5* --Location, location, location. On the bay. Beautiful setting --Dogs can come sit by your feet and be happy to not be left yet again --Live music! 4* --Drinks were pretty good --Service was good 3* --Food was fine, nothing to write home about. We got middleneck clams, buffalo wings and fried cauliflower (which was the best of the 3) But you don't go to the Rusty Rudder for the food or even the drinks. You go to sit near the beach, listen to music, and enjoy being outdoors in the summer with those you love. . . read more

Loved the Rudder for many years! I have to say I've never had a bad meal...and, location, location, location!

This was such a fun vibe! The band was awesome. Laura Lea I think? The food was good too. I got the grouper tacos which were alright. The steamed shrimp was good and the fried cod fingers were good too! We came for dinner at 7 and stayed until midnight dancing. A really good time! read more

Rusty Rudder - Grouper tacos - American Near Me - Dewey Beach, Delaware

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I mean, the Rusty Rudder is okay for an evening by the sea with music at Dewey Beach. The drinks are good, but as for food, even though it was good, it was definitely overpriced. My daughter got a cheese quesadilla and we paid almost $15 for it- no kids price? I got the crab pot- two clusters of crab legs, potatoes and corn- for $53. Par for the course there, I suppose. For three of us, one drink and a basket of fries- it cost $120. Worth it for happy hour, probably not for dinner. read more

Imperial crab was horrible. The crab meat (not imperial) was placed on the most over cooked English muffin possible. Similar to a hockey puck! Crab cake sandwich was good but no lettuce or tomato. Server never once asked how is everything and had to be flagged down to get a second drink. Was not attentive. read more

The place was basically empty and they wouldn't sit a group of 10 together outside because they only had 4 top tables. The entire place was practically empty, how do you not accommodate a group? This place is a low class joke. Not to mention extremely rude. Stay away! Go across the street to The Lighthouse. It's better in, literally, every single way. read more

We go here 2-3 time a week. We are locals. The service and food have gone downhill for the last 4 years. Tonight they wouldn't seat 4 of us it a table for 10. They said 6 of us had to be there. My children were hungry and the rest of the people were on the way. Literally down the street. But, wouldn't hold it either. I go to support the bands that we love and are friends with. The singer asked manager if we could be seated. Manager still was resistant. So I asked if we could get a six top. She said not until all 6 get here. So they would have seated 10 top with 6, but not a 6 top for 4. Then I see 2 people seated in a 6 top and point that out. She just says they shouldn't be there, but doesn't do anything about it. My friends go there 10 minutes later and now and there is only a six top available and 8 of us have to squeeze in. The when we're walking to the table and they make snarky remarks lol you don't have to come here. Last year my husband gave $150 tip on a $50 bill to the only good waiter we've had. I've been coming here 22 years and this is how they treated regulars who tip well and spend a lot of money there. read more

This place is in the perfect spot right on the bay! You can't beat the live music everyday right there on the deck. It has plenty of room both inside and outside for large groups too! The menu offers a variety of seafood, delicious salads, sandwiches, and the best cream of crab soup! The bartenders are great and keep the frozen drinks flowing. Will definitely continue coming here! read more

Rusty Rudder - American Near Me - Dewey Beach, Delaware

We came with a group of 8 people to enjoy a nice dinner. We ordered our food and we were told we could only have one check. We knew this would be a challenge with our party of eight. Our food was good. My husband & I ordered the Poke bowl and I had a side pf Brussel sprouts. Both were delicious. Two of our friends each ordered the fish and chips. The picture in the menu showed several pieces of fish. When their meals came there was only a very small piece of fish on the plate which wasn't worth the price. A kids meal with Salmon and chips was $7 less and a larger portion of fish. The waitress told us it was based on the cost of the fish. Cod is way less expensive so that didn't add up, especially since there were 3 pieces of fish in the picture. When our waitress brought our check she told us there was an automatic 18% gratuity. We asked how we could each pay our checks and she said their policy is 2 cards & the rest cash. We had four people paying and fortunately two of us had cash. We thought it was pretty rude that we had to do all the math to figure out each person's check plus the gratuity. After 9:00 PM they cranked the music so loud we couldn't even concentrate. It was a bit frustrating to have to do the splitting of the check ourselves. I think they should have told us their policy before they seated us to see if we were in agreement. The bottom line is it was too loud and too much drama to pay the check with our large party. They should change their policy and split the checks in the future. We won't come here again. read more

