This place is dangerous. They left my daughter locked in bathroom after they closed down. I had to call the police to get her out. One would think that the staff would check the restaurant before closing up every night. read more

The location is absolutely, especially at sunset. The buffet was everything I expected and more. Who knew it would so difficult to find endless crabs down at the beach? This place gets 5 stars in my book read more

I've been to the Rusty Rudder a few times before. Last night we went for dinner and will not be going back again. The fried scallops and shrimp were horribly dry and tasteless, and it was cold. I feel as if they fried all the seafood early in the day and just microwaved the portions when ordered. Sitting on the deck in the evening was lovely and our server was very nice. The food? UGH! read more

Probably the worst restaurant I have ever had the displeasure of visiting. If I could give 0 stars, I would. Really, I'm just surprised they're still in business. I came in on a Saturday night after spending the day at the beach, expecting good food and service...when we first walked in, we were herded in several different directions before we could even find the hostess to be seated. Then, we waited 15 minutes for drinks. I ordered the filet mignon with macaroni and cheese...that is NOT what I got. I got some unfamiliar, tough, Salisbury-steak looking piece of meat. My steak knife couldn't even saw through it. The macaroni and cheese was not only flavorless, but colorless and grainy. I could get better from a box! The waitress was nice enough about taking the dish back, and I ordered something else thinking it was just a fluke. The salmon wasn't much better, especially for the $24 price... I was not comped for my crappy experience, either. This can be considered the worst meal I have ever eaten. I will NEVER go back. read more

This review is based solely off the bar portion. I have never eaten there before and from what I've heard, probably might not be a good call. This is actually my favorite late night bar in Dewey. It has a big, open air area with live bands that start around 10. The bands are always typically good. They charge a cover, but its worth it. The drinks also aren't too expensive, and the pours are pretty heavy. Highly suggest this place to anyone wanting some drinks and good music in a nice atmosphere. read more

After the blatant disrespect my friends and I received last night, I don't know if I'll ever be back. Been going for years and the food, drinks and service are usually great. Last night we stopped by for a drink and the bartender completely ignored my friends while he was making drinks for "family" he hasn't seen in a while and was taking shots with. When my friends finally asked him for drinks (because he wasn't making them any drinks if they didn't wave him over), he kept his back facing us to ask what they wanted and was just absolutely rude. Then when we called him on it, his "family" got involved and started picking a fight. I have never been treated with such disrespect in my life, let alone by someone who was at work in the hospitality industry. read more

Why does this place have low ratings? It was probably in my top 5 of best meals of all time. There were 5 of us and we all ordered the buffet, there were always plenty of crab legs and clams available, and the dessert choices were awesome. I wish I didn't live 90 miles away because I'd be a regular. read more

If you're headed here later in the night, get ready for a loooooooong line, but I'd advise getting there as early as you can if you're planning for a night out at the Rusty Rudder. The space is huge, with both indoor and outdoor areas, there are multiple bars, the crowd is fun/rowdy, and the live music is solid. Def a must-go in Dewey (I mean, the options are limited) but your best bet to beat the painful wait is to have dinner here beforehand and stay into the wee hours. read more

This review is based only on my opinion and what I experienced. The bar is fine when you go inside, but it is certainly not worth paying the $10 cover charge that they make every single person pay. The older gentleman and woman collecting money at the front were incredibly obnoxious to my girlfriend and me. They did not seem to understand that when people pay money, they should treat them with respect. Other than that, the music inside is fine, but certainly not worth the cover charge. I will not be coming back to this place. read more

We went to the Buffet to celebrate my husband's birthday. The price was $39.95. We won't be back. The crab legs were luke warm and kind of dried out. The clams and mussels were also dried out and cold. The seafood cake were not edible, just over-fried bread crumbs with no visible seafood at all. The roast beef was full of gristle. It was not worth the money at all. They should be able to do much better for that price point. read more

