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Brown's Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Food Donuts Restaurants, Donuts [Edit]
110 BoardwalkOcean City, NJ 08226
(609) 391-0677
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Breakfast
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
33 reviews for Brown's Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"...glaze is great, but the cinnamon sugar is unbelievable." In 11 reviews -
"A perfect way to start the day in Ocean City." In 3 reviews -
"...nice: cinnamon-sugar, chocolate/vanilla frosted and even..." In 4 reviews
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33 reviews in English
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Review from Nick C.
Abington, PA
5/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
Best. Donuts. Ever. Also, a great breakfast and reasonably priced. When you are in OC, you MUST stop by. When you see the line in front of the doughnut machine, you will know you are in the right place. Don't worry, the line is long, but it moves fast.
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Review from Amanda L.
Ocean City, NJ
5/23/2012
I've been going to browns since I was a little girl. I remember waking up early at my grandmothers with my cousins and going to sand in the donut line for fresh donuts made while you wait. They're hot and delicious and come in a few classic flavors. Great pricing also.
Their food is average, nothing to rave about. comparable to diner food really.
I'll recommend this spot for the donuts. -
Review from Shannon M.
Philadelphia, PA
3/18/2012
Full disclosure -- my younger brother has been one of "the donut boys" for the last 5+ years, so I might be a tad biased.
Family ties aside, Browns is a standard breakfast joint that has a killer view. Their "entree" items are typical diner stuff, nothing special. I'll always choose Uncle Bills over Browns for brunch .. unless I'm in the mood for donuts. You go to Browns for the donuts.
I also love stopping at Browns in the afternoon for some water ice. It really hits the spot after spending the day on the beach. -
Review from E..OCNJ W.
Ocean City, NJ
9/6/2011
Small over priced donuts that you have to wait in a long line for. Had the worst bacon / cheese omlet ever. Dry and the bacon was tasteless. Cheese was barely melted on top of it. It was more like dry scrambled eggs with bacon bits and cheese on top. Seating is cramped and close. Had to squeeze into a booth with no leg room. Flies everywhere.
There is no magic that goes into making these donuts. They are made by a comercially made donut machine that pleanty of places have. These same donuts can be found at many a farmers market and restaurant advertising fresh cider donuts. No big deal.
I think the shoobies are feasting on nostalgia for their summer vacations past and not on the food itself.
If it's Browns.....Flush it down!!! -
Review from Amanda K.
Phoenix, AZ
9/20/2011
You have to treat Browns like it's a regular diner with a great view and an added bonus: fresh donuts. The rest of the menu isn't magical. It's not a magical diner. It's a diner with magical donuts.
I've never waited on line for the donuts because I always eat in. Eat them hot. Get the six-donut sampler. Get at least two of the cinnamon sugar. Then repeat as needed with a big cup of coffee.
I really love Browns. I think they have great service. The decor might not be much, the booths might be small and the sanitary conditions might be questionable (but hey, you're by the beach. Of course there will be flies). But something about it feels timeless and comfortable. It's probably the intoxicating smell of donuts. -
Review from Lindsay L.
New Brunswick, NJ
7/28/2011
Good golly this are freaking fantastic donuts. I would be the first to admit if they were just "ok" but no, god no, they are indeed perfect. However there are a few tips to enjoying these donuts to the fullest:
1.) Eat them hot, it's just not the same when they are room temperature.
2.) Avoid the chocolate/vanilla frosted ones (the icing just kind of melts off the donut since they are dipped when they are still hot.
3.) Try to go when one of the older guys is working the front counter (as this is my single and only complaint) if you go when only the high school kids are working, be prepared to wait literally 4x as long because they tend to dip a donut and then chat, dip a donut then chat, dip a donut and then chat (you get the picture.)
Those are my only real suggestions, otherwise I absolutely love Brown's and the honey dipped donuts are my favorite!! Don't be afraid of how weird they sound, because the honey soaks into the hot donut making this cripsy-sweet just fried crust around the soft warm donut...drooooool. My mom and I will willingly wait about 30 minutes in line just to get 2 honey donuts a cup of coffee and an iced tea all of which we then enjoy while sitting on the beach watching the early surfers...it is seriously heaven. -
Review from Felicia D.
Philadelphia, PA
9/21/2010
If a simple doughnut can make you so happy you start doing a little burned-tongue dance in front of everyone waiting in line on the Boardwalk, I would argue that these particular honey-dripped and cinnamon sugar-rolled fried cakes are healthier than a bowl of broccoli and a scowl.
