Restaurant Review : Jonah & the Whale in Ocean City, Maryland

Seafood! Get Your Seafood!

Beth Benson
Seafood! Get Your Seafood! If you are in Ocean City, Maryland on the Boardwalk at 26th Street, you need to visit this amazing all-you-can-eat buffet called Jonah & The Whale.

But before you go any further, make sure you are extremely hungry because your going to be paying $24 per person. (HINT: Grab the visitor's guides in Ocean City, there you will find a $2 off coupon for the buffet.)

Now there is free parking, which is across the street from the restaurant and there is normally a ten to twenty minute wait, especially if you arrive after 4pm. The only downfall is that you have to wait those ten to twenty minutes outside.

The restaurant itself is a beautifully designed 18th century whaling tavern, when you enter the restaurant a hostess or host will greet you and explain the layout of the large buffet. They have an all-you-can-eat soup and salad bar that is 30 feet long and contains many hot soups, fresh salads, tacos, and backed potato bar. They also have an all-you-can-eat pasta bar. The pasta bar has fresh seafood pasta and made to order sauces of three different types.

I didn't get to try the above all-you-can-eat bars; however the all-you-can-eat seafood bar was plunged into. The seafood bar had snow crab legs, crab imperial, steamed shrimp, baked fish, golden fried shrimp, steamed ship round of beef, scallops, fried clam strips, steamed clams, oysters, country ham, BBQ ribs, baked chicken, roast turkey, rolls, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, macaroni and cheese, fresh vegetable, and much, much more.

I indulged on the fried shrimp and clams. They were so perfect, it was almost scary. They were extremely fresh and crispy. They also had a seafood style stuffing that didn't have the stuffing type consistency it was flakier, but all and all I definitely advise you to try it. The macaroni and cheese tasted like Velveeta shells and cheese however the cheese was thicker and cheesier. We also dove into the mountains of crab legs; they were amazing and fresh however they didn't have the crab cracking utensils.

They also had salmon, this was my first time eating salmon and it was very good. My boyfriend ate a lot of the salmon and commented that it tasted so fresh that it was like they came right out of the Atlantic Ocean and onto our plates! I'm not a big mussels fan, however my boyfriend stated that they were very savory and well cooked.

Now it's time for dessert, and you have to leave room for dessert! They had a fabulous decadent chocolate cake with mousse like cream inside of it. They also had a variety of pies as well as a cheese cake that was so yummy! The cheese cake was original, no strawberries or cherries, just plain and delicious. If you're more into fruit, don't worry, they have juicy watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe readily available.

There is a small sundae bar to the right of the dessert bar that offers soft serve vanilla and chocolate ice cream. I tried the chocolate soft serve; however it wasn't very creamy and seemed to be more ice than ice cream.

If all of this food isn't something you want to eat, then there is an a la care menu that includes seafood, steaks, and chicken. There is also a children's menu available for the little ones.

When the bill comes you will notice that the gratuity is already included. Above all, this is one of the best restaurants in the Ocean City, Maryland area and I highly recommend visiting it on an extremely empty tummy!

Published by Beth Benson

I love to research and learn anything I can about anything. Science, computers, electronics, astronomy, etc. I love to write and am very open minded and a strong believer that anything is possible and anythi...  View profile

10 Comments

Post a Comment
  • Dave Marcus3/22/2010

    Chelle,
    You are an idiot! Gratuity is based on the price of the check...not the amount of people.
    Joe: Nobody speaks American???? You mean English?
    It's hard to take advice from people who sound ignorant!

  • CHELLE8/27/2009

    DONT EVER GO THERE IT IS TERRIBLE.THE SAD THING ABOUT THIS PLACE IT COULD BE GOOD IF THE FOOD WAS HOT...AND THEY CHARGE 15%25 GRADTITUY EVEN IF ITS 1 OR 2 PEOPLE..

  • Jenn8/25/2009

    My friend and I just ate there this past week, and it was horrible. I got cold food and she got warm desserts. I asked to speak with a manager and out comes some guy in a pair of jean shorts a button down shirt with a wife beater underneath and his hair was nasty. He asked what my problem was and I told him that the food was cold and the desserts were warm. He then said well I don't know what you are talking about I have been picking at the bar all night as I have been walking around.

  • Joe Calabretta6/3/2009

    The place stinks!
    Nobody speaks American.
    The food is ice cold, and the cold food is warm.
    Stay away from this place if you like your stomach and money.
    I asked for raw clams and never got them.
    It cost me $99.98 for 3 people and we didn't eat anything.

  • Lea Ann5/27/2009

    Folks leaving good comments about this nasty place must work there and need the revenue. I work for the Maryland Restaurant Association and was sent there on business. Ughhh... My fish and clams were like rubber and it was $84 dollars for my husband, me and two (2) children under five (5). They even added gratuity to your bill of 15%. Not for the fifteen (15) waiters that visit your table but for the cook, bus person, cashier. Come on, any one with TASTE will agree with me.

  • Diningverse2/14/2009

    Leave your recommendation for Jonah and The Whale at http://diningverse.com/basic/111

  • Austin8/9/2008

    I have no idea what these people are saying. This place was absolutely worth my money! great food

  • Big Daddy8/2/2008

    Way overpriced and food is not good at all. Better off going down the street to Bonfire and eatting a real buffet.

  • dan a6/14/2008

    must entirely disagree with it getting a 3 star. The food was terrible, it was $31 per person, and all 4 members of our group ended up throwing up. Stay away!

  • dan a6/14/2008

    must entirely disagree with it getting a 3 star. The food was terrible, it was $31 per person, and all 4 members of our group ended up throwing up. Stay away!

Displaying Comments

To comment, please sign in to your Yahoo! account, or sign up for a new account.