Cute Bartender Chuck serves the best drinks in Bethany. Had an absolute blast drinking at the cottage cafe.

We had the greatest bartender in town today! Charlie was so kind and made some great drinks. Highly recommend to anyone visiting town. read more

Cottage Cafe - The best bartender in Bethany! - American Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

We've visited Cottage Cafe many times, but this was the first since Covid. I was pleasantly surprised twitch their Covid precautions. Tables had been removed and were adequately spaced apart, and plexiglass shields had been installed between booths. Staff were masked and other patrons were masked when leaving their tables. Food was excellent, as always. We stopped for lunch, and I had to have a crabcake sandwich. Their crab cakes are very good, with minimal fillers. My husband had a burger special, which was topped with ham, cheese, and pulled pork. It was huge! The seasoned fries were very good too. In addition to seating indoors, there is also indoor bar seating (not as much social distancing happening in that area), outdoor seating, and take-out. read more

Terrible food my mom salmon was raw, Waitress spilled muffins all over the table and butter and stepped on my grandpa's toe, FOOD WAS TERRIBLE, bathroom smelled disgusting, the stall had no railing on the side from my grandpa so it was hard for him to go to the bathroom, bathroom Was super small, Waitress took very long for everything. I Personally, do not recommend this place! read more

Found this place on a Thursday for lunch. They had a line out the door. We had a 20 minute wait that was more like 5 minutes. Got to our table and sat there. And sat there.... And sat there. The table next to us was getting all kinds of service while we were just sitting. Finally a server came over and apologized for the slow service. After a longer then average wait we got our food. Crab cake sammy, toms chix sammy and the puffin burger. They claimed they have won awards for their crab cakes. Idk if thats true, but the crab cake was Great!! Hand formed, good size and fresh tasting. Not old tasting. And not formed with a ice cream scoop. My daughter loved the chix sammy. Big!! And the burger was better then average. They didnt ask how we wanted it done thou. We got med-rare. Slaw was made in-house. Good, just not cold. The frys were cut in-house. Woo! Woo!! Try the "Dune" upgrade for them! So good. Iced tea was fresh too. All in all, really great food. Nice - Bethany Beach atmosphere - and a nice place for lunch. It looked like the service most people were receiving was good. We must have gotten a server having a bad day?? Oh well, i will return!! Highly recommended. read more

Excellent curbside service! The food was delicious and well portioned.The timing was perfect as well.

We really enjoyed the personalized service and great breakfast. It was nice to have a properly cooked meal and not rushed.

Great as always. Love the fiery fingers! Just as good as 30 years ago! It was great to come back.

Went before they closed. Ordered the grilled scallops over a salad. Total scallops were 2. Hungry waitress???

If you are a meat and potatoes person I would pass on this dish. I ordered the Pot Roast which is supposedly their #1 seller a menu favorite. I ordered this with the mushrooms and onions for an additional cost. My sides were the mashed potatoes with gravy and broccoli. The dish was so loaded with brown gravy I asked the server if it was hot fudge, honestly I would have preferred the fudge. When I finally uncovered the small portion of pot roast it was delicious but had large globs of fat in the dish. The potatoes had a very soft consistency as if they were an instant mix and the broccoli was barely shown to the steam, almost raw. Overall the dish was on par with bad cafeteria food. read more

Cottage Cafe - Cottage Pot Roast Entree with mashed potatoes and gravy with broccoli. - American Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

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We have been coming to the Cottage Cafe for several years- and are sad to see the slow but definite decline of the restaurant. Our families returned for dinner the other day and unfortunately weren't satisfied with our meals; the biggest offender was the scallop dinner. Cottage Cafe is supposed to be known for their scallops, especially since the logo is a scallop shell. But when a few of us ordered them, they simply weren't edible, and sat in an off-putting milky substance (accompanied by cold sides). The manager did come over on request to comp/get another meal but frankly I was a little queasy by the end of it. The other meals- the salmon, fried shrimp, and crab cakes had good reviews from our party. The meat options (steak, their famous pot roast) were decent alternatives. We did come for lunch at the start of the week, and there were no complaints there. I had half a sandwich and the half and half soup, which i enjoyed. Overall, I wouldn't recommend visiting for dinner, but as a good lunch option. read more

