Billy Barb and John Brumley recently opened the Reel Deal to cater to local fishermen.

By Cindy Hoffman, Staff Writer

(July 6, 2023) The Reel Deal is looking for a few hungry fishermen to feed.

The new restaurant opened a few weeks ago in the former site of Bradda Barney’s on Sunset Avenue in West Ocean City. Barney, the dog, still graces one wall of the restaurant in a cool surfing mural the restaurant’s owners kept during their remodeling effort.

Being so close to the docks in West Ocean City, the co-owners John Brumley and Billy Barb, hope to serve those heading out on the water by providing lunch to go.

They are willing to deliver at 4 a.m. before the crews head out on the water.

“Fishermen need a spot to call their own,” said Brumley.

“This is my dream,” Barb said of owning a restaurant. He has been a general manager of many restaurants in Ocean City. Now he has a place of his own. Brumley is part owner of Uptown Eats as well.

The restaurant is a mix of dine in and carry out. It has 38 seats, a nice wood top bar and made-from-scratch food.

The menu includes crab cakes and soft shells, onion rings, wraps and salads. They expect to expand their offerings soon and are considering breakfast options too.

“The response has been great. We can’t thank the local folks enough,” Barb said.

Barb highly recommends their cheese steaks and chicken cheese steaks. The rolls they use are delivered from Philadelphia.

“The bread is unbelievable, and they make it just for us,” Brumley said.

Barb says folks from Philadelphia say their cheesesteaks are just as good at the ones they get back home.

“That’s because we use ribeye,” Brumley said. He says you won’t find that in most other restaurants in Ocean City.

Other food, like crab meat and fish, they are trying to source locally.

They plan to launch an app in a few weeks to help with orders.

“Let us know a day in advance,” Brumley said about early or larger orders.

They are looking to the August Board of License Commissioners meeting to get their beer and wine license.

The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and closed on Sunday. The Reel Deal is located at 12703 Sunset Avenue, Suite 7 in West Ocean City.