Off the Hook — Restaurant in Bethany Beach

tl;dr good food, good service, unethical and rude management

We went to this restaurant for dinner in the shoulder season. We got a table outside in their parklet area. It was my husband and I, our son and my husband's parents.

We ordered cocktails, appetizers, then entrees and wine. They were out of the bottle we asked for and offered us two options for replacement. This is where things went sideways.

To preface, my husband and I are extremely knowledgable about wine. We have lived in and still live near DC. We are friends with a number of distributors, sommes, vintners, and restaurants owners... some of those restaurants have michelin stars or have James Beard award winning wine programs. We regularly attend wine tastings (virtual tastings in the times of COVID). We have traveled to Spain, Italy and Slovenia and tasted just oodles of wine. We do not screw around when it comes to our wine. We also are happy to pay a fair price with markup even splurging on high dollar bottles from time to time.

We ordered a Chenin Blanc by Field recordings. we are familiar with their wine, we are big fans of Parts and Labor. This is a $20-25 wine they were selling at $62. A bit steep but not unreasonable at all, especially in a resort town.

The server came back and told us they were out. She brought 2 alternative Chenins. We picked, as a replacement, a South African Chenin. We had the rest of our meal and asked for our tab.

The check came and they charged us for the Field Recordings wine they didn't have. South African wines are generally quite affordable so we did a quick check and they were charging us $62 for a $10 bottle of wine. 2x or 3x is one thing but over 600% is quite the markup.

We told our server and she went to talk to somebody.

Soon a manager came out and condescendingly told me that things work differently in a resort town and that is just what the wine costs. I asked to know what the actual cost of the bottle to the restaurant was and was informed that it was not in their system. Likely they were given the bottle by a distributor and had no IDEA what the wine actually cost and thought they could just upcharge us and rake in the extra bit of money and we would be none the wiser. When we mentioned the equivalent grocery store price she curtly said "This isn't the grocery store". The manager didn't care to discuss it she basically came to the table to dismiss us in a way that was unfortunate.

We chose not to make a scene but dwelled on it, asked a number of our industry friends about their thoughts and decided this merited a review. This is our first bad review of a restaurant on Google. It wouldn't have been difficult to simply use an Open Wine button most restaurants have and add in a fair price. We would've happily paid even 400% markup.

We continued to dineout in our week at Bethany regularly buying wine by the bottle at restaurants. We were thrilled by most of the wine lists and found wine very reasonably priced elsewhere compared to what we pay in DC. The other fine dining establishment Blue Coast seemed to have bottles at closer to a 200% markup. This also really highlighted how overpriced the bottle above was even for a "resort town".

Our server was lovely, the food was good, but the management is rude. If it hadn't been for the final incident we would've happily returned to this place during our stay. It wasn't the cost; it was the way in which the issue was handled. Management shouldn't assume a patron is a cheap skate who doesn't know about buying wine at a restaurant.

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A Great Catch on the Delaware Eastern Shore – Off The Hook

Off The Hook is undeniably one of the finest dining establishments on the Delaware Eastern Shore. It’s rare for me to give such glowing reviews, but our visit was an exceptional experience that exceeded expectations in every way.

Food & Cocktails We started with a round of cocktails, which were expertly described and recommended by our waiter, and all were delicious. Next came Boom Boom Shrimp and the Burrata Salad, the shrimp was so good we ordered a 2nd helping. After the appetizers came Crispy Short Ribs and two desserts. Each dish was expertly prepared, with flavors that were both memorable and perfectly balanced. The presentation was just as impressive as the taste, making the meal a feast for both the eyes and the palate. The portion sizes were also very generous, quite a bit more than we imagined.

Service Our server, David, was truly exceptional—one of the best I’ve ever encountered. Despite being relatively new to the restaurant, David's warm, genuine demeanor and in-depth knowledge of the menu were remarkable. His descriptions of the dishes left us eagerly anticipating each course, and his attentiveness struck the perfect balance: he checked in regularly without being intrusive. His professionalism and enthusiasm elevated the entire dining experience.

Atmosphere The atmosphere is exactly what you’d hope for from a top-tier seafood restaurant in the area—bright, clean, and inviting, minus the perceived pretentousness. The seating was comfortable, and thankfully, we experienced no wait. The space strikes the right balance between casual and upscale, making it perfect for any occasion.

Critique The only drawback was the limited parking. It would be helpful to have the "additional parking available" sign placed at the driveway entrance rather than the front door, since once you are at the front door...

Overall Off The Hook earns five stars in every category: food, service, and atmosphere. It’s a must-visit for anyone seeking an exceptional dining experience on the Delaware Eastern Shore. We’re already looking forward to our next visit!

Highly...

Our party of 5 arrived at 8:30pm on a weeknight without a reservation. The restaurant’s Google site states the restaurant is open until 10pm. The ambiguous lettering on the door lists the hours as being “11:30am ~ pm”

The host did not tell us that service shut down at 9pm, which probably should have been disclosed as we were led to our table. The restaurant is very brightly lit, perhaps to showcase the Chihouly like hanging lamps, but it unfortunately looks like a cafeteria. However, the prices are anything but…

The 2 page menu is fairly limited, one page lists drinks and the other one is food. We started with a bottle of wine, an order of Boom Boom Shrimp ($16) and Kung Pao Calamari ($15) to share. Judy, our server, apologized for rushing us, but said orders needed to be in by the last call at 8:45pm. A few minutes after she took our orders we requested she put in for a 2nd bottle of wine—it all felt very hasty.

I ordered the Cioppino ($42) which although tasty did not justify its price, especially given the meager amount of protein it contained—which would have been better priced at $24. My husband had the Pan Seared Scallops ($34.) Our table companions had the Smith Island Stuffed Fluke ($36) and the Seared Tuna Tataki Salad ($18.) For the vegetarian, it was a Caesar Salad ($11) with sides of Creamed Spinach ($9) and Truffle Mac and Cheese ($10.) Both those sides arrived cold and needed to be sent back.

Desserts were outstanding. We consumed every bit of an excellent Key Lime Pie and the Peach Cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream. By the time we ordered dessert we were the last diners in the restaurant.

The food was good, and exemplifies the buzzwords used in their marketing: “upscale,” “farm to table.” However it should be less about being “passion driven” and more “attention to detail.” What could have been an elevated dining experience was marred by feeling rushed due to the lack of clarity over service hours. Since it takes less than a minute for an establishment to update the hours on their Google site,...