The absolute worst food I have ever consumed. Everything was dried out. The best food was the mac and cheese. That tells you something about their seafood choices. I can't say enough about how bad this place was to eat. I've eaten better prepared seafood at Denny's. this is the worst. To top it off the waiter we had was horrible to. read more

Hands down worst meal I've had since we moved here. Everything is definitely frozen. Never again, not even for drinks on the outside deck. Wine came in a small plastic cup. I thought maybe because we were outside but my niece had a margarita and it was in a glass. Huge disappointment. And our waiter was not very attentive. I told her the food was not good and she acted as though I'd said nothing. read more

My family and I always come here every time we come on vacation. Our first visit was in 2012 and everything was great. The following 3 years the food had gotten worse and in 2016 we decided not to even try. We came this year on our last day of vacation instead of going to Nalu because there was a 1 hour and a half wait and it was down pouring. We had no idea how big it was inside and the food was delicious. There is a dance floor and they had a live band playing inside. They also have a buffet which is a little pricey but looks delicious from where we were seated. The French fries were the best! Our sever, Austin was very kind and didn't get annoyed when we kept changing our orders. Loved our visit this year so we will definitely be back next year. read more

Forget the restaurant part of this place the huge outdoor area with live bands is where you ought to be anyway. Great place in Dewey to get your drink on read more

Not bad......food is ok for buffet. Good selection of food. Cost $35.95 per person. Service was pretty slow though. Took a while to get a refill for ur beverages. read more

The Rudder feels like summer. Perfect view and fun music. Amazing drinks and the clams are excellent. Perfect for families (if you go early)...and always good for a fun night. read more

Great views, average food, expensive, and often very loud. Eh. Not my first visit here, but likely was my last. There's much MUCH better to be had in the area. read more

We had the buffet and it was about average for buffet food. Everything was good, but very dried out. Probably would not come back again for round 2, but for a one time meal while on vacation we had a good time. The best part is the location, and the outside bar with the band playing which is right on the bay. read more

One star is generous for this dump. It's dirty, and staffed by employees with no customer service skills. They actually come around the bar and collect all the stools around 9pm... Regardless of whether or not paying customers are sitting on them. That was about the time we decided to close out our tab and find a place down the street. read more

Never in my life have I been so disrespected at a place of business, ever. Sure it was an off night, but my friends and I were ignored and basically boo'd out of the bar by the bartender's "friends that are more like family," which was his excuse for ignoring us for 10 minutes while pouring himself and his "friends" shots while we sat there twiddling our thumbs. We were just 4 friends on vacation, simply looking to have a few drinks, you know, spend money, and tip very well! It was unbelievably rude, you could tell the TWO bartenders were simply inconvenienced by our patronage. And the place was empty! Dead! This was around 10:45-11ish Tuesday night after Labor Day (9/5) so the lack of people was to be expected, so why were we ignored and treated so badly?? After finally speaking up and saying we were going to leave because obviously we weren't wanted, the bartender talked back to us and my friend was made fun of for ordering a 'ridiculous drink'. Then the group of friends chimed in and basically bullied us out. I've been coming here for over two decades, my father used to play music here, it's part of me, but unfortunately I don't know if I would be returning to spend MY HARD EARNED money. As an employer myself and someone who WORKS in the restaurant business, I would be ashamed of my bartenders. Just because it's a non-corporate beach bar doesn't mean your staff has the right to treat people the way we were treated. Not looking for any sort of handout or anything, just needed to share this information, and frankly, management should know how their bartenders are acting. read more

I would give a negative review if I could . Horrible service ... Not one worker knew what was going on between the dinning room , lounge and outdoor eating area. Food was average. They had a free concert in the lounge we were the only ones in there and were asked to leave because we had a child with us... Bouncer was rude !!!! Will never go there again and will never recommend this place to anyone !!!!! Go to Starboard ... Way better food and atmosphere . read more