Rusty Rudder - The view from the side of the restaurant. - American Near Me - Dewey Beach, Delaware

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I was so excited to come here, sit by the water and listen to live music. The day was perfect. The view of the bay beautiful. The duo was fun to listen to. I had a skinny lime cocktail which was yummy. 1/2 pound of steamed shrimp and a basket of Old Bay fries was the perfect bite. The shrimp was big but not seasoned enough for me. Dipping it in cocktail sauce helped but again this was no spicy enough for me. Same with the fries-underseasoned. Still you can't beat the location plus the fact we could actually eat at a restaurant! It's been doing and it felt wonderful! Hopefully when time goes on and they go back to their full Menu and staff, things will get better read more

Rusty Rudder - Outside dining - American Near Me - Dewey Beach, Delaware

Pitiful! 21 bucks for a crab cake smaller than the bun! No tomato, lettuce, no silverware, cold fries an extra $2.50! I'm not paying for this mess! If I could give zero stars I would. I asked for manager and bartender tells me that's what I get...and that the manager is going to tell me the same thing. I asked for manager...not for you to tell me what manager is going to tell me! Absolutely ridiculous! read more

Rusty Rudder - Rusty rudder tipoff! 21 bucks for what?! - American Near Me - Dewey Beach, Delaware

This is a great place to go and enjoy outside dining right on the bay. It was a nice Breezy evening, out on the deck, surrounded by family having a wonderful time celebrating my son-in-law's birthday. The food was absolutely delicious and what a menu! So much to choose from all very fresh plated beautifully. The service was wonderful. Our server was very attentive to our needs made sure we had refills on our beverages, and was very polite and smiling all the time. We brought our own cake and she refrigerated it for us, and then brought it when we were ready. My husband and I are at an age where we enjoy coffee after a good meal. Sadly the Rusty Rudder does not brew coffee, the waitress said they did not brew it today. I don't know what that means but yesterday they did not brew it. I think restaurants need to acquire a Keurig machine and some K-Cups for the 60 and overcrowd. We do appreciate a good cup of coffee. The only downside to this restaurant was their parking lot. You have to get into the gate by way of trying to figure out what you're supposed to do to get a ticket my husband was asked for his cell phone number a credit card it was really confusing. He didn't get a text after putting in his phone number and we didn't get a ticket. So when we left the restaurant it was surprising to see how difficult it was going to be to get out of the next gate. The machine charged us $36 on my credit card. We were there 2 hours which was a total of $7 it is $3.50 per hour. My husband had to go in and get a refund because that's just not right to overcharge people. I don't know how many people do not look at their receipts but it's very important to check that receipt for your time in the lot. That's my only complaint they could avoid that by having a machine give it ticket as you go in and someone by the machine when you come out. Two thumbs up for the Rusty Rudder. read more

Honest review. First, be warned you have to pay for parking...no validation or discount off your bill. $25 for 3 Land Sharks and they don't carry Coors Lite or Miller Lite. RR doesnt offer draft beer either. Mostly everything on the menu is fried. Wait staff has no personality. If you're into overpaying, this is the place for you. Expect to pay $33 for a poke bowl. read more

