Just about everyone loves a good brew pub and plenty of choices are available at the popular Delaware beaches towns of Rehoboth, Dewey and Lewes. The grandaddy of them all is Dogfish Head Brewery. The look of the iconic beer lovers haven changed dramatically a couple of years ago when the owner Sam Calagioni expanded his Rehoboth Beach operation by adding a more upscale eatery called Chesapeake and Maine. The old but comfortable original venue was torn down and replaced by a slick modern-looking dining area and stage for musical acts in the evening.
A patio area and retail store bridge the gap between the two restaurants. Dogfish Head recently was purchased by the Sam Adams Brewing Company.
Iron Hill Brewery, on Coastal Highway just outside of Rehoboth proper, is part of a regional chain of locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. It is one of the few restaurants/pubs in Rehoboth that take reservations.
The menu stretches beyond typical pub fare of salads, soups and sandwiches to more exotic dishes like baked Chesapeake crab cakes and Moraccan salmon. Gluten-free items make up a sizable portion of the menu.
Parking at Iron Hill is plentiful and free. That and the reservation option make it a popular spot for locals and vacationers.
A new addition to Rehoboth, but not a new brewery, is Revelation. It has the “down home feel” that previously belonged to Dogfish and it comes the closest to a German beer garden. Revelation is small with ample seating indoors and outdoors. The ever present corn hole games, water bowls for pets give Revelation the feel of visiting a neighbor. Brightly-colored umbrellas shade a line up of picnic tables in the courtyard area. Live musical entertainment is plentiful on weekend evenings and afternoons. It’s a fun place to just “hang out” as food choices are primarily limited to pizza at the moment.
Another more casual and cozy choice is the Dewey Beer Company Brewery and Kitchen. It also is perched on Coastal Highway but right in the town of Dewey Beach and across the street from The Starboard (we’ll save that one for another time).
The Brewery and Kitchen has the feel of a rustic cabin with lots of wood and beamed ceilings surrounding the seating areas. Plenty of windows gives patron optimal people watching views. Large beer vats are plainly visible giving customers the impression that they are part of the brewing process. The menu is more typical of a brew pub compared to Iron Hill.
Finally, the unique and charming brew pub Irish Eyes in Lewes sports an expansive bar that offers attractive views of the canal that runs from Dewey to Lewes. It’s a great spot for lunch and the happy hour prices are hard to beat considering the view. Surprisingly, there are not that many restaurants in the area that overlook the water but Irish Eyes is one of them.
We’ll feature the Crooked Hammock in an upcoming post. It is probably the most “family friendly” of all the brew pubs.
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Irish Eyes will be a new destination for us – hadn’t heard about it before, thanks!
You will love it. Your kind of place.