Boardwalk food gets no respect, and maybe it shouldn't. Underwhelming and overpriced, boardwalk food caters to - takes advantage of? - a captive audience.But there is good, even great, boardwalk food out there, if you know where to look. I spent six days walking the six major boardwalks - Asbury Park, Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside, Atlantic City, Ocean City and Wildwood - most of the journey in a blistering heat wave. I stopped at 77 restaurants/stands, sampling close to 150 items, everything from fried pickles with sexy sauce to Seagull Droppings (more on that later). Candy and sweets stands were not considered.Here are the 35 best boardwalk eats, drawing on my sweaty walking tour and past experience. There's no reason to bad-mouth boardwalk food ever again - unless you keep going to all the wrong places.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
35. White pizza, Manco & Manco, Ocean City
Manco & Manco started as Mack & Manco in 1956. The Mack family ended its partnership with the Manco family in 2011, while Manco & Manco's owners were found guilty of tax evasion in 2017. The legend goes on; there are 20 or so pizza stands on the Ocean City boardwalk, with Manco & Manco easily the most famous. I've always considered their white pie their best creation, and it didn't disappoint on this mission.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
34. Chicken, beef pies, Guma Spicy Pies, Wildwood
A newcomer to the Jersey boardwalk scene,
Guma Spicy Pies is the brainchild of Augustine Guma, a
childhood survivor of civil unrest in Uganda whose first job in this country was as dishwasher in a New York City restaurant. He now oversees a restaurant in Woodbridge, Va., a food truck and the Wildwood boardwalk stand. The pies are available in beef, chicken, veggie, crab and lobster versions. Call them a tasty, slightly spicy cross between a dumpling and empanada.
33. Sicilian pizza, Pizza Plus, Point Pleasant Beach
Let's be blunt: With a few exceptions, Jersey boardwalk pizza is mediocre at best.
Pizza Plus looks like dozens of other boardwalk pizzerias, but the Sicilian comes as a saucy surprise, with commendable cheese and crust. It was a bit undercooked; they need to keep those pies in the oven a minute or two longer.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
32. Tacos, Blue Cactus, Ocean City
Taco stands can be found up and down the major boardwalks;
Blue Cactus stands out for fresh fillings and homemade guacamole and salsa. The tacos are a bit pricey - $5 for chicken, $6 for steak, carnitas and brisket, but you can save a couple bucks by buying three. They have Alex's Lemonade here, better than any of the boardwalk stands not named Bob's or Pucker.