The Blue Hen
Located in the lobby of the Avenue Inn and Spa, Blue Hen offers the best two-step indoor – outdoor bar in Rehoboth Beach, where drinks and eats flow with the mingling and fun. The outdoor bar sits among a dining patio, replete with a firepit and friendly service, all the while watching Rehoboth Beach visitors stroll by gazing at the vibrant action. Its indoor neighbor offers plenty of craft beer and cocktail selections, all warming you up for a not publicized-enough, but excellent dining experience delivered through an inventive menu and professional staff. Blue Hen got its start under the tutelage (and ownership) of neighbor Henlopen City Oyster House, but has since blossomed on its own, borrowing from HCOH an obvious dedication to cooking and service, while expanding its creative menu. Many visitors never stray from the starters menu, enjoying the best biscuits and butter jam at the beach, joined by a lobster toast appetizer so good you wish it was converted to an entrée (order two). Roasted carrots with herbed tahini and walnut salsa should not be missed, nor should Blue Hen’s specially prepared tempura calamari. And those are just the appetizers. Blue Hen’s pasta dishes satisfy in every way but are not the stars: fried chicken, among the best in Delmarva, joins a lobster roll and branzino to make selecting among the mains a negotiation in which the table is encouraged to mix-and-match shared entrees. There really are no misses on the menu, but the inattentive diner may suffer sticker shock when the check arrives, even if you passed on the generous seafood platter for the table; alas, food this good requires your willingness to experiment, along with skipping dessert in favor of local boardwalk ice cream, which helps keep the expense a bit more manageable. If Blue Hen did not enjoy company with such distinguished restaurant neighbors, it would garner awards (no more semi-finalist James Beard distinction) and greater attention, but with so many quality restaurant competitors, Blue Hen sometimes gets lost in the three-star restaurant shuffle. That omission benefits the sharp-planning diner seeking excellent food and service among Rehoboth Beach’s many no-reservation standouts, because the line at Blue Hen is often more manageable than its neighbors, especially if you can navigate a bar seat while your table awaits. Blue Hen ranks among the culinary stars in Delmarva, and continues to impress its patron hotel diners and those from the outside ambitious enough to brave the sometimes long waits.
