A booming beach area, a lighthouse lovers domain, and a fabulous culinary scene reside just hours from Pennsylvania on the East coast.
Visiting Southern Delaware this summer? You are in for a treat because the shore towns are all vibrant, unique, and beach vacay perfection.
Whether You’ve spent the day on the beach, on the water, or sightseeing you are famished, where to?
Found: Yummy Southern Delaware Beach Town Eat Options!
Getaways always lead to hunger, and the poppin’ food scene here is ready for your appetite.
Not only do these very popular shore towns burst at the shoreline with yummy foods, but big history too: Dewey Beach, Lewes, Rehoboth, and Bethany Beach.
Each popular vacation beach town has its own food gem but overall the Southern Delaware destination is known as the ‘Culinary Coast™‘
Rest assured your belly won’t go hungry no matter how hard you play, and that’s what makes this a perfect beach vacay spot!
Basic Eats To Sophisticated Bites: Southern Delaware Beach Town Eats Abound
We were in Southern Delaware for 2 days and 3 nights and we managed to easily quash rumbling bellies in many different restaurants with diverse offerings.
Traveling as a family can often be challenging because everyone wants something different.
No worries, because what you will find is that my 5 terrific yummy options on my Southern Delaware beach town eats list quells the challenge of family or party dining!
There is so much to do in Southern Delaware
Pairing adventures in Southern Delaware with culinary feasting is a very good strategy. Bring on the appetite through surprising adventures!
I was a guest of Visit Southern Delaware. Meals were hosted, opinions and images are my own.
Where To Eat? Southern Delaware Beach Town Eats: Getting Acquainted
When you arrive at a destination, you know you will have to eat at some point, and sometimes you Google where to go.
Other times you might use Yelp or maybe you will just drive and see a place that catches your eye, so you go.
All good ways to adventure and dabble in the culinary scene.
First Time Or Veteran Southern Delaware Vacationer – Prepare!
However, if it’s your first time in the area or your 11th, and you are seeking out places you might not have tried, and you want to visit a few different beach towns in the sprawling Southern Delaware area, dining is a great way to venture.
Food Discovery!
I’ll share an option in each of the beach towns: Bethany Beach, Dewey Beach, Rehoboth, and Lewes. There are so many more, but I opted to choose these 5 to give you some fast options for diverse offerings.
Discover Southern Delaware beach town eats: 5 Yummy Options
No. 1 ~ Southern Delaware beach town eats the best crab cakes!
Your trip to the Southern Delaware beach towns doesn’t count if you don’t stop and eat here! Just saying, it’s that good, really low-key and always thriving.
If I’ve eaten one crab cake, I’ve eaten a hundred or more on vacation and most are not gratifying.
Fillers and heavy cream sauces cover what should be crab meat-loaded patties but it never is.
So it might go without saying anymore that I do love good crab cakes, but they are sure hard to find.
Dewey Beach offers our first stop for Southern Delaware Beach Town Eats that will leave you with a memory of ‘the best in crab cakes!’ Woody’s Bar & Grill stole the Crab Cake show!
To understand the taste you’ll need to dine there, but it is everything, that everyone clammers about! Mmm!
Southern Delaware Beach town eats: strike gold with the ultimate in crab cakes at Woody’s Bar & Grill
Chunky, lump crab meat, fresh, really fresh, and not packed together with filler and breadcrumb.
Moist, large clumps of crab, pan-seared, and presented on your choice of bread, salad, or solo.
So darn good! Casual and beachy, and a great place to sip while your wait because you will wait.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t add this tidbit, though it is all relevant to the awesomeness that awaits your foodie experience.
Dining Tip for Woody’s Bar & Grill
With fabulous beach eats, and is a popular beach town, expect peak times to kick, and parking to be at a premium. However, nothing would hold me back from returning because good food awaits at a very hopping bar and grill.
Southern Delaware Beach Town Eats Destination No. 2 Lewes Beach
Brews ∙ Outdoor Fun ∙ Really Big Pretzels
Not only will the Crooked Hammock catch your attention, but your kids (K-8, teens, and young adults) will also love the Crooked Hammock.
It’s a brewpub and before you even step in you catch the beach vibe of fun, food, and vacation-on as that is what rocks the atmosphere.
The Crooked Hammer Brewery is everything a beachy restaurant should be and then more! Missing this culinary stop is like missing part of your vacation!
A fresh twist on fun, wrapped into a dining experience you will never forget.