The food here is (very) overpriced and overwhelmingly mediocre. Initially my son tried to order the $40 steak, thankfully I dissuaded him and he chose the $12 kid's shrimp. We love steak, but I'd need more trust in the kitchen to order something like that (we'll discuss in a sec) The service was great and the view/atmosphere is fantastic. Huge bar, outdoor seating and a view of the water. The live music (on a Tuesday night!) was great too. The tacos were $19 for two. What? We didn't order them because anyone charging that much for a taco is unlikely to understand what a taco is. The burger was supposedly some blend of chuck, brisket, and short rib but tastes like mush since they cook their burgers to medium. The bread is too crusty and wrong for this type of sandwich. Something you might expect from a restaurant maybe 15 years ago. Skip. The poke bowl was decent. Excessive edamame and served over quinoa instead of rice, but still some tasty bites.  The mac and cheese is $3 extra since they don't allow subbing sides, only *adding* sides. Soggy noodles and a ye-olde bechemel sauce which means it tastes like flour and milk - not cheesy at all. Cheddar(?) baked on top is a crust of separated oil and protein. Skip.  That kid's fried shrimp was good, but it only had 4 shrimp! If you do the math, that's  $3 per shrimp, wow.  They have a parking lot, but it's $3 an hour... to access their restaurant. Very odd. Gosh, $3 here, $3 there, it adds up to an unsatisfying experience, anyone else agree? My favorite item was the fries. Cut a little thick for me, but somehow fried to perfection. This is the only item I thought was above average. I hope they pay the fryer more than the chef. If I go again I'm arriving just before sunset for drinks and snacking on a bowl of fries. Then, going somewhere else for food. read more

Food was good. limited menu considering location. Waitress great. Hostess bit....ch and even my Wife asked to where restroom was to other server and was blatantly ignored. Great location but I would clean out the attitudes such a turnoff. read more

This is the third time I'm reviewing this place. We went back because our son really wanted to see a band. I have to say this place improved quite a bit from the last two times. Mainly the service. We were given a choice of tables, our hostess took our drink order immediately and brought the drinks to us in less than 2 minutes. Our waitress was great. She was very attentive even though the place was packed. My order was incorrect but she made it right within a few more minutes. The band was great and we didn't feel rushed to leave when the meal was over. The waitress told us to stay as long as we liked. The prices are still over the top expensive even for the beach but I guess if you want to listen to live music while you eat that's what you pay. I actually give them 3.5 stars but it rounds to 4. read more

This is really just a bar with some entertainment and a view. The majority of seafood is fried. The crab cake market price is ridiculous at $40 and not very big. I had better crab cakes all week for $25. They charge for parking. The service was good but probably will not be back. read more

My friends and I celebrated our friend's 25th birthday here on 7/13 & 7/14. We noticed one of the bouncers working the stage (7/13) get VERY aggressive towards someone (we didn't know) getting on stage. He took him off stage, which is understandable, but he proceeded to also grab his NECK and shake him violently. Tonight, (7/14) this man grabs our friend by the NECK to kick him out because he picked his GIRLFRIEND up at closing time. As a best friend sticking up for my friend, I immediately intervene He proceeds to shove me and say, "you can get the fuck out too". This man is looking for any excuse to abuse anyone that comes to this establishment. He is a danger to society and needs to be fired immediately. When other bouncers were notified about the incident, they said, "we're closed go home". This definitely is not the first time this has happened and it needs to be stopped before he kills someone... These pictures are the same bouncer throwing someone else out 5 minutes later.. (probably for no god damn reason) I'm not one to write reviews but there is no excuse for this behavior. Fire that man immediately. read more

Rusty Rudder - American Near Me - Dewey Beach, Delaware

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Food is ok. Went in April so very limited food menu. Nice location. Employees friendly. Nothing special though. Go to Woodys.

My goodness! I've always stayed away from this place. Gave it a chance today. Wow. Ask for George. This was the best time I ever had. I want to live here. GEORGE! read more

I don't know why this gets 2.5 stars, perhaps we had such a great experience because it's off-season, but based on what we've experienced if you give less than four stars you are brain dead Fish tacos - 5.0 Pretzels - 5.0 Steamed shrimp - 4.5 Fried fish app - 5.0 Allows dogs - 5.0+ Service - 5.0 Lax on the mask nonsense - 5.0++++ read more

Yeah pretty bad! Terrible overpriced food and you have to pay to park smh , I don't know how this place stays in business...

