the outside, but inside is a tropical oasis that borders on overstimulating (in the best way possible). Filled with lush plants, lots of colorful, souk-style furniture, and birds singing along to French brassiere-esque music, the courtyard’s focal point is a giant, sparkling model of the Eiffel Tower. It might all seem a bit much, but the food will win you over. The warm bolani is served with a bright and spicy jalapeño chutney, and the lamb shanks fall apart with a nudge of your fork and come with mounds of flavorful rice. Don’t skip an order of the mantu beef dumplings, which are drizzled with a creamy yogurt sauce you’ll want to lick off the plate. 


There are a lot of places to eat excellent Italian food in the great state of New Jersey, so the bar is high when it comes to veal parm and pasta. Chef Vola’s meets and exceeds those expectations, and has more than 100 years of experience to back it up. You’ll enter into a single-family home and sit in someone’s dining room for a literal home-cooked meal, and will likely go home with plenty of leftovers even if you order conservatively. Reservations and cash are both essential, and bringing a nice bottle of wine to enjoy is highly recommended.


Fewer things are more satisfying than the first sip of a cold beer on a hot summer day, so we’re thankful that Tennessee Beer Hall has us covered with 40+ beers on tap. It’s just steps from the beach, so you can still enjoy a cool drink long after the IPAs in your beach cooler have run out or gotten warm in the sun. They also serve flavorful dishes like lump crab cake bowls and have $5 breakfast deals if you wanna fortify yourself for an early start. You can catch free live music on Saturdays and Sundays, and get toasty next to fire pits on cool summer nights.


This spot has been around since before the invention of air conditioning, so everything on the massive menu has withstood the test of time. As the name implies, this is your opportunity to ball out on oysters, scallops, and whatever other seafood dishes call to you. You’re equally likely to see a bachelor party splitting a seafood tower or a family enjoying a nice evening dinner, so the vibes can be tailored to whatever occasion you’d like to celebrate. Whether that’s your best friend dumping her red-flag-ridden boyfriend or your brother’s college graduation—or, somehow a dinner where you’re celebrating both. 


photo credit: Emily Schindler

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This Italian restaurant is neither an old-school red sauce joint nor a sceney pasta spot. Instead, it’s just the right amount of camp, with Ferrari memorabilia scattered throughout the space, waiters running around sipping espresso in pinstripe smoking jackets, and a giant white brick oven in the dining room. The food is also excellent, down to the basket of warm complimentary bread and olive oil you’ll get when you sit down. The salt-baked branzino that’s cracked open tableside might seem like they’re going for unnecessary drama, but it’s actually perfectly moist and a must-order.


photo credit: David A. Lee

$$$$Perfect For:Brunch

There’s almost always ‘90s R&B music playing in Kelsey’s, and that’s only one of the reasons to come to this laid-back comfort food restaurant. The soul food options you’ll find at weekend brunch, like shrimp and grits or chicken and waffles, will revive you after a long night of partying—plus fuel you up to persevere through whatever else Atlantic City throws your way. Kelsey’s is also the type of place that’s filled with energy on a Sunday morning, but low-key enough to bring a date for dinner. Just make sure to reserve ahead of time, as tables can be tough to come by.


The Italian food at Tony’s Baltimore isn’t the best in the world, or even in Atlantic City. But it is where you want to be when it’s 2am and you need somewhere to keep the party going with good vibes and a hearty plate of spaghetti and meatballs. The pizza is the best option on the menu, so get a clams casino and a Nino’s favorite pie, which comes loaded up with sausage and cherry peppers. Maybe even split it with a group of moms in concert merch you became friends with at the bar. 


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