Think twice about The Cottage Cafe if you're looking for reasonably good food and a modicum of hospitality. Four of us locals thought it would make a nice place for a weekday lunch. Little did we know that cold food and skimpy portions were on the menu. Case in point -- a cup of Cottage Cafe's "famous" Maryland crab soup is half a ramekin with 8 hard vegetable pieces (a green bean, some lima beans, and a piece of carrot) and a few flakes of crab in a cold V8 broth! And that's all topped off by a manager with attitude and absolutely no concern about making diners happy. Though there was little crab in the soup or for that matter the cheesy crab melt, there was plenty of crabby-ness in the manager, who defended that as a cup of soup and was only willing to bring a condiment cup half full of anonymous veggies as a solution to the problem. Don't be fooled, The Cottage Cafe is meant for tourists who don't know any better -- although the visitors we ran into in the parking lot made a wise decision to go elsewhere. There are many good, hospitable restaurants in the Bethany area -- this isn't one of them. read more

Great location, nice ambiance, excellent food, and good service. There are not too many times when my son and I disagree about a restaurant, but this time we do. Our family has been frequenting this place for a long time. The dune fries are spectacular. Just think crispy, crunchy perfectly done French fries. They are topped with scads of cheese, bacon, and scallions. They are what dreams are made of! The children's meals looked like adult meals. The fried shrimp were large and tasty. The cheeseburger children's meal was delicious. They came with healthy sides of applesauce, fresh cut apples, or macaroni and cheese. I ordered the chicken Caesar salad. It was fresh lettuce, grilled chicken, creamy Caesar dressing, and crunchy croutons. There was a huge portion. I was a happy camper. My daughter ordered the Cobb salad and it was equally satisfying. It had avocado, hard boiled egg, tomato, lettuce, chicken, with a honey mustard dressing. It was a grande portion as well. Our server was good and filled all of our requests. I highly recommend The Cottage Cafe. Make sure you order the dune fries. Come for the beach, eat at the Cafe! read more

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Four adults here for dinner.. Everyone from hostess to server was friendly and efficient. Meals were OK. Not bad but nothing to rave about.

I'm giving it 5 stars based on a small event we held there recently (30+ people). Man the entire staff was great! The room was perfect for us, service excellent and food was good, and quite reasonable priced. read more

Fried Oysters. Got sick from fried oyster's wont eat there again Friday nite In read more

Food was good and service was good. It is a neighborhood friendly restaurant that attracts locals.

My family and I go here every year we come to Delaware. The past couple years have been okay compared to prior to COVID. Before COVID, it was great all around - service, food, atmosphere. Last year, service was iffy - but we chalked that up to short staffing, and the food was just okay. This year - the food was disappointing. The mac and cheese was just plain noodles with cheese sprinkled on top, the chicken Parmesan was dry and the sauce tasted off - almost like it was old, the mashed potatoes were extremely heavy on onion, and the Piña Colada has a strange aftertaste. We had food delivered to our table that we hadn't ordered, informed our waitress, and the manager came out and seemed extremely miffed and frustrated, stating "I can't just give them to you guys" in a nasty tone. Then came out later, acted all cheery, wondering how our meal was. It was very odd. Our waitress was an absolute sweetheart - very kind and pleasant. Was very patient with us and seemed very comfortable in her environment. Overall, the two stars is for our waitress and the fact that they were able to seat our party of 8 so quickly. Unfortunately, we will not be returning to the Cottage Cafe and will be on the lookout for a new solid dinner spot. read more

The Cottage Cafe is always a great place to eat when we go to the beach. I have tried my share of the menu here and I think that there is not really a "bad" option on the menu. During this visit, I tried the Lobster Roll which is a new menu item. I enjoyed the meal, however the roll was sort of hard and crusty compared to my favorite lobster rolls in New England. Good amount of lump lobster and not too much filler (celery, etc) so I would definitely try this again. Also, I very much enjoy the muffins provided before dinner but I have found them more skimpy with them than ever before. Our party of 6 was very hungry after the wait so we were frustrated to keep asking for muffin refills. The Maryland Crab Soup is a favorite of mine! read more

Our first stop while in Fenwick for a week vaca. Great outdoor seating and Jimmy, our server, was very attentive throughout our lunch. Had scallop salad, bowl of cream of crab soup and a crab cake. All very good although the soup would benefit from the same spices as the crab cake (which was really tasty). Yummy specialty drinks to start off the vacation theme. read more

Cottage Cafe - Specialty drinks with souvenir cups - American Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

Always a great place to bring the family. I love that you can call ahead to add your name to the waitlist. They have the best crushes!

