By OceanCity.com Staff

Whatever your tastes, whatever your mood, Ocean City has the food – and the setting.

You can grab a table under a palm tree by bay-front beaches, sip tropical drinks and feast on fresh grilled seafood and steaks at OC favorites like Macky's Bayside Bar & Grill and Fish Tales Bar & Grill. Or take your place at one of the popular Boardwalk restaurants like Harrison’s Harbor Watch Restaurant & Raw Bar and Shenanigan’s Irish Pub.

For a romantic evening out, you can choose among elegant restaurants with Victorian furnishings, fine china or crystal chandeliers. Reflections, the Victorian Room By the Sea, Windows on the Bay and, in nearby Berlin, the Atlantic Hotel Restaurant are prime fine dining spots.

When you’re ravenous, head for one of the many all-you-can-eat buffets loaded with vast arrays of fresh seafood, meats, pastas and desserts. The Bonfire and The Embers Restaurant have among the biggest and best buffets in town.

If you’re in the mood for cracking open succulent Maryland blue crabs, OC boasts lots of excellent choices. Regulars call Bahama Mamas the best crab house in town, and the granddaddy of Ocean City crab houses, Phillps, has expanded its menu dramatically, but still serves hefty, plump hard crabs.

For Italian fare, you can’t go wrong at Adolfo’s, Philip's Tutti Gusti or Ristorante Antipasti, named one of the nation’s top five Italian restaurants by viewers of the Food Network. If you’ve got a yen for Mexican, try the delectable traditional dishes at La Hacienda Restaurant.

And there’s always the Ocean City mainstays, sustenance for generations of young summer employees with big appetites and small paychecks: pizza, burgers, funnel cakes and, of course, Thrasher’s French Fries.

Check out Ocean City Golf's Dining Guide for the most comprehensive overview of resort restaurants, from Boardwalk eats to casual fare to fine dining. The guide features dozens of listings researched and written by our staff of professional journalists. We'll be updating the guide continually and complementing the listings with regular restaurant reviews and feature articles in the OceanCIty.com Dining section, the best source for virtually everything to do with dining in Ocean City.