3.5 stars! Staying in Dewey, we like exploring to either Rehoboth or Bethany, so we decided to go to Bethany and try the cottage cafe. I really wanted to try the po boy because I saw the menu before getting there, but they do not offer it anymore. I ordered the scallops salad and some fried oysters. My husband ordered the specialty burger offered on that day and a fish sandwich. My salad was good, but not very generous on the scallops...3 tiny pieces, it was not enough. IMO, if they're that small, $16+ should have at least 1 more. The oysters were pretty good. He said the burger was good and the fish was ok... I asked him what he would rate the place, and he thought the same thing I did, 3.5! Food was 3 and service was 5 (our server was really friendly and on top of it!). We sat outdoors so it was a nice lunch. read more

See all

Cottage cafe is definitely a solid choice for a meal in Bethany. They have a convenient waitlist option which helps to keep the wait time down especially during the summer. Their menu captures a little bit of everything and the entrees we had were all pretty solid. We had the fried shrimp with mashed potatoes and Mac n cheese, meat loaf, and roadhouse burger. No complaints rd with any of these options. The portions were large and you definitely won't leave hungry. Their crushes is the souvenir cups are good too. Overall you won't be disappointed and can rely on this place for a good dining experience. read more

Cottage Cafe - Absolut Mandarin Crush - American Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

See all

Food always great nice people relaxed and consistent - lots of variety and good! Dune fries to pasta you can't miss.

Food is always excellent. Service is efficient and friendly. Glad SoDel didn't change it too much.

I hadn't been to this restaurant in decades! And I don't know why?!? The ability to put our name on a list prior to arrival cut the wait time significantly. We were seated and had a great waiter who got us our drinks in a flash. I had the crab cake on top of a portobello mushroom with creamed spinach and it was delicious. Family members were all happy with their selections. read more

Food was great - from crab pretzel, scallop salad and fried oysters to stuffed flounder... no complaints. Toby was an excellent server, knew his menu and answered all the questions. For a Thursday night they were still busy. 15 minute wait, ample help and food was served hot. read more

This was our first visit with our in-laws and their 2nd visit this week here. Service: -our waiter was prompt with service, nice and responsive -the hostess was also prompt, seated us immediately -not only did the waiter check-in on us, but so did a manager Location: -Great, beach feel -restroom was clean -easy to find and park Food: -out of 8 people who ate a variety of different plates (veggie lasagna, fish sandwich, nutty salad, pizza, etc.) 100% of us enjoyed the meal -they had warm bite-sized pretzels w a creamy cheesecake dip that was delicious! It was the perfect ending to our meal read more

See all

Food was delicious our server was attentive and pleasant. Apparently Monday is Bingo night while we did not participate it sounded like everyone was having a great time! read more

My aunt and uncle have been in Bethany for 21 years and recommended this place since it was a 4 min drive and decent food. We really enjoyed it here. Nothing special but nice spot and easy to get to and access. I liked the menu and all the options. It mixes sea food with American bistro which is perfect for down the shore and families. We loved everything we got. I have to say our apps and small bites were better than the main course. Note that portions are massive here - I got two FULL meals and then some with our order. Our favorite was the cream of crab soup... so delicious. And the house made muffins were also yummy. We did get the dune fries of course. The sand pile smaller size was also insanely large. I really don't recommend buying it for two because they didn't reheat well in the mini oven. Sand pile is great to share amongst 4 people and no less if you plan on buying any other food other than your main course. We got way too much. The main courses were spicy shrimp scampi (with salad and two pieces of garlic bread) and crab stuffed flounder (comes with two sides). The amount of food was unreal. We're from center city philly so it's hard to measure up to the quality of food we get at home restaurants but we liked it here! Wasn't out of this world but wasn't bad at all. I'm a tough critic. One thing I must end with is how lovely our server was. TOBI was a great guy and so great talking to as well. He was able to connect with us about the time he spent in my bfs hometown of Pittsburgh. We really liked tobi and the service he provided. read more

See all

Jesus Christ. I feel like I was on a prank show or something. I'd like to start this off by saying how wonderful our server was, he was very kinda and attentive. The food was FOUL. Like prison foul. I couldn't even make myself take photos. DO NOT GET THE VEGETABLE LASAGNA. It was just slop, that's the only way I can explain it. The chicken parm comes with the worlds smallest piece of chicken. I wouldn't be surprised if they used Prego pasta sauce on both dishes, as an Italian... I am offended. The fried shrimp was fine but the fries were just like wet and limp. The broccoli was ungodly... maybe broccoli had traumatized the chef in a past life. The roadhouse burger was fine, just comes smothered with crap. Tourist trap prices don't make it better. Inside is nice and the staff is lovely. I just feel like my table got hate crimed by the chef. You're better off getting McDonald's if you are starving. read more