This place is wonderful! I came here based on other reviews and I am so glad I did. The blushing crab soup was very good, although a little thin in consistency. The Cesar salad had the best dressing and the lettuce was very fresh. They also brought out those yummy muffins. My son had the kids fried shrimp dinner and it was the same shrimp as my grandmothers (some places use smaller shrimp for children's meals). I had the special which was shrimp and crab cake over sautéed spinach, it was fantastic! I had the creamed spinach and mashed potatoes as my sides and they were delicious. We came on a Monday around 6pm and the place was packed but we were seated right away. Our server was very accommodating and helpful. I cannot recommend this place enough! read more

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Our relatives took us here when we were visiting the area. I ordered the Jerk Chicken sandwich with "dune-style"(?) fries, and hubby ordered the daily fish special, Mahi Mahi. We were shocked when the waitress delivered our meals, because both portions were enormous! My husband's fish appeared to be close to 8 ounces, and a full inch thick. My chicken was butterflied-open, but still close to an inch thick in places! Both of our proteins were cooked perfectly; in fact, my chicken was cooked better than any chicken I've ever had...intensely juicy and flavorful interior, with a nicely carmelized exterior. My fries were good, but definitely heavy with cheese and bacon...not for the faint of heart, or those WITH heart problems!! LOL! My husband said his fish was also cooked perfectly, as was the remainder of his meal. We did not order dessert because we were both too full. My husband and I travel full time in our motorhome and try restaurants all over the US. We are from Las Vegas, a city with loads of excellent restaurants, so we've had plenty of experience with both good and bad food. That being said, we will DEFINITELY return next time we visit Delaware! read more

Cottage Cafe - American Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

Highly overrated. Took friends there and they were out of shrimp. But, also out of crab. The fine wait staff was apologetic, but really? Very disappointed read more

Great cream crab soup. My sisters and I visited for breakfast several years ago and were delighted to return for lunch. The burger and fries hit the mark too. read more

We have been coming to Bethany for 10 years and we always go to Cottage Cafe for our first meal to start our vacation!! This year was no different except that we ate under the tent ( a sign of the times) and it was rather enjoyable although in the parking lot. We ordered the blush chowder - a combo of white and red clam chowder- and it was delicious!! I highly recommend The house margaritas were a great way to start the relaxation! We had crab cakes that were ok and steak that was pretty tasty. All in all we will continue our traditions and visit them again!! We also felt that the prices had gone up considerably and we were charged as if they are fine dining. That was our only negative. Too pricy read more

My favorite restaurant at the beach! Excellent muffins (a Cottage Cafe staple,) crab cakes, coconut shrimp. Warm and friendly environment when dining-in in the past, and extremely quick curbside pick-up during quarantine. read more

We were in town visiting from Maine. If you want crab cakes, this is the place. The servers are excellent also!

We ate tonight at The Cottage Cafe. Meal was adequate. My husband Luke's their chicken tenders I love their meatloaf. I ordered their house Chardonnay which was actually sour. I advised the server, Olivia who was lovely and efficient, and acknowledged it. I asked her for a better wine and she served a Kendall Jackson which was far better. I had taken a sip of the house wine. On my bill, they charged us for both wines. I've never had a restaurant do that and was disappointed with The Cottage doing that. We will think about going here again. We live here and look for good relationship with a restaurant and when we see blatant gouging, it is upsetting. read more

Overall: Good stop for a typical lunch or dinner for a family or larger group. The good: Service was outstanding. Seated right away and the waitress was wonderful. Really good menu with good pricing and options. Portions are great. Food came out quickly and again, wasn't bad. The bad: The food was good, but wasn't fantastic. The restaurant was very loud, with kids, parties, etc. going on. Atmosphere: 7/10 Service: 10/10 Food: 8/10 read more

Cottage Cafe - Mango, scallop, pineapple, egg salad - American Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

Crab Cake Abella was really good - really ring true to their description.. "Crab Cake Abella Grand Prize Winner of the OLD BAY National Seafood Contest. A creamy blend of spinach, artichokes and parmesan cheese stuffed in a portabella mushroom cap. Topped with one of our jumbo lump crab cakes. Broiled to perfection with a rich imperial sauce.-" read more

Friendly atmosphere we sat in the bar area, food was Delicious Crab soups were delicious. Highly recommend.

