We were a party of 3 and were seated right away on a Thursday night. All 3 of us got the AYCE snow crab legs. The meal comes with snow crab legs, corn on the cob, fried chicken, and hush puppies. The servers were quick with clearing plates and refilling drinks and food. I absolutely loved it. I will return. read more

Aww... I ordered the steamed crabs and shrimp with sides of potatoes, sausage, and corn on the cob. The flavor was so delicious. My husband had fried shrimp, fried clams, and fried chicken, which was also very delicious. Our waitress was very warm and checked on us frequently. I had the rum/mango tea, which I returned because it wasn't good. I ordered the margarita on the rocks with a salted rim, and that was dam good. The place was clean and spacious, with an arcade machine on the other side. Yes, I will support this business again. read more

Dine in review: Service was stellar. The waitress checked in multiple times, to made sure to ask if we were ready for our next round of food. There were other workers that would go rounds to take away plates that were finished, so the tables stayed relatively open and enjoyable. Very friendly and professional. The food was alright. I got the All you can eat #4 Fried shrimps + Fried clam strips. The all you can eat menu comes with all you can eat fried chicken, hush puppies, and corn on the cobs. Though you can just order them separately instead of asking for more baskets. The fried shrimp and corn was all I reordered (preference). The fried shrimp was fried good and not smelly or too oily. The fried clam strips had enough clam meat in them. (But I am not a fan of clam strips so not an accurate comparison). The fried chicken was not crispy for fried chicken but very juicy. The corn was sweet. Overall: The service was great! The food was ok. read more

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Waitress was great !!! The rum runner was way too sweet and couldn't taste any alcohol at all .. the waitress switched it out with no issues for another drink . The crab and shrimp for 2 for 100 bucks was well worth it !! They put an 18% "automatic service charge" even though there were only 2 of us ... we would have tipped that amount anyway so didn't bother us but just kinda weird to do . Good experience overall read more

So many people write a review when one thing goes wrong they are not happy with.but I am here to let you know that everything from the food,the service and price was exceptional. If you go to Ocean City, do your self a favor and try this restaurant out.if you live there also. read more

2.3 rating was before mine! i got sick. instead of them, apologizing and seeing how they could make it right. They became belligerent and threatened to call the police on me. I came in peace. The 2.3 rating has nothing to do with me. The food is nasty take note. I got sick and they got belligerent, gaslighting and narcissistic. They wanted to fight me be careful of the racism. Black people don't belong in this. read more

This was such a great family friendly place with excellent service and food. Deagan was an amazing server and made such great recommendations! read more

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The price was definitely reasonable for all you can eat crab legs, server was amazing and the atmosphere was great. Will definitely be back next time I'm down. read more

Good crab legs. Not happy about the "all you can eat buffet in the name. Very misleading. It's $45 per pound and an extra $15 after each pound eaten. There is no "buffet" just an arcade. I did win 4 ducks so no complaints about the games. read more

Way to Go! This is definitely all you can eat! Our Server was diligent and serve us with enthusiasm making us smile LOL! The Snow Crab Legs were just perfect and tender allowing us to enjoy the meat by cracking the legs! It was juicy. The background music was smooth as the ocean waves! Waoooo! Way to go Jonah & the Whale restaurant @Old Ocean Beach. I truly recommend this Seafood with a taste of Land restaurant. This is a family business and a strong team of family members trying to make a living just as Chris expressed @our table. The only suggestion for this restaurant is to add in the Menu the fact that the "feast prices are per person, to avoid confusion @the time they bring you the check! read more

Jonah and the Whale - Jonah stayed three days inside the whale! - Seafood Near Me - Ocean City, Maryland

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Food was good especially the chicken.The server was Derrick and he was excellent.He took the time to explain the menu and gave great choices.Thanks again Derrick!!! read more

Very expensive Good food but not a traditional all u can eat Wish it was a regular buffet read more

Nasty tap water. Steak is chewy. Outside sign says buffet, $100 all you can eat crab legs per person and can't share. Never coming back.

Worst seafood buffet I have ever been to. Should have turned around after the tour. Hesitated because we walked 5 blocks or so to get there and the kids were hungry. There is a section that smells of a dog kennel. The food selection is sparse. Food dried. Layout is awful. The 'world famous' Dessert bar has sliced grocery store cakes and ice cream machine. I only ate the crab legs and salad. Should have stuck with Phillips, the husband doesn't prefer it bc it's so busy, but at least to Food there is reliable. I still can't get over that smell. Does a dog live there after hours? read more

I dined with my family and friends in a party of 10. Because of covid the buffet was not set up. We did not like the food. The hushpuppies were cold, friend chicken was cold, corn on cob was good, fried clams and shrimp were subpar. The service was good but the food was not. The steak was not good and the mashed potatoes were not good. We spent over a hundred fifty dollars at this establishment and will not eat here again. read more

