This was my first time visit in Delaware. My cousin and I decided to have dinner on the merina. Tribute night was going on when we arrived. It was nice being by the water. With the spacious building, it would have been nice if they had a rooftop. We enjoyed our drinks. I had what they called a smash burger. What I will serve was not a Smashburger. The menu had that the patties would be crispy. But that was a regular hamburger. I enjoyed my side dish of mixed vegetables which consisted of spinach, red and green, bell peppers, and onions. My cousin had a crabcake sandwich along with a side salad. Next time I'm in town. I definitely will stop by. I had a wonderful Server by the name of Jason!!! He was really cool and was good at his job. read more

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Ruined Mother's Day dinner - Poor management and bland food. We booked a reservation for Mother's Day at 4:30 PM two weeks in advance, expecting a smooth experience. Instead, we arrived to find no table held for us. We were told we should have "requested" a table, despite the booking system offering no such option beyond "Inside" or "Patio." Even after being moved inside, we were still forced to sit at a high top. The food was equally disappointing. The nachos were a fraction of the size shown in the promotional photos on the wall. The cheesesteak and fries were completely unseasoned and lacked any salt. For a holiday meal that we planned well ahead of time, the below-average service and lack of basic hospitality were incredibly frustrating. We won't be back. read more

Just off my boat attempting to fish new area. We stop in. Not alot of traffic, but an off point staff. Took us a min to be served at the bar. Finally water with fresh squeeze lime juice- bartender went above. Looled at the wrong Grain menu- didnt have much vegetarian options. So I order brussel sorouts and scramble eggs, cheddar cheese carmelized onions and hash browns. My guest had Chesapeake Eggs over hash browns with seafood, Skillet cornbread, extra butter. Okay my dish was temp lukewarm, powder eggs had no seasoning , no parsley, no dressup; the hash browns under the eggs were cruncy/overcooked, like hard cellaphane asian noodle used to make a bowl nest. Brussels sprouts were decent. But needed red pepper flakes to come alive. Guest dish was ok. And the skillet cornberead was buttery, and plated well. But the objection was although our male bartender checkin to see if we needed anything there was no engagement at the bar. Then we attemptedbto speak with a black gentleman in position, Michele, who identifed himself as the General Mamager. Wirking in restaurant business 20 years, its not about your title its about what you do. Walking around with sunglasses on, no personality, no welcome to the restaurant, no engagement, just dry- shirt replies. Is where the, I knew we should have went to Scheaffers, The 1 bartender that had any engagement was a mom, who was exhausted working two doubles in 2 days. Pray she gets some rest. I can see why their understaff, poor management in employee scheduling, poor leadership in customer service execution of making every customer have an enjoyable 1st time experence. We are potential new business owners coming into the community. You are the closest restaurant to my boat, and I we are projecting to have 50 youth in our program, that were additional clientele coming to the restaurant, in the next 3months. As adults its not easy operating at your best everyday but when in hospitality & service arena, your off day can cause a restaurant to lose $1000.00's. 2 people spent $120, (expose youth/chaperones to restaurant- 55 people x avg food ticket $ 25 + 202% gratuity $6= $1705. You just loss our business. read more

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This is not the best location even though it's right on the water. They have a new menu this season but I was disappointed to see that most of the apps were fried. There aren't a ton of "healthy" options here and the Caesar salad lacked flavor and had a vinegar taste. The cream of crab soup was good but luke warm. It's nice that they allow dogs and even provided a water bowl for them. Probably won't be returning. Too expensive for not great food. read more

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My wife had the shrimp skewers, which were absolutely over cooked and awful. It came on a bed of rice, which was soaked in some kind of a lime sauce. I tasted it and it was sickening. The waitress kindly said she could order something else, so she played it safe and got a burger with fries. Again, absolutely awful. The burger was two thin patties that looked like they were purchased in a large bag at Sam's Club. The fries were raw. It was an awful food experience. I got a poke bowl, which I managed to get down, but I'll eat pretty much anything. The one good point was our waitress. Very attentive and did her best to resolve the problem. read more

