This traditional Italian deli and market originated in Lewes with a mix of homemade products and imported ingredients. Now there are locations in Rehoboth and Ocean City, Maryland. Stop in for a full meal or grab something to go from the counter.

The chic Indian restaurant in downtown Lewes serves an assortment of Indo-Chinese dishes, seafood curries, and pan-Asian plates. Some of the standout menu items include the chili olive naan, smoked eggplant, and cauliflower Manchurian.

The farm-centric restaurant relies on a team effort from a group of cooks to dictate what lands on the frequently changing menu. Located in a 19th century Victorian home in the heart of downtown Lewes, the restaurant’s recent dishes have included a peach and cucumber gazpacho, a homemade burrata strewn with heirloom tomatoes, and a sweet corn and cheddar ravioli.

This beachside Mediterranean cafe has been serving standout tapas for dinner for more than a decade. Its Lewes sibling, Olive & Oats by Azafran, opens for breakfast and lunch.

Founded in 1960 in Rehoboth, the regional chain is a member of the Pizza Hall of Fame, at least according to trade publication PMQ Pizza Magazine. Order the original cheese pie to fully appreciate the signature swirl of melty cheese and tomato sauce. For comparison’s sake, it’s worth trying out Nicola Pizza and Louie’s Pizza on the same strip.

This strip mall sushi spot with a huge rooftop deck full of gazebos is a Japanese-themed oasis overlooking Rehoboth Avenue. There are over-the-top maki and a variety of sashimi options.

Local favorite Henlopen City Oyster House boasts a raw bar selling assorted oysters on the half shell and shooters, as well as steamed, fried, and baked options. There’s plenty of other surf-and-turf fare available for lunch and dinner, too. Reservations aren’t accepted, so be prepared to wait or arrive promptly at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday. And check out sibling American restaurant the Blue Hen, which has a fire pit on the patio. 

Locals know that Confucius Chinese Cuisine makes some of the area’s tastiest fish dishes with ginger scallions or black bean sauce. An extensive menu includes American-Chinese favorites, tingling Sichuan-style shrimp, double-cooked Hunan pork belly, and more.

It’s worth traveling to Milton, Delaware, to get a look at Dogfish Head’s main tasting room and production brewery. But in Rehoboth, the company’s seafood restaurant and cocktail bar offers some exclusive brews alongside dishes like Maryland crab dip or steak and lobster burritos.

Considered one of the best brunch spots in the area, Egg delivers generous portions of decadent dishes like lobster Benedict, croque monsieur, and biscuits and gravy every day from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

SoDel Concepts, the hospitality group behind beach standbys like Bluecoast and Matt’s Fish Camp, operates a craft brewery producing IPAs, lagers and stouts that pair well with comfort foods like bratwurst meatloaf, slow-cooked pork ribs, a smoked bologna Reuben, and baked Alaska. Stop in for their daily afternoon happy hour (3 p.m. to 5p.m.) for $5 drafts.

The late Matt Haley, who received the James Beard Humanitarian Award, built a culinary legacy that continues long past his death in a 2014 motorcycle accident. All of the restaurants in the SoDel Concepts hospitality group are a safe bet. But seafood lovers should head to Bluecoast in Rehoboth or Bethany; the latter offers a deck with great views of the water.

Serving scallops, crab cakes and other seafood specialties, Off the Hook is another Bethany Beach favorite for straightforward seafood dishes. 

Make reservations for the dining room or the patio at this unassuming American restaurant and farm that grows its own berries and herbs for dishes and cocktails. One Coastal name-checks other nearby farms on a menu that includes options like blistered shishito peppers and whipped feta in a honey gastrique, Roseda farms ribeye in a veal reduction, and sorghum-rubbed pork chops.