Spadafora’s Down East Restaurant & Clam Bar

Pretty terrible food at a pretty pricey restaurant. I can’t understand why seafood is so difficult to come by down the shore. It makes me sad every summer!
We decided to give this place a try since I hadn’t been here in a few years. It’s a good idea to call ahead if you want a reservation. Though on second thought, you’re better off just not coming. save your money!
My friend and I ordered a stuffed jumbo shrimp dish and the broiled combination, which came with shrimp, a deviled clam, sea scallops, flounder, and deviled crab. All of the entrees come with 2 sides. Unfortunately, they were out of baked potatoes. We got corn, fries, and sautéed veggies instead. I echo Erika T’s review, when I say that the best thing on both of our plates was the corn. Our seafood was soaked in butter/​oil, completely unseasoned otherwise, overcooked, and not appetizing. The deviled clam was the «best» part of any of the seafood we had and there was only 1 on the plate. The fries and corn were both good. The vegetables are laughable. They are definitely freezer veggies that tasted overcooked and downright disgusting. How hard is it to get some fresh broccoli on the side?
I will definitely not be back.

The deep fried food was good (the Thai chili shrimp and French fries), otherwise the fresh seafood was tasteless and corn was rotten. Highly disappointed since I have better meals here in the past.

Over the years I’ve had some good meals at Spadafora’s, but the last time we ate there it wasn’t quite up to par. I am sure every place has off nights, so I’ll give it another shot in the future.

Deliciously fresh lunch and awesome service! A fixture in OCNJ for 30+ years and did not disappoint! Blackened tilapia sandwich perfectly seasoned for the hubby and blue claw crab cake sandwich for me. Both sandwiches were tasty and filling. Great value for lunch as well!

Nice little place off the boards. We had the crabmeat salad with Dijon sauce which was solid and the cape may scallops which were cooked perfectly. Staff was friendly and they take reservations. Don’t judge a book by its cover rings especially true for good olé Spad’s!

It was time for dinner and my friends and I got off the broad walk and started wandering. We found this place with many MANY people outside waiting to be seated. We looked at the menu and the seafood option appealed to us so we put our name down and waited about 30 minutes to be seated.
I had the lobster bisque, which had tasted like it had bits of fish instead of lobster. It was also very heavy on the wine and not as creamy as a chowder. My friends got the clam chowder and seemed to enjoy it so much more than I did y bisque.
Our entrees came — filet of flounder, shrimp and clams, scallops… between the four of us, we pretty much had most of the seafood that was on the menu. Would it be sad to say that the best thing on my plate was the corn on the cob? It was sweet and I really liked it. The seafood was good too, perfectly seasoned, fresh. But I didn’t think there was anything special about the seasoning to warrant a 4 or 5 star rating. Again, perfectly fine food. And the service was impeccable.

My dining partner and I decided to visit Spadafora’s on a rainy night in Ocean City. We were seated promptly, and the service was outstanding and friendly. The place is clean, the utensils, cups, glasses, etc. were all clean. My dining partner had the crab cakes and fries, and he thought it was delicious — it was a lot of food and the crab cakes had lots of jumbo lumps of crab throughout. I ordered a side salad that was very fresh, but nothing to rave about — boring store-​bought croutons, bottled dressing. For my entrée, I had the crab imperial topped with grilled shrimp. The shrimp did not look grilled. They looked like boiled cocktail shrimp, but over done and all curled up. The crab imperial had lots of nice big lumps of crab, but unfortunately had a overly strong dijon mustard flavor to it. I’d probably go back, but I’ll try something else next time.

seafood was good Great squid food was ok but please increase portion of fried squid
would rather go to red lobster or near by golden corral they have better seafood

Make reservations! This place fills up! Get the seafood combinations and just share them! The deviled clams are amazing! All the food is fresh and tasty. They lose points for their weird bathroom setup and dirty tables!

Had their crab cake sandwich from their stall in the boardwalk during Indian Summer. It was very good! My father-​in-​law had their lobster bisque and crab cake platter and thought they were awesome. We normally go to the Clam Bar in Somers Point but we will need to give their full restaurant a try soon.

Heard from many people this place was excellent. Not sure what they were talking about because it was mediocre at best.
Tomatoes were mushy, angus burger was nothing special. Flies everywhere and very cramped. Was not cheap either.
Would not recommend this place.

We ALWAYS go to Spadaforas when we are in Ocean City for family vacation. Every year I get the crab cakes and they are amazing! This year we tried the calamari and it disappeared! I also tried the lobster bisque which I loved. It was served in a coffee mug which made me giggle. This place is very much a hole in the wall that continues to thrive. The restaurant is small so I would definitely make a reservation. You will still wait 20 minutes with a reservation, without one likely an hour.

