ANNAPOLIS, MD — Diners who want both good food and a restaurant that tells a story should head to Chick & Ruth's Delly in Annapolis, according to a food site’s inventory of “The Most Fascinating Restaurant In Every State.”

Food Love, whose content includes recipes, food news, and opinion pieces, ranked the selections. Some states had more than one restaurant in the ranking. Illinois had three, and Arizona, California, Connecticut, Maine and New York each had two on the list.

Chick & Ruth's, located at 165 Main St., ranked 40th among the 58 restaurants on the list.

Editors lauded the retro charm at Chick & Ruth's, saying:

"There's no denying that the main draw to Chick and Ruth's in Annapolis is its giant crab cakes, which have been served here since 1965 (and in surroundings that look little-changed since then). The restaurant is popular with everyone from politicians to sailors and, if you're here on a weekday morning, you'll find that everything momentarily stops at 8.30am for the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag – just as much a matter of pride as the crab cakes."

The pledge also runs at 9:30 a.m. on the weekends. The tradition pays homage to the eatery's location in the state capital.

Politicians who frequent the restaurant have menu items named after them. There's even a booth reserved for the governor, who sits on one side if they're a Republican and the other if they're a Democrat.

Chick & Ruth's is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

Manager Shelly McFadyen said Chick & Ruth's is special because it's "casual, fun, loud."

"I think it's the atmosphere," McFadyen told Patch in an exclusive interview. "It's the good food, home cooking."

The crab cakes are a crowd pleaser. McFadyen said the recipe is top secret, but they use minimal breading, ensuring a lump cake.

"It's colossal chunks of crab meat in there," she said. "They're awesome. I'm from Southern Maryland, and I don't even make my own anymore."

The colossal challenges are another draw. Customers can tackle either a 6-pound milkshake or a 1.5-pound Reuben or burger.

If a challenger finishes off their jumbo shake or sandwich alone within an hour, they earn a T-shirt and a social media shoutout.

The host of "Man v. Food" once visited Chick & Ruth's to conquer both the massive shake and sandwich in one sitting. Anybody who completes the "Man v. Food" challenge, finishing their shake and sandwich in time, gets their meal for free.

"We have a wall of shame that we take their picture and put it up," McFadyen said.

The restaurant added a colossal mimosa challenge within the past few years. Multiple people are needed to attempt this feat.

Chick and Ruth's opened six decades ago when Charles "Chick" Levitt launched the business with his wife, Ruth Levitt.

Their son, Ted Levitt, took over after the couple died. He ran the establishment with his wife, Beth Levitt.

The Levitt family sold the deli to Keith Jones in fall 2017. Keith Jones died in January 2021. He was 58.

Keith Jones passed Chick and Ruth's on to Spencer Jones, his son and the restaurant's current president.

Spencer Jones had just graduated from Virginia Tech and started working in Wisconsin before his father's death. Spencer Jones hopes to continue his dad's legacy.

"He was always somebody who was very willing to help other people," Spencer Jones told Patch in a 2022 interview. "It's important to me that we take care of our guests, that we take care of our employees."

To learn more about the history of Chick & Ruth's, read Patch's feature story on the restaurant.