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Bethany Beach, DE

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Bethany Boathouse

3.7 (437 reviews)
ModerateBars, Seafood, Sandwiches
Closed • Closed
Updated 2 weeks ago

Order Bethany Boathouse Takeout or Delivery

Bethany Boathouse Photos

Business Info

BETHANY BOATHOUSE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Live music
Loud
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Bethany Boathouse

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Reviews With Photos

Abby S.

Had a reservation for 5 at the boathouse on a rainy weekday. The restaurant was very busy, especially with the downpour of rain. We were seated in a high top in a corner. Bethany boathouse has ample seating, patio, outdoor, deck, inside, bar area, there are many tables making this spot great for groups and families. Located on a strip of water, this location is great for both views and people watching. I liked the high ceilings and funky fun decor. Our server was attentive and informative with the menu options. They have specials on food/drinks every day. We got the 20oz spiked hoop tea which was delicious. The chicken cheesesteak was standard, and the fries were extremely hard and dry. While the food wasn't my favorite, the ambiance and the vibes were great. I would come here again with friends for happy hour.

This was a salmon BLT that my husband devoured.
Melissa P.

Fun, festive atmosphere with tasty food and cocktails. Music was off the chains.. DJ Bump had diners be-bopping to the music. Waitstaff busts ass and is amazing.

Kate S.

This is another stop on our OCMD vacation every year. We typically sit outside by the "pond". Food is always amazing, drinks or cold and made well. This year our server was super happy and friendly. She provide fast service and gave recommendations when asked. It's a place you should add. This year I did the fried chicken sandwich....it was well portioned without being too much!

Menu
Tiffanie L.

Bethany Boathouse is a bar food ish place with live music. The food is good, the music is good, the service is good. It's a pretty reliable food restaurant. I don't come to the ocean and run to the Boathouse, but if we see it my kids want to stop. They do have a good tuna and seaweed meal and giant pretzel that are delicious. If you want entertainment and food it's a good spot.

Smash burger!

Everything was amazing! We had the smash burger with waffle fries (added a side of queso) and fried shrimp with a side of hush puppies! Everything was cooked perfectly! The servers were great too!

Crab cake sandwich
Maria K.

The service was good, but my crab cakes were so small and just didnt taste as good.Their crab cakes use to be huge and tasty. Hate the waffle fries. Think we will skip the place next time.

Everything else but Boathouse Nachos was just ok, redeemed under a broiler to make crispy & added homemade seasoning for flavor.
Bohemian J.

Most of the food ordered thru DD was acceptable, average but edible. Boathouse Nachos w/ Chili Lime Shrimp for $26 was not worth it (maybe in house, however most chips were not crispy.) Flavor & seasoning were lacking, crisped up fried things under house broiler & sprinkled w/ spices at home for better experience.

Chips and Dips
Allie G.

My friend and I visited Bethany Boathouse on a Sunday (late) afternoon and got seated right away on the patio. The ambiance was pleasant and we arrived just in time for live music! Our server was so nervous but so sweet - I think it may have been her first day. For drinks, we both ordered boozy milkshakes. My friend chose the Aye Aye Captain and I got the one with Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey (can't find the name). Both were tasty, but not very boozy - mostly just a vanilla milkshake. However, they do offer floaters for an up-charge. For food, we shared the Chips and Dips and Lump Crabcakes Platter. The food came out quickly and portion sizes were very generous - we had plenty of leftovers to bring home! The food itself was good but nothing mind-blowing. Would return for the drinks and vibes though!

shrimp
Samantha G.

I enjoyed this place. We just drove in to bethany and wanted a quick bite near our hotel. Seating was extremely fast even though it was packed. We ordered the wings and fries and basically got them in less than 10minutes. Service was super fast and seemed like they sometimes read our minds. I was not expecting this place to be great based off of reviews but I would say go! Never can go wrong with some wings and shrimp :)

3-5pm Happy Hour offerings at Bethany Boathouse
Gwyneth J.

UPDATE: 8/24 --- We had Happy Hour (3-5pm) at the Bethany Boathouse this past week & was pleasantly surprised. Last time we were here (9 years ago! Eeep!) it was chaotic and only a 3 star experience. But this time it was a super experience! Why did we wait so long? Christie, our fav bartender from OVBFG, took great care of us! Kind, attentive, funny, and caring. She's such a treasure! Mom got a not too stingy pour of Pinto Giorgio in a fun short souvenir cup and I tried their 20oz Orange Crush also in a take home squeezee cup! We sampled the Happy Hour food at the bar. We shared an excellent plate Chicken Nacho's and handful of Steamed Shrimp and waffle fries both reasonably priced at $7.50. It was a clear breezy afternoon and it was lovely - GREAT VIBE!

