Hooked

Limited selection of dishes, super crammed seating. After waiting 30 mins, they stuck us at some crappy little table literally next to the door where people are coming in & out of nonstop & constantly kicking my chair. I can’t scoot in any further and I’m not a big girl either. We asked to sit at the empty table close by but were denied, even though we hadn’t even ordered yet. It’s like we’re being punished lol. Now we are straight up being avoided/​ignored because we asked to move. We waited for our drinks forever & the food was mediocre. Sorry, I’d rather take my business elsewhere.

Wow, based on all the great reviews i thought how could this be anything but great. It was awful! Either we came on an off night for the place or the good reviews are by people who don’t know good food.
Lobster fritters were crunchy balls of grease with a hint of lobster. Old bay wings were so salty they were inedible, scallops were completely overcooked on one side, burger was a heavy brick patty… really just awful.
The menu was also so small! If you’re looking for some great food, look elsewhere.

If you like seafood you will LOVE Hooked. It truly is amazing. Most recently we had a wonderful meal starting with oysters on the half shell. The oysters are always fresh and salty. They were delicious. They are a great way to start your meal. We followed that with eth shrimp tacos which are unbelievable. The sauce they use on the tacos is out of this world. For an entrée I got the scallops and they might be the best meal we’ve ever had. My wife ordered a steak and it was perfect. It was done perfectly and she said it melted in her mouth. The serve here is outstanding. They are professional and courteous. We LOVE Hooked!!!

This place was great. Our server, Phil, was awesome, the food was delicious, the atmosphere was trendy but inviting, and overall it was a great experience. Best calamari I’ve ever had in my life, amazing fish and chips, and my fiancé went nuts over his fried oyster and pork po boy. Go!

Hooked was the BEST food we’ve had in OC — ever. We got the corn chowder with crab, beer and cheese soup, fried calamari, bacon burger, and jumbo shrimp. All were delicious!!! The jumbo shrimp were truly jumbo and the watermelon salad was sweet and salty and the perfect accompaniment to the shrimp. Both soups were killer and the burger was one of the best my husband has ever had. The ambiance was really nice and they are kid friendly. Will definitely go back!

Would it be really lame if I said that I’m hooked on Hooked?
I’ve dined at Hooked twice during my stay in Ocean City during Labor Day weekend, once for dinner and once for lunch. The first time was on my first night in OC and the second time was on my last day there, before my party and I departed on our six hour drive back to New York City. You have no idea how happy I was when I found out that we would be returning to Hooked for our final meal.
During dinner service our server was friendly and attentive to our large table of 10. We all shared the calamari, bacon wrapped scallops, and crab dip. I highly recommend the calamari and crab dip. Many of us also had the roasted corn & jalapeño crab bisque, which is the best soup I’ve ever hard. When we returned for lunch on our last day, everyone had their own bowl. It’s just too good to share. My scallops and grits entrée was also beautifully presented and perfectly cooked.
On our second trip to Hooked, we had an even larger party of 13 people. I’m still impressed by the excellent service we received from the servers. We all ordered our favorite appetizers again, and of course, the roasted corn & jalapeño crab bisque. A must try. Really. For lunch, I had the Shrimp Tacos. I almost didn’t order it because it doesn’t come with fries like the crab cake sandwich but oh my god, getting the shrimp tacos was probably the best decision I’ve ever made. They were the best fried shrimp I’ve ever had in all my years of living. They were not dry at all but so juicy and packed full of flavor. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I still think of those shrimp tacos and I hate that I would have to travel six hours by car to taste them again. It’s almost been a year since I was at Hooked but my love for those tacos propel me to leave Hooked this review, in hopes that we would be reunited again soon.
Never change, Hooked. You’re perfect and I can’t wait to have your shrimp tacos and crab bisque again.

I went here based on the Unilocal reviews and recommendations and reviews by some of the locals in Ocean City.
The atmosphere was nautical and rustic, but very comfortable with an elegant bar inside and out.
I grabbed a few local beers that they had on draft, which were recommended by the server.
I ordered the truffled bacon fries for an appetizer and also had their focaccia bread in oil. It was a good sized starter, not large to the point that I would be stuffed and too full to eat my dinner.
For my meal I ordered the scallops served with cheesy grits, corn, and braised bacon. Let me preface this by saying that I’m not a huge seafood person, but I’m at the beach and have to try to broaden my horizons. My stepdad ordered the 12 oz ribeye, and we decided to split our meals. Everyone at the table agreed that the scallops were very good, but the cheesy grits/​corn/​bacon mixture was heavenly. One of the better sides that I’ve had at a restaurant. The ribeye was also prepared correctly as ordered and very good!
My girlfriend ordered the jumbo shrimp and Caesar salad and my mom had the Thai Basil Tuna and couldn’t say enough good things about it, other than that the soy sauce was a little «salty,» to which I relied «Isn’t it supposed to be?»
We finished off dinner with a piece of home made key lime pie, which was as good as I expected.
Great place and service was spectacular! I would highly recommend!