This place would have been better if the had more than 2 waitresses. Food took forever to come out. This place is more like a hangover spot the next morning for college kids. Be warned do not bring your children here. It was a nice day and the outside patio was closed because they didn't have enough staff to serve people. Food was very blah and I'm being nice about that. read more

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Maybe someday I'll be able to upgrade this review, since I didn't eat anything today. It's Memorial Day and I went for a bikeride on the beautiful trail along the canal. I found Grain on Google maps and was excited that I could have lunch on my ride. I get there to not many customers and a 40 minute wait for a table and no carryout. I sat at the bar and when the bartender said he was working 2 bars and it would be awhile before he could get to me, I got up and left. They couldn't get anyone to work the holiday. I get you might want a few bucks, but is that worth all the disappointed customers I saw walk away? Certainly not a memorable first experience with me. If you can't staff your restaurant, don't open your restaurant. read more

Invited my family out to Grain H20 for a brunch on a Saturday which seemed to be a calm before the storm as there wasn't many people there yet but maybe the heat kept people at home. Regardless enjoyed some brunch food with a scrapple sandwich, crab cake skillet, scrapple fries and beef skillet with home fries and eggs. We also had some drinks which is what is pictured with the Grain Blood Mary which some delicious jerky, stuff olive and some intense old bay seasoning. The tomato juice with mixed in alcohol was a great blend for the meal. I'd like to return back to Grain H20 to see how the place comes alive with weekly events and music. The food was good, service was excellent, and I'm going to be checking this place out for some happy hour and more adult evening than brunch! read more

Grain H20 - Grain bloody mary - American Near Me - Bear, Delaware

My first negative review, especially when it comes to restaurants. Having grown up in a family-owned restaurant, I truly understand how hard the business can be, especially on holidays. But our experience here on Mother's Day was so disorganized and off-putting, it completely ruined what should have been a nice evening out with friends. We had a reservation for 4 people at 5 PM and arrived 15-20 minutes early to check in with the hostess. We were told to return at 5, which we did, only to be informed that all reservations had been moved to a general waitlist. No explanation--just "go find a seat at the bar, and we'll text you in 30 minutes." This would've been easier to accept if we hadn't noticed multiple empty tables both inside and outside. We sat at the bar where the guys ordered beers and the ladies ordered mixed drinks. The mixed drinks were incredibly weak--one "crush" tasted like faintly flavored water and had to be re-made. Meanwhile, tables sat dirty and untouched for 15+ minutes, with used napkins, plates, glasses, crumbs, and even an uncleaned baby chair, food was shaken out onto the floor and given to another family without being wiped down. It was genuinely unsanitary. After 30 minutes with no text message, I returned to the hostess stand, only to watch a party of 4 (with a reservation like ours) be seated immediately. When I asked, the hostess told me they'd just reopened seating--yet we were never contacted as promised. When we were finally seated, we were placed right next to a trash can--despite the restaurant still being visibly empty. We asked to move, but the new table was also dirty with visible water ring marks. The one bright spot: our waitress was friendly and efficient. The food, however, didn't redeem the experience. I ordered a smash burger but was told they were out of buns. Not a problem--I was fine with no bun. But what I got was two burned, bitter-tasting patties, shrunken and charred beyond recognition. The pickles were, sadly, the highlight of my plate. The rest of the table's meals were passable--mac and cheese with pulled pork, chicken risotto, and fish & chips--but nothing to rave about. To top it off, as we were leaving, I saw another table being served a smash burger with a bun--the very item I was told they were out of. This meal was so comically bad that we ended up laughing about it on the way home, just to make the best of it. But honestly, between the poor communication, sanitation issues, and inedible food, I won't be back--and I wouldn't recommend this place to others either. read more

Our service was horrible people who got there after us were packing up when we got our food. We asked for a pound of shrimp and only got a half pound. The scraple cheese steak had barly any meat and they covered the small amount of meat with eggs like get more meat. We in all had a very bad experiance read more