I'm no global expert on the subject, but what is there *not* to like about this place? Yes, the line is long. There are two teenage boys absolutely covered in glaze manning the machine; output is fixed and more and more people want doughnuts every year. There is very little attrition of customers, because these doughnuts are good for you.
Best practice? Go surfing at dawn at First Street. You can see Brown's from the lineup, and if the wind is right (offshore) at about 7am, the aroma of freshly fried cakes will drift out to you. If this does not make you hungry and happy and glad to be alive, nothing will.Listed in: It's a Shore Thing, Emotional Rescue, By the Sea in Ocean City
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Review from Erin M.
7/9/2010
I think my husband said it best: we have to go to Browns for donuts for our health. Because the more that we eat Browns, the less we will desire any other donut. I just love their donuts. All of the flavors are nice: cinnamon-sugar, chocolate/vanilla frosted and even plain is just plain wonderful.
The line is long, and you might want to slather up in sunblock and bring your parasol because it's right in the sun. But it's so worth the wait.
Also, if you don't feel like waiting, and wouldn't mind ordering a little breakfast to go along with your donuts, head over to the bar in the restaurant. You can usually find a spot there! -
Review from Tricia G.
Turnersville, NJ
10/9/2011
I'm an OC girl since childhood and had never been to Brown's until a few months ago and we just sized it up but didn't go in as we weren't hungry but kept it in the back of our minds. Welllllllllllllll, we had breakfast there on Saturday and topped it off w/ their insatiable succulent donuts afterward. Good good - I'm not a donut person but these are very different and utterly fresh. My man joked later, he thought I had an O ; ) MUST GO TO !!!!!
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Review from Matt P.
Brooklyn, NY
7/17/2010
Maybe I'm just a jaded New Yorker, but I think Brown's donuts are good, but they're not like the greatest donut I've ever tasted. I mean, don't get me wrong-- they're delicious-- but it's hard to find a donut that is not delicious, am I right?
That said, they're BARELY worth a wait in a gargantuan line. I've been here a few times & the line definitely varies. I feel like if you go a little later in the morning ("shore time" later-- meaning like, 9:30 or 10am) the line is a lot more bearable.
I think the best attribute to Brown's donuts is that they're super fresh, right out of the fryer. It's great that they're nice & warm with a little bit of a crust to them, but as most people have pointed out, the fact that they're so warm just means that the glaze slides right off. Unless you eat them right there on the boardwalk, it's not worth taking any glazed donuts home (there was a pool of glaze at the bottom of the box each time I've taken them back to our rental home on the north end of OC). Next time I'll just stick with the plain, the powdered or the cinnamon sugar (my favorite anyway).
If you don't feel like enduring a long wait, you can get some great cider donuts elsewhere in OC. It's not like this is the ONLY place! (Try Mallon's if you're on the northern end.) I just think Brown's has that of-legend-status among us shoobies... and I'm not quite sure why. Tradition? Nostalgia? Either way, it's great for Brown's but I sometimes think us shoobies can do a little better!
Oh and I guess I should mention that I've never actually been here for a proper breakfast or a meal, but my guess is, neither have a majority of Brown's customers. -
Review from Becky T.
6/10/2009
BEST DONUTS EVER.
Better than any dunkin donut, better than a hot Krispy Kreme off the conveyor belt. The long-ass line for them in the mornings are proof of this. Brown's donuts are fried right then and there and then glazed to your liking right then and there before handing it to you seconds later. They have powdered, honey, chocolate, or my personal fave, the cinnamon sugar. These are serious crack donuts.
Their breakfast is also really good. I had the eggs and pork roll (gotta try it if you're in the area) and it was served right. They also had fresh OJ. Brown's is the best way to start the day out in OC, though stuffing myself before getting into a bikini to enjoy the beach is probably not the best idea but really a donut or 2 or 5 are pretty worth it. -
Review from Mervin M.
Union, NJ
7/23/2010
I must admit...
Some of the best. donuts. ever. They're cake donuts, not yeast.
The vanilla/chocolate glazed do lose their punch quickly, but I instantly fell in love with the cinnamon sugar variety.
Small, but that helps lessen the guilt.
Warm, sugary orbs of fried deliciosity. Trust me. -
Review from Mike S.
Auburndale, MA
8/17/2008 1 Check-in Here
Browns is one of corner stones of the Jersey Shore's Ocean City. Bring cash. They don't take credit cards.
The others, particularly Matthew B, who have written about the old school donuts are spot on. People line up before the place opens to get their soft, hot, gooey cinnamon sugar, powdered, vanilla and chocolate frosted pieces of heaven. It is TOTALLY worth the wait and your donuts will be hot. They never sit. They will have been made probably seconds before you get them. These are the real deal and there literally is nothing better.
