17 new Delaware restaurants serving ramen, sushi, pizza, fried chicken, tamales & more
Restaurants continue to be a driving force in Delaware’s economy.
In 2022, there were an estimated 2,144 eating and drinking places in the state, according to statistics from the National Restaurant Association, and more opened this year.
Here's a look at some places that have opened recently:
Chick-N-Salad
Chancery Market Food Hall & Bar, 1313 N. Market St., Wilmington; thechancerymarket.com/
The stall, which offers chicken wings and tenders, salads and rice bowls, opened Saturday, Nov. 11 in downtown Wilmington's Chancery Market Food Hall & Bar. It took over the spot formerly occupied by The Juice Joint 2.0.
Chick-N-Salad Owner Chirag Moghal said the menu includes chicken wings or tenders that come with a choice of sauces such as barbecue, honey, Sriracha, Buffalo, "Boom Boom," Peri-Peri and garlic Parmesan. There also are kale Caesar and crispy tofu salads, Greek chicken and lamb gyro rice bowls, and baklava.
The Brandywine Restaurant
2000 Pennsylvania Ave., Wilmington; thebrandywinebar.com
The Brandywine Restaurant, an "upmarket brasserie," opened to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 14. It offers “New American Classic Cuisine" with a menu that includes oysters Rockefeller with Vietnamese fish sauce, and Parker House rolls with everything bagel seasoning.
Other dishes: Chilled raw oysters; crab Louie, $24; jumbo lump crab cakes, $26; roasted chicken breast; $36; Steak Diane, $52; Salmon en Croute, $39; and Beef Wellington for two carved tableside, $138.
According to the website, "the menu reads like a greatest hits of dishes your grandparents probably loved." Irvin said the decor was inspired by the elegant department store restaurants of his youth.
The 1,700-square-foot, 44-seat restaurant, from Snuff Mill Restaurant, Butchery & Wine Bar co-owner Bill Irvin is on the bottom floor of the 2000 Penn building, which includes luxury apartments and the Santa Fe Mexican Grill. Some may remember the location as the previous site of Michael Christoper Hair Salon, now in Greenville.
The Brandywine Restaurant is not affiliated with the Hotel du Pont's Brandywine Room. It is open for dinner and soon will add lunch. Brunch will begin in January.
The dinner hours are 4:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; and 4:30 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Happy hour is 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. The bar is open until 1 a.m.
Reservations are highly suggested.
Helen's Sausage House
145 E. Main St., Newark; helenssausage.com/
The popular Delaware breakfast spot for four decades near Smryna opened its second location on Friday, Oct. 28 in downtown Newark
The new location had formerly been the site of the Post House and more recently a Duck Donuts. The Newark menu is the same as the flagship spot.
Breakfast and lunch are served from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day but Sunday. There also will be late-night hours coming soon from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Nick's Pizza
1903 Newport Gap Pike, Marshallton; 302-842-2060; nickspizza302.com/
Nick Vouras, the fourth generation of his family to work in Wilmington's Kozy Korner diner now run by his father, has opened his own pizza shop near Prices Corner. The Newport Gap Pike storefront had formerly been home to Casapulla's Catering.
Vouras has earned a very loyal following since March 2021 when he began making and selling pizza at Kozy Korner, the landmark diner on Wilmington's Union Street well-known for its breakfast and Greek food staples.
The menu includes Detroit-style, gluten-free and sesame seed pizzas, as well as tomato pies.
The pizzeria is open Wednesday through Sunday. Visit nickspizza302.com/
Roja & Verde Taqueria
60 N. College Ave., Newark; rojaverdetaqueria.com
On Monday, Nov. 6, Greg Vogeley, owner of Drip Cafes in Hockessin and Newark, opened his new taqueria between East Cleveland Avenue and West Main Street in Newark. It focuses on authentic-style tacos, tamales, and other classic Mexican favorites.
The 12-seat taqueria, mostly takeout, is next door to his Drip Cafe in Newark near the University of Delaware campus, which has been operating since 2018. Longtime Delawareans and UD alumni might remember it as the site of the old Down Under, a once-popular student drinking establishment.
Vogeley said the Mexican cuisine served there is inspired by the "family" staff meals prep cook Maria Gonzalez prepared for co-workers at Drip Cafe in Hockessin.
Vogeley said Gonzalez's food is better than anything he has tried while dining at local restaurants.