Absolutely NO beer taps! Food OK. Staff somewhat ok. Not very accommodating when it comes to seatint..

Amazing vibes. On the water. Beers. Live music. All you need. Lots of bar space, so right on a dock, great views. Miss it right now.

Yesterday was my second time dining here. The atmosphere is great, right on the bay. Live music every day with some awesome cover bands. The food is good and their drink menu is extensive!! Our waitress Sophia was amazing. She was able to accommodate our large party with many other tables on a busy holiday evening. Definitely will be back! read more

Rusty Rudder - View from our table - American Near Me - Dewey Beach, Delaware

Bachelorette party weekend ! Fantastic atmosphere for drinks and dinner . Our party of 8 ordered various items. I got the crab soup, crab cakes and Mac and cheese. All food was absolutely delicious . Fun party atmosphere on the water w amazing food and drinks. read more

Rusty Rudder is a great outdoor space to listen to live music on the water. The food is nothing out of this world, but it's filling and the menu has good options. My lobster roll was tasty and the Cole slaw was some of the best I've had. The service was pretty slow even though they weren't that busy. Their crushes are really good and they have a lot of different flavors. I definitely recommend going here for the fun atmosphere! read more

Rusty Rudder - Lobster Roll - American Near Me - Dewey Beach, Delaware

If you like to eat outside this is your place. Music,view, friendly wait staff. Priced well, good portions, food good but not great. Update 2 years later. As my daughter says, @ the rudder doesn't disappoint". Great view, good food, awesome music, and solid service. However, no more buffet. Best meal of our vacation. read more

Rusty Rudder - American Near Me - Dewey Beach, Delaware

We used to LOVE the Rusty Rudder, went here for years, close to 20. We absolutely loved the buffet and although that is no longer offered, the food quality has drastically decreased. If only we could pay for an entree with the same quality as the seafood buffet. Not sure if the owners changed or if they just don't care like they used to, but my family really loved this placed so much. It holds a special place in our heart and so many memories here but we no longer return because of the sad food we get for the price we pay. read more

Very, very, very saddened to come on vacation for my yearly trip and go to Rusty Rudder only to find that they have removed the buffet. We would eat here for the buffet 3-4 times during our yearly week stay. I wish I had known in advance that they have made such a drastic change. I never in my wildest dreams thought that something that had been around most of my life, and was that popular, would be gone when I made my yearly trek back. Needless to say, I, my wife, parents, and children were highly disappointed. This pretty much has removed one of our favorite reasons for coming down here all these years. The beach and Rusty Rudder were always our motivation! Even though we were crushed, to say the least, we stayed and tried their regular menu. For the price, I was not impressed in the least. Everything was "ok" to "good", but nothing stood out with a wow factor. Yes, the location is beautiful, and there are beautiful views...but the food would need to be better, in my opinion, for the cost. Considering the limited menu they are offering, that makes my decision that much stronger that I will probably never return to the Rusty Rudder. I question how you can go from the previous menu, and the food items that were on the buffet, down to such a small menu with mostly bar foods and sandwiches, and a small handful of super overpriced main meal options. They've went the bar route, and gotten rid of their main roots and what seemed to have been working for so many years. With how many other places there are, just like this--now--the whole thing doesn't make sense to me. I mean, come on... It cost $19 here for a very small wedge of lettuce that they put some dressing and toppings on with a piece of chicken! To top it off, I was shocked to see that the menu says "kettle cooked chips" come with every sandwich, only to find what actually comes is a bag of Herr's Kettle Chips in a bag. That, in my opinion, is a little misleading, and like ....."cheating"..... in a restaurant like this. They really can't make their own chips? Write the word "bag of.." so people know what they are actually getting themselves into. They can't even make their own chicken salad, they have to cater it from Jimmy's Grille? Take a wild guess where I am going to go if I want chicken salad... or an actual MEAL from here on out. It won't be here. It'll be there! I'd sooner drive 10 minutes out to the Rehobeth Jimmy's and see what $19 gets me personally in quality, not to mention the 6 other people with me. Highly disappointed. read more