Shawn, but especially Leslie, the boy-girl shit-show bar tenders, were surly at best, completely rude at worst. Andrea, however, was awesome! She was authentic and real and kind. Do yourself a favor and hire more people like her!! My wife and I were most disappointed by the way we were treated by the unlovely Leslie. Eventually, however, it all made sense--she was due to get off work thirty minutes after we sat down at the bar. There was no motivation to deliver even marginally good service. Because she knew she'd be leaving before we likely be cashing out. So, why bother being nice or hospitable to patrons who wouldn't be giving her a tip?!?! As for the food--meh! I'd go elsewhere. Fins perhaps, right next store. Because the Cottage Cafe was more expensive than the mediocre food and lackluster service was worth. Lesson learned. read more

I planned on giving 5 stars until we paid. The menu was excellent, with a nice mix for those who like seafood and those who don't. we got the Tuesday special of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and coleslaw. it was superb! Coffee was delicious with a smooth, rich taste. The service was great too! our waitress was friendly and delivered our meals quickly. The atmosphere was nice and decorated tastefully. Seating was comfortable and not crowded. Why am I leaving 1 star? I'd actually leave 0 if I could. We were given our bill and it was $42 even. The waitress took our check and the $100 bill I was paying with. I had left a $10 tip, which was in plain view and is 23.8% of the check. She came back and set the change on the table and walked away. I counted it and she gave me $42 back....honest mistake I thought....giving me back the amount of the check rather than $58 of change due me. We waited for her to come back around and I asked her about it. She said "Oh this happens sometimes", which I thought was odd, then took all the money back and then, rather than go back to the register for the additional $16, she got in her tip money and counted what was supposed to be $58 and this time rather than a $20, two $10's and two $1's she gave me back a $20, one $10, four $5's and three 1's which equals $53. So she still shorted me $5. Her taking the money back, using her tip money to "make it right" and then shorting me again just seems so odd to me....is it off season and this is how she makes extra money? Regardless, I would never go there again, or ask for Ann not to be our waitress. Yes, I took back my $10 tip since she ultimately chose her own tip of $16 which then she turned into $5. Not nice Ann! read more

Food is only OK. Since Sodel bought them definitely not the same establishment. Miss the old owners. Quality was much better before. Won't be rushing back. read more

03.12.22. We came and it happened to be St Patrick's weekend never been here before but keep hearing how great the food is, we ordered drinks I had the special drink of the night it was green and tasted ok. Wife had a side salad that looks very fresh, the mini muffins are good there are different flavors mixed in the basket she also ordered the corned beef and cabbage with potatoes I had the shepherds pie the lady sitting at a table across from us said it was excellent my parents shared the steak and shrimp. Our meals came out wife's and parents looked good mine looked, well I will let you decide. See photo The gravy on the so called shepherds pie was so salty and was like plaster in a bucket it wasn't a traditional shepherds it had shredded beef I didn't care for it at all. The corned beef my wife ordered looked good but sadly she couldn't even cut it with a knife and it was so fatty it looks fine in the photo but the other side was all over cooked fat and tasted bad, so she reordered and got the fried shrimp which were very good as well as my parents. I guess I should have stuck with the regular menu items that people eat most often than try something different that is only made once a year. We will return and try it again. read more

See all

The restaurant is pretty big, and although it seemed like there were a lot of people waiting outside, they might've been just leaving or something because my friend and I were seated right away. We both ordered burgers and it was nice to have those little muffins while waiting for the food. Those were pretty good. The burgers themselves were good, but nothing special. That's kind of the theme of the whole restaurant, really. The place was clean, the server was friendly, the menu had a variety of things on it but nothing particularly unique or interesting. It's not a bad place at all and there's nothing to complain about, but also nothing special, either. I've been there for trivia a couple of times on Wednesday nights, and that was pretty fun (and is the main reason for four stars). I do think a bit of variety in the questions would be nice, or just say the theme of the night is movies and tv shows if that's what 80% of the questions are going to be about. But the setup of it (you text your answers in) is convenient and it's a fun atmosphere. At trivia I've tried the buffalo chicken pizza (very good), the crab pretzel (also good) and the fried pickles (flavor of the pickles and sauce were both good, but maybe the batch wasn't fried enough or something because they were kind of soggy). I plan on going back for trivia/appetizers but probably won't be returning for an actual meal until I try some other places in the area. Overall a pretty good place. But also nothing really stands out as "you HAVE to go here" or "I HAVE to come back here." Trivia is a fun time, though. Go for the trivia. read more