Having a drink after dinner.  Fun place.
Mike B.

We had dinner and stick around for the ambiance and the music. There's a great summer vibe to this place. Beautiful spot to chill and have dinner/drinks.

Smashburger.    Very good!!

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

Food is average, drinks are great. Live music and good sports on tv. Always a good crowd and solid service.

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Just had a grapefruit crush and nachos. Staff was great and food was meh. The setting was nice and close to where we stayed.

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

Very neat place,very clean,friendly service and Very good food all kinds of food,nice atmosphere

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7 years ago

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7 years ago

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2 years ago

Great food! Great service! Great drinks! Outside bar atmosphere very chill. Busy but not overcrowded.

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Page 2 of 11

Ask the Community - Bethany Boathouse

Do you have loud music every night? We have 9 & 12 grandchildren visiting so we don't want loud music to interfere with our experience

Hello Ed, We have live music every night in the summer time. The music starts at 6pm during the week and 5pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Boathouse is an open air building with garage doors that are open to bring the outside in. The live… 

Are you open on Thanksgiving ? Any specials? Thanks!

We will not be open on Thanksgiving day.

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3.5(35 reviews)
0.6 mi

Building on my previous review from July 2026, here is a summary of our two most recent visits with…read morefriends, who were recently visiting us from Bergen County, New Jersey: First Visit: Dinner for Three I booked a 5:00 PM dinner reservation for three on OpenTable for an outdoor fire porch table and was seated right away by the host. Since it was August, the fire table wasn't lit due to the heat. I ordered the boardwalk bourbon peach smash ($15), which I really enjoyed. For my main course, I selected the daily special: a 16-ounce medium-rare ribeye served with a vegetable medley ($60). The ribeye was exceptionally tender, cooked perfectly, and delicious, though the price point was a bit unexpected. The vegetable medley was also unique and flavorful. Our server, Tyler M., provided excellent service, bringing our total bill to $163. Second Visit: Group Brunch/Lunch We returned for brunch/lunch with three visiting friends from Bergen County, New Jersey, and Washington DC. We were seated inside at a table for five. Although Bloody Marys were unavailable, I enjoyed another boardwalk peach smash ($15) alongside a pulled pork sandwich with french fries ($18). The pulled pork was tender and full of flavor. However, the french fries were under-salted, and without a salt shaker at the table (and having not requested one), they were a bit disappointing. Our server, Brandon G., took great care of us. The bill came to $158 before tip. We look forward to returning again for lunch or dinner.

I know the restaurant industry is difficult, and I am usually not one to write bad reviews, but…read morethis one is justified. Don't be lured by the great ocean views. This is still a hotel restaurant, and a mediocre one at best. The good . . . great views of the Atlantic and decent drinks. The bad . . . just about everything else. I'll preface this by saying that I was not going to write a review despite the underwhelming experience, but after the final straw, I simply can't resist. We started with a round of cocktails that were attractive and well mixed. The night was off to a good start. Unfortunately, it was downhill from there. Appetizers were fried cauliflower and calamari. Entrees were crabcakes, a Caesar salad topped with a crabcake, seafood bucatini, and seafood stew. Service was indifferent at best. Server did not offer any specials until asked and did not know how to handle problems (see below). The appetizers came out and were fine. The cauliflower was fried, but not as crispy as a really good fried cauliflower. The chipotle aioli had a nice flavor. Calamari was well fried, but the sauce was overly salty. Then came the entrees. The seafood bucatini was the highlight in that it was perfectly acceptable. For $52, I expect a meaty crabcake with lots of jumbo lump. This crabcake was loaded with filler. As for the caesar salad, the menu says it comes with "Shaved parmesan, anchovies, croutons, house made caesar dressing." But the salad came out with no croutons. When we asked the server, he said they ran out of croutons and he needed to bring the manager over to offer a solution (which turned out to be sunflower seeds, smashed cashews, and leftover bread from the kitchen - when we said we'll take them, the server said we may be charged for keeping all three). Lettuce was also the top of the romaine, which was mushy and needed the non-existent croutons to save it. Then there's the seafood stew. The bowl came out with no spoon and no bread (and no plate for shells, but I guess that's not a necessity). They brought a spoon when asked, but said it doesn't come with bread, and we would need to order bread if we wanted it. Seemed odd, but okay. The broth was ridiculously salty and borderline inedible. We paid and left feeling like it was fine, but we probably won't return on future visits to Bethany. Then we checked the menu to see what it said about the seafood stew. Sure enough, it is supposed to come with "grilled bread." Perhaps they ran out of it with the croutons, but to say we would need to order it separately reflects a lack of knowledge of the menu, complete indifference, blatant lying, or all of the above. Beyond that, the pop music was far too loud for a restaurant that wants to be a decent restaurant. The view was nice, but I feel like I just threw my money into the ocean.