Bar service is very poor, they specifically ignore customers for some reason and then when they are called out, then they are very rude and then actually said we don't need to serve you anymore. This is an incredibly bad way to keep customers. I have a slip at Summit North Marina and was going there regularly with family and friends, but no more. Chesapeake Inn, Crabby Dicks, Bayard House, and Schaeffer's Canal House are way better choices. As Melanie H. called out, the restrooms are something you see at a 1950's bus terminal or gas station... OK for the fraternity crowd, but not for what you pay here. Save you money and go somewhere where they treat you like a customer. read more

Been here several times and normally it's fine. Not sure if it was the incompetence of our server or a new restaurant policy, but the server came to our table with the payment machine, interrupting our table's conversation, announced our bill total aloud (it is nobody else's business what we are spending at your establishment). Proceeds to hover over us waiting for immediate payment and tip. Very rude, Do your guests the courtesy of printing them a receipt and allowing them to sort out the payment. Very unprofessional. read more

My friends and I had reservations at Grain H2O on a Thursday evening. I had never been there so I checked out reviews on Yelp. The ones I read were not favorable and I told my friends. They decided not to change the reservation and I am glad we didn't. Our server was awesome and she catered to our party of 15. She organized the other servers so we didn't have to wait long for service. The place had a rustic look since it was close to the marina nearby. The food was plentiful and delicious for the most part. The prices were decent for seafood as expected. I asked my friends if they enjoyed the restaurant. They said they did and won't have a problem coming back. I have to wonder about some of those reviews, but everyone is entitled to their own opinions. We all enjoy the experience! read more

Food was horrible. 12 of us and everyone's food was either cold or insufficient quantity. Service was good. Our server, Aiden, was good. Manager left a lot to be desired. Blew off our complaints. Real shame, used to be a great place. read more

Isolated spot on the water - you won't feel like you're going the right direction until you're there. Food is mediocre at best and the menu is limited. I was told "the kitchen is particular" and may say no when I asked for my omelette to be made with egg whites - which is ridiculous when there are only 3 other customers in the restaurant. Only the very basics are gluten free. read more

The location of the restaurant is great for a summer outing. The live music gives a great vibe. Service is good. The only drawback is the food. Fried pickles are good but the Nachos lacked seasoning and flavor. The burgers lacked flavor too. read more

Really delicious food. Had the Salmon Risotto with garlicky spinach. Also enjoyed the peach guava iced tea. Our waitress, Pauline, was great! read more

Great spot for lunch with me and my friends! We sat outside and enjoyed the steak salad and wraps. read more

Grain H20 - Chimichurri Steak - American Near Me - Bear, Delaware

Dinner Party of six after an amazing day on the water. Service was wonderful by a very nice young man who checked on us continually and made sure we had water and drinks. We all had varying menu items, but for my girlfriend and me, we had the Grain Chix Cheesesteak. As my girlfriend stated and then I agreed, was the best Chix Cheesesteak I had ever had. I don't know what the flavoring in it was, but it was a 10/10 for us. The Crushes hit the spot and all of the other guests at the table were raving about their Grain Crabby Pretzels, as well as the regular Grain Pretzel. We also loved the Grain Oil fried chips that came with the meal. With that, and with the commentary from the rest of the table...10 out of 10 for this visit!!! read more

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Smash burger was decent but the parm fries we're disgusting, paid extra for the Parmesan but the amount wouldn't fill a 1/2 spoon. I won't return! read more

Me and my family came here after my sister graduated high school to have a fun relaxing dinner while my grandparents were visiting for her graduation. Keep in min it was about 3pm and NOT busy whatsoever. Half of our food was either wrong or cold. (I get it, I worked in restaurants as a server all growing up, sometimes things are just not to par and I understand it will happen) However, when my meal came out (a $20 meal) it looked to be the size of a kids meal. When asked if I could return the meal and get it taken off the bill because it was a pathetic amount of food for $20 the young manager named Quinn said nothing could be done and that he doesn't make the prices, which I understood. However, if you are paying for a meal and it is not up to standard it is absolutely ridiculous to say nothing can be done. After I said I no longer want the food and asked for it to be removed from the bill for a second time Quinn laughed in my face. We have family that frequents this establishment and has nothing but good things to say. Keeping this in mind, I was willing to let the entire situation go until I got laughed at to my face. Our server Aiden was excellent but unfortunately due to Quinn's behavior to me and my family we have unfortunately lost respect for the establishment. read more

