The Food And Drink You Can't Miss At Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Before heading off for a day at the beach, one of the best leisurely ways to start a day is to head over to Café Papillon for bites that conjure up the morning carbohydrates of cuisine from across the Atlantic Ocean. The French-style outdoor café began life in the 1960s as Constance Dougat's boardwalk pushcart called Crêpes Suzette, and when Maya Contractor couldn't get enough of her baked goods, she bought the business in 1994. Contractor has kept everything as authentic as can be, telling The News Journal, "Everyone and everything is French, but me," although she's definitely no stranger to Europe herself, previously summering in France and England.

Café Papillon now resides in the quaint shopping alley known as Penny Lane (sharing its name with the Contractor's business partner and mother), where patient lines form daily for their coffee bar, and fresh pastries like brioches, tarts, and naturally soft croissants, filled with the likes of spinach and cheese, chocolate, and almonds. The most patient eaters take their time deciding, then wait for fresh and perfectly cooked crêpes, sweet or savory, to be made on Café Papillon's twin griddles. Fruits swirled and then folded with chocolate or Nutella, or savory options like ham, egg, and cheese are popular orders here, but for me, I like to keep it simple and order their delectable lemon and sugar crêpe, with a plain ol' croissant.

Neighboring Maryland and the shores of Chesapeake Bay are famously the home of blue crabs, but Delaware shares the same tradition. There are places to go crabbing but, for those who prefer to get straight to eating, there are also crab houses and seafood markets that'll save you the trip. In downtown Rehoboth Beach, crabs are served in full shells, soft-shelled form, and as crab cakes. But the best bet is further afield, where the crabs and other treasures of the sea are sold live or steamed for your take-home pleasure.

Copp's Seafood may seem a bit far away but, with 50+ years of crustacean sensations, it's worth the trip. While no longer run by the family whose name adorns the marketplace, couple David Wing and Lisa Olivere have kept things the same. In 2022, soon after taking over, they told The Cape Gazette, "We want to keep it a mom-and-pop operation, and we like the shack look."

Drivers headed south down Coastal Highway can spot another excellent option by the words "CRABS HERE" written in large red letters on the side of a truck, parked in an unassuming gas station lot. This is where The Crab Connect runs its operations, connecting eaters to crabs as simply as can be. Availability and price are always in flux, so it's best to call ahead if you're planning a visit. Mallets and crackers are most likely required, so be sure to have them on hand before you rip into those crabs.

While many children drag their parents into the colorful Candy Kitchen for gummies and stuffed animals, better beach candies and other delights can be found right across the street at Dolle's Candyland. After finding success slinging salt water taffy in nearby Ocean City, Maryland, co-founders Thomas Pachides and Rudolph Dolle set up shop in Rehoboth Beach in 1926. After the great storm of 1962, everything was basically destroyed apart from the 3,500-pound taffy machine, which is still in use today. That same year, they rebuilt their store with a large neon orange Dolle's sign that served as the equivalent of the Hollywood sign for Rehoboth Beach for decades.

Sadly, nothing is forever, and after selling their property, Dolle's moved a few doors down but the sign didn't move with them. While the sign was saved and now welcomes visitors on the exterior of the Rehoboth Beach Museum, a smaller, but familiar-looking one adorns the new shop. Luckily not much has changed, as Dolle's is still an excellent pit stop for fudge, chocolates, taffy of every flavor imaginable, and perhaps the real draw — popcorn, and caramel popcorn. Sold in boxes or larger tubs (for those who can't resist), the caramel corn comes in a variety of sweet and savory flavors, including Cinnamon, Chocolate Heath Bar Crunch, and Old Bay. If you can allow yourself to go nuts, grab a tub of their irresistible Three Nut Caramel Corn, with cashews, pecans, and almonds swimming in golden brown harmony.

Gus Svolis, with a short-lived partner also named Gus, established Gus & Gus Place at the corner of Wilmington Avenue and the Boardwalk in 1956. It's a Rehoboth Beach summer highlight and happens to be one of my favorite restaurants in the entire world. For over six decades, beachgoers have lined up at its Boardwalk window to place their orders, which is also where all the cooking action takes place, on a constantly-in-motion flat-top grill.

One cannot go wrong with a Gus & Gus burger, dog, or cheesesteak, with a side of fries that even first daughter Chelsea Clinton was a fan of, and a birch beer served in a giant styrofoam cup. The cash-only restaurant also has an interior for seating, with tiny booths, ancient wallpaper, and classic lit-up letterboard menus. For me, a single trip to Gus & Gus is never enough, as one time is reserved for a cheeseburger sub (with a minimum of four patties!), and another, to sit in the back room for their beyond excellent, made-to-order salty and sultry fried chicken.

Even well into his 80s, Gus Svolis was always a presence at his namesake corner hot spot, where he would often cut up the fresh vegetables that made up his outstanding Greek salad. Svolis sadly passed away in the fall of 2020, aged 90, but Gus & Gus Place remains in good hands with his sons Billy and George, daughter Stacey, and their families keeping things running.

Every beach town has its own classic and unique ice cream shop, and since The Royal Treat closed for good in 2023, the best place to hit up in Rehoboth Beach is now the one with an oddly generic name — The Ice Cream Store. Opened in 1970, it's evolved over the years, thinking big and outside of the ice cream tub to offer up outrageous flavor combinations with monikers to match.

