The Blue Hen — Restaurant in Rehoboth Beach

As a chef and a former restaurant critic (out of state), people always ask me what's my favorite restaurant in Rehoboth Beach. With the standards of quality of food and service having improved exponentially in this town over the last few years... that question has become harder and harder to answer. But I have to say, The Blue Hen is consistently in my top three favorites.

They had a bit of a rough start with not-so-amiable management in the beginning, but things have evened out. But, the food has never wavered in its excellence. Whether you are looking for a great happy hour, a special occasion or place to bring out-of-town guests, or just a guaranteed delicious dinner, you can be assured of a great experience at the Blue Hen. It has become my go-to place for all of those needs. I try to find excuses to come here!

Service is casual, friendly, unobtrusive, and always anticipating the guests' needs. Servers and bartenders alike have made the difference between a good and a great experience.

And oh the food...! Tasty and inventive small plates include lobster toast, delectable octopus, and soft shell crab sliders. A nice selection of charcuterie and cheese is also available to create your own board. Can't miss entrees include a perfectly cooked veal chop, moist and flavorful fish (any), more terrific soft-shells, awesome fried chicken, and the best scallop entree in town! Don't get too attached to anything though, because the menu frequently changes . Plenty of well executed options for vegetarians and gluten-free diners too. Small but excellent wine list offered with helpful and knowledgeable direction. And please don't miss the cocktails... Blue Hen has one of the best mixology offerings in town. It's not summer at the beach unless you are drinking a Frozé from Blue Hen.

(Edited to add: As a pastry chef, I am super critical about desserts, and am inevitably disappointed at 95% of the places I go. For two years I haven't bothered to order dessert because of that fact, but Blue Hen has broken that streak. Why did I doubt that they would have anything but well-crafted delicious desserts? So now I have to plan accordingly to make sure I have room to order dessert!)

Reservations are highly recommended... but if the main dining room is booked, don't hesitate to take dinner at a high top or up at the bar. The bartenders take good care of their people as well. The bar can get a bit noisy, be forewarned , but honestly the dining room acoustics aren't perfect either. But you can also eat outside in warm-weather! And let's not forget the awesome fire pit outside in the front courtyard. I've spent many pleasant evenings out there with old friends, or making new friends. One of my favorite ways to spend an evening in Rehoboth Beach for sure.

If this review doesn't convince you to run directly to Blue Hen, then it's truly your loss, you don't know what you...

Started with waiting 45 minutes for a table. No big deal, we expected a wait. It’s a popular place. Appetizers came out quickly and were ok. Lobster toast was good, crab cake was just ok, as were the biscuits ($7 for 3 biscuits). We waited an excessive amount of time for our food, which took an hour after the appetizers, and our waitress let it sit under the hot lamp for nearly 20 minutes. That part was infuriating. She had three tables: 2 larger tables and then us, a family of four. She basically hung us out to dry. I get it, the big tables are big tips, but really? You can’t take the 3 minutes to get our food before you spend a half hour taking their order, flirting with the old guys, and getting them drinks? The food was probably good when it came out, but cold entrees are never good, especially when you’re paying $30 for fried chicken. All in all, we spent 3 hours here 2.5 of which was waiting around: waiting for a table, waiting to order, waiting for food, waiting for service. The place wasn’t busy anymore by the time we were seated. Like I said, she only had three tables. We would have liked to have tried the desserts but after waiting another 15 minutes just to get the menu, we opted to skip it. Maybe you’ll have better luck, but why risk it? You could end up with the same experience. I expected a lot more from this place given the reviews and the prices. We won’t be...

Found this place during a mid-day walk around town, it was closed at the time but looked interesting, so came back for a drink and appetizer before dinner. Got there early, few people were there, sat at the bar. The young lady working the hostess desk seemed distracted, and a bit bored.

The bartender was ok, but a bit aloof, especially when I asked if he could make me a classic daiquiri, shaken. He said he didn't have the machine to make a frozen drink. I said "no...I was not asking for a frozen daiquiri, but a classic daiquiri which is white rum, lime juice, and simple syrup, shaken and served neat in a coupe glass." He got a little snooty and said "of course I can make that", then turned and I watched him look up how to make it in a recipe book! What I actually got was dark rum instead of white, and after shaking he poured it over the rocks in a cocktail glass...oh well. My wife had a martini which she said was good.

We had an appetizer, the Lobster Toast, which was very good!

We finished our drink and appetizer and left, over $42 for the two drinks and appetizer.

Just didn't get a great feel for the place, maybe because the help seemed somewhat disconnected.

Would I go there again...probably not, many other places to go that have good food and atmosphere.

Would I recommend...maybe, just don't order a classic drink that the bartenders of today have no idea...