Surf Bagel
It is admittedly difficult to review a bagel and sandwich shop that caters to a breakfast and lunch crowd, as its primary purpose is to cook and sell bagels of all sorts with various toppings, and coffee and sandwiches, mostly for to-go patrons. Should the restaurant be judged on the quality of bagel only? Varieties of bagels and toppings? Or some other measure, such as speed of the lines and preparation of the sandwiches? Rural and urban cities across the country have long tried to duplicate New York-style bagel shops and the bagels they serve warm out of the oven, but most attempts result in flaccid counterfeits masquerading as bagels with a shmear of (insert your favorite topping). Surf Bagel is a reasonable facsimile, perhaps the best in Delmarva, of a New York bagel, and makes available all the usual options in terms of styles, breakfast sandwiches and burritos, and toppings, all applied with the coveted shmear. Add in salads, smoothies, and other lunch spot favorites, and you have a resort town version of the New York classic bagel shop minus the important NYC water that gives its bagels the just-right crispy crunch and doughy middle. While the bagels do not compare to big city originals, they are more than passable, served with the attitude of a New York shop, and prepared just as you prefer, with efficient in-and-out service to get you on your motoring way. There are several Surf Bagel shops around Delmarva, with another being constructed in Fenwick Island, so you are never too far from a legitimate bagel when at the beach. Surf Bagel may be the best bagel in the Delmarva beach towns, but, then again, this site may offer the best restaurant reviews in the region – it’s all relative to the competition, and neither of us have too much.
18675 Coastal Highway
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
302-644-4822