5 Best Restaurants in Virginia's Eastern Shore, Virginia

On the eastern side of the island, happily ensconced along the Assateague Channel away from the more heavily trafficked main streets of town, this meticulously maintained family-friendly restaurant has a vista as soothing as its food. Its dishes include pastas and popular meat dishes as well as typical fish and shellfish creations. Try the crab cakes, Etta's signature dish.

Inside a converted 19th-century general store on the National Register of Historic Places, you can imagine yourself waiting for a steamer to Baltimore. Walk past the vintage display cases into a casual dining area overlooking the wharf, or enjoy crab cakes, steamed clams, and fresh fish on the deck outside. On summer Sundays, there's live music playing.

This soft-serve shop is a local favorite, serving cones, slushes, milk shakes, and sorbets.

Set back from the street next to the water, this take-out place dishes out delectable made-to-order salads, sandwiches, and roll-ups, plus homemade soups and baked goods, much of it vegetarian or vegan. There are a few tables outside if you don't want to take away.