The sand and surf may be the biggest draw for visitors to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, every summer, but not too far behind that would be all the great restaurants that have turned a small beach town into a favorite among foodies.
While the usual fare of French fries and ice cream are still in abundance, so is the fine dining that can often be found within blocks of the ocean. And, like the ocean waves, new places keep arriving, giving discerning diners reasons to keep going back. In recent years, establishments such as the聽Henlopen City Oyster House, DiFebo鈥檚, the Pickled Pig Pub and Salt Air have joined places such as聽Nage, Espuma and Justin Thyme among other long-running restaurants.
New arrivals to the Rehoboth area this year include two restaurants owned by groups that already have deep roots on the Delaware coast.
On Rehoboth Avenue, Chesapeake and Maine聽is聽owned by Dogfish Head and operates next door to the restaurant the brewery also runs. And as the name would suggest, the menu focuses on two distinct regions of the east coast known for shellfish and seafood.
鈥淎ll seafood is from the Chesapeake and Main regions, 100 percent,鈥� said聽general manager Ryan Schwamberger. 鈥淪o, everything from a traditional style lobster roll to crabcakes 鈥� a lot of shellfish.鈥�
The doorway you walk through to get inside is even shaped like a lobster trap. 鈥淵ou know, cylindrical but it鈥檚 not symmetrical, so it鈥檚 off-centered, like our company,鈥� Schwamberger said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 really a nice piece of art and showpiece when you鈥檙e coming down 鈥榯he Avenue鈥�” — the locals’ term for聽Rehoboth Avenue, the main drag through town.
The first thing you see inside is the raw bar, stocked full of oysters and other shellfish. But while the restaurant next door focuses on the Dogfish Head beers, Chesapeake and Maine鈥檚 beverage selection emphasizes聽the Dogfish Head distillery.
鈥淲e still have nine beers on tap,鈥� Schwamberger said, but 鈥渨e have a huge focus on craft cocktails. We do keg-conditioned cocktails, so we make cocktails in-house, condition them in kegs, carbonate them, and have three cocktails on tap.鈥�
And if you drive up to where Rehoboth meets Lewes, Delaware, you can also find the ninth restaurant owned by SoDel Concepts 鈥� Matt鈥檚 Fish Camp, in Lewes.
This restaurant is modeled after the successful Fish Camp in Bethany Beach and only opened a couple of weeks ago, just off Coastal Highway. Named after the late Matt Haley, who started the SoDel Concepts restaurant group, this is the first SoDel restaurant modeled after one they already operated.
鈥淚t is a really great concept,鈥� explained marketing director Nelia Dolan, who says the first incarnation of a Fish Camp was 鈥渁 home run down in Bethany Beach. …
鈥淵ou can go in there with kids or even with a group of friends. It鈥檚 a very accessible restaurant. We have a lot of seafood classics that please everybody,” Dolan said.
鈥淭he other reason I think we decided to open a Matt鈥檚 鈥� our founder Matt Haley passed away about a year and a half ago, and this is the first restaurant we will be opening without him,” Dolan added. “Calling it a ‘Matt鈥檚 Fish Camp’ is a nice homage to Matt.鈥�
But the fried seafood that appeals to the masses is also accompanied by a raw bar at the Lewes location, something the original in Bethany Beach doesn鈥檛 have.
The executive chef here is Maurice Catlett, who started as a dishwasher before rising to head chef at SoDel鈥檚 Fish On, which is further up the road in Lewes. And every effort is made to serve food caught in local waters or grown on local farms.
鈥淲hen you keep things simple, the elements of the dish really shine,鈥� said聽Dolan.
Other places that could be worth checking out include Bramble & Brine in Rehoboth, which, while not technically new, is now open again, according to the , a blogger who is extremely plugged in on the restaurant scene there and was a resource for this article.
Down the road in Dewey Beach, the Starboard has opened up a raw bar down the street from its longtime home on Coastal Highway. And the Dewey Beer Company is celebrating its first full summer in business, serving craft brew and fresh, locally sourced food that is a stark departure from the cheap beer and greasy food Dewey is best known for.
Check 草莓传媒.com each Thursday morning through Labor Day for a new 鈥淏eyond the Bay Bridge鈥� feature, where 草莓传媒 will explore the goings-on at all the Delmarva beach towns. From new restaurants, events, to music and more, 草莓传媒 will bring you fun tips and information to make your trip to the beach more enjoyable. Be sure to bookmark the page as well as the page to stay updated throughout the summer.
