Atlantic City, NJ, Chef names his favorite restaurants in AC area

When it comes to the best restaurants, who better to ask than one of the top executive chefs in Atlantic City?

Executive chef Leslie Daniel of Kuro, which is located at Hard Casino in Atlantic City and was named of the USA Today 10 best hotel restaurants in the county was asked to give his best breakfast, lunch and dinner spots in Atlantic City. Daniel has plenty of credentials as the recent winner of the "Guy's Grocery Games" on the Food Network.

Which Atlantic City restaurants did he pick as some of the best in the city?

As far as breakfast, Gilchrist Restaurant, Hot Bagels & More, and Velo Cafe which is located in neighboring Ventnor made the cut as his three favorite spots.

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Here is what he said about each breakfast spot:

Gilchrist:

For a menu recommendation, his go-to is The Hungry Man #3, which has three eggs, three blueberry hot cakes, and scrapple.

Hot Bagels:

The chef regularly orders pork roll with egg and cheese on an everything bagel. "It's a perfect way to start the morning," he says. "I could eat two of them, but sometimes I don't want to go right back to sleep, so I just get one."

Velo Cafe:

One of Daniel's favorites is the signature crispy chicken on a homemade waffle topped with Sriracha honey.

Over to his favorite lunch spots in the city, "Chef Leslie" is a fan of the Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall.

Daniel usually orders The Kentucky Ave. Chicken Sandwich, which features Japanese pepper-spiced fried chicken, kimchi slaw, and sweet chili aioli — all with a good beer, of course.

Another lunch spot he mentioned is the Biergarten Atlantic City, which is right up on the World Famoul Atlantic City boardwalk.

Daniel says Biergarten Atlantic City is the place to be in the summertime. "You're fully outside with a boot of beer, a platter with three different types of sausage, potato salad, and a large (Bavarian) pretzel with mustard and cheese. You really can't beat that," he adds.

Up next, Chef is taking us over to Ducktown Tavern, which has a great menu with traditional bar fare.

At Ducktown, Daniel orders a burger with a nice pour of local whiskey and prefers to enjoy it in the outside area known as The Duck Hut.

Another lunch spot that made his list is The Wonder Bar right at the foot of the Albany Avenue bridge on the bay in Atlantic City.

His favorite menu item is Local Favorite — a chicken, bacon, and avocado wrap with spicy chipotle mayo and French fries. He also recommends getting a side of the boom boom sauce and mozzarella sticks. For Daniel, it's "the perfect start to a night of fun or the perfect way to end a busy workday."

Finally, its dinner time and Chef Daniel is taking us to Youyu Noodle Bar at the Hard Rock in Atlantic City.

Because he knows the chef, he can get a little creative with his order. "They have this curry beef brisket with noodles, but I do a little hack with it," he says. "I do mine without the noodles and add the pork fried rice with curry sauce."

Next up its Los Compadres Restaurant & Bar at 2701 Arctic Ave

His go-to order is a beef tongue taco and an al pastor taco with salsa verde, plus guacamole, rice, beans, and a cold margarita.

If you're just looking for a simple burger and fries type of meal, Chef Daniel says he likes to run over and grab an Oak burger and fries and Council Oak Steaks & Seafood at the Hard Rock.

Finally, Daniel insists Ramen Wakana in Egg Harbor Township is deserving a spot on this list.

"When I heard a ramen place was opening this close to Atlantic City and I wouldn't have to drive to Philly or New York, I was excited," he says. "I get a large bowl of chop suey, ramen, wontons, and pork bao buns."