I had REALLY high hopes for Hooked as I am such a foodie and the fresh, local, farm to table caption hook line and sinkered me.
I called ahead of time because I planned on going with a friend who is vegan and wanted to make sure this could be accommodated. Spoke with the manager who was so kind and said they would absolutely have stuff for her to eat and went on to thoroughly explain what she could eat — there were many options besides a boring salad no dressing! Yes! Golden! I was thrilled because I really wanted to go!
While we waited for our table we had the hysterical and eccentric bartender Sean and John serve us delish grapefruit crushes and modify the truffle fries to accommodate my vegan friend. Super appreciated and friendly throughout the entire debacle of helping us. Um, the Gruyère was unlike anything I’ve ever had and I devoured them. Super recommend.
Moving onto dinner upstairs with our dingbat waitress who had no idea what vegetarian/​vegan was, we had to explain it multiple times to her. How do you work in the food industry and not understand food allergies/​preferences/​accommodations is beyond me. After reporting back from the chef and relaying a message that chef would prepare something for my friend that she would love, we felt satisfied/​excited because we imagine that a chef of a restaurant with seeming caliber would be up to the challenge.
Meanwhile, I order the crab, corn, jalapeño bisque and while it was pretty good, there were zero hints of corn or Jalapeño in the soup. That fell short as they should just market it as cream of crab. Seriously, throw some corn kernels in there and add a damn roasted jalapeño on top as a garnish rather than a sorry looking piece of parsley.
After waiting over 30 minutes for our food (we were 1 of 3 tables left in the restaurant) a runner brings up my friends VEGAN dish with soft crabs adorning the bed of veggies. Definitely not vegan. My friend super politely and easy-​going explains that this isn’t what she ordered and the runner replies «Oh yeah, you’re the vegetarian, this is the dish» — even if my friend was vegetarian SOFT SHELL CRABS ARENT VEGETARIAN EITHER! I’m sorry but how dumb are you? Our waitress rushes over to fix the problem and says she will bring up the correct dish. She comes back with the right dish and says the chef stepped out and «someone» accidentally put the crabs on top. It ends up being fine, as my friend LOVES the warm kale, quinoa, rhubarb, cherry salad and I admit, it was incredible. Wish we wouldn’t have waited over 40 minutes for this but what can ya do? I ordered the scallops and grits and it was equally incredible, only complaint was it was floating in a bed of broth that kinda worried me. Had to dump it out as it made the grits an almost soup-​like dish.
Finally, I go to use the restroom and there is no toilet paper in any of the stalls. I’m pissed because I have to wait until someone comes in and awkwardly bug them for paper towels (gross). I tell the fellow women there is NO TP and I will tell the host so they can get some. I go out there and tell the host who immediately has an attitude and says «Uh, yeah, cause I’m cleaning them». Sorry, but what does that have to do with no tp? Hahah, do you need to clean the tp or dispenser before putting in it? Sorry, but that doesn’t make sense and you’re making excuses. Why are four people waiting for toilet paper to use the bathroom at 11pm? She brushes me off and I grab my friend and say it’s time to go.
I really wanna go back to Hooked and give it another shot but I’m skeptical. Kinda wish we complained in person to the manager but didn’t wannabe «that guy» so instead I’m being «that guy» who passive aggressively writes a negative review on Unilocal.Will update later.

First time in ocean city and wanted to try the best restaurant in town, so obviously I Unilocaled it! The service was absolutely fantastic and personal! Got four appetizers, calamari, mussels, lobster fritters, and bacon fries. Calamari was great, my boyfriends a fanatic and said it wasn’t the best he ever had but very good ! Mussels were huge!!! The sauce was amazing with the bread. The lobster fritters had a great taste with a spicy renoulade which I loved and the truffled bacon fries were delicious due to the gruyére cheese. Last but not least the desert was French toast bread pudding with cinnamon ice cream… simply orgasmic lol great place overall would highly recommend !! (all different beers on drafts, lots of tvs to watch games, and very modern urban appeal to the place).

The food and service was amazing! Go get the truffle fries if you go! Only reason it wasn’t five stars — the flies.

Disappointing. Service was good, food was way overpriced and not as good as I’d hoped.