The dirtiest filthy bathrooms...they should be shut down by the board of health..if the bathrooms are discusting then the kitchen must be worse... stay away or you may get a infechus disease.. I am reporting them and hope they get closed down. read more

Amazing seafood nachos! I'm addicted! Nice people and great service. Great scenery. :)

This was our first time at this Grain location. We came for 4th of July. We didn't have to wait for a seat and it was nice being on the water. So the good: parm truffle fries and salmon BLT were delicious! The salmon BLT is usually on bread but i asked for a it on a wrap. It seemed like most sandwiches could be turned into a wrap which is a plus. Seared tuna was also very good. The Brussels were good but really needed salt. I was shocked by the sweet potato fries. They were good but extremely sweet with extra brown sugar added. I thought sugar was unneeded. read more

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We went to Grain H20 with a couple of friends on a Sunday, St Patrick's weekend. We had the crab nachos, they were awesome, the staff was excellent. We played trivia and the guy hosting Trivia encouraged participation and he walked around and chatted with people which made it even more fun. The only thing I didn't care for was my chicken sandwich was made with dark meat and I don't care for it but everything else was great, we had a really good time. read more

Food was great! Went for brunch via boat. Easy parking in G dock - walk was HOT but the ac was working and fans were going

Great spot! Went after a hike at Lums pond and it was the perfect place for a drink next to the river and some food. The food was really good. I had the fish and chips and my friend had the brisket grilled cheese or something like that. All the food looked tasty. There's a nice view of docked boats and a winding wheelchair accessible dock. There was live music and the musician was singing all the summer early 2000's hits. All around enjoyable place. I definitely plan on going more during the summer. They also have corn hole and giant connect four while you wait for a table. The service was good. We had a waiter in training and she was good. It was a mix of a younger and older crowed along with families so a place for everyone. I went during memorial day around 4:45pm. They were pretty busy but the turn around was quick so the wait wasn't too long. Try it out if the menu appeals to you. Ps. It was pretty hot out but the outside seating was not. Fans added a nice breeze. read more

Service was very slow, and server was rude. Went on the "All you can eat" wing day with a group of 8. Were told the "rules" of eating wings. Wings came out 6 at a time first, then 4. If you ordered fries with it, every morsel on your plate has to be finished before even putting in another order. Felt like 20 minutes between each wing order, and we were ready to order again 15 minutes ago. My dude had 3 fries on the plate and got stared down by the server...."You know the rules!" Forgot everyone's order of fries twice. Gave an attitude when asked about the fries. She chippered up when the checks came out. Oh, and the face we got when we asked to split the checks?!?!?! Restaurant was dead. Better to eat outside when its warmer in my opinion. Crab nachos were amazing. Wings were fantastic. Thats the last wing night we go to at Grain. read more

Grain is pretty good. We've been on a few occasions and each time is a little different than the last. The food is good, but not too consistent? We typically stick with the appetizers now. The ambiance is great, tucked away, right on the canal. The restaurant is clean & the staff is definitely friendly. I'm sure we'll be back, but if you're looking for a stellar food experience, ehhhh. read more

Grain H20 - Fried pickles! Cold on arrival but the taste was good - American Near Me - Bear, Delaware

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Have been here before a couple of times over the years as a stopover driving down to beaches. The nice part is that there is a lovely view and a walk down ramp to a huge boat marina. I saw the place has changed hands and has a different name. Our visit today, first time in around 3 years was quite painful. Checked the website last night - brunch 10-2. Great. Planned our 4/5 hour drive around it... Arrived and met a family of cyclists in the car park, they were hot and sad, apparently it doesn't open until 1. Checked and they were sadly right. We walked down to the marina and around before getting back in the car. Very pretty. I wish they would update their website - not very impressive management... read more

Grain H20 - Website says it's open today. But it's not. - American Near Me - Bear, Delaware