Never thought I'd post anything about a place I visit.. because people take these with a grain of sand.. But visiting Jonah and the Whale was a big $100 mistake on our trip. The selection was limited and not the freshest.. but when I found a hair, longer than a short and curly in the newly dropped tray of stuffing.. I quietly brought it to the waiters attention.. said I didn't want anything comped, because I'm not a dbag, but suggested they drop a new tray..because I didn't want anyone else to have the same issue. I was told they didn't have any female staff near the food, so it couldn't be them. They blamed it on customers.. who I assume put their head under the glass overhang and dipped their hair INTO THE MIDDLE of the newly dropped food. When asked, while paying the bill, how it was, I was politely honest.. and was told.. well we don't have any females back there, and they didn't think the hair was short enough to be a man's hair.. and you didn't talk to a manager, just a server.. so.. but if you want us to parade the staff out here we will, so you can check.. and I was told they didn't need MY KIND in there anyway.. lol.. I'm thinking.. you mean the kind that tries not to draw attention to something that could kill business?? BLASPHEMY.. I still tipped the server more than enough for seating us and bringing drinks, never to be seen again.. and sucked it up when my kids ate NOTHING because it was unappealing.. The cost was lower than the competition, and now it is clear why.. For those who want to say 'you can look first before you decide to stay'.. we did.. and on first look the kids were ok.. but once plated and the hair event.. it killed appetites.. If you visit OC.. and want the all you can eat stuff.. consider spending the extra to visit Bonfire or Embers. I've done both in the past, and all were satisfied.. just wasn't in the budget this year. And clearly I DID get what I paid for. The app won't let me post with 0 stars.. and I cant figure out how to 1/4 star.. so there is 1 star.. but it ain't shining very bright. read more

The worst part of this experience was the extra added items to our bill that we never ordered and not being able to do separate Checks for our group of 13. Some of us had cash and the rest was put on a card where the totals was $30 more than it should've been. We were so frustrated with the constant mistakes and just left it at that because it wasn't worth it. Also 15% gratuity was added automatically and it was a hassle for all involved. overall The food was good but this truly took away from the experience for the entire group read more

Food was yummy! Service was awesome! Price for AYCE crab legs lower than last year. Crab legs/ seafood are overpriced everywhere. This is the best AYCE deal we found for crab legs. It did not disappoint! Restaurant was crowded, always a good sign in my opinion. Our waiter was kind and super attentive with the AYCE snow crab legs, which made our time there more enjoyable. Friendly attentive staff all around. Even the manager stepped in to clear out plates and assist the wait staff. Very smoothly run operation. I would highly recommend! I don't eat seafood but they have selections for land lovers too! The AYCE crab legs come with fried chicken, hush puppies, and a corn on the cob. This land lover tried those (with permission from our waiter) and they were delicious. Corn was sweet, chicken was moist. Crab legs were cooked to perfection--per the crab leg foodie I was dining with. I am not quite sure how to properly critique a hush puppy, being from NJ, but all I know is that it was tasty! Ambience feels like the wheelhouse of a boat. Lots of wood, nautical theme. Tiffany lamps. You'll be more focused on your own eating experience. Thank you, Jonah and the Whale! My boyfriend looks forward to your AYCE snow crab legs every year. read more

CLOSED FOR REST OF 2021!! Website & online states open & daily hours but when you call them directly, recording states "closed for rest of season"! read more

We are visiting from NYC so this was our first time here. We came kind of late, they close at 9:00pm. However we did not feel that they were rushing us at all. I had the crab legs and a clam chowder soup that was delicious. My hubby had the chicken cutlet w/ pasta and he said it was very good too. They have an all you can eat salad bar, dessert and seafood. Very close to the beach. The young girl that attended us was very attentive. I also had a Pina Colada was of the best ones I had. read more

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This is a tough one to rate. I have had some fabulous experiences here and some clear 1 star expereinces here. I am giving it 3 stars as an average of our overall experiences with Jonah. First, let me comment on the highlights at Jonah. The raw bar and pasta bar are really wonderful! Don't skip them if you go. The crab legs are generally good. Everything else is a gamble. Some days you go and the cold shrimp are fine. Some days they are water-logged and nasty. The other dishes can be succulent and fabulous on one day. Other days the same dish is dried out or over-cooked. The service is generally friendly. The atmosphere is busy and loud (on weekends especially). I see it as your classic tourist town buffet. read more

So the all you can eat crab legs were good but the cup of oil with not fat from the butter just ruined them! The butter tasted like chemicals. I was so disappointed because the crab legs were decent. Also, the flys were crawling all over us while we were trying to eat. The kids were helping with the serving and that was cute. The staff was friendly. The fried chicken was very good. read more

The food tasted like it was old. It is quite unfortunate because I had been there years ago, and it was excellent.