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Ocean 99 - View of Bar

View of Bar

Ocean 99 - Whole Red Snapper

Whole Red Snapper

Ocean 99 - View from table

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14 Global - YELLOW FIN TUNA CRUDO / habanero sesame oil. radish. shallot. jalapeño. herb salad. avocado mousse . pistachio dust. crispy wontons

14 Global

4.3(402 reviews)
0.7 mi
•$$

Great service, tasty food, tiny location. Trust me, you WANT a reservation for this spot, but it's…read moreworth grabbing. We sat at the bar and spent time trying a bunch of drinks and appetizers. We had Molly as our bartender who was helpful in offering up meal selections and she modified my drink and made it just like one I got to try in the Middle East! We didn't feel rushed, but the space is quite small, so arrive early and get a reservation if you can. Most parking nearby is paid parking through the city so double check or you can get a $$$ fine. The espresso martini style drink had beet shavings on top, something I have never seen before with that drink. It didn't really affect the taste, but it looked cool.

Been wanting to try this place for a while. When we came to town again, we decided it was time to…read morecheck it out. Let's start with some positives. The location is wonderful, located right in the town of Bethany. We sat outside on a nicely done patio that was relaxing and perfect for the weather. The waitress was very accommodating and well trained. She asked about allergies and made sure we had what we needed. When we did not like a dish, they did comp us, which was unexpected. The negatives unfortunately outweigh the positives as we do not intend to eat there in the future. First, it was very overpriced for a tapas place. Each tapa was about 22-25 dollars. These were not a reasonable price for tapas. We ended up leaving hungry. The food was presented very nicely, however, the food lacked in flavor and execution. The tapas all had good concepts but none were great and some were simply bad. The cauliflower was coated in something that made it taste burnt. The gnocchi were not even gnocchi and the dish lacked balance as it was super sweet. The scallops were well cooked but the mushrooms and corn had no flavor. The bison sliders were decent but the buns were hard and burnt and the slider had no sauce. The tuna crudo was probably the best one but it was very oily. Again, good concepts, just poor execution. Cocktails were upwards of 16 dollars and a glass of wine was about the same. I could walk down the street and get a drink for much less. We got other people's food twice as they have people carrying out food that aren't our server. I wish I could rate this place higher but it is not worth the money they are charging.

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14 Global - Inside

Inside

14 Global - Wild Boar Sliders

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Pie - Cobb salad

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4.0(202 reviews)
0.8 mi
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Yum! My husband…read moreloves him some pizza and the reviews and photos are what brought us in here. Cute exterior with lights and even cuter inside, it looks like a bistro. Our server was very friendly and appeared to be hosting and waiting tables at the same time but she was pleasant and prompt. We both ordered salads - mine was the chopped and husband chose Cesar and both were a very generous portion size and super fresh and delish. I really enjoyed it. Great price too. We chose to build our own pizza with just red sauce, cheese and Italian sausage. It was out quickly, piping hot, and VERY good. My husband is from St. Louis so he likes very thin crust and very crunchy (think cracker crust) and this was cooked to crunchy (but not burnt) perfection with fresh and yummy sausage on top. We both actually really enjoyed the meal - more than our fancier date night meal the night before. I'd absolutely come back here if ever in town again. It's charming and delicious. Ample parking outside on the street and very cute and charming both inside and outside.

From my 9 year old daughter- The pizza was delicious, but it was very cold in the restaurant, I…read morerecommend you bring a sweater. She had the cheese pizza, and said it was well balanced. The wife and I were not huge fans of the crust though. Lacked flavor and was burnt tasting. Service was amazing though, which is why we gave 4 stars.

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Atmosphere

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Bruschetta

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Cosmo

Sunshine Baguette - Warm toasty brie & prosciutto baguette

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4.4(19 reviews)
0.6 mi

Just window dressing!…read more There is a choice of 3 premade sandwiches no custom made anything! The bread is decent. Their claim to fame. The sandwich is laughable no dressing. My turkey sandwich didn't even have cheese & for $15 bucks each you only get 1/2 a sandwich when you remove all the excess bread. Even the lunch places in NYC provide more between the bread. This is a one & done. We won't be back.

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Sunshine Baguette - Service counter

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Sunshine Baguette - Fruit and custard pastry.

Fruit and custard pastry.

Sunshine Baguette - Bacon, egg, & Havarti cheese on a croissant, brioche cinnamon roll, brie, herb butter, ham, tomatoes, & arugula on a white baguette.

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Bacon, egg, & Havarti cheese on a croissant, brioche cinnamon roll, brie, herb butter, ham, tomatoes, & arugula on a white baguette.

Bethany Boathouse - bars - Updated October 2026

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