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They did several errors to my order, even after 2 attempts I finally gave up and did not eat anything. Luckily I had a small bag of pistachios in my bag so I had something to munch on so I would not have a drink on a an empty stomach. I am vegan so I am limited with what I can have which is their house-made plant based burger. Ordered it w/o the American cheese and requested the brioche bun be replaced with another form of bread as it has egg wash on it. The waiter offered another bread as an alternative. All good; so I thought. Another server brought the meals and my burger came in a brioche bun. Our server showed up trying to figure out what has failed. The other server said they did not have that other type of bread so they served in the original bun/bread. Kitchen did not bother to offer another alternative. They simply did not care. I was trying not to waste the bread and if some came out to inform me in stead of serving me with a bread with eggs then I would have suggested to make it as a lettuce wrap. My friend asked if they had wrap or tortilla. Our waitress said they could do re-so it with a wrap. I said ok great. Waited longer than I anticipated and there came my burger nicely wrapped in a wrap toasted all look until I took a bite from it only to realize now there was white American cheese in it. They went all that trouble to make this simple burger plant based then turned around and placed a cheese in it. I got up walked up to the group of server. Ours was among them. She got upset with what the kitchen did kept apologizing it. At that point it was too late, I lost my appetite for that dinner as well as for this place. They could not even serve a simple burger. It should've have been that hard if they cared and paid attention to what they were doing. What kind of mess/chaos is this kitchen in they cannot even serve a simple meal. The place was not even crowded at all. It was Monday evening. Our waitress was nice, did her best and kept apologizing for the kitchen's mistake. Also be aware, if you love sweet potato fries, you will get them extra sweet here because what they serve is brown sugar coated. I love sweet potato fries but I do not need that extra sugar on it. That was also another disappointment. They cannot even make it without it because they are not hand-cut and house made. They are premade out of a froze bag. I do like the ambiance; being by the water; however, I do not plan on going back there again. The place was much much better when it was Aqua del Sol. The food, the menu options, the service were all much much better. It lost points when Grain took over due to several mishaps I encountered in the past and now this last episode did it for me. This is first time I am writing a review about them. Too bad it had to be negative one. read more

We absolutely loved our experience at Grain H2O. Our server was wondering. She helped me choose the best entree and delivered a perfectly prepared cocktail. The avocado goat cheese salad with grilled shrimp was top notch! The landscaping outside was beautiful as well as the view of the yacht basin. The outside of the property could use a little sprucing up though. It would look better it it was power washed, painted, and the cracked patio repaired. read more

Showed up at 10:30, and were told there would be about a 20 minute wait. Got the text to be seated at 10:48 and were seated right away. restaurant wasn't too crowded, and our server seemed very friendly. We had already gotten bottles of water while we were waiting, so we ordered two mimosas. They took a reasonable amount of time to get to the table. We ordered our food within 10-15 minutes of being seated. I ordered the smokehouse skillet, and my mom ordered the crab toast. I was listening into some of the conversations at surrounding tables, and it seemed like a lot of orders were getting brought out wrong, or taking a long time so I was a little bit nervous about what that might mean for us. I probably should have taken that more seriously, because by 12:05 PM our food still was nowhere to be seen. when they finally did bring food to the table (around 12:20), they got my mom's order totally wrong, and mine was missing some parts. I sent mine back, and we got her order straightened out. 10 minutes later, my food came back, but it was already getting cold. By 12:48 when my mom's food STILL HADN'T COME OUT, I asked the waiter and all he said was "I really don't have any idea". Huh? I asked to speak to a manager, she got our bill taken care of, and we left soon after. Definitely won't be going back for brunch again, which is a shame because the downtown Newark location never disappoints so I was excited to try this location. As I was leaving I heard the host to say to someone that the wait was an hour and a half for a table, so good luck to anyone riding it out after us! read more

Grain H20 - Smokehouse Skillet - American Near Me - Bear, Delaware

Food was ok. Crab cakes were actually good as was fish and chips. Sweet potato fries were marginal -- some way over cooked. Came with butterscotch for dipping???? Haven't seen that before. It was good but way too sweet to eat a lot. Service was fine. Prices high. Bathroom was atrocious. Ok place if it's on your way (like on the bikepath) but wouldn't go out of my way. read more