My personal opinion for dining at the Crooked Hammock Brewery based on what I saw: Bring the bigger parties, it is where families converge.
Yes, it is busy, but you can kick back at the bar with a beer or outdoors in the back. Don’t forget to purchase some of the brews to go before you leave. We did!
From in-house brews to a playful outdoor area, you simply can’t help yourself to experience relaxing moments as the atmosphere beckons a lighter life.
No, it does not matter how old you are.
Order Up! Southern Delaware Beach Town Eats: Here bigger is better.
From cornhole to seating you’ll find a comfortable spot for everyone and kids will run around and have fun here! Just plain good is the way to describe our bigger than the plate pretzel appetizer.
You won’t go away hungry or disappointed and again, they offer a great variation of eats on their menu: from burgers to vegetarian options.
No. 3 Southern Delaware Beach Town Eats: Pizza in Rehoboth Beach
What’s a Vacation without Pizza? It’s not a vacation! Our traditional vacation always includes one pizza stop no matter where we go.
Tasty and popular this is the pizza joint to seek out in Rehoboth and its steps from the beach! Grotto Pizza. We dined at ONE of their many locations on Rehoboth Avenue.
Popular Rehoboth Beach Area hosts the No. 3 Dining Option on my southern Delaware beach town eats list
Shop, walk the boardwalk and then dine inside or out. Kids and adults alike love this pizza and I can tell you why! Yummy and bite after bite provides a common dish done uncommonly well!
Again, Southern Delaware is a popular vacay destination on the East coast and it’s known for its foodie experiences and family-friendly environment so prepare for the area to be busy. Don’t let it dissuade you from stopping here to eat, you would be missing a great pizza pie(s).
Tips For Dining At Grotto’s Pizza in Rehoboth: Southern Delaware Beach Town Eats
There’s both inside and outside seating and you can order pizza to go, whether on the beach or at home. You are steps away from the sand when you are at this location! Grab a pizza to moon watch or while the kid’s seashell hunt with flashlights.
Pizza rules at this Pizza Giant and it’s a big part of Southern Delaware beach town eat, as it is available in so many locations.
Overview of Grotto’s Pizza
A great tasty, crust, with good complimenting sauces. Not one f the sauces tasted like brown sugar thank goodness because I hate that! The pizza is moderately prized on par with all others. Go for the beach area, stay for the pizza pies!
My No. 4: Southern Delaware Beach Town eats is most perfect for couples & GNO’s & true foodies
More upscale, and sophisticated eats await your very advanced palate. Service is outstanding and it is an intimate setting. We dined here for the perfect for lunch, and I can imagine dinner is even more sophisticated! Love this cafe.
There’s a ‘back porch’ you actually can eat in and we did. It’s lovely. Flowers, trees, sunshine, and plenty of shade. You will also find an inside area, with a full bar. Don’t miss the offerings which change frequently.
Every dish we tried was savory and offered a brilliant mix of flavors. One thing you really want to make sure you do is to save room for dessert.
My Personal Tribute To This Southern Delaware Beach Town eats with Flare
While I am sure the Back Porch Cafe can cater to kids, I felt that this experience is best paired with dining friends that appreciate ingredients of the highest quality combined with restraint and balance.
A true foodie needs time to savor, taste, and experience, and kids that prefer basic eats, won’t prefer the menu. That alone could leave you on edge and unable to appreciate the delicate balance of flavor you are about to be presented with and that alone would be a sin! ( I have kids so I am not anti-kids, but as a parent, I know how this can ruin what can be amazing!)
Truth in Dining
The food is outstanding, offers a fresh twist on many known ingredients and every bite contributes to the greatness of whatever dish you order. I have 3 young adults and opted to only take ONE with me who is the truest foodie. I set the others on their own and they went back to Grotto Pizza!
No. 5 Southern Delaware Beach Town Eats: Lewes Beach Town Tavern with Belgian Flair
Want a different dining experience inside of a tavern? It’s really got some incredible interior architecture and ceilings and it is a perfect lunch or dinner stop. It’s quite convenient to Cape Henlopen State Park and the East End Lighthouse Tour, so perhaps lunch?
Good food, lovely staff, and a generous menu of diverse dining options, from vegetarian to allergen-friendly and everything between. Plus, there’s a bar! Woot.
Each meal comes perfectly plated and its casual beach-chic atmosphere makes it a great option for vacation dining.
As a travel/culinary travel writer, I was a guest of Visit Southern Delaware. Meals were hosted, opinions and images are my own. ~ Dana XO