Not what it was food & service quality below expectations Not good anymore since they changed hands read more

Solid home cooked food. Pot roast, chicken fingers all terrific Servers are always pleasant and very well trained. This is a local owned restaurant and if you are looking for a good no frills meal at a reasonable price you have found the place read more

So sad the food at Cottage Cafe used to be soooo good before it was sold. Tried it a couple times since the sale but this last time was awful. The meatloaf was barely edible. And it used to be delicious. The little muffins were hard and stale. Oh well. Go to the Bethany Boathouse across the street! read more

Excellent place for lunch that has something for everyone. Michael was our server. He was charming and attentive and made the best fresh salads that were huge. Everyone at the table was pleased with their food, even my picky dad who enjoyed their pot roast sandwich. Will definitely be back! read more

Cottage Cafe - Nutty berry salad with jerk chicken (on the side) - American Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

2 of us had the Spicy Shrimp Scampi. Outstanding. My granddaughter, who is very picky, said it was the best ever. The noodles were cooked in buttery garlic sauce. There were over 25 shrimp in the dish. We had excellent left overs read more

They have one of the best crab cake sandwiches I've had. Paired with their hand cut fries and it was a perfect lunch. The Cafe itself was quite attractive and clean. We were seated promptly and served quite quickly. We will be coming back. read more

A very long wait for everything. They're short staffed and there will be a long long wait. I wished they added more to the Key West salad compared to the Nutty Berry Salad. Key West salad had Pineapple that was past its prime and mangos, 4 tomatoes cut in half, terrible romaine with the white ends yuck! Everything was bland. read more

My neighbor asked me to dinner last week. She wanted turkey so I agreed. The best part about this meal was the drive from Lewes to Bethany Beach. We waited for about 20 minutes until we received service. Not one employee asked us if our order was taken. Finally we ordered, we both choose the turkey special.The turkey was fair in taste and cold along with the remaining side dishes. I choose creamed spinach, it tasted terrible, not good at all. Apple sauce was so bland. And I requested something I thought was apple side dish. She brought it to the table and it was a prepackaged bag of a few sliced apples. The dressing accompanying the turkey was also cold and missing taste, even with gravy. The tiny biscuits were also not fresh. What a disappointment . read more

We used to go here many years ago when the kids were small and really liked it a lot. Though the place is much the same, it's not really that great for a family any more. Not that some families won't enjoy it, but the food (as I could see in the menu) was more tilted towards seniors (who it seems like eating here a lot). So, 20 years later of course it's not the same! We did have good service but the food is underwhelming. I had penne pasta (Diablo) with shrimp which was the spiciest thing I could find; it had red pepper flakes on it. We also had a crab cake. read more

Cottage Cafe - Crab cake? - American Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

See all

I've been a customer of Cottage Cafe since they opened. Recently, they were bought out by So-Del and this is the first time I see a VAST DIFFERENCE in quality of food. I usually get the Fried Oysters or Prime Rib special and my Wife the Shrimp scampi ( no longer offered). I had the Prime Rib and my wife theCountry Fried Chicken. The chicken was good and the PR OK but we noticed the side dish string beans were loaded with sugar and the biscuit we come to love were half the size (as was the basket) and along with all served that night were crushed and loaded with what the waiter said was HONEY Butter. I am a diabetic since I was 30 years old and I couldn't eat them for they were too sweet. All muffins were crushed and tasted day old at least. I know they're free but that is the draw to the cottage cafe. The PR was a 10oz only (use to be bigger and in two sizes) and passable but not as fresh and good as prior. The place including the bar was empty for a Friday night too. I think others notice the SoDel touch. We will give them time for the season to help and try it one more time. My family and I have been in Sussex since 1864 and some of the SoDel dishes didn't originate here and do not please the patrons as it did all the years before SoDels touch. Beware! Expensive too and not much help/servers. read more

We returned to Cottage Cafe for the fall Turkey Special that we have enjoyed for many previous years but were highly disappointed this year. The turkey in prior years was from fresh roasted whole turkeys with white or dark meat. This year it was white meat only from a processed flavorless turkey roast. The gravy and mashed potatoes tasted as if they had no salt. Service was fine but we will probably not return for the turkey dinner special. read more

This place used to be amazing. For years, it was a weekly spot for me. I guess they were recently bought by someone else and honestly, it seems like the new ownership is trying to sabotage the place because it is SO bad. Bummer. read more

Great fish fry and fried chicken. Maryland crab soup was delicious but cold. Friendly service and pleasant local ambiance. read more