It was our first time in OC for a long weekend over Memorial Day. Not knowing where to dine our first night we let Unilocal guide us to Hooked. We were definitely impressed. Food was absolutely delicious. They have a nice craft beer selection which our craft beer lovers enjoyed but HELLO they have Natty Light on draft! Be still my heart!!! This is the very first time I have been able to have Natty Light on draft I was super stoked!
We started w/​a few appetizers Truffle Fries (very addictive I found myself going back for more), Calamari w/​the sauce on the side (wow best calamari I’ve had to date. Super crispy, fresh, and flavorful! We ended up ordering a second batch!) and some raw oyster which the guys said were incredible!
For our entrees we decided to go w/​sandwiches & burgers. The Bacon & Booze burger was delicious! The Pig N Oyster was the star of the sandwiches… amazing! The pork belly on that sandwich was insanely good. The only disappointment that night was I had gone back & forth on whether or not to get the scallop dish… I ended up choosing the Chicken Chesapeake instead, well a few minutes after placing our order our waiter walked by w/​an order of the scallops for another table and I instantly knew I had chose poorly. The scallop dish looked incredible! My chicken sandwich was good but I have to say it was the least favorite of the dishes we ordered. When we went to pay I asked about the scallop dish and our waiter informed us that almost every table orders them. So I guess next time we are in town I’ll be back to get them!

Excellent drinks, food, and wait staff. My boyfriend and I stopped in while on vacation for dinner and drinks. We both ordered the Sazerac, mine on the rocks, his straight up. The drinks blew us away. The homemade bread we were served while waiting on our entrées was superb. However the jumbo shrimp and crab cakes blew everything we had while in Ocean City MD out of the water! He raved about the watermelon salad that complimented the shrimp while I just about died over the crab cakes and fresh veggie relish paired with the bread. Everything was so amazing we would have gladly paid double what we did. Our waitress was attentive and the atmosphere in general just made us feel right at home. Can’t wait to visit again!

I am in love… with the food at Hooked.
My boyfriend and I dined at Hooked while on vacation at OCMD and it was great, with very few critiques.
We arrived at about 5pm on a Friday night and were pleased to see it wasn’t packed. We were seated by the window and service was good. I ordered a pear martini and the crab/​corn/​jalapeño bisque. He ordered the calamari. The pear martini was good and smelled divine, but was a bit too strong. The bisque was… heavenly, but I wouldn’t have complained if the spice was kicked up a notch.
For mains I ordered the scallops over risotto with bacon and charred corn. I could probably eat that every day. To be frank, I was full but still had some left on my plate and considered throwing up so I could eat more. Gross, but true. Don’t worry, I decided against it.
The boo got the Oyster Po Boy with pork belly. He loved it.
We were too full for dessert, but cannot wait to go back the next time we are in OCMD. Also, we overheard the chef briefing the staff on the specials for the night and he sounds legit. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a chef, but I do watch a fair amount of Food Network and thus I feel qualified to say that his dishes all had texture, the flavors popped, and they were very well balanced.
GO HERE NOW!

I only go to Ocean City once a year. But the most exciting part always been dining at Hooked. Forget about dining anywhere in boardwalk area, quite impossible to find actual fresh seafood, yet mad pricey as well.
Hooked really is honest when it comes to freshly prepared seafood dishes and the price is quite reasonable. They also accept carry-​out for every menu which is extremely nice.
This was my second time visited Hooked. I’ve been missing out some of their cool dishes because it seems that this place changed their menu pretty frequently.
I always wanted to try different appetizers this time. But I couldn’t help it, I ordered fried calamari again. It’s so fresh and perfectly cooked every time! Super tasty with spicy mayo on the side. I’m very picky when it comes to fried calamari, but Hooked nailed it.
For my entrée, I finally get to try Hooked’s famous Scallops w/​corn n’ poblano, cheesy grits in applewood bacon broth.
The scallops were quite large! and very fresh taste. All the side ingredients accompany perfectly with scallops. I’m not a huge fan of bacon, but applewood bacon broth is a brilliant idea! The broth has smoky bacon taste, and not overpowered.
Oh yeah, if you order any entrees that comes with fries. Please do me a favor, add extra $ 3 for truffle gruyère bacon fries instead. The fries itself at this place is already delicious. But wow, those truffle gruyère bacon fries is something else!
If you are in Ocean City, you HAVE to eat at Hooked. There is no exception, because it’s the best seafood spot in OC. But if you just want to dine in somewhere else to see ocean view, then that’s your problem lol.

The grapefruit cocktail was probably one of the best drinks I’ve had so far. It was very flavorful and it was delicious. Just the right amount of vodka as well as grapefruit. The truffle fries were really good. I ordered the original Jane burger which was okay, it was just a regular burger with lettuce and tomato. The Philly cheesesteak was also good. The truffle wings were really good, hands down the best I’ve tried. The customer service was great, they were helpful when my boyfriend and I asked what to do here in ocean city. Definitely one of the places to check out if you’re visiting OC.

