South County Cafe — Restaurant in Maryland

Great little small town cafe that is levels above local peers.

South County Cafe has the usual deli selections but mixes it up with some creative combos. But what puts this cafe above the rest is its extensive array of baked goods - pies, cakes, cookies and unusual finds in the pastry line. Yum!

We ordered the Three Little Pigs sandwich, a trifecta of porkiness - smoked belly, thick-cut bacon and Black Forest ham ... absolutely delish, and an excellent grilled Reuben. Both sandwiches were excellent. I ordered a side of fries, which were the only negative of the experience to me as they were the weird fries that are kind of battered or something ... more like BK’s awful fries than Checkers’. However that was a minor issue - I still ate them, and the portion was large enough to share.

Alas, we did not order from the bakery items as we’d been to the Sandy Pony earlier for their delicious handmade donuts.

Located in a converted house, the owners have kept the room original layout so diners have a choice of several small spaces to sit. As we were there during the reign of Covid, the tables were very well spaced out with as few as 3 tables in some rooms. I imagine if/when things return to normal that may change.

Luckily we happened across Deale’s South County Cafe while picking up something nearby - now that it’s on our radar, we will return if only for...

There are limited options for a quick lunch in the Deale area and this Cafe serves as as good place for such a quick bite. The food is decent but we won't be back. We arrived around 2:30, checked the hours posted (close 8pm), ordered a sandwich, paid, provided a tip and sat down to eat. At 2:45 we hadn't even been served yet but were told the cafe closes at 3pm. Approximately every 5 minutes we were reminded of that fact and at 3:01 were told they were closed insinuating we needed to leave. As we sat another few minutes quickly gulping down the rest of lunch doors were slamming, and noise levels escalated around us seemingly to give us the we're closed message again and again. This practice of asking for tips before service is rendered has got to go. I normally would not have tipped because of all this and called it day but I tipped well and was treated poorly after. One also wonders that by not tipping before service, will your food somehow be tainted in retribution. So in this pre-service tipping world, you burn me once and I simply do not return nor recommend the place to others. Food is reasonably good, service not so much. Thats why its...

An excellent find. It is a little odd that only Friday and Saturday offer a traditional restaurant experience. It's part cafe, part restaurant. On the other days, food is brought to the table but not tablecloths and no coming to your table to refill drinks, etc.

There is outside seating during warmer weather and takeout service. It looks like a great place to be once spring finally happens. But the weather is not the reason to come here. The food is genuinely good. The crab cake had only enough filler to keep it together and no more. The mashed potatoes were seasoned perfectly. Local cafes typically don't serve such fresh ingredients. And the owner catches a lot of his own fish!!!

What made them stand out and why we will make the drive to return is the service Just so nice!!! Imagine visiting your best friend's family for the first time. That's how we were treated. The owner, staff and server could not have been nicer. We look forward to coming...