Harrison’s Harbor Watch Celebrates 40 Years of Waterfront Dining in Ocean City

A landmark on the Ocean City Boardwalk since its opening forty years ago, Harrison’s Harbor Watch and Raw Bar continues to draw crowds with its timeless charm, fresh seafood, and unparalleled views of the inlet.

The Harrison Family

The Harrison family has been invested in the Berlin and Ocean City area for several generations.  Starting in 1884, Berlin farmer Joseph George Harrison began growing peaches in the Berlin area.  This business expanded and soon became the world’s largest grower of fruit trees and ornamental shrubbery in the 1920’s.  As the peach business declined in the early 1960’s, brothers Hale and John Harrison entered the hospitality and restaurant business in Ocean City.  Exactly 100 years after George Harrison’s entrepreneurial idea, Hale and John opened Harrison’s Harbor Watch Restaurant and Raw Bar in 1984.  Although the family later expanded its hotel and restaurant base, Harrison’s Harbor Watch had continued to be the only free-standing restaurant in the family’s Ocean City portfolio until the opening of The Wedge in 2023. 

The Building and its Location

Harrison’s Harbor Watch is a very popular, 444 seat, two-story seafood restaurant with views of the Atlantic Ocean, Assateague Island, and the commercial fishing harbor. 

The restaurant was opened in 1984 by brothers John and Hale Harrison of Harrison Group Hotels. The building itself is supported with large timber columns and beams and the large windows that give Harbor Watch guests one of the best views on the East Coast. The unobstructed view of the Assateague Island Maryland State Park as well as the national seashore provides diners with a one-of-a-kind experience. The wild horses of Assateague, dolphins swimming through the inlet, pelicans and hundreds of recreational and commercial boats passing by creates a feast for the eyes. In the evening the restaurant has large lights on the roof that illuminate the Ocean City inlet and jetty on the north end of Assateague. With the inlet lit up, small bait fish are attracted to the surface which in turn attract other larger fish and local fishermen of course. The Ocean City seagulls also get in on the action floating with the current through the illuminated waterway. Just when they get out of the cast of the rooftop lights, they will fly up from the water, go back to the other end to enjoy the light show and the benefits it brings once again. 

The Atmosphere

As one enters into Harbor Watch, take in the nostalgic look and environment showcased in the full restaurant and bar area.  The seafood and nautical works are located on almost all the walls and often hanging from the ceiling. Even the bar area contains old photos encased in the wood work.  Preserving this seafaring tradition of old Ocean City is a major part of the story being told and experienced through a visit to Harbor Watch.  It has been this traditional feel that has remained in this restaurant since its beginnings. 

Besides the food and beverage, the highlight for many is looking out the expansive windows to view the Ocean City area and northern section of Assateague Island.  Common to see are passing boats, fishing boats along the jetty, and plenty of birds.  With luck, some may spot a passing dolphin entering the inlet or even a pony on Assateague Island from their dinner chair. 

Importance to Ocean City and the Boardwalk

Harbor Watch is more than just good food and drink.  It’s experiencing the maritime history of Ocean City and the surrounding area.  It’s exactly this feel and taste that Hale and John Harrison envisioned for their restaurant and bar customers and which continues forty years later.