Knife and Fork Inn

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Century of Atlantic City History at the Table

Few restaurants in America carry as much living history as the Knife & Fork Inn. Established in 1912 at the junction of Atlantic, Pacific, and Albany Avenues, the building was originally an exclusive men's drinking and dining club founded by Atlantic City Mayor William Riddle and Commodore Louis Kuehnle. During Prohibition, the club openly defied federal law — allegedly shielded by the influence of political boss Enoch "Nucky" Johnson, a regular at the bar — until federal agents finally raided and dismantled it in true Roaring Twenties fashion.

The Latz family purchased the building in 1927 and converted it into a public restaurant, running it through the Depression and into the postwar decades. Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, and Vic Damone were among the regulars. Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon famously dined on the porch — now the Terrace — during filming of the movie Atlantic City. After a brief closure in 1997, the Dougherty family, fourth-generation owners of Dock's Oyster House (Atlantic City's only restaurant older than the Knife & Fork), purchased the property in 2005 and undertook a thorough restoration.

Restored to Its Prohibition-Era Grandeur

The 2005 renovation was guided by one clear intention: recapture the atmosphere of the original. Rich mahogany millwork, hand-painted ceilings, a sweeping staircase, and the original solid brass front door were all preserved or meticulously restored. The vaulted Main Dining Room ceiling — damaged by decades of smoke and water — was brought back to its former elegance, and a Prohibition-era mural now fills the space where a dumbwaiter once stood. The third floor, once part of the Latz family apartment, became the Wine Room: exposed brick, wood floors, ocean views, and floor-to-ceiling wine racks housing the bottles behind the restaurant's Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence-recognized list. The kitchen, by contrast, was rebuilt from scratch with state-of-the-art equipment, including a large grill dedicated to the steaks and seafood at the heart of the menu.

Steaks, Seafood, and a Raw Bar Worth the Trip

The menu is rooted in the classic steakhouse and seafood tradition, executed with evident care. On the steak side, cuts range from an 8 oz Filet Mignon to a 24 oz Ocean Beef Porterhouse, with options to finish any entrée Oscar-style — jumbo lump crabmeat, béarnaise, and grilled asparagus. The seafood program is equally serious: Lobster Thermidor, a Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with jicama slaw and red pepper coulis, Seafood Risotto with shrimp, crab, and scallops, and a raw bar offering oysters on the half shell, colossal crabmeat cocktail, and a Seafood Sampler for two. The signature Knife & Fork Inn Dinner — corn and crab chowder, Jersey tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad, Lobster Thermidor, and Filet Mignon — is the table's shorthand for the full experience.

The cocktail list is inventive without being showy, and the Wine Room doubles as a private dining space for parties and special events. Smart-casual attire is suggested; the rooms reward the effort.