Iconic Atlantic City Restaurants: Atlantic County Classics

Some of Atlantic County’s most loved restaurants have been feeding locals for generations, and Atlantic City is home to the oldest of them. These iconic spots are all open and serving in 2026, from a 1940s sub shop to an Italian dining room in a private home.

White House Subs

• Where: 2301 Arctic Ave., Atlantic City
• When: Daily, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The line has been out the door since 1946, and the subs on fresh rolls are why. Order the White House Special, piled with salami, provolone, ham, capicola and hot pepper giardiniera, and plan on sharing or saving half. A second location operates inside Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, but the Arctic Avenue original is the one to visit.

White House Subs feature

Dock’s Oyster House

• Where: 2405 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City
• When: Dinner nightly from 4 p.m. Happy hour daily 4 to 6 p.m.

Harry “call me Dock” Dougherty opened this seafood house in 1897, and the Dougherty family still runs it. The raw bar offers up to 10 oyster varieties a night, and the menu includes seared sea scallops, seafood towers and steaks alongside an award winning wine list.

Dock’s Oyster House

Knife and Fork Inn

• Where: 3600 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City
• When: Dinner nightly from 4 p.m. Happy hour 4 to 6 p.m. Lunch on Fridays.

Opened in 1912, this Atlantic City landmark was restored by the Dougherty family in 2005, when a wine room was added. Vintage photos line the bar, and it remains a go to for special occasion steak and seafood dinners.

Knife and Fork Inn

Angelo’s Fairmount Tavern

• Where: 2300 Fairmount Ave., Atlantic City
• When: Dinner daily. Call 609-344-2439 to confirm hours.

A Ducktown institution with roots in the 1930s, Angelo’s serves red sauce Italian classics in a warm, family style room. Online ordering is available directly from the restaurant.

Angelo’s Fairmount Tavern

Chef Vola’s

• Where: 111 S. Albion Place, Atlantic City
• When: Dinner Tuesday to Sunday, 4:30 to 10 p.m. Reservations by phone only at 609-345-2022.

Established in 1921, this family style Italian restaurant serves from the lower floors of a private home, and it is BYOB. Reservations are a must and can be hard to get, so call well ahead and confirm the payment policy when you book.

Chef Vola’s listing

Girasole

• Where: 3108 Pacific Ave., Atlantic City
• When: Dinner Sunday to Thursday 4 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4:30 to 9:30 p.m.

A bright, airy Italian dining room known for handmade pasta, seafood and brick oven pizza, with a specialty cocktail bar. It has been a longtime local favorite.

Girasole

Plan an Atlantic City Food Day

Start with a White House Special for lunch on Arctic Avenue, walk off the sub on the boardwalk, then settle in for oysters at Dock’s happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. For a bigger night, book a steak at Knife and Fork or a family style Italian dinner at Chef Vola’s or Angelo’s in Ducktown. Several of these restaurants are a short drive from one another along Atlantic, Arctic and Fairmount Avenues, so it is easy to build a night around two stops.

Good to Know

• Reservations are smart at Dock’s, Knife and Fork and Girasole on weekends.
• Chef Vola’s books by phone only, so call during business hours.
• Chef Vola’s is BYOB, so bring your own wine.
• White House Subs gets busy at lunch, so go early or late.
• Dock’s and Knife and Fork open for dinner at 4 p.m., which makes an early dinner before a show easy.

These restaurants have outlasted decades of change in Atlantic City because locals keep coming back. Call ahead in the off season, since hours can shift around holidays.

More in Atlantic County: cozy winter restaurants, things to do in Atlantic City in winter, and holiday events.