Hidden gem! Great food, great drinks and a neat spot off the beaten path. My husband and I stopped in on the way back to New Jersey and we're glad we did. We had the crab nachos, which were out of this world and I had one of the best Bloody Mary's. ( which was garnished with beef jerky...yum!) The customer service was great and I can't wait to go back. read more

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Just ate at Grain H2O after arriving by boat. What a disappointment after being very familiar with Grain in Lewes, DE. We both ordered shrimp caesar salad put into a wrap. One of us asked for fries and one for sweet potato fries. Bad things: 1) it was never mentioned to us that these wraps did not come with fries - we did not know the price until the bill came. That leads to #2 2) Both sets of fries were inedible. For some reason, the sweet potato fries came with sugar sprinkled all over them. Never ever have I seen that and definitely not mentioned on the menu. The regular fries were so overly salted, neither of us could eat them and we love our salt. So, if we knew we paid extra for them, we would have called the waitress over to ask them be removed from the bill, but we did not know. 3) The wraps were mediocre at best with very little shrimp. We also were not given silverware and had to wait a long time for our busy waitress to return with a fork. 4) We had to wait 30 minutes for a table on a Sunday afternoon despite many empty tables. Obviously they are shortstaffed but we would have been happy to to sit at an empty table and get drinks from the bar. We will never be back. read more

Welp, this is for sure an appetizer and drinks kind of place. We had to wait about 25 mins for outdoor seating which wasn't a big deal but they had a loud cover band that was not very good. When the band went on break they didn't put the radio on so then it was just quiet. We ordered 3 apps and 2 entrees. We really liked all of our apps and the entrees were a complete let down. We started with the mozzarella chips, crab fries, and pork wings (i think that's what they're called). The mozzarella chips are made out of sliced mozzarella instead of like a string cheese which i really liked. The crab fries lacked crab but tasted good and the pork wings were very tasty and cooked well. For the entrees the tacos were maybe not even seasoned at all. Very bland for tacos which was weird. The Lobster mac had very little lobster for $22 the dish itself was maybe an inch deep (very shallow) and the mac and cheese pasta was cooked Al dente. I'm not sure when kind of cheese they used but this dish was also very bland. So overall fine apps nothing to drive here for and sub par entrees. Our service was fine as well but if your not local I would go to chesapeake city if that is the ambiance you're looking for. read more

Grain H20 - shrimp tacos - American Near Me - Bear, Delaware

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This place is so adorable! I had no idea this location exsisted right by the water. It prob is really cool sitting out here during the spring/summer time. My friend and I went here for brunch. We got there and sat outside where it's tented and there was hear lamps so we didn't get cold. From the menu it was so hard trying to pick just one thing off the menu! I wish I could order everything. We started off the meal by getting a pitcher of mimosas and fries pickles. Fried pickles were 10/10. I don't even like pickles but these were delicious. The mimosa pitcher was a steal for 28$ we got atleast 3 glasses out of it. I got the crab Skillet which was omg delicious..tons of crab, crispy potatoes, fluffy scrambled egg and hollandaise sauce what more can you need? My friend got biscuits and gravy which she enjoyed. Loved this place and I think the food is better than the main street location to be honest. Would def. Want to come back and try more items? read more

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We love Grain H20 atmosphere. The service was great and many times the food is spot on. However, AVOID the lobster roll...for $21+ is not worth a hotdog size scoop of lobster on a hotdog size roll. The house chips were also disappointing. This being said the burger, cheesesteak with OMG cheese, and chicken salad was very good according to my family. The attentive service and atmosphere made up for it. read more

Grain H20 - American Near Me - Bear, Delaware

Been there a dozen times maybe one or two times were halfway decent the rest was so bad bartenders are very unefficient I mean very very unefficient with bad attitudes takes you forever to get anything nobody comes back to check on you if you're a local that goes there all the time they will Converse and forget about you the food is subpar for any restaurant the bathrooms are scary to go in never clean read more