DaVinci’s by the Sea has permanently closed in Ocean City, bringing an end to a 40-year run for the longtime family-owned Italian restaurant.
The restaurant officially closed this week after announcing earlier this summer that 2026 would be its final season. DaVinci’s opened in 1986 and spent four decades serving Ocean City residents, vacationers and generations of families returning to the beach town.
Owner Vince Sapia reflected on the restaurant’s history when announcing the closure, explaining that his parents started DaVinci’s and that the restaurant became an important part of his family’s life. “When I think about 40 years, I don’t think about the business. I think about the people,” Sapia wrote. He recalled the generations of employees who worked at the restaurant, including seasonal workers and J-1 students from around the world, as well as longtime customers who returned year after year.
Sapia said some employees formed lifelong friendships at DaVinci’s, while others met at the restaurant and eventually married. He also noted that his daughter, nieces and nephews had never known a time when the restaurant was not part of their family’s lives. “I’m not sad about this being the last season. I’m grateful,” Sapia wrote. “Grateful for my family who built it. Grateful for everyone who ever worked here. And grateful for everyone who made Da Vinci’s part of their lives over the years.”
Located along the historic Ocean City Boardwalk, DaVinci’s was known for traditional Italian cuisine and oceanfront dining. The restaurant described its menu as Italian comfort food, with dinners beginning with fresh-baked Italian bread with garlic butter and salad with its homemade dressing. Sauces were prepared daily, and sautéed dishes were made to order using extra virgin olive oil and traditional Italian pan sauces.
Customers could dine inside or outside on the restaurant’s oceanfront deck. During its final weeks, DaVinci’s said longtime customers returned to share memories of the restaurant and its place in their Ocean City traditions.
“During the last couple weeks we have seen so many familiar faces and made some new friends out of longtime guests that we had not gotten to know,” the restaurant wrote last week. “It has been great to hear everyone’s stories about how our family business has been part of their lives over all of these years.”
While DaVinci’s has reached the end of its 40-year run, Sapia said he plans to focus on Surfin Betty’s, which he described as growing rapidly.“It’s been an incredible run,” Sapia wrote.
