Is there anything that screams summer more than walking along the ocean, taking in the salt air and munching on your favorite Boardwalk treat that you dreamed about all winter?
Atlantic City’s Boardwalk is full of those summer delights, ranging from fresh seafood to sugary goodness and everything in between, but we will make your stroll – and food cravings – even more satisfying by letting you know the 4 Must-Try Atlantic City Boardwalk Bites that you can’t miss!
All-You-Can-Eat, Old Bay Local Blue Crabs, Balcony Bar, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
You can’t come to the Jersey Shore without indulging yourself with some Jersey Fresh seafood, and the Hard Rock doesn’t only have the best seafood you will find on the Boardwalk, but it also has the best deal.
For $49.99, diners can eat all of the New Jersey blue crabs – steamed to perfection with Old Bay seasoning – they desire along with all of the trimmings, including roasted, seasoned potatoes and fresh, Jersey-grown corn on the cob.
To make things even better, you can crack your crabs – crab cracker included, of course – while watching the waves crash to the shore and the giant Wheel at the Steel Pier spin in the near distance. Wash those crabs down with some ice-cold draught beer or specialty cocktails.
This awesome deal is available 4 to 9 p.m. Thursdays to Mondays. However, you must be a Wild Card Rewards Member or hotel guest to dine at the Balcony Bar 4 p.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Go to HardRockHotelAtlanticCity.com
Salt Water Taffy at Fralinger’s, five Atlantic City locations including the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Second Floor
With “sea air and sunshine sealed in every box,” no trip to Atlantic City is complete without grabbing a box of Fralinger’s legendary Salt Water Taffy to chew on during your ride home or to bring back as a gift to your neighbor who took in your newspaper while you were vacationing.
Available in assortments in a variety of containers ranging from their gorgeous 1920s retro box to 8-pound collectible tins for true salt water taffy lovers, there’s just something about Fralinger’s that makes their taffy stand above the competition.
It all started with Enoch James’ recipe in the 1880s. His recipe was different than most, designed not to pull out one’s teeth, it was smooth, creamy, available in a variety of flavors and cut to fit the mouth perfectly.
Yes, salt water taffy was invented in New Jersey and still remains an essential Boardwalk treat. And the taffy has certainly evolved with so many wild flavors it’s impossible to mention them all. Part of the fun is going to the various bins of flavors and picking out your own perfect assortment.
Go to JamesCandy.com
Fudge from Steel’s Fudge, 2719 Boardwalk
There are those who love taffy and others who love fudge. It seems to be a split group. So why not get both when visiting Atlantic City?
Steel’s is as legendary as Fralinger’s, starting in 1919 and remaining a staple of the candy industry for more than 100 years.
Famous for “Grandma’s old-time recipe,” the fudge is still made the same way today: creamy and delicious. Like Fralinger’s taffy, Steel’s Fudge flavors have expanded dramatically since it all started.
Favorites include chocolate walnut, coconut, chocolate marshmallow, chocolate-vanilla swirl, chocolate raspberry, maple walnut, pistachio, cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip and even sugar-free flavors. Walk the Boardwalk in the fall and you can even try their pumpkin fudge.
Go to SteelsFudge.com
Funnel Cake at Steel Pier, 1000 Boardwalk
When the Steel Pier, another major piece of Atlantic City history, debuted its giant observation Wheel, the third largest in the country standing at 227 feet high, it changed the Atlantic City skyline forever.
And while the Wheel might be what gets you to the Steel Pier, the smell of funnel cakes – that irresistible mix of dough, fryer oil and powdered sugar – will lead the way. You can literally smell it for blocks.
Whether you’re at a carnival or walking the Atlantic City Boardwalk – the Steel Pier is Atlantic City’s resident carnival – walking by a funnel cake and not buying one is the equivalent of walking by a slot machine and not putting a quarter in.
It’s the simplest of junk foods: a tasty, vanilla pancake-like batter is poured into hot cooking oil – usually with a funnel, hence the name – in a circular pattern and then overlapping strands and fried until golden brown. The result is a gorgeous hot pastry that is easily ripped apart for sharing.
Funnel cakes are traditionally topped with powdered sugar. That traditional powdered sugar is still the most popular but has evolved into more decadence. At the Steel Pier, the Pennsylvania Dutch Country favorite can be topped with strawberries, apples and chocolate.
Go to SteelPier.com