They add a 15% fee to any bill over $100 and all you can eat is $100 a person very disappointing you won't be happy if you go

THIS RESTAURANT WAS DISGUSTING!!!!!!!! I went there last night (8/19/17) with a party of 9. The food was hard and in-edible. When I got home after dinner my brother got severely sick, throwing up and having diarrhea that lasted over four hours. We called the restaurant this morning to complain and they refused to acknowledge there was a problem or do anything about it! We will not be coming back! Spend a couple extra dollars and go somewhere DECENT! read more

I am only giving this place a 1 because Carlos our server was very nice. I should have turned around the moment we walked in the door. We were greeted by a group of young waitstaff that obviously had nothing else to do but to stare at our party of 6 the entire time we were there. The smell in this place was horrible, but was hoping the food was better. The pasta bar only consisted of some unappealing baked zitti, stuffing and some other crap. The food selection was a joke! The best food were the crab leg. For the amount of money (close to $200) that we paid, and only my husband ate, was ridiculous. My kids only ate muffins. Even the dessert table looked iffy. Save yourself the time and go to any of the other places in Ocean City. Possibly the locals may enjoy this place, however when your on vacation you want a meal that doesn't taste or look like your 6 year old cooked it. read more

How is this still in business? We tried it 25 years ago, and it was not good. Thought we'd try it this past Thursday. I should have walked out immediately after just looking at the food, not even tasting it. Salad bar in the entrance hallway? Stale rolls as sweet as donuts? Taco bar fresher at Wendy's when they had one. Found the pasta bar last minute. EVERY meat and seafood item was overly fishy and/or dried out. The stuffing was CLEARLY Stove Top stuffing. Where on earth do you find Imperial crab with frozen hash browns on top? The steamed clams were all black and dry. Store bought cakes and pies were dry and stale. Patrons couldn't even get the bottom layer of the pie out of the tin! Stale donut holes covered in chocolate. Literally every single thing I put in my mouth, I spit out in fear of food poisoning. Even the beer tasted off. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!! read more

Nasty tap water. saw coupon for all you can eat crab legs..NOT....would not honor...BUT,,,on top i gave them a coupon, which they did not deduct; my waiter looked bothered (or hung over). Never coming back. read more

Down for bike week 2021, walked to this place and it was closed for the season, the problem was that the website NEVER posted it or updated it, I think it was bad as a business not to put on website, very disappointed with it. read more

i went here about four years ago or so and i still remember the horror and trauma i experienced here like it was yesterday. the dreadful taste of the food still lingering in my insides. my mother thought it was a great place to have for dinner on our first night staying at the beach, mainly because it was conveniently right next to the hotel we were staying at. but she swore it would be fun. oh boy was she far from right. to start off, right as i soon as i walked in, it smelled like an old antique shop. like for a second i thought i had entered my decease grandmother's house. the people working there was like a 14 yo and a 7 yo? they had no idea what the hell they were doing. already quite a few red flags. now onto the food. the first thing i noticed was the fruit. the fruit was literally store bought food from the local food lion. like the fruit cups they sell on clearance? it was that shit. my baked potato had a hair in it. and the seafood has clearly been dead for years. decades even. for three meals it was over 80 dollars. when we finally left and stepped into the fresh air outside, i breathed it in like there was no tomorrow. and told my mom "alright tomorrow we ordering pizza". overall, with nearly being suffocated, the store bought food, the literal children being waiters- safe to say i will never be making a return here and i highly encourage everyone to do the same. read more

Jonah and the Whale - a live photo in action while all this was taking place - Seafood Near Me - Ocean City, Maryland

While we were in Ocean City, we were looking for a good all-you-can-eat seafood buffet that we have never tried and out of all the ones we could have chosen, we picked Jonah and the Whale. The price is $24.99 and includes everything, but while we were on the beach we saw an airplane advertisement with a special price for $19.99 and decided to go there. Bad move on our part. Dinner started at 4:00 pm (early bird prices until 4:30 pm) and we arrived around 6 pm and the hostess told us there was a wait. We could easily see inside the dining area and saw plenty of tables that were open. After about twenty minutes, we were finally seated. As soon as we were seated, all the people that had been waiting behind us were seated in the empty tables that were vacant for the last twenty minutes. They have a salad bar, pasta bar, taco station, soups, and plenty of seafood, meat, and sides. The quality of all the food is not too great. I had some king crab legs that were just awful. The meat I had for my taco was dry and tasteless, like it had been sitting out for a few hours...which it probably had been. The crab imperial had an intense amount of mustard on it and tasted horrible. There were a whole bunch of other things that I tried, but nothing was the least bit impressive. Good thing for the "servers" that the tip is included because we wouldn't have left one. Ours hardly come to the table except when you're seated and when you're about to leave, but even then we had to flag our waitress down so we could get the check. read more

