Marlin Moon Restaurant

We celebrated our 18 year Anniversary in OC and choose this restaurant to have our dinner. Absolutely love this fine restaurant! The waitress Abi was outstanding! Along with the manager April. They created a wonderful atmosphere for us and we really appreciate it. Oh did I mention the food was DELICIOUS!!

We chose Marlin Moon for our two-year anniversary and planned an entire staycation around this dinner because of the amazing reputation. We arrived about 30 minutes early and were kindly accommodated. The hostess acknowledged our anniversary and specifically said she would seat us somewhere with some privacy, placing us at a corner table away from the other guests. That thoughtful start made us feel special and set the tone for what we hoped would be an intimate celebration.

Our server Emily was warm, attentive, and efficient, and we truly appreciated her service throughout the meal.

Unfortunately, the experience declined from there. Shortly after we were seated in what was presented as a more private area, a loud party with children was seated directly behind us, despite there only being about two other tables occupied at the time. The atmosphere shifted immediately from intimate to distracting, and my husband and I struggled to hear each other speak for the rest of dinner. We completely understand families dining out, but being told we were seated somewhere for privacy and then having that taken away was especially disappointing on an anniversary night.

The food was also inconsistent. The filet frittes had potential and the fries were great, but only two of the three pieces of steak were enjoyable. The third was chewy and underdone. The steak was heavily covered in gravy, which overpowered the flavor rather than enhancing it. My husband’s Chicken Chesapeake tasted fine but was surprisingly small for the price.

While the hostess did acknowledge our anniversary upon arrival, there was no further recognition during the meal. Even a small gesture would have gone a long way given the circumstances.

We left feeling genuinely disappointed and honestly surprised, considering the restaurant’s reputation and the price point. Emily and the hostess were kind and professional, but the overall experience did not match expectations for what was meant to be a special celebration. It was unfortunately a letdown.

We may consider trying again in the future in hopes this was just an off night, but this visit did not reflect the experience we anticipated.

My wife and I had a wonderful experience and dinner at Marlin Moon. We went on a Saturday evening in July with reservations to sit outside. We were warmly greeted by a friendly hostess and taken to a very nice outside dining area. We were introduced to our amazing waitress Josie who made the entire dinner fanatasic. She was friendly and attentive. Food was amazing. Scallops appetizer was perfect as was the seafood pasta and filet frittes. Cocktails from the bar were outstanding. Bonus was a GF option Josie recommended for dessert for my wife that wasn't on the menu.
Overall wonderful experience and would recommend to anyone looking for a quieter higher end option in Ocean City.