Taco Reho Middletown
100 Sandhill Drive, Middletown, 302-226-8226, tacoreho.com/middletown.
Rehoboth Beach's popular Taco Reho softly opened a Middletown location in October at a former Steak 'n Shake, and is now open full force. They'd announced in March they planned a northward trek.Taco Reho, known for making multiple batches of fresh-corn tortillas daily, is a rock and roll-themed taqueria from La Vida Hospitality, management company for restaurants that include Crooked Hammock Brewery.
The taqueria was conceived by founder and co-owner Billy Lucas — a former roadie who's cooked for Jay-Z and Beyonce, among others — after treks to taquerias in Los Angeles. The menu pairs up Baja fish, short rib and chicken tinga tacos with burritos, Tijuana-style danger dogs and nachos.
Taco Reho's Middletown location is open Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The final hour of service is drive-through only.
Chuck E. Cheese
Dover Commons, 1275 N. Dupont Highway, Dover; locations.chuckecheese.com/us/de/dover/1275-n.-dupont-hwy.
The newly remodeled location had a grand reopening on Thursday, Nov. 9. Long gone is the animatronic show, and in its place is a large video wall, an in-set dance floor, and new games.
According to the company, the remodel is "rather significant because we do not put money into a remodel if we do not have a relatively lengthy lease on those properties."
Kumamon Ramen
1724 West Newport Pike, Stanton,, 302-256-0757, kumamonramen2.com.
An Exton, Pennsylvania, ramen spot slipped across the border to place its second location in Stanton in the former Hachi Japanese restaurant, beginning mid-October. Kumamon is part of a wave of new ramen in New Castle County that includes the Rebel Ramen kiosk in DE.CO food hall, Yokai Ramen Bistro on Concord Pike in Talleyville, and Kanji Noodle Bar in the Metro Centre across from Delaware Technical Community College in Stanton.
Kumamon, if you're wondering, is the popular black bear mascot of the Kumamoto prefecture, famed for its pork broths and ramens made with pungent black garlic.
That black garlic and pork ramen is served, of course, at Kumamoto. Other options include chicken shoyu with chicken katsu, as well as pork-based miso, shoyu and tonkotsu. The ramens include some uncharacteristic choices as well: A pork shoyu might come with an option on steak, a chicken miso might take salmon, while a pork-based miso might arrive steaming with seafood.
Guests can also find a host of sushi rolls, curry bowls and even Korean food, including multiple takes on bibimbap.
Kumamon Ramen is open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Keem's Cuisine
409 S. Walnut St., Wilmington; 302-510-4946; keemscuisine.com/
In case you missed it, Keem's Cuisine in the Christiana Crossing shopping center (same one as ShopRite) opened this past summer, and serves "luxury soul food." The menu includes chicken and waffles, $16; grits and salmon with shrimp , $24; and a croissant BLT, $14.
Brunch is served Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. along with "bottomless" mimosas. The restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday.
Catch45
1020 Capitol Trail, Newark; catch45.com
Myra Dorley, who grew up in Liberia, joined forces with her partner, Douglas Jones, to open Catch45, a new restaurant in the Newark area that offers tastes of West African cuisine.
The 45-seat venue opened its doors on Sept. 17. The menu features home-cooked recipes from Liberia, such as jollof rice, fried rice, attieke and goat soup. It also integrates American foods like hoagies and cheesesteak sandwiches.
Read more: New restaurant Catch 45 brings African and Western cuisine to Newark area
Boro Cafe
The Concord, 3549 Silverside Road, Talleyville; borogelato.com
Boro, operating since July in the same complex that includes El Camino Mexican Kitchen and Taverna, offers gelato, coffee drinks, and a menu inspired by cafe life in France, Switzerland, and Italy. Owner Colin Dyckman is obsessed with good food. The menu includes various quiche flavors including brie pear, squash, kimchi, and Brussels sprouts; chicken Caesar and cobb salads; curry hand pies; and sweet pastries including banana bread, scones, muffins, Danish, cheesecake, and cinnamon rolls.
Customers can dine in or grab-and-go breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
No. 1 Sushi
4435 Concord Pike, Talleyville (at Concord Square), 302-330-7377, no1sushide.com.
A new all you-can-eat sushi option has filed into the Concord Square Shopping Center in Talleyville, as of Thursday, Nov. 16. No. 1 Sushi is a small regional sushi chain with a few locations in New York and New Jersey; this will be first Delaware location.
Alongside AYCE options at the restaurant, No. 1 offers the usual suite of sushi roll and sashimi options for a la carte and takeout diners. The specialty and appetizer menus are broader than most, however. This includes deep-fried stuffed lobster with jalapeno, a pepper tuna drenched in ponzu, and some trendier sushi shapes such as sushi pizza and a "dino egg