This is one of the worst buffets I've ever been to, the food was very ok and would never come back. The only thing good about this place is the crab legs. If you choose the non-crab legs and oysters option, don't! You'll literally have nothing to eat. read more

My wife and I visited this buffet a few years ago. We had a decent experience. Food was okay (nothing to rave about, but good for a buffet). The price at the time was reasonable for the quality of food. So a few years later we came back with a group of people, expecting the same price and quality. Boy were we disappointed. The price had risen considerably (which we didn't realize until after the bill came) and the quality of the food had gone way done. The seafood was undercooked, the selection was awful, some items were dry and / or burnt, and pretty much everything was bland and flavorless. When we said something to a waitress (i say a waitress, because "our" waitress had vanished right after dropping off the check, never to be seen again) the waitress made a comment about us washing dishes for them if we didn't wanna pay full price. read more

fucc this wacc ass place. food was soo expensive but shit was garbage , chicken was dry as hell boy. Hush pups were Ight but kinda cold.

This place is just terrible. We went on Friday night around 6:45 and left around 7:30. They actually number their tables, 1 through 48. At no point were there more than 7 tables occupied. This was prime time Friday night dinner time, and the place was practically empty. About half the seafood is so deep fried to the point where most of what you're actually chewing on is not even fish. Then they had salmon, tuna, shark, and one or two other non-fried fillets. But because their business is so slow, they don't have to come out and replenish the food trays very often. So everything just sits there and dries up from the heat of the buffet. Nothing feels fresh. I sampled one small piece of everything I could fit on my plate, and not one thing I tried made me want to go back for another. The prime rib was the best item, but it was completely inferior to Outback Steakhouse's. And Outbacks is hardly world class. The clam chowder soup was actually really good, but honestly...who cares. They're 3x more expensive than your average Chinese lunch buffet and nowhere near as good. The free continental breakfast from the Marriott we stayed at provided a more satisfying meal. Do not go there, do not let your friends go there, don't let anyone you know go there. read more

I've been going to Jonah and the whale for more than 20 years due to great food, nice Variety of food, and decent prices. Last night I was sorely disappointed when I ordered 'the shellfish feast' for $75. i started with the crab legs which I thought were good, then the steamed shrimp which were also good. Then i got to the muscles and was disgusted by the taste( I have never had a bad tasting muscle anywhere). Having only eaten 2 or three muscles, I continued on to eat the steamed Clams which were cold, slimy, and 2-3 clams were not even opened yet. I mentioned something to the server about the food, and was directed to the manager immediately to which wanted to give me more disgusting muscles and undercooked clams. service was ok up til the point of complaint. Was a little nervous about 10year olds serving the food. And my son's chicken was all dried out as well. Sad to say we may not be returning to what used to be my favorite restaurant of Ocean City, Maryland. And just to top things off, they had a play area for kids but no changing station for babies. read more

Awaiting food poisoning as I type this review will keep it short and sweet the hours on the outside said they closed at 8 we got there at 8 n they let us in staff was unprofessional young and rude and way to many of them standing around the food was plain and dry point blank period not worth the 31.99 they charge for there buffet all in all I spoke with the manager Chris and he did fix my bill but stated they close at 815pm???? Right if u close at 815 why would you let guess in to a BUFFET with 15 minutes to eat people save your money there are other legitimate seafood buffets in Ocean city one of them being the legendary Phillips seafood which charges about the same price as this place. read more

Jonah and the Whale - Big empty place - Seafood Near Me - Ocean City, Maryland

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This was the worst buffet I have ever been to. First, the salad bar attendant didn't wear gloves when refill they replenished the food. Second, the buffet itself only had the bare minimum of food in it. Once the food was gone it took a while to replenish it. Third, there were kids running around the dining without any shoes and the staff didn't do to stop them. The dessert bar was a joke. The pies were all dried out and unappetizing. This place has some nerve charging 27.99 for a buffet read more

Well vaca is almost about over and when I asked the wife and kids where they want to eat guess where they said......yup JONHA AND THE WHALE they yelled this will be 3 times in 8 days we have been here and I'm sorry but for the money and the quality of food I'd rather be here than anywhere else keep up the great work guys and girls can't wait to see you next year...psst save some crab legs for us when we get back....lol read more

Jonah and the Whale - This establishment gets the MOSER FAMILY BEST SEAFOOD BUFFET AWARD FOR AUGUST 2015 - Seafood Near Me - Ocean City, Maryland

We wanted good seafood and this place delivered. I started off with a Dirty Banana. MUST HAVE. my wife's Pina colada was also delicious. I had the snow crab meal and she had steamed shrimp. It was cooked perfectly and was delicious. Would come again. read more