Big Pecker's — Restaurant in Ocean City

We went to the restaurant as a family of nine of which one was a toddler and all others were adults surprisingly on a Saturday night in season and during dinner hours our wait was rather short and within twenty minutes our name was called for us to be seated. The wait wasn’t bad as far as temperature and there are ample wooden benches outside to sit while you wait to be seated also surprisingly they do not use any paging devices or text you when your party is ready but you are cautioned to make certain someone stays within earshot to hear the hostess call out your parties name when your table is ready. With a party our size there wasn’t tables outside that could accommodate and we had to eat inside so we traversed a short incline which with seniors and one disabled adult we were able to accomplish without much trouble at all. Entering the loud dimly lit interior it took a few minutes to get accustomed to the loud game that kept trying to get your attention so you would play and the game competed with some rather loud rock music that was piped in to the facility. Our table was long and at a guess I would say somewhere between ten to twelve feet long and was just enough to snugly accommodate our party and there was a seat at each end and four seats along each side. The table looked clean but as you sat it had that slightly sticky feel as if it was wiped with a cloth that was used often but seldom rung out with clean water the same with the menus they didn’t look dirty but they were very worn with all having print that was no longer visible in areas from being wiped down so many times and again by the same cloth since they also had that sticky feel to them. The wait staff like many places here was staffed by young adults who English was not there first language and ours I don’t believe it was even her second language she and members of our party struggled a bit with the language barrier especially our seniors who wanted to know more about how some of the meals were prepared and our waitress just didn’t have the vocabulary to understand the ingredients or methods of preparation that they inquired about. It wasn’t long for our appetizers to come out and we ordered the jalapeño poppers and a half a pound of steamed shrimp which were good and prepared to everyones liking. Our food followed not long after and it looked like typical bar food this though quite a bit pricier than what we would normally pay for the same fare in our hometown establishments. Many in our party had French fries as their side and well these were prepared differently than normal fries and were darker than you would expect partly due to the preparation but also I feel due to them being a bit overdone in oil that needed changed a few fryer rounds before ours were prepared you couple that with the restaurant not having Heinz ketchup as our Heinz ketchup snobs prefer or in one case demands the fries went largely uneaten. The burgers, cheesesteak and chicken strips were edible but not something we would want to come back for the only thing that seemed to be a hit were the quesadillas that one of the younger adults and one of our seniors ordered. Our check and containers came quickly we paid and departed and it was sad to see that every take home container was discarded in the trash instead of refrigerated for later since nobody wanted anymore of the good that they were served. For a party of eight adults and one toddler with two appetizers, three bottled adult beverages, two sodas the rest having water and our entrees the tab was in the mid two hundred range. Nobody in our party wanted any memorabilia and on the ride back to our accommodations it was unanimous that we would not be going back the food, cleanliness, atmosphere it all just left a bad taste in mouths as well as memories. The worst part of the experience was the parking one of our middle aged adults is disabled and they should have used their wheelchair however the handicapped spot provided at this establishment there was just no way they could use the wheelchair lift to exit...

This is such a fun place to go. I first took my family there after I saw they had these outdoor glider tables. The entire table can gently swing back and forth. I figured my tween daughter would like them and I was right. Even though they are right on Coastal Highway, the plantings hide much of the traffic at least in one area. There is also an outdoor bar and large indoor bar and restaurant.

We have visited in May and in July and never once had a wait. We do tend to eat meals at off-peak times. I believe there is sometimes at least a short wait during peak times. We have always been immediately seated, even though we ask for a glider table. There have always been a decent number of customers, just never a wait.

During lunch and dinner hours at least they are very kid-friendly. I have never seen anything that would be off-putting to a family with kids. The only caveat is their name. I had to stop my daughter from saying "I love Big Pecker's. What?! I just love Big Pecker's!" and pointed to the rooster with a big beak on the menu. Also, their tshirt selection is advertised on the backs of menus and includes one that says "My pen is big." Some parents might be uncomfortable with that sort of thing.

My daughter loves this place and asks to go back every time we are in the area so we have been here quite often. She loves their tacos. The menu has a lot of options and we have always been very happy with our food. My husband loves their onion rings. I like their nachos, although the beef in the nachos should really be more seasoned. They are still very good with the cheese seemkngly baked-on, and come with cups of salsa, jalapenos, sour cream, and guacamole. I have to mention their burgers of course. Big Pecker's has their delicious "bodacious burgers", which are massive and have always been great. They have a really good drink menu too. I got a Jack Daniels "Love Punch" when we were there a day or so ago. It was good, but you definitely could taste the Jack Daniels specifically. If you don't care for Jack Daniels they have a lot of other options on their drink menu.

The prices at Big Pecker's are really good for Ocean City. I think the nachos, for example, are about $8 or $9. The tacos are a bit more, maybe $10 or $11 (?) but the plate comes with 3 soft tacos that are very full. The nachos are a large plate and piled decently high. I may eat 1/3 of them if I'm very hungry.

Nothing is cheap in Ocean City, but Big Pecker's has very good prices, a good variety of tasty food that should provide options for most anyone to be happy, a nice setting, the novelty of the glider tables, servers who have always been efficient and friendly, and has always been very clean. We always know when we go that everyone will be happy with their food and enjoy their time there. I really recommend Bog Pecker's, and that you try the glider tables...

5 of us were going to dinner, we had trouble finding parking, so I got out to get in line awhile while the rest parked. It was packed and there was what looked like a line outside, so I got in line. Only to realize later you have to tell them your name and how many in your party then just wait around wherever there's room. Wish I would have known that before standing there looking like an idiot for several minutes. There were some places to sit to wait, but not a lot, not for the 35-40 minute wait we had.

We did get to sit outside on one of the canopy tables, which was nice because it was a beautiful evening. Our waitress (I don't remember her name) was very pleasant and efficient, we received our drinks quickly, our appetizers quickly, then our entrees after the appetizers were eaten, which we appreciated. Almost always, you get appetizers then the meal almost right away and you don't have room on the table for both. So the timing was good.

I split the nachos with my sisters (there were plenty), the cheese was shredded and melted on top, it wasn't the liquid orange cheese that I prefer, but my sister preferred the shredded, so to each their own, won't hold it against them for that. The other toppings (salsa, sour cream, guacamole) all came in very little cups, so there wasn't a lot of that, but she did bring more for us if we asked.

I ordered my burger with substitutions, which were all correct when I got my dinner and it was delicious! and huge! I took half of it home (possibly could have taken more home if I hadn't stuffed myself..lol) and it was just as good reheated! Lots of fries came with it as well. I think it was well worth it, and the price wasn't all that much more than it is at a diner at home. I think I spent under $20 including dinner, appetizer and tip. *One thing to note, apparently mayo comes on the burgers automatically, I wish I knew that I would have asked for none, but it was still delicious.

That bathrooms were definitely not clean. That definitely subtracts a point, but considering how busy they were and how busy the bathrooms were, unless they have one staff person just to clean the bathrooms, I can see how they would get dirty very quickly.

Overall, great stop on our trip to Maryland, I'll definitely go again...wish we had one...