In the afternoons, they stop making donuts in favor of Italian Ice. They have the traditional lemon and cherry flavors plus a bunch of others like sour and creamscicle.
The thing that people are forgetting to mention, maybe because they just go for the donuts, is the breakfast!
The Belgian waffles are light and crispy. They flake off and melt in your mouth. The Texas style French toast is unique and delicious. The omelettes are not (super) greasy and have delicious and ample veggies. Browns does not skimp on the blueberries. If you want them on your waffle, they will cover 75% of your waffle. If you want them in your pancakes, well lets just say you'll get some pancake with your blueberries! I have never been disappointed with a meal at Browns, even on the (few and far between) days that I skip the donuts.
Don't skip the donuts!!! :)
I have not been there for lunch. Browns does not serve dinner. -
Review from Maura G.
8/1/2011
i think this place is a bit overrated...yes, the breakfast is good, but you could get the same dishes anywhere. i have never tried the homemade doughnuts...which i guess is why people love this place so much...so i will have to try them next time. this place is always packed for breakfast, so if you need to eat right away, don't come here. my boyfriend loves this place so that's why every year i must stand in line to get in. but i haven't had a bad breakfast here yet.
lunch is just so-so. typical diner food. like i said, a bit overrated.
and they only take cash. which is fine, but i always forget and have to use their ATM with a $4 service charge! it's 2011 people, get with it...minus a star... -
Review from Alex K.
Hillsborough, NJ
7/9/2009
Have to agree with Becky.
Damn those are good donuts! Read about them, had to check it out. So good we had to go back later in the week. Wow.
Honey glaze is great, but the cinnamon sugar is unbelievable. Only minor nit-pick was that is you get the chocolate or vanilla glaze - since they are still warm (almost hot) - if you have to drive back to the house after, the glaze melts off. That kind of stinks - but wow, are they good. -
Review from Alice L.
New Hope, PA
2/1/2009
We go to OC every year with the family and every morning when I am out running/walking on the boardwalk there are people lined up for doughnuts at browns. So finally last year joined the line to see what the fuss was about. Yeah, they are hot from the frier, but no wasn't really loving them. Because they are hot the toppings melt right off. Brought some home to the rest of the gang and no one was overly wowed. Won't be waiting in line any time soon again.
Did go back for lunch one day. They had also been rated highly as a place to go for a buger. It was decent - not the best I've ever had. -
Review from Sara P.
Philadelphia, PA
6/21/2009
I don't even like donuts (or so I thought), but I read "Becky T.'s" review and she made them sound so good! i thought it would be a great place for my boyfriend to check out since he loves donuts.
We got there around noon. They were just about to close, but the donuts were still super fresh and fried and dipped right there. So, my man asked me if I wanted a donut. I said, "eh, no. Get whatever you want, i don't even like them donuts. I won't want one." I didn't think I'd be tempted. he got a half dozen. When we sat down, he opened the box and they smelled really good. why not take a bite, I thought. I should at least know what they taste like. I wish I would have recorded that first bite.
I made some sound and my eyes lit up. Delicious. Hot and soft and unlike any donut that I have had EVER! really, EVER! I ate 2! SO yummy and they're not too heavy. light and fluffy.
You have to try one. -
Review from Gary S.
Tucson, AZ
7/23/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Best breakfast in OC. I think what makes these donuts so good is that they are made fresh to order. But then again who doesn't like donuts
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Review from Rhino V.
Bethlehem, PA
7/31/2011
Had lunch there w/ some of my kids & did a take out order for the rest of mi familia. Barely edible. Might be good for donuts but not lunch. Wife's "homemade chickensalad" wrap was tossed in garbage. My turkey wrap was dry as they do not add any type of condiments to them & none was on table to add. Way overpriced.
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Review from Matthew B.
Lionville, PA
8/6/2008
I remember when my grand mother made german potato donuts (she pronounced them "phuasnuts") at home from scratch. My brothers and I would wait next to the deep frier as she dumped them into the powdered or cinnamon sugar -- we'd scarf them up as fast as she could make them, hot and unbelievably good.
Thats Brown's. From the frier to you mouth. It is like I was 8 years old again.... -
Review from Dave S.
Vienna, VA
9/1/2011
You need know only three things about Brown's. First, it is no more than a decent breakfast place. Eggs, toast, sausage...you can get as good or better in a number of other places. Omelettes at Readys are better, for example. But, second, you didn't go to Brown's for the omelette. You went for the donuts and you would be a fool if you step into this place and don't get some. Best donuts we've ever had and maybe the best thing to eat in all of OC. Third, they serve decent water ice and are a great place to go mid-afternoon when you have been on the beach all day.