I have been coming to Bethany Beach since I was born. Every year, while on vacation, we do a late night dune fry and fiery finger run multiple times. We LOVE doing this. My large enjoys your food and we look forward to it every year. Unfortunately, this year has been different. With the impact of COVID-19 it has been challenging to recruit and retain people to work. As a result of limited staff, your hours have changed. I can appreciate this as it is difficult to find individuals who are dedicated and passionate about working at an incredible restaurant. My hopes are that this will improve for next year or that our favorites, dune fries and fiery fingers, would be made available at Boathouse, which is open until 1 am and we love as well. Thank you for all that you do. My family and I want to continue to support Cottage Cafe, as well as Boathouse, for many years to come. read more

Avoid this restaurant.!!! Specials are not special at all and the manager was beyond rude!!! THERE IS NO OPTION for a negative score---The absolute worst experience ever!!! Went Thursday night to celebrate my birthday and take advantage of the Prime Rib special! We are locals and have always loved Cottage Cafe--Took our Service Dog as we have done many times--soon after our meal was served, we were approached by the manager who said-"Therapy Dogs are not allowed"----I responded-"He is a Service Dog (Charlie had his SERVICE DOG vest on and was under the table doing his job) and I'll be happy to provide you with his license"--manager wandered off saying-He is not a service dog. Our meal had only arrived, and we decided to box it up and enjoy it at home. Our waitress was apologizing for our rude treatment Our Service Dog has been everywhere with us--He was under the table and the waitress was totally unaware of his presence. She was fantastic and did a great job. Husband gave our waitress his credit card without even waiting for the bill and we left----as we were driving away-I said to my husband-"We are never going there again"--He agreed and told me that the $30.00 Prime Rib Special was actually charged $46.00 and a $2.00 up charge for the salad. I have patronized many SoDel Restaurants-This is a definite-Never again! Called the restaurant to get the bill corrected and they apologized--oops--we forgot to hit the discount button and will adjust the charges---I will be calling the ADA tomorrow and hopefully Dave can get the necessary training so as to not treat people so rudely-better yet-maybe it's not a fit for him and he can insult people at a different establishment! read more

Great food. The service is always spot on. The environment is great with plenty of seating available. We keep trying new things and are always happy. read more

First time eating here and we loved it!! Our server, Matt, was the BEST! Everyone was friendly from the hostess on. Reservations not needed for this particular Saturday night. We ordered a crab cake dinner and it was declared to be the best one she ever had! I had their "customer favorite" pot roast and I'd say it was the best I've ever had! And they start you off with fresh made mini muffins that I would have been content to eat without ordering a meal! Loved everything about this place! Next time I'm down here for vacation, I'm coming back to the Cottage Cafe!! read more

Stopped in for dinner 9/5/21 and had the Fried shrimp, Shrimp scampi, Broiled flounder and Meat loaf entrees. Service and food were good read more

Cottage Cafe - Fried shrimp w fries and coleslaw Spicy shrimp scampi - American Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

Great fresh food! Great service! Our shrimp appetizer and dinner was made fresh and delicious. We have been eating around in this are and never had a manager check on the customer's!!! Good job This was not our first time and certainly not the last. I highly recommend going to this restaurant read more

I used to love this restaurant and came here over the past two years solely for the Crab cakes. However, the food has since went downhill and my recent experience was not good. Crab cakes were runny and not cooked all the way through. My kids complained the fries were soggy and the mashed potatoes with my meal tasted terrible. I gave this review 2 stars since the waitress was pleasant and service was prompt. Would not recommend anymore based on food. read more

Stopped here for a Valentine's Day date with my daughter. Is is a great place to take children and get an outstanding meal. I had the French onion soup and the catch if he day which was Mahi served with a pesto artichoke sauce. Both soup and fish were delicious and decently priced. My daughter had the kids cheese burger and a strawberry smoothie. The burger was a nice size portion for coming from the kids menu. She thought it was so cool having a smoothie with her dinner too. They also have a wide variety of alcoholic drink specials. This is a great place for adults and children read more

Cottage Cafe - Mahi with pesto artichoke sauce. - American Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

The waiter was very nice but the food was not. My son's meatloaf was gray and dry as a brick. My other son found hair in his mac and cheese and my husband's fried chicken sandwich smelled and tasted like it was cooked in oil from a week ago. Won't be returning and neither should you. read more

The service was decent . The food was terrible. They used very old oil in the kitchen and every fried food that came out smelled burnt and dried out . They took the item off the order but the manager contested they change the oil everyday. Being in the food service business for over 15 years, I know she was full of shit. read more

Food is much better under new ownership. Desserts leave something to be desired. Beef bbq sandwich was great, as was crab cake

Great food. Good service! Can never go wrong with the pot roast or the meatloaf. Was welcomed right in and no wait!