Owner was very igorant and rude!!!! Was on our way for lunch and we parked in a handicap parking spot and the owner walked up and said who is handicap! First of its none of his business but my sister is the one that's handicap! He then told us to move even though she has a sticker and everything! He acted like he own the city! He asked us if are dealing drugs! Yes 3 classy women dealing drugs....no sir we weren't dealing drugs! I think he was on drugs! He then told us to leave and don't go to cork or any other bar in the town! I would not give this guy time of day! He was completely igorant! Stay away! read more

Wow...I'm glad I don't own this joint...bartenders pouring 3 Oz drinks for their friends, and themselves, while ignoring guests. Our cups sat empty while 4 bartenders drank and entertained 3 friends...WTF? The band is beyond bad, they flat out suck...no one can hold a note, the music is flat, missing riffs and too much bass...Door guys are on point, all else sucks...avoid at all costs...horrible...ownership, YOU'RE LOSING A TON OF MONEY!!!!!!!!! I wouldn't even consider eating here....bathrooms beyond gross...dirty bathrooms, dirty kitchen.... read more

We have had diner at the Rusty Rudder many seasons before and usually the food was fairly decent. We took our whole family consisting of 15 people recently. Most of us selected the buffet, based on my recommending the buffet. What a joke. The food on the buffet was cold and way overcooked.. I alerted our waitress to this and she stated she will tell the chef. I watched for a few minutes to see if anyone would come out and look at the steam table, No one even came out to look. I was embarrassed as I told everyone how good this buffet would be, I went back to the buffet table after about 10 minutes and same result, cold food. No one seemed to care, So the result is that even though we vacation in that area every year, I will never step foot in the Rusty Ruder again, In my opinion, this establishment has turned into the worst seafood restaurant in he area read more

The food was TERRIBLE. I will never eat here again. Service was just as bad. I thought I was in an episode of Kitchen Nightmares. The food tasted like it was previously cooked then frozen and then thawed out and microwaved. And it wasn't even hot. It was "mush" The worst thing was, the restaurant didn't even think anything was wrong with the food. The Rudder used to be one of the best restaurants in town. Not anymore. There are plenty of other restaurants in Dewey and Rehoboth that have excellent food and service. Don't waste your time and money on this one. read more

Absolutely awful. It used to be good but has gone downhill. I've gone here every season and last year was pretty bad. I had high hopes since it was renovated but it seems to have gotten worse. Definitely not worth the money. You will leave disappointed. read more

Do not go to the Rudder if you want to have a good time. The service is lousy, the people are rude, and the bouncers are jerks. They can't even tell the difference between a real ID and a fake if they are out of state. They won't ask for a second form of ID, they will just ignore you. You should probably take your passport just in case or just skip it because other bars are way better and it's not worth the trouble. read more

If you want good food, go elsewhere. I ordered blackened grouper and it was the worst overcooked, dried out excuse for fish I have ever had. Others at our table had similar comments on their dishes. read more

Please do not eat here. I have never given a review before but this place was so bad. The food was sitting for a long time & dried out. I wish I could post some of the pictures that I took. I even asked to talk to the manager, not for a refund but to let them know that the food was unacceptable and he was very rude on top of a bad meal. read more

Great view of the bay and that's it. They serve drinks in plastic cups with no coasters, creating a watery mess on the table. Invest in bev naps guys. Tuna appetizer was horrible and ice cold, weak effort. Tuna sandwich was garbage and served with a bag of potato chips. Make your own chips with old bay seasoning or some seasoning, anything. My wife's peel n' eat shrimp appetizer needed a shovel to de-poop the shrimp. This place in short is amateur hour, but the bill was high. I would rather eat on the boardwalk in Ocean City or Rehobeth. read more

