Best Food in Atlantic City: 12 Places You Must Try

Atlantic City is known for casinos, but the food outside the casinos is where the real magic is. I spent three days eating my way through the city. Three breakfast spots, three lunches, three dinners, and a few snacks you can't skip. Some of these places have been serving locals for decades. We're starting with the most important meal of the day, three breakfast spots, three different vibes. For your first breakfast stop that I think you should stop Let's head to the first spot. by here in Atlantic City is the famous Gilchrist here at the Tropicana and definitely get the blueberry pancakes. Let's head inside and give it a try. This location has been open since 2018 but the Gilchrist name goes back much further. This is the fourth location since 1946 for this Atlantic City staple. It's tucked inside the Chelsea Tower at the Tropicana, and the moment you walk in, it feels like a classic old school diner. It has that hometown local spot vibe, like the kind of place that all the staff knows the regulars by name. They run specials every single day, but what they're most famous for is their blueberry hotcakes. So that's exactly what I ordered. I got the three hotcakes for just $8.95, and they were amazing. The texture sits somewhere between a pancake and a crepe, so they're light and soft but still hearty. Each one is loaded with blueberries, and they come with regular syrup, which is all they really need. For under $9 in Atlantic City, that's a steal, and these are definitely worth stopping for. The service was great. Everyone inside was friendly and the food came out fast. Overall, the Gilchrist is a fantastic spot to grab breakfast at the Tropicana. If you're in the area, don't skip it. All right, for breakfast spot number two, we are here at Perry's Cafe, which is right behind me in that green building. Let's head inside and see what they have to offer here. If you're looking for a good, no frills breakfast in Atlantic City, Perry's Cafe and Deli is worth a stop. The moment you walk in, it feels like a family-owned restaurant. It's got that friendly, local vibe. And when I stopped by at 8.30 in the morning, it wasn't busy at all. So there was no wait and no rush. I ordered the breakfast burrito wrap. With chorizo, egg, cheese, onions, and peppers. It came out piping hot. The chorizo gives it a nice kick, and the onions and peppers rounded it out. The plate also came with potatoes, and they were half crispy, which is exactly how I like them. Really good. The whole plate came out to $11.05, and for a full breakfast in Atlantic City, that's a solid price for the amount of food that you get. The service was great, too. Everyone was friendly, and the food came out super fast. Overall, Perry's Cafe and Deli is a great place to grab breakfast. If you're in the area, Definitely stop by. All right, we are at our last breakfast spot of this video. We are here at Maria's. It is right behind Bass Pro Shop. Let's head on in and check out their breakfast. If you want a true local breakfast spot in Atlantic City, you need to know about Maria's Luncheonette. It's at 2319 Atlantic Avenue, and it has a small free parking lot that fits around seven cars, which is a big win for Atlantic City. Maria's has been serving Atlantic City and its visitors for more than 25 years, and you can feel that history the second you walk in. It's definitely family owned, and it's very small inside. I sat at the bar where there are just a couple seats, so you get a front row view of the kitchen. I ordered one of their breakfast platters, which came with two eggs, Bacon hash browns and toast. Everything came out hot which I love. My plate wasn't sitting somewhere getting cold and everything tasted fresh. The whole platter was $12.95 and for everything you get I felt like that was a great price. This is definitely a great breakfast spot and one I can recommend. If you're in Atlantic City and you want a small family-run place with great food, stop by Maria's Luncheonette. All right we're here at our first lunch spot. It is raining outside right now so I'm in my car. We are here at Tony Bologna's which is known for crazy over-the-top pizzas and sandwiches. So let's head on in and check it out. If you want over-the-top Instagram-worthy pizza in Atlantic City, Tony Bologna's is your spot. It's at 300 Oriental Avenue right behind Ocean Casino and it's literally the only place on the block. This is the original Tony Bologna's which started here around 2008 as a small deli before growing into a New Jersey favorite. I tried two slices. First was the swine fighter, a slice covered with pepperoni. Then they take all the grease from the cooked pepperoni, mix it with ranch, and put that sauce all over the top. It's $15.01 for one slice but it's worth it. My favorite, though, was the -----faced chicken slice. Beer-battered fried chicken, honey stout barbecue sauce, dry-aged mozzarella, and sharp cheddar. That one was only 6.10, and it definitely was the winner. The crust on both was crunchy and flavorful with a really good texture. Overall, if you're looking for something over the top that actually tastes great, Tony Bologna's is a must stop and do come hungry. All right, for the second lunch spot, I am taking you to another Atlantic City institution. We are heading to White House Subs. Now this is about two blocks off the boardwalk, but do not worry. You are right next to Bass Pro Shops here. So you are in a relatively safe area. So let's head on into the original White House Subs. If you talk to anyone from Atlantic City about subs, they will bring up White House. This is the place everyone tells you about. They have been around since 1946 and they give you loaded sandwiches inside. It's super old school and the walls are covered with pictures of famous people who have eaten here. Even the Beatles stopped by for a sub back in 1964. I ended up getting a turkey and cheese half sandwich and it was huge. It was $12 and all the subs are made with lettuce, tomato, onions, peppers, sweet peppers and pickles. I got mine with no tomato and added mayo. The service was super fast and friendly, and I'd say this