We have been eating our way around Bethany Beach all week and this is the best meal we've had the entire time. We visited this evening with 6 people in our party and had Ellen as our server. She was sweet, well-informed, and very helpful. The manager even stopped by our table during our meal. The food. Amazing and tastey! The ladies had flounder and said it was the most delicious fish they had all week. I ordered the Shrimp Scampi, which comes over a bed of penne, and the sauce AND shrimp were so very yummy! The only negative I have to say is that there was a 1/2" of the sauce in the bottom of the dish, almost drowning the meal. Kids had peel and eat Old Bay Shrimp and so did I... maybe a tad overcooked, but overall very good. My Dad said the scallops were very good, best he had all week! The facility. Nice atmosphere that allows you to relax after a day on the beach. Large tables that can accomodate large groups, and plenty of staff to serve. The place seemed very clean and well taken care of. A bit dated, but overall very nice. We would definitely return to The Cottage Cafe when we return to Bethany in the future! read more

Cottage Cafe - Old Bay Steamed Shrimp - American Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

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What can I say, they food and service here has always been top notch. Always a wonderful experience. The decor in the restaurant is always warm! read more

A solid 4 star lunch spot. I got a chicken Caesar salad which is pretty hard to mess up. The chicken tasted freshly cooked--very good! My mom tried the blushing crab soup. I thought it was a great blend of creamy but light. I would come back for an easy meal but it wasn't groundbreaking. read more

food is good and reasonably priced for this resort area. I discovered that you cannot order takeout after 5 PM although this does not say it online where you have to do the takeout orders. This may just be a summer occurrence. Wait time in the summer is about an hour and they do not take reservations. read more

Came here for dinner on Sat night. There was about a 20 minute wait to sit outside. The wait staff was great, quick and good. Food wasn't bad. I ordered the veggie burger which looked like a slider (it was THAT small). We got the crab dip as an app which was extremely liquidy, watery and not good. In order to order a crush, you HAVE to purchase a "souvenir" glass which I think is dumb since most are visiting for the weekend and who wants to lug that home (I'm guessing an excuse to drive up prices). Otherwise, it's a great spot. read more

Food was very greasy. Prime rib was ok but not the best. If you like very seasoned fries the. This is the place to go. No reservations. Bacon was chewy. Alcohol was very good though as well as the service. My family and I probably won't come back here read more

Cottage Cafe - Prime Rib with a side of Apple Sauce and Fries - American Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

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8/28/2024; We have lived in the area for about a year and this was our first visit to the Cottage Cafe. This restaurant was originally family owned but some months ago was taken over by the SoDel group. We have dined at several other SoDel restaurants and while not outstanding the food and service are consistent. Our experience at the Cottage Cafe was definitely not consistent with their other restaurants. There was plenty of wait staff and they were pleasant and responsive. Our drink requests were filled and served and our food order promptly taken, then we waited and waited, a second drink order taken and served and we continued to wait. After about 45 minutes into our wait a manager apologized and said our order would be out shortly. Some additional 10 minutes passed and a few of our dishes were served, a few minutes later we received our full order just short of an hour wait. I understand things happen but this was a weeknight and they were not that busy. There was no free drink or desert to make amends. Our first and likely last visit to this establishment. read more

We haven't been to the Cottage Cafe since it was purchased by SoDel. We decided to try it tonight. My husband knows a favorite meal of mine is Turkey with mashed & stuffing so I went for the special. He had a Crab Pizza which he said was very tasty. I was very glad because mine was surprisingly tasteless! I was happy for the muffins and cole slaw because that unfortunately that was my dinner. Very disappointed. read more