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Went for a concert. It was very difficult to get drinks at the bar. One of the bartenders was clearly only interested in serving people he knew and when you could finally get drinks from him, they were terrible. We observed several other people getting frustrated and leaving the show early because of the poor service. Disappointing. read more

**Late night review only** The Rusty Rudder was my first stop on a bachelorette party weekend and I had soooooo much fun here! We got here right around 8:45 and it turned out they charge a $5 cover starting at 9pm, so we got lucky! When we got there the inside bar was dead, so we hung out and got drinks and talked a bit in the AC and then walked outside once the band started playing out there. I wish I remembered who the band was, because they were amazing! I love good live music and they seriously were fantastic and the crowd was super into it. I was also impressed by the satellite bars set up outside; it made it easy to get a drink even when it got crowded. A little later into the night when the DJ started spinning and the crowd picked up inside we spent several hours dancing and seriously had the best time! The DJ even brought the bride-to-be on stage and everyone drank in her honor, which I thought was so sweet. As the night wound down the crowd (inside and outside) got much bigger but everyone we talked to were so nice! Everyone was definitely there to have a good time. I also saw a bunch of other bachelor and bachelorette parties going on, so it seems to be a great place for a large group outing. My only gripe (hence not 5 stars) is towards the end of the night I walked over to close my tab and grab some water and noticed the bartender grabbed ice out of a bin that was holding several bottles of mix (big no no!) and wouldn't you know it... I had floaty things in my water. I'm not sure if that's just bc they got so busy and things didn't go back where they are supposed to, or if it had been like that all along (I was on the other side of the bar, so I couldn't see the ice bucket before) but that grossed me out quite a bit and would have made Jon Taffer mad. read more

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Food was not as good as it used to be. Menu seemed very limited. Was not given a choice of indoor or outdoor seating. Just immediately sat outside. read more

If I could give them no stars I would but unfortunately the review won't allow it. I have traveled all over the US and I highly recommend staying away from this place. The bouncers are completely ignorant and treat people like crap. This place is an absolute shit show. The lighthouse across the street is much nicer and the staff will go out of their way to accommodate you. Do yourself a favor and stay out of this place! read more

Fun place for drinks and music with excellent views of the bay. I attended New Year's Eve event which was super fun. I'd pass on the food though. read more

My boyfriend and I had a nice time here. Walking up we were a little skeptical but once you go around back it is everything you could want in a live music outdoor bar. We loved the country band that played and the drinks were very strong, which is always appreciated! The staff also did a nice job of socially distancing tables. read more

Kind of a dump. Waited 15 minutes for someone to take our order, and then we started waving down other waitresses to find the one that was handling our table. When she finally came over, she had a really bad attitude. The seafood dishes we ordered were mostly french fries with a few shrimp and a small crab cake. The best part of the night was watching the 50 somethings yell at the band to keep playing Jimmy Buffet. One of the guys in the band played the saxophone, so deserves a second star. read more

Awesome early lunch at the Rusty Rudder! The server was attentive, even though he was the only one there. My mom and I agreed that my meal was the smart choice - popcorn shrimp and fries! Not a huge meal, but definitely leaves you full. Also try the pink gin & tonic! read more

Rusty Rudder - Popcorn shrimp, fries, pink gin and tonic. - American Near Me - Dewey Beach, Delaware

Perfect spot to hang out on the water while listening to music and enjoying a drink! Service is good and the wait staff is very friendly. Parking is $10 but is taken off of your bill. There are plenty of seats inside and out depending on your preference. Bar area outside is super open so you can see the water and stage from all seats. Peel and eat shrimp was good but unfortunately the clams were a bit sandy and the broth was bland. The whole grain bread that came with the clams was actually really delicious! We enjoy going to Rusty when we are in the area. read more

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Ordered crab imperial,I did not come out as it was described it was about the size of a $.50 piece. Had a little container of coleslaw that was warm and tasteless and a bag of potato chips for $28. What a rip off. read more