Staff was very courteous and very helpful. We did not feel overwhelmed by the staff. The waitresses made sure we had what we needed at all times. We had 4 little ones and they were great with them and very understanding. Food was great. The crab meat was very fresh and the clams casino was delicious. The combo salad (market price) was very large and amazing. I was surprised to see a Lobster tail on top! Lobster bisque was unreal. Fresh and tasty. Small place, but worth it. Make reservations because there will be a wait.

We went here for a meal, because it had seafood.
The interior is cramped and dark. It could use some fresh paint.
The service was friendly and prompt.
I ordered a burger. I asked for medium rare, it came out medium to well-​done. It tasted fine. I liked the fries that came with it. It did come with fresh lettuce, tomato and onions. But, all together it was hard to eat. I asked for cheese and it did not melt onto the burger.
My son ordered two appetizers. A clam chowder that he seemed to enjoy. It appeared to have plenty of clams in it. Then fried calamari. He did not like it at all. He did not finish after a few bites of it.
My wife had a seafood platter. She shared portions of it with our son. Like the crab cake, shrimp and flounder. It also came with Lobster and scallops. She thought it was cooked well. The portion was large.
You can sit outside or in.

Arrive early to avoid the wait! Early bird specials 3 – 5. Excellent seafood (so I’m told — I’m allergic) and amazing hamburgers and grilled Key West chicken. Worth the wait for sure! Lunch is also great and a bit less busy!

Good sit down family restaurant. Even though it is mostly seafood, there was things on the menu for my mom who doesn’t like seafood. This was a huge plus! A little small sized place but the service is friendly. Food came super out fast. I had the stuffed flounder with corn and sautéed vegetables. The corn on the cob was SO good and sweet! The sautéed vegetables seemed like it came from a can. The New England clam chowder was a nice start too. Thought it was strange that the lobster bisque came out white when usually it is a pinkish color. Overall we all enjoyed the meal.

I searched Unilocal before we went to Spadaforas. It got good ratings but I don’t know why. We made reservations for 8:00 pm and waited an hour. Seated right next to the front door. It was incredible noisy and very small but that wasn’t the worst thing.
I has the oysters and crab cake. The oysters were over cooked and the crab cake had tons of breading and little crab. The fries were excellent and the New England clam chowder was great. Make that your meal and stop there. My daughter ordered the lobster bisque which was very good but it had sherry in it. Nowhere on the menu did it mention the sherry. We had a recovering alcoholic with us and he tried the soup. AA tells them to stay away from things cooked in alcohol because the taste can trigger a relapse. I called the restaurant later and talked to them about this and suggested they mention it in the menu descriptions of the soup so that patrons can make an informed decision. I got a very uninterested and unhelpful response. We stayed in ocean city nj because it is a dry town.
I would suggest giving another restaurant a try
There are many

After being stuck in traffic for nearly 2 hours, we were starving and ready to eat. I turned to Unilocal looking for a seafood spot. Spadafora’s looked promising so we started our couple block treck. When we arrived I was suprised by how small it is they have some tables outside which are shaded and the inside is air conditioned however with kitchen going it is not really cool inside.
I made a meal of two appetizers and a bowl of new england clam chowder. I really appreciated the attention to detail and effort they put in their clam chowder. The potatoes were uniform in size and the clams were chunky and tender. It really hit the spot even on a hot summer day. The steamed littleneck clams were fresh and went great with the tabasco already at the table. The cold bar sampler was a little disappointing it tasted fresh but was a little dark like it was frozen months back and saved just for me, unfortunately. In this case I wish they hadn’t lol.
My fiancé went with the crab cake and fried shrimp which were tasty. My daughters chicken tenders and fries were perfectly fried. The french fries were to die for and a second runner up after the clam chowder.
The service was friendly and fast. I would definitely come back again and have a bowl of the clam chowder.

This is my first time in Ocean city and I wanted to eat seafood. This was a great establishment with friendly staff and a family atmosphere. The food was incredible for a diner style meal. I ordered the seafood broiled combo (amazing), raw clams (very fresh) and the keylime pie for dessert (outstanding). We were served hot rolls before our meal and they were crispy and soft on the inside.
I highly recommend this place for your dining needs. I would avoid the veggie sides or apple sauce. Stick with the fries or corn on the cob.

This is a review for the market /​take out only–
We got take out on a weekday and the place was bustling. We called ahead and picked up the order. The employees were off putting and not friendly. The prices were pretty high but the quality of the food was good. LOVED the simply grilled scallops! The buttery and fresh flavor was perfect. The sides were alright. Overall a decent and somewhat pricey dinner selection.
4 stars food
3 stars service
3 stars prices