is definitely not a tourist trap. It's the real deal. If you're in Atlantic City, I'd recommend eating at this historic location. All right, we are at our final lunch spot here. We are at Queens Pizza Palace, but they're not famous for their pizza. They're famous for their empanadas. Let's go in and check it out. If you're in Atlantic City and want something different from the usual pizza and burgers, check out Queen's Pizza Palace. It's at 3205 Atlantic Avenue and the menu is a mix you don't see every day. They combine pizza with Dominican, Peruvian, and Mexican flavors and they say everything is made with fresh high quality ingredients. When we walked in there was a lot of locals eating so you know we were in the right place. The menu was packed with great items and it was hard to choose. We started with the empanadas. I got the chicken and cheese and the birria and queso and my friend Mark got the beef and potato. We also got some pernil tacos. Everything we had was amazing. The standouts were the birria empanadas and those tacos. The birria empanadas was rich, cheesy, and full of flavor, and the pernil tacos were just as good. The service was great too, friendly and welcoming. If you're looking for something a little different in Atlantic City, I highly suggest you check out this place. All right, before we get to the next food spot, let me tell you something. If you're traveling, this might save you some money. 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The business goes all the way back to 1927 when it opened as the Baltimore Grill, serving pasta and fried seafood. Tony's has been in the building since April 1965 and the line stretched down the avenue on opening day. It's definitely a dive bar and it's super old school, which I love. The walls are covered in vintage photos and you can feel the history in every corner. I ordered the sausage pizza, Which multiple people in Atlantic City recommended to me. It was good. Is it the best pizza on earth? No, but it was still great. And it's the kind of pizza that tastes even better in a place like this. Because that's really what Tony's is about. You come here for the atmosphere and the people. If you've never been here before, definitely put it on your list for your next trip to Atlantic City. All right, for our second spot for dinner, we are here at King's Pub. I've heard the wings here are delicious. Let's head inside and give it a try. If you're looking for a great local spot in Atlantic City, you need to try King's Pub. It's at 229 South Tennessee Avenue, and the bar has some history. It's the former Piccadilly Pub, a dive bar that was famous for its wings for decades. In 2023, new owners took over and reopened as King's Pub. We started with the wings, eight piece with their house buffalo sauce. They were plump, juicy, and overall great wings. We also got the side of fries for $4. They were seasoned, Crispy and really good, but the star of the meal was the brisket quesadilla for $13. It's packed with tender brisket, cheddar cheese, chipotle aioli, and pico. It was so good and I highly recommend it. Honestly, this was arguably the best meal of the entire trip. If you're in Atlantic City and want to grab great food at a fair price at a locals pub, stop by King's Pub. All right, we are heading to the final dinner spot here of the video, and it's right here on the famous Atlantic City Boardwalk. It is going to be Bill's. Let's head on in and try some of this Greek food. If you're walking the Atlantic City Boardwalk and want a quick tasty bite, stop at Bill's Gyro in Slovakia. It's halfway between Bally's and Resorts, so it's easy to hit while you're out walking. From the outside, it looks pretty unamusing. But step inside and you'll see dollar bills hanging everywhere. They cover the walls and it's a really fun spot to look at. Bill's has been serving the boardwalk since 1967, so it's got decades of history behind it. I got the chicken souvlaki on a pita and it came out really fast. That's perfect if you're on the boardwalk and you don't want to wait around. The staff was really nice, too, which made the stop even better. If you're on the Atlantic City boardwalk, Bill's Euro is a great place to stop into. Here's your first snack area here. Saltwater taffy was invented here in Atlantic City and this is one of the original stores that still have saltwater taffy for sale. Let's go in and check it out. You can't visit Atlantic City without stopping for saltwater taffy and Fralinger's is the name that started it all. It goes back to the 1800s, and a fun fact, there's no actual ocean water in saltwater taffy. The name comes from being made by the sea. Fralinger's packed its taffy into one-pound oyster boxes for tourists, creating the very first Atlantic City souvenir. More than 125 years later, a box of taffy is still the most popular souvenir in town. I stopped into the shop on the boardwalk and grabbed a bag of assorted taffy for less than five bucks. They have so many different flavors, and it's a great stop to try them all. If you want to take a little piece of Atlantic City home, grab a box of Fralinger's. All right, the next place I am taking you guys for a snack slash drink is to Heyday Coffee. It's right down New York Ave, right off the boardwalk. Boardwalk's right behind me, and it's a short walk straight down South New York Ave. If you're looking for a caffeine hit, look no further than Heyday Coffee. This local coffee shop is located right off the boardwalk down South New York Avenue. They have coffee, tea, and a few breakfast items. The staff is great, and you'll always find a great seasonal drink to get your day started right. All right guys, that's going to be my list of places that I recommend that you guys need to check out on your next trip to Atlantic City. There's plenty of other good places that I didn't have time To put in this video, but I promise you on my next trip, I'll have a new list of great places you guys should check out. If you enjoyed this video or if it helped in any way, please leave a thumbs up on this video and be sure to subscribe to the channel. Thank you guys for watching and I'll see you on the next one.