My family and I spent a weekend at Dewey Beach and were referred to the Rusty Rudder by the owner of the home we were staying at. From the outside, it looked great. An amazing deck that overlooks the water with live music and what we thought was nice dining. When we were sat (at a great table on the deck), and began to order, we were told that main entrees were not ordered for 'deck seating'. Basically could only order sandwiches or appetizers. I inquired to the manager, and when I asked "why is that", the only response was, "well, we just prefer not and to keep it more casual." What?! I can't order a nice fish for dinner b/c you choose not to have your wait staff bring it out to the table? So, since we were hungry we reluctantly decided to move to the inside of the restaurant, BIG MISTAKE! The inside is very sterile looking with silver metal tables, not atmosphere, and like eating in a cafeteria. We order our food, and it was very sub-par at best. Way over priced for the quality that we rec'd. Bottomline - if you are looking to take your family out to a nice restaurant - avoid this place. If you are single and looking to have a few drinks, then maybe you'll enjoy it. read more

This was close to where we were staying as first-timers visiting Dewey, and I love sitting out on the water to eat so I convinced my reluctant husband to give this place a try despite the bad reviews. I will apologize, fellow yelpers, because you were correct. I consider myself to be rather "un-picky" when it comes to food and experiences. The place seemed to be decently kept up and clean, and we had no problems with our waitress keeping an eye on us. We were seated quickly and tended to well. After that the positives ended. We got the buffet... looking at all the offerings I figured even if half of the things were gross, we'd still be on the winning end. Unfortunately there were only a handful of things that rated above average to me. I saw a lot of folks with clams, which I don't like, so maybe that's worth it alone. We did not try the specialty meat station, pasta station, or crab legs since we'd had crab legs the night before. Here's what we tried: Salad bar- pretty good actually, I would rate this as the best part of the buffet Seafood cakes- Like a deviled crab, super greasy but decent Crab balls - Kinda like a cheap crabcake, tasted deep fried & greasy not baked Stuffed flounder - Rather good, maybe the best seafood offering Mac & cheese - Not good Butterfly fried shrimp - Average, tasted no better than Long John Silvers Mashed redskin potatoes - Ok, a bit too clumpy Vegetable was squash and onions - Not cooked well Shrimp - Overcooked and chewy Rice pilaf - Average Beer battered cod - Disgusting Fried chicken - Greasy as a stick of butter Sushi - NOT good, I've had better from convenience stores at home. This was a big disappointment to me because I love sushi! Probably the worst I've ever had. Ice cream bar - Tried a rainbow cookie, brownie, and ice cream. The ice cream seemed to be missing sugar and was really watery and unsweet. Brownie and cookie were average at best. I am one to often overindulge in dessert and managed to just have one helping of these items. Didn't try the tilapia, rockfish, jambalaya, or ribs because they looked totally gross Could not find these things listed on the menu: oysters, seafood newburgh, cheddar biscuits, artichoke dip Oh and the kicker... we had to sit INSIDE to get the buffet. This almost convinced us to leave but we decided to stay... wish we'd just kept walking out! Avoid this place if you like seafood that is good. I got better seafood at The Green Turtle (a sports bar!). This place is like old country buffet and nobody who actually enjoys food goes here- it's only for those who prefer quantity over quality and want to spend $35 and eat $100 worth of wal-mart quality food. We spent $82 on two buffet dinners and two beers- AN ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS AMOUNT FOR THE AWFUL QUALITY OF FOOD WE WERE SERVED. We got about $20 worth in my opinion. I wish I wasn't so stuck on a nice view, because the view wasn't worth $62 for the 50 minutes we forced ourselves to be there to try and eat. One more positive... I didn't leave feeling the size of an airplane and unable to walk because I couldn't eat enough of that gross food to get full. Maybe it's a nice place to get a drink and sit by the bay... but I won't return only because I couldn't bear the thought of paying way too much for way too little again. read more

I showed up to the Rusty Rudder for a good time, and boy did they deliver. I was a little standoffish at first, but the hostess's warm greeting put me at ease. I had heard bad things about people getting Crabs at the Rusty Rudder, so I tried to stay clear of them, but I still ended up getting them. My stomach hurt for a few hours after, but I figured that was all the lu..butter. I will def be going back. And next time, im going to bring a few friends. read more

