Dining on the Beach and Beyond
Area Restaurants Provide Delectable
Treasures from the Land and Ocean as well as Eclectic Fusions of Original
Favorites
From chef-owned eateries to dockside cafes, dining in southern Delaware is truly a culinary adventure. Dine alfresco next to crashing waves, or kick back dockside and enjoy a tropical happy hour cocktail as the sun melts away. There are dozens of restaurants on the beach areas and beyond that provide all the elements of an unforgettable dining experience.
From Rehoboth Beach to Fenwick Island, you’ll find a wide variety of restaurants, from family-owned eateries to new, innovative establishments with unique menus. The variety ensures every vacationer will be able to find the perfect meal in the perfect setting to complete their perfect vacation.
What most local restaurants have in common is a focus on local flavors, such as the famous Chesapeake blue crabs available April through December, deliciously moist rockfish, tasty tautog and flaky and delicate flounder available at different times throughout the year. Fresh veggies from the many farms on the Delmarva Peninsula are paired with the fresh catches for a locally sourced meal you’re sure to love.
Rehoboth Beach has also been attracting loads of media attention, as area restaurants have expanded beyond the typical beach resort establishments to creative and gourmet eateries suitable for any palate. You’ll still find the classic mom-and-pop diners, with favorites in beach food, seafood dishes and a unique atmosphere. But added to the mix are cosmopolitan eateries with fusion cuisine, international restaurants and chef-owned eateries with changing menus using the best of local flavors.
After dinner, the town continues to sizzle with nightly concerts by the beach and popular downtown hotspots. Many also head to nearby Dewey Beach for a night out on the town. Dewey, a more casual and smaller version of Rehoboth, features many popular restaurants and bars that attract crowds into the wee hours.
What to Eat When
Wondering what fresh catch you might find on vacation?
Here are a few ideas:
Blue Crab, the pride of our neighbor Maryland and a tasty menu item sought out by tourists and locals alike, is mainly available from April through December. The season for the soft shell variety ends a few months earlier, in October. During the summer months, you’ll find crab on many menus throughout the area, in an infinite array of presentations. The classic way of cooking crabs, which gives them their signature flavor, involves steaming the live crabs in large pots with water, vinegar and Old Bay seasoning. Many restaurants will substitute or add ingredients to give their crabs a unique flavor. Of course, pasteurized crabmeat is available all year.
Striped bass, or rockfish, is another popular fresh catch, particularly from the Chesapeake Bay. As the official state fish of Maryland, striped bass is a deliciously moist fish that area restaurants can cook up in a multitude of ways. The mild flavor is usually complemented by many added spices, herbs or sauces and grilled, blackened or broiled. While you’ll probably find striped bass on the menu all year, the best season for the popular fish is during the fall and winter months, when they migrate south from New England.
Tautog is often plentiful in the surrounding areas, and because of its lean, firm and tasty meat, it is a popular menu item and choice for the “Catch of the Day.” Find the fish served baked, basked with butter and covered in crumbs, or rubbed with spices and grilled. The main fishing season for tautog is May through September, but anglers still manage to reel them in year round.
Another popular local fish is flounder, which is found in the bay during the summer (June through September) and in the ocean all year long. Flaky and delicate, flounder is a mild fish that can be prepared in a myriad of ways, but for the most part, you’ll find this tasty fish pan-fried to perfection.
During the summer, you’ll find many other fish on the menu or specials board, including Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Of course, local menus also feature seafood favorites like shrimp, scallops, oysters, clams, lobster and salmon. Always check the specials for the freshest catch and innovative chef creations.
Dining Listings
Arena's Famous Deli Bar
149 Rehoboth Ave
Rehoboth Beach
302-227-1272
www.ArenaDeliandBar.com
Bayside Skillet
77th Street & the Bay
410-524-7950
www.baysideskillet.com
3 Rehoboth Ave. and 18598 Coastal Hwy.
Rehoboth Beach, DE
13115 Coastal Hwy.,
Ocean City, MD
2657 N. Salisbury Blvd.,
Salisbury, MD
www.coldstonecreamery.com
Fenwick Crabhouse
100 Coastal Highway Fenwick Center
Fenwick Island, DE
302-539-2500
www.crabcakeexpress.com
Fractured Prune
20214 Coastal Hwy.
Rehoboth Beach, DE
302-227-0747
Grotto Pizza
Serving Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach, DE
www.GrottoPizza.com
Harpoon Hanna’s
Rt. 54 on the Bay
142nd Street on the Bay in Fenwick Island, DE
302-539-3095
In Maryland 1-800-227-0525
www.harpoonhannasrestaurant.com
Outback Steakhouse
12741 Ocean Gateway, Ocean City
410-213-2595
19917 Sea Blossom Blvd., Rehoboth
302-227-4858
8245 Dickerson Lane, Salisbury
410-341-7355
www.www.outback.com
Pizza Hut
Rehobooth, DE
302-645-2500
Primo Hoagies
133rd Streeet & Coastal Highway
Ocean City, MD
410-250-0522
Victoria's Restaurant
Victoria's Restaurant
Rehoboth, DE
302-227-0615
www.victoriasrestaurant.com