DiFebo's Market — Local services in Bethany Beach

Stopped in DiFebo's this morning to satisfy a hankering for a dark roast coffee and a toasted bagel with cream cheese. Not a good experience from start to finish. Waited 10 minutes in line near the glass up front where I saw the bagels only to be told I had to go to the register near the cases to order. Went over and waited in that line. The young lady at the register was pleasant but seemed noticeably inexperienced and not fully engaged. I ordered the coffee, asked if it was dark roast and was answered yes. I was handed my coffee and told my name would be called when the bagel was ready. My first sip of coffee while waiting for the bagel, wow, it was bad, flavorless and shockingly weak. Fifteen minutes later and still no bagel so I went back to the register (of course waited in line) to check. Five minutes later I received the bagel. When I opened it in the car on my way to a meeting, It was barely toasted, not warm and not cut in half. There was so much very soft cream cheese that it had squished everywhere, nearly impossible to hold and eat.

For a place like DiFebo's, the poor quality of product and service was surprising.

I've had a number of very positive experiences and great food at DiFebo's Market but today was not one of them. I'm rating today's experience as a '2 star' because of those prior positive experiences, otherwise my review would be a '1 star'. I like DiFebo's Market and will return, just not for their coffee and toasted bagels with cream cheese.

Saturday, May 24, 2025 Dear Lisa,

Thank you for reading and responding to my review. I read your comments with sincere interest combined with some surprise, more on the latter below. First, however, you are correct. I have not posted reviews about my positive experiences at DiFebo's Market which, in hindsight, I regret. Please accept my apology. Our first trip to DiFebo's Market was just over three years ago when we were down from the Philadelphia area looking at homes. That day after finishing up, we visited DiFebo's Market for lunch based upon a strong recommendation from our Real Estate Agent. It was a wonderful experience. We sat at a table outside with our two dogs and thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful food and environment. It was truly special. We ended up purchasing a home and our first DiFebo's Market experience has brought us back many, many times over the last three years. We will, of course, return. We have also enjoyed many wonderful meals at your restaurant across the street, especially sitting at the bar while enjoying a cocktail. DiFebo's Market and DiFebo's Restaurant are gems, thank you.

Now, as to your comments on my review...no one really enjoys hearing criticism but, when constructive and honest, it can make a positive difference. That was my intent. DiFebo's Market is pretty consistently a good experience. I thought you'd want to know when it's not, and why. Giving you the benefit of the doubt, I don't imagine your intent was to respond in a sarcastic and flip way but that is how it feels to me. All I wanted to say was, that day, the coffee, service and bagel were far below your fine track record with us.

I have no hard feelings, and I hope you don't either. Regardless, we are fans and will...

We arrived after a long day of traveling and found the various lines a little confusing while it was crowded, but a nice gentleman who is clearly familiar with bewildered country bumpkins arriving each week guided us through the process enthusiastically and politely helped us. It’s actually fairly simple, just hard to wrap your brain around when you’ve been traveling with a toddler all day lol

The food is delicious! The employees are kind and helpful. They have a lot of great stuff. The sandwiches saved our lives the first night. We ordered hot sandwiches and took them to the beach and enjoyed them! The desserts brought us back to life.

I then returned every.single.day. Coffee? They’ve got it. Sicilian style pizza for aforementioned grumpy traveling toddler? Absolutely. Cream puffs as big as your head? Check. Greek pasta salad that’s easy to grab out of the fridge when you need a snack? Don’t fret- they have it. Jeni’s vegan ice cream/sorbet for the vegan in your group? Yep, you betcha! A whole case of homemade pasta? YES. The best Parmesan I’ve ever had in my life? Of course! Meatballs that made my vegan mother even comment on how delicious they smelled? Yep, that too. You get the point. Something for everyone.

By the end of the week, I was kindly ushering other bewildered tourists to the correct ordering line and suggesting sandwiches. Thank you for being a staple of our trip and making us feel welcome as soon as we got to Bethany Beach! And as someone who worked in retail and restaurants in a tourist town for years and knows how exhausting it gets, I truly appreciated the genuine kindness from each employee I encountered as I navigated your town as a newbie. I wish you much success and I can’t wait to come...

Completely unimpressed with the $10 cheesesteak at Difebo’s DiFebo's Market. I certainly did not expect a legitimate Philly style with real ribeye, but I did have the expectation of a flavorful cheesesteak. Really nice, clean place with friendly employees. Cheesesteak was in my hands about 3 minutes after ordering, so I imagine that they have precooked meat on a corner of the flattop. 10 inch soft seeded roll. I cannot ever recall getting a cheesesteak on a soft seeded roll. I have eaten a lot of cheesesteaks in my day. Fortunately, the small portion of meat and cheese did not cause a “roll failure.” Wow, tiny portion of meat. I added red sauce because I figured they would have a tasty Sunday gravy style sauce. Unfortunately, the only flavor profile on my palate was the seeds on the roll. I got nothing else from the meat or sauce. Now, I went to Hooked Up Ale House & Raw Bar an hour later and got a legitimate, flavorful cheesesteak with fries and a pickle for the same $10. Proper roll with soft interior and hardy exterior to prevent breakage. It was overflowing with meat that actually had a great taste. Meat fell out of the roll when I took a bite-thats more like it! Pictures don’t lie. I adnit - I am a big eater. I was definitely not anywhere near “full” after eating this disappointing sandwich at Difebo’s. Hence my visit to Hooked Up.😁 I must say though, all the foods and baked goods in display at Difebo’s looked very good. DISCLAIMER: I am keenly aware that High Stakes is the...