Donuts. DOOONNNNUTTTSSSS! -
Review from Tom M.
6/16/2008
How does this not have a review yet?
Didn't sit down there, just got in the morning donut line.
Worth it. And then some.
They make the donuts right there in front of you and you get them faily quickly after they've come out of the frier.
Fresh donuts are great, they put Dunkin Donuts to shame. A perfect way to start the day in Ocean City. -
Review from Jesse G.
Collegeville, PA
5/27/2011
Disappointed in the fact that they got rid of coke products. I think as long as they keep making their doughnuts the same way, they still will be ranked high.
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Review from Nina L.
New York, NY
9/6/2011
Outstanding donuts. Walked for over an hour each way with my friend and our babies this morning for these treats. Well worth it and burned some of the calories off I guess. Took home two dozen to share with friends and honey glazed were the clear favorite. Glad my friend and I had "road donuts" fresh on the spot before walking back to the house. So light and crispy and sweet. Glad I don't live anywhere around this place or I would seriously have problems avoiding this place.
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Review from Alan R.
Norristown, PA
8/13/2008
Gotdamn dem donuts are great!
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Review from jamie s.
Newtown, PA
6/13/2011
Summer doesn't start until you ride your bike down the boards and wait in line at Browns. I hate lines, won't even go to Disney "in season". But a Browns donut, hot, right in the benches out front is so worth it. My now 8 year old and i have been waking up early and waiting in line for 5 years now. For us, it's part of the vacation. We enjoy our hot donuts and watch the early morning beach scene, then head back to the house w a dozen for the family. We do this almost every day. Late night discussions in our house always include what kind of donuts everyone wants. We only get cinnamon, plain or honey- the absolute best! The chocolate and vanilla melt right off so I don't recommend. I never eat donuts, except Browns. Worth the wait and calories in every way.
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Review from jen s.
Hamilton Square, NJ
6/28/2009 1 photo
Great donuts. They come out of the fryer as you order. I tried a chocolate glazed and it was awesome. The other varieties are vanilla glazed, cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, honey glazed, and plain. They are smaller than your average Dunkin Donut, so you may want to order more than one! I will definitely be back waiting in line again next year.
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Review from David G.
San Diego, CA
9/21/2008
With all of the 5-star reviews and the long line that greeted us as we arrived on Sunday morning, we had high hopes for Brown's.
Boy were we sorely disappointed. The bacon had a nasty burned and greasy taste. The toast came cool and unbuttered. The scrambled eggs were hard and the home fried were bland. Oh, and the coffee suuucked. I mean if there's any place that should have good coffee, it's a breakfast place.
It was mediocre diner food at best. Certainly not the great food we were expecting.
I also ordered blueberry pancakes and I will say that they were pretty good.
Can't speak for the doughnuts as we didn't order any. Maybe the draw here is the doughnuts, because it sure isn't for breakfast! -
Review from Keith H.
Bethlehem, PA
7/10/2011
Amazing - doughnuts cooked to order! The cinnamon sugar just melt in your mouth! What a way to start the day!
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Review from Aileen M.
Sewell, NJ
1/8/2010
I went here this past summer and the doughnuts are so tasty! The food is great for the money, wonderful breakfast place in ocean city. Just watch out this place can get very crowded in the summer, especially in July and August.
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Review from Frank D.
Mineola, NY
7/6/2010
We have a house in the North End of Ocean City and at least once a year I go stand in the line to get the best fresh donuts! I've waited as much as an hour but the end result was well worth it. If you are going for donuts just be prepared to wait. Also, watch out for small children as the boardwalk is narrow at the north end and during the summer bike hours this end can become very crowded with bike traffic. Take a book or a friend and be prepared to wait! Then get home ASAP so you can have them still warm!
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Review from Natasha S.
Bensalem, PA
5/28/2011
Spent today 30 min in line to get my 2 donuts and coffee. It's so worth it!! The smell of the ocean, sunscreen and Browns Donuts...it's beginning of the summer for me!
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Review from Joshua H.
Pennsauken, NJ
7/24/2009
This is a must for anyone staying in Ocean City. Walk down to Brown's in the morning, stand in line for 25 minutes then order your fresh, hot, tasty doughnuts. They are so good and could never be duplicated because of the freshness. The salt air and nearby beach adds to the flavor somehow. My kids and wife were so happy I did this for them. It's now a part of the memories of our vacation week. "Hey Dad, remember those doughnuts?"
