Beach breakfast

Rise, shine & dine: 13 beach restaurants for breakfast

Pam GeorgeCulture, Headlines

Beach breakfast

Egg in Rehoboth Beach offers unique flavor combinations, such as sriracha-bacon candy or sauteed chicken livers with bacon and shallots over scrambled eggs.

 

Breakfast has always been a significant dining segment at the beach, partly due to the high volume of hotel guests. However, lingering over a stack of pancakes while sipping a bloody Mary epitomizes a lazy vacation.

The demand for breakfast on the Culinary Coast has led to a bevy of restaurants ready to serve hungry beachcombers. Here are some examples.

Classic breakfast experience

Old-school breakfasts are the hallmark of the Crystal Restaurant in Rehoboth Beach. You can practically taste the nostalgia in the creamed chip beef on toast, omelets, and pancakes. 

That is also the case for the Robin Hood on Rehoboth Avenue, which opened in 1968 in the old Robert Lee. It’s best known for Greek omelets packed with spinach and feta—but don’t forget the scrapple. 

Sunrise Restaurant is now owned by Rob Holson, who was 14 when he became a busboy at the Dewey Beach restaurant. Like the Rehoboth restaurants above, Sunrise is the place for Greek diner favorites, including a gyro omelet and two eggs—any style.

In Fenwick Island, those in the know go to Jimmy’s Kitchen, which makes creamed chip beef fresh each day. 

Patrons know to stick to the menu; there are no substitutions. Moreover, don’t ask for a separate check.

Beach breakfast

Early risers come to the Nook in Milton for it’s Eggs Benedict and other breakfast dishes.

Something extra

The Nook in Milton started as The Breakfast Nook until the owners added dinner. But early risers come for the sausage gravy and biscuits, avocado toast, brisket eggs Benedict and  Southwest breakfast burrito. 

On Route 1, Café Pink Blossom—not to be confused with Café Peach Blossom in Newark—mixes bananas and walnuts into pancake batter. French toast is stuffed with sweetened cream cheese and shrimp tops the eggs Benedict.

In Rehoboth Beach, Breakfast Guru Restaurant and Bar offers all the usual dishes plus delicate crepes, hearty burritos and steak and eggs. Sides include turkey bacon and a plant-based sausage option.

Healthy Options

Speaking of plant-based patties, Greenman Juice Bar & Bistro was among the first Rehoboth restaurants to offer vegan and vegetarian selections. 

Diners on restricted diets will appreciate the coded menu (v for vegetarian, vv for vegan), breakfast bowls and juices. There is now a location on Route 24, west of Route 1, in the Lewes zip code.

Nectar Café, which started in Lewes, also has branched out. A second location opened in downtown Millsboro.

Nectar’s all-day brunch menu includes acai bowls, avocado toast, turkey bacon and sweet potato hash.

Beach breakfast

Victoria’s caprese avocado toast with roasted garlic aioli pairs well with its view of the ocean.

A creative take

Nectar’s menu is as innovative as it is tasty. Not many breakfast spots serve egg-white omelets with spinach, roasted red peppers, lavender and goat cheese. 

Creativity is also the hallmark of Egg in Rehoboth Beach, which spearheaded the rise of breakfast restaurants with a fun factor and unexpected ingredients.

Examples include sriracha-bacon candy, pumpkin pie, praline toast, and sauteed chicken livers with bacon and shallots over scrambled eggs. 

Dewey Post is equally inventive. Guests gravitate toward breakfast boards that serve two or four people.

The waffle board, for instance, comes with waffle sticks, maple syrup, Nutella, banana, fresh berries and seasoned Mommom’s Cheesecake dip.

Beach breakfast

Bramble and Brine offers a a classic French omelet with gruyere, mushrooms and chives.

A refined experience

Admittedly, sometimes you want to sip coffee in a serene, elegant setting. 

While many upscale eateries are open for weekend brunch, only a few offer it on other days of the week.

One example is Bramble & Brine at The Buttery, located in a Victorian mansion in Lewes, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

Options include sausage gravy gnocchi, eggs Benedict with short rib or smoked salmon and a classic French omelet with gruyere, mushrooms and chives.

Victoria’s in Boardwalk Plaza offers guests a view of the ocean and breakfast seven days a week. 

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Quiche, caprese avocado toast with roasted garlic aioli and an open-faced salmon sandwich on a baguette are a few of the sophisticated selections.

Are there additional noteworthy restaurants serving breakfast at the beach? Of course! We’ll save them for another time when we have more space. 

Suggestions welcome! Email them to Pam George at [email protected].

 

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