The Votes Are In: Meet the 2026 Best of Ocean City® Winners

The votes have been counted, the results are official and it is time to celebrate the businesses that make Ocean City, Maryland, a place visitors return to year after year.

The 2026 Best of Ocean City® winners have been announced across 48 categories covering restaurants, bars, things to do and the Ocean City Boardwalk. Tens of thousands of votes were cast by locals, frequent visitors and vacationers who wanted to recognize the places that make their time in Ocean City memorable.

Congratulations to every 2026 Poll Winner, Editorial Pick, finalist and nominee!

You can explore the complete list of 2026 Best of Ocean City® winners or continue below to meet some of this year’s standouts.

Celebrating the Best of Ocean City®

For more than a decade, the Best of Ocean City® awards have helped visitors answer some of the most important questions of an Ocean City vacation:

• Where should we eat tonight?

• Who has the best steamed crabs and crab cakes?

• Where can we watch the sunset?

• Which attraction will the children love?

• Who offers the best boat tours and watersports?

• Where should we stop on the Boardwalk?

These awards are determined by the people who know Ocean City best. The business receiving the most verified votes in each category is named the Poll Winner. OceanCity.com also recognizes an Editorial Pick in most categories, providing another locally informed recommendation alongside the community’s choice.

Learn more about the contest, its history and how voting works on the Best of Ocean City® overview page.

The Best Restaurants in Ocean City for 2026

More than 34,600 votes were cast across 19 restaurant and food categories, recognizing everything from seafood and steamed crabs to breakfast, pizza, carry-out and ice cream.

Several restaurants earned honors in more than one category:

• Harpoon Hanna’s won Best Seafood and Best Waterfront Dining.

• Barn 34 won Best Breakfast and Best Brunch.

• Lombardi’s Trattoria won Best Pizza and Best Italian Food.

• Anthony’s Liquor won Best Subs and Best Carry-Out Restaurant.

• Bull on the Beach won Best Raw Bar and Best BBQ.

Other Poll Winners include Spain Wine Bar for Best Upscale Casual Restaurant, The Hideaway at Seacrets for Best New Restaurant, Crab Bag for Best Crabs, Captain’s Galley Crab Cake Shack for Best Crab Cakes and Dumser’s Dairyland for Best Ice Cream.

The 2026 Editorial Picks include Vista Rooftop, Bai-Tee Bakery & Cafe, Delmarva Boil Company, Assateague Crab House, Coin’s Pub & Restaurant, Oyster & Scales, Longboard Cafe, Kalamata Meze Bar and other outstanding local businesses.

See every winner and find the right place for your next meal in our guide to the best restaurants in Ocean City, Maryland.

The Best Bars in Ocean City for 2026

Ocean City’s bar scene can mean live music and dancing, a drink beside the pool, a local craft beer or a quiet sunset over the bay.

More than 15,000 votes were cast across nine bar categories in 2026.

Seacrets earned two of the year’s biggest awards: Best Bar Overall and Best Live Music. Fager’s Island won Best Place to View a Sunset, while Coconuts Bar & Grill took the top spot for Best Happy Hour Specials.

Other Poll Winners include:

• The Caribbean Pool Bar at the Plim Plaza for Best Pool Bar

• The Original Greene Turtle in North Ocean City for Best Sports Bar

• Harborside Bar & Grill for Best Drinks

• The Tap House for Best Local Craft Beer Selection

• Burley Oak Brewing Company for Best Local Brewery

The 2026 Editorial Picks include Fish Tales, Beach Barrels, The Angler Restaurant & Bar, Dry 85, Pizza Tugos and Fin City Brewing Company.

Find the right place for live music, sunsets, sports, cocktails and craft beer in our complete guide to the best bars in Ocean City, Maryland.

The Best Things to Do in Ocean City for 2026

The beach may be Ocean City’s biggest attraction, but it is only the beginning of what visitors can experience.

The 2026 Best Things to Do awards recognize family attractions, arcades, boat tours, watersports, fishing, golf and rainy-day activities.

Trimper Rides won the new Best Family Fun category, while Baja Amusements received the Editorial Pick. Marty’s Playland won Best Arcade, and Old Pro Golf was voted Best Mini Golf. Old Pro Indoor Golf also won Best Rainy Day Activity.

The water was another major part of this year’s results:

• Under the Bridge Watersports/OCA Watersports won Best Jet Ski Rentals.

• 48th Street Watersports won Best Boat Rental and Best SUP or Kayak Rental.

• Sea Rocket won Best Boat Tour.

• The Angler won Best Fishing Charter.

• OC Parasail won Best Parasailing.

Editorial Picks include Odyssea Watersports, Bayside Boat and Jet Ski Rentals, Seacrets Cruises, St. Nick’s Mini Golf, Assateague Outfitters, Ocean’s Playhouse, Saltwater Adventures and Island Parasail.

Malibu’s Surf Shop won Best Surf Shop, and Lighthouse Sound was voted Best Golf Course.

Plan your next adventure with our guide to the best things to do in Ocean City, Maryland.

The Best of the Ocean City Boardwalk for 2026

More than 14,800 votes were cast to determine the best places to eat, drink and shop along the Ocean City Boardwalk.

The results include some of Ocean City’s most iconic names:

• Thrasher’s won Best Fries on the Boardwalk.

• Dough Roller won Best Pizza on the Boardwalk.

• Candy Kitchen won Best Candy on the Boardwalk.

• Fisher’s Popcorn won Best Caramel Corn.

• Harrison’s Harbor Watch won Best Sit-Down Restaurant.

• Golden Plate won Best Stand or Small Restaurant.

• Cork Bar won Best Bar on the Boardwalk.

• Kite Loft won Best Boardwalk Shop.

The Editorial Picks include Brothers Pizza, Dolle’s Candyland, Captain’s Table, Quickies Mini Donuts, Shenanigan’s Irish Pub and Park Place Jewelers.

Whether you are craving a bucket of fries, planning a seafood dinner or searching for the perfect Ocean City souvenir, start with the 2026 Best of the Ocean City Boardwalk winners.

Follow the Best of Ocean City® Trails

The winners are not simply names on a list. The free Best of Ocean City® Trails make it easy to find and visit them during your vacation.

Four mobile trails cover:

• Best Restaurants

• Best Bars

• Best Things to Do

• Best of the Boardwalk

Use the trails to discover winning businesses, check in at participating locations, access available offers and earn points toward prizes.

Once downloaded, the trails remain on your phone and can be used throughout your Ocean City visit.

Congratulations to All the 2026 Winners

Winning a Best of Ocean City® award means more than receiving a badge. It means customers cared enough about an experience to remember it, recommend it and cast a vote.

These businesses greet visitors, feed families, create vacation traditions and keep people entertained from early morning until long after sunset. Their work helps make Ocean City more than a destination—it makes Ocean City a place people feel connected to.

Congratulations to every 2026 Best of Ocean City® Poll Winner and Editorial Pick. We also congratulate all of the finalists and nominees whose food, service, attractions and hospitality contribute so much to the Ocean City community.

Most importantly, thank you to everyone who voted.

Ready to find your next Ocean City favorite? View the complete 2026 Best of Ocean City® winners list.