Used to go here for years and loved it! Went there yesterday for appetizers and drinks . Have to say the food was horrible! Burnt up quesadillas and chicken was dry inside of it! hell the tortilla chips were burnt also and old. If you can't get an appetizer right ,I would of hated to see how the meal was going to be. Waitress didn't care about laying down the burnt food.We even told her about it ,all she said was I know right and agreed with us.. Won't be going back there . read more

Junk.... We frequent ocean city a few times a year and wanted to try a "new" seafood buffet. They are all priced about the same on the shore and I had heard good things about the rusty rudder a few years back. Place wasn't packed, guess you could've called that a clue. Fried shrimp was too over cooked/crunchy to really eat(how do you mess up fried shrimp?). Clams had to be thrown out while we were there because they were up to high or burnt. The crab legs were really nothing spectacular and the butter they have for them was not good, most likely it was margarine or something else that doesn't belong on crab legs... they really need to look into that. The steamed shrimp is seasoned with something other than old bay(not in a good way). And the small dessert bar really needs some help. It was all bland, didn't taste fresh, and my wife's brownie was as dry as a popcorn fart. We have eaten at many buffets on both the east and west coast, Vegas etc and this was by far the least impressive yet. This place needs some help or it will not be around much longer. I hope management sees this review, sits down and makes some serious adjustments. 70$ for 2 people and you present this kind of stuff? Please. I wanted to mention some things to management in a constructive way but figured I would be wasting my time. read more

Afternoon lunch on Thursday June 16th 2016 and the service was terrible and yet they were not that busy. The food order was wrong when it came to the table and the waitress never checked back. After waiting for 10 minutes, I had to get up and ask for our waitress. I had to ask for it to be taken off the check because I had a schedule to keep and had to get down the road. The manager never came to our table even though that's the protocol when something like this happens. This was my 3rd visit in the last 12 months and each time it's been disappointing. I won't be returning read more

If it was not for the drinks, sunset and music, they would have received 1 star. Food was horrible...dried out, overcooked etc. Go for the drinks, not the food. read more

Had dinner there this evening. The service was fast and friendly, but the food was below mediocre. Perhaps a good place for drinks by the bay, but far from fine dining. Broiled seafood platter consisted of not bad crab cake, 5 very small sea scallops, very overcooked, 5 shrimp that had been pre cooked for perhaps shrimp cocktail then reheated, and tasteless piece of rock fish. I have never had rock fish before but if this is what a good piece tastes like there are many other fishes that could be used instead, i.e. Tilapia, cod, flounder. Go for drinks and sunset but eat somewhere else first. read more

I was a little disappointed with this place. Broiled Platter was just okay. Rockfish I could have done without. Mashed Potatoes were not warm.... Don't think I will come back with all the other restaurants around.. read more

If I could give this review zero stars I would. Like many others we enjoy a yearly beach vacation and part of that vacation is coming for the buffet, which was one of our favorites. My husband and I have been coming here for 10 years and he's been coming to the Rudder since he was a kid so close to 20 years. We came early to beat the crowd and noticed that the parking lot was not very full. Now we know why, we came for the buffet and got a very limited menu of choices. When we we asked to have a table inside we were sat in one of three indoor seating areas that was wide open out the bay with the doors open. We might as well have been sat outside. After being on the beach all day it's nice to enjoy a meal inside in air conditioning and not have to swat flies away from your meal. The chairs at our table were sticky which was gross to start out with before eating. As for the food, my husband got the seafood platter, which was $31 and it was not worth the cost. If your meal comes with chips, which are Herr's Kettle Chips, and you want to substitute fries it's an extra $2.50. Overall I'm sorry to say that we will not be back and will no longer be recommending the Rudder. My recommendation to the Rudder, self reflect on why you've been a staple in many people's vacations. read more