Chatterbox

Chatterbox
Ocean City
500 E. Ninth Street
609-399-0113

Open: Breakfast, lunch & dinner, daily

Price: $ BYO

Style: The Hacienda-style pink stucco building on the corner of Ninth Street and Central Avenue in Ocean City—with its clay-tile roof and decorative iron balconies—has been serving its own cheerful take on diner food since 1937 (minus seven months for a total rebuild after Sandy in 2012). Its big portions and fun items for kids keep it busy year-round.

The Scoop: In 2014, Bob and Marie Boyer bought the Chatterbox and have kept the charm and tradition intact—she usually at the door, he in the kitchen.

The Menu: Amid Shore towns adrift in fried food and pizza, the Chatterbox is an oasis of American variety. Breakfast attractions include cream cheese-stuffed French toast with fresh fruit and whipped cream. Popular lunch items include the chicken parm sub (left) with Parmesan, mozzarella and house-made marinara. At dinner, lots of meatloaf with mashed potato entrées emerge from the kitchen, along with orders of crab cakes and bowls of lobster mac and cheese.

Heads Up: In this dry town, even if you don’t BYO, you can still live it up with an ice cream float.