• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

The Island House Restaurant serves local oysters in numerous preparations.   (Photo: Courtesy of the Island House Restaurant)

See waves crashing from your table at the Island House Restaurant (open Thursday to Sunday in the winter) in the fishing village of Wachapreague, where chef Charles Thain serves up local seafood in a salt-marsh setting. Try Sewansecott oysters (often on the menu at Grand Central Oyster Bar) on the half shell ($8 for a half-dozen) or the signature Oysters Parramore with local crabmeat and a secret sauce ($14).

Slide into a hammock while waiting for a casual lunch at Woody’s Beach BBQ on Chincoteague Island, where you can choose between two menus: one packed with house-smoked meats and slow-cooked barbeque and the other with fresh seafood. Order a shrimp po’boy sandwich ($10.99) topped with crunchy slaw, or a slab of baby back ribs ($13.99 for a half-rack) along with sides like cornbread and sweet-potato fries.

Slurp freshly shucked oysters ($8 for a half-dozen) at the Shanty, which opened last summer on the harbor in Cape Charles. Under the pitched wooden roof, bright-blue walls showcase artistic photographs of local fishermen, live musicians play acoustic sets, and the kitchen turns out baskets of fried oysters ($14) and massive seafood platters ($23) with crab, oysters, fish, hush puppies, and corn on the cob.

Published on Jan 11, 2013 as a web exclusive.