Owner Chip Hearn told The Daily Times, "We're not stuck with a basic flavor concept," and he really meant it. The Ice Cream Store offers over 100 flavors, with new ones introduced every summer. Dessert-hungry patrons gather in a jumbled line each night to order, and aren't in the least bit embarrassed to ask for a scoop of Better Than Sex, Crack, I Don't Give a Fork, Cereal Killer, or Booger ice cream. Hern, who also owns a hot sauce store called Peppers, crossed his two loves together with the Ghost Pepper flavor, which requires a signed waiver to eat and was good enough to be included in the book "Ripley's Believe It or Not! Unlock the Weird!" Not all flavors have silly names though, and those with simple names like Peaches or Blueberries offer just as much enjoyment for all ages. If you're having trouble picking a flavor, why not order a flight where you can try six?

After opening Bluecoast Seafood in 2002, Matt Haley and his aptly named SoDel Concepts restaurant would go on to dot Southern Delaware, from Lewes to the very end at Fenwick Island, together with an abundance of other fine restaurants like Lupe Italian Kitchen, Catch 54, Fish On, and one named after its founder — Matt's Fish Camp. The original Matt's Fish Camp location in Bethany Beach opened to great fanfare in 2011, with fresh seafood options and sunny drinks in a bright and casual setting.

In 2014, Haley was honored by the James Beard Foundation as the Humanitarian of the Year, and sadly in that same year, while in India on a philanthropic mission, he lost his life in a motorcycle accident. Scott Kammerer succeeded Haley at SoDel Concepts, and in 2016 the very first restaurant they opened after his passing, in a fitting tribute to his legacy, was a second location of Matt's Fish Camp, in Lewes.

Formerly a house on the highway, Matt's Fish Camp Lewes has a lovingly homey look on the outside, complete with a classic rustic Custom 10 Chevy truck parked out front. On the inside, there's nothing but comfort, including the excellent food, like briny oysters, their truly sticky icky wings, lumpy (in a good way) crab cakes, giant onion rings, revered crabby fries, and one of the best seafood salads we've ever had the pleasure of ingesting, the lobster Cobb.

In 1971, Nick and Joan Caggiano opened a 17-seat restaurant called Nicola Pizza that went on to be expanded three times including a second location around the block. One of my favorite restaurants of all time, while their pizza is excellent, their real claim to fame is the Nic-o-Boli. A stromboli folded like a calzone, Caggiano tested his dish with his staff before giving everyone else a taste in 1973.

Standard issue Nic-o-Bolis come with ground beef, cheese, and pizza sauce, but every other ingredient is on the table to be ordered. My order is light beef, extra cheese, and extra pepperoni. My Mrs. gets a lo-carb one, which ditches the bread, with black olives and sweet peppers. The Nic-o-Bolis are so popular with guests of Rehoboth Beach, they can be bought frozen by the case to be cooked at home. There are plenty more options on Nicola's menu, including punchy pepperoni rolls, a fantastic basic salad (be sure to ask for extra cheese), and a kids menu.

Today, Nick Jr. is the main face of Nicola's, always bouncing from table to table with a smile and making sure his customers are just as happy. Some fans cried blasphemy when the family decided to spread their wings and leave town for Lewes. I was skeptical myself, but the new roomier location, with plenty of parking and an outdoor patio bar, captures the essence of the old, while leaving open the opportunity for an even brighter future.

Combining 30 years of experience, as a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, apprentice at the famed Greenbrier Hotel, and pastry chef in Vail, Colorado as well as local Rehoboth Beach restaurants, Keith Irwin had all the tools he needed to become a baker in his own right. In 2014, he opened Old World Breads Bakery in nearby Lewes, which also makes the rounds, selling at farmer's markets, including Rehoboth's seasonal one. With a name like Old World Breads Bakery, it's no surprise that Irwin produces fresh and fine breads that are all-natural, and free from preservatives or enhancers. He told The News Journal, "Everything, and I mean everything, is made from scratch."

While hearty breads like sourdough, rye, focaccia, croissants, Italian, and baguettes add to Old World Bread Bakery's customer's slices of life, the real treats are their succulent sweetened baked goods. If you must order only one thing (which is virtually impossible, as the temptation is too great), then please, order the lemon donuts. If you can order only two things, order two lemon donuts. Okay, what about three things? How about their lusciously crumbly scones, like the blueberry or the lemon rosemary asiago? Might we interest you in a stealer sticky bun or comely cinnamon roll? The list goes on and on, so be sure to save space in your stomach for the next day. That way, you can try something else amazing by them, like their unforgettable soft, soft, soft pretzel.

Sorry McDonald's, but the best french fries are beach fries, and the best beach fries the world over may just be the ones fried up by Thrasher's French Fries. Thrasher's has been a beach tradition ever since 1929 when Georgian Mr. J.T. Thrasher set up a stand in Ocean City, Maryland, and today three locations service both that beach town to the south, and Rehoboth Beach as well.

Key to their success has been sticking to Thrasher's original recipe — Idaho potatoes cooked in peanut oil, apple cider vinegar, and salt, offered in three overflowing bucketed sizes. The only other items on the menu are Pepsi soda products. As for condiments, your options are more salt and apple cider vinegar. Wait, no ketchup? Don't even think about asking. You won't find any at Thrasher's. Rehoboth Beach manager Logan Kline told the Journal Record, "It's a company tradition since 1929," adding, "Some people do have a problem with it. They have their own opinions. Some people argue with us. It's a rare occurrence that people get super, super angry." Some of those eaters have even bothered neighboring businesses on our list for the condiment, like Gus & Gus or Louie's — which they will gladly charge for, as their ketchup isn't free.

In the end, though, all the ketchup fuss is missing the point. Thrasher's are the very definition of boardwalk fries and, to be honest, are so perfect as is, that ketchup would only sully their brilliance.