Went to hooked in search of crab dip and man did we go to the right place!!! They serve it with pretzels and the combo is out of this world. The carb dip is so flavorful and creamy. Also highly recommend the grapefruit crush. They squeeze the grapefruit juice out right at the bar! The po boy was out of this world. The sauce they put on it needs to be sold in stores!

This is a super delayed review. I had to go to OC for a conference on Valentine’s weekend. (that sucked) Brought hubby and the kidlet along for company. I’ll freely admit that I don’t really like Ocean City. As a rule, as beaches go, I think it’s dirty, too many people and cheesy. On top of that, it’s expensive. So, I was expecting to be unimpressed with food options, especially in February.
Good review for this place so I got reservations. What a cute little place. Two stories and right on the main drag in a small shopping center. Next to a Fractured Prune as well. (So, that’s a win.)
Overall, great service, great atmosphere and great food.
I got the soup of the day which was a jalapeño crab and corn chowder. Super rich but not too much. And the truffle bacon egg and cheese flatbread. Even though the eggs weren’t over easy it was still delicious. Hubby got the scallops and cleared the plate. The kid got something that he didn’t really eat but we kind of consider the kids to meal to be a cover charge for a nice dinner. You never know with kids. It was some pretty tasty mac and cheese.
Great beer and wine selection for us. If we go back, I’d totally eat there again.

I came here with my boyfriend and friends during our stay in Ocean City for Labor Day weekend. Once was for dinner and once was for brunch and we were able to experience both outdoor and indoor dining. The food here is excellent and the staff are pretty on point with serving food quick.
Dining outdoors is slightly uncomfortable because it’s just tables and benches, but it feels nice to dine outside especially with the ocean breeze. Dining indoors is comfortable and feels more pleasant cause it’s cozier, very clean and simple.
So we tried the following items —
Roasted corn & Jalapeño crab bisque — loved how rich, tasty, and creamy the crab bisque was. You don’t taste any jalapeño, so if you don’t like spicy foods, no worries. The bisque tasted really fresh and hearty. I had this both during dinner and brunch.
Buttermilk Battered Calamari with spicy mayo & micro celery — The calamari was perfectly fried, crunchy, and delicious.
Crab Dip with Crostini — This was by far the best appetizer I’ve tried so far. The crostini was really fresh and crunchy and the crab dip was fantastic! Cheesey and crab deliciousness!
Scallop Appetizer — This dish looked really amazing, but I wasn’t a huge fan of it even though I like scallops. The scallops were wrapped in bacon which to some is like heaven, but to me I wasn’t a huge fan. I also wished the scallops were pan-​fried and had a crunch to it.
Cioppino — I ordered this dish and it was composed of shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, fin fish, chorizo, caramelized fennel, white wine tomato broth, pesto, and house crositini. It may sound amazing, but to me it wasn’t. There is just too much going on in this dish. In addition, my dish was very spicy and I couldn’t really enjoy it as much as I wished I could.
Surf n Turf — My boyfriend ordered this and his dish really, really sounded yummy. It was composed of jumbo shrimp, 5 oz. filet, roasted swiss chard, fingerlings, baby carrots, baby onions, garlic confit, and meyer lemon yogurt with chili essence. Another dish that sounds like a lot is going on, but surprisingly the boyfriend’s dish tasted heck lot better than mine. I enjoyed this dish.
Crab cake sandwich — My boyfriend and I had this during our brunch. The crab cake sandwich consisted of grilled tomato, arugula, classic remoulade on bricohe bun. I got sweet potato fries as a side order as did the boyfriend. The crab cake sandwich was okay. I definitely had better.
We’ve also tried a few of their drinks and were actually not that bad either.
Overall, we really liked this place enough that we came twice. They really had us «hooked».I really liked the bisque and appetizers for the most part. I will definitely want to return to Hooked some time in the near future.

By far, this restaurant was my favorite from my Labor day weekend. That being said, let the review begin.
The restaurant was extremely packed and the wait was a little long, but the food was worth it. It was a nice touch to have a bar outside the establish, so the customers could orders drink while waiting to be seated. the restaurant had an outside seating area and two floors, the top floor also had an outside balcony to enjoy the view of the sunset.
The food was amazing. We had the mussel and the calamari as appetizers, the calamari was light and crisp and the broth form the mussel dish was an excellent dipping sauce for the bread they served in the beginning. For the entrée, my family order the roasted salmon, the crab cake, and the scallops. It was a lovely seafood galore, all the seafood was prepared to perfection and I literally tasted the ocean in mouth. Our waiter recommended the crab cakes, but what took me by surprise were the scallops. A lot of establishments I went to overcook the scallops, but that dish took the home run. If I am ever back again in Ocean City, I will return back craving for more food.