Lupo Italian Kitchen — Restaurant in Rehoboth Beach

Still searching for the best Italian at Rehoboth Beach.

To be honest, my wife and I enjoy a good Italian dinner and would love to find someplace at Rehoboth Beach that consistently serves great food. After a string of disappointments in Cape May and then in Rehoboth (DeFebio's), we were pleased to have found Lupo last year on a half-off pasta night. My wife's cacio e pepe (literally, cheese and pepper) is one of those satisfying, simple dishes that all too often come off wrong, but hers was perfection. Her Caesar salad was fresh and bright and lemony, too. I had another satisfying, simple dishes in the spaghetti and meatballs, where the tender meatballs married with the perfect marinara delightfully. How happy we were!

This year, we split the Caesar salad and it was as light and fresh as we remembered, not doused in some gloppy Sysco version of Caesar dressing, but sparkling with cheese and lemon and anchovy. So far so good! The dipping bread with olive oil was also fine, and my wife's dirty bleu cheese martini and my Negroni were nice starters for drinks.

My wife wanted another classic dish the eggplant Parmesan. Remember what I said about how satisfying, simple dishes all too often come off wrong? Unfortunately, that was the case. The good: the eggplant was well prepared, fried to crispy perfection, nestled in Lupo's wonderful tomato sauce without getting soggy, and given a nice mozzarella melt. So what went wrong? It's served with a few woody sprigs of broccoli rabe that badly lacked any flavor and were a chore to saw through. More suitable would have been a small bed of pasta and red sauce, smaller than a demi serving, just enough to be a bed for the eggplant, which in fact we had to pay a $7 up-charge for (this is standard plating at most Italian restaurants). The plain pasta with tomato sauce was actually quite good on its own.

However, the eggplant was absolutely not seasoned. I don't mean it lacked some fresh herbs, which would have been a welcome bright complement (which it did in fact lack), but Fried Eggplant 101 requires that you SALT the disks as soon as they come out of the oil. Adding salt from a shaker at the table cannot adequately season the dish, which must be done in the kitchen.

I decided to order a chef's special of the day, casarecce all'Amatriciana. Casarecce is a pasta twisted in on itself that pairs well with red sauces, and all-Amatriciana is usually cooked with guanciale or other pork, a light tomato sauce, and red pepper. This dish used Calabrian peppers, which were a nice background heat that suited it well. Guanciale is always welcome on my plate, a fatty, flavorful cut from the jowl that is similar to bacon in some ways. It's typical to use Pecorino Romano and a very quick, fresh, light tomato sauce to play off the rendered guanciale fat and the heat of the peppers.

The pasta was cooked well and the guanciale was not sparse, but the problem was the tomato sauce, which had been cooked down and concentrated so much it almost seemed to have been prepared with a hefty dollop of tomato pureee. In fact, the guanciale and tomato would be an excellent base for a hearty baked bean dish with the addition of some molasses, but as an all'Amatriciana dish it had none of the requisite lightness. Fresh tomatoes should be cooked with the guanciale and peppers just to a simmer before coating and finishing the pasta. This dish was morose and heavy, not bright and summery.

Our server, Anastasia, did a fine job of checking on us, but Lupo's follow-up visit left us wondering if there really is a great Italian joint to be found in Rehoboth. We may try Sazio's, on a recommendation, and there are some farther out on Coastal Highway, but we enjoy walking to downtown destinations. Lupo may be worth a return visit, but they offered us a very mixed bag at best, "what could have been" rather than what was. Two and...

Deplorable! Do not go there if you are single person! I am a guest at the hotel and decided to go down and order dinner after a long day. Originally, I decided that I would just order and take it back up upstairs. I sat down next to the hostess desk, which was my biggest mistake. When I told the hostess tonight that I decided to stay, she said, I thought you were gonna go. She then continued to tell me. That there was a waitlist. There were many tables open. She told me to go to the bar and again there was no seats at the bars. I took the tiny little top right next to her desk. She told the waiter after he brought me water to take it back. She then after asking for water and bread, she gave me somebody else’s bread. It was already soaked in oil. I asked her on numerous occasions for full size piece of bread. She kept humiliating me and making me feel small and that I was not drinking either , so I didn’t deserve waiter service. Not one person on that staff after my food was delivered, came to the table and asked me how was my food this evening. Nobody came to top off my water. Nobody cared after I finished and walked out, because the Hostess was so rude, think she is top-tier, humiliated me for sitting at a table by myself and not drinking, I already paid for my dinner and if I was given proper service, I would’ve left a tip. I have never been treated like this before and I would not recommend this restaurant for this reason. I sat next to two women, and I watched how they were taking care of, I watched the big bread that they got and I didn’t, I watched how the waiter came and went and never spoke to me and nobody spoke to me and nobody made me feel welcomed in the restaurant. The owner of this restaurant, your hostess. I am staying in the hotel , I did not deserve to be treated that rudely, unkind, treated like trash, and had no value to your restaurant. I couldn’t even order dessert. Here’s a note to her, your behavior was unacceptable, your treatment towards me was undeniable, the women noticed , you are harsh and you are excessively rude. You do not have the right to treat anybody in that manner. This happened on a Wednesday night and it happened today. Fire that waitress and I deserve a full written letter and an apology. Ever be treated that way, just because I don’t drink, doesn’t mean I should not get perfect service. Please share with her I...

I would give 1,000 stars if I could. Ambiance, staff, the food; all of it is a winner.

I read several reviews that the veal meatballs were not great; I can't speak to those. However I did order the Old School Meatballs to go with my meal. They were delicious. I'd say my only complaint is they were slightly dry, but I liked that they weren't covered in sauce. 4/5

As everyone else says: the fresh focaccia is LIFE. The coarse salt and rosemary are perfection. The oil served with tasted slightly metallic to me, so I'd assume its a more bargain oil. 10/5 for the bread, 3/5 for the oil.

I ordered polenta 10/5. Amazing. Creamy, cheesy but not overpowering, and slightly chunky which I personally love. Partner ordered Shave Brussel Sprouts salad which he also loved. I had a taste, and the simple dressing was perfect - truffle oil, a hint of lemon, and chunks of pecorino. 5/5

We both ordered Cacio e Pepe. First of all the serving size was massive for the price. Creamy, cheesy, and piping hot. I didn't see whether it was mixed in a cheese wheel - perhaps in the kitchen? - but it was delicious and rivals all of the other Cacio e Pepe I've ever had. 10/5

Service was also great. We were given an estimated wait time of 20 mins; put our name on the list and confirmed a phone number for text msg when the table is ready. I love when restaurants do this so you dont have to just stand by the door. We took a short walk and the table was ready in less than 10 minutes. Hostess and manager was super friendly and welcoming. Our server, Melinda, was great; attentive, very friendly, and laid back. Appetizers came out quickly, and the entrees were perfectly spaced out. Also since we were in town for the running festival, we were given 50% off our pasta as runners which was GREAT. 5/5

Ambiance is lovely as well. It's a small space, but not too loud music as many restaurants now are. Tables are close, but comfortable and not cramped. It's a nice, intimate and classy space for a delicious meal in Rehoboth Beach. DO NOT SLEEP ON LUPO!!! I'd gladly drive 4 hours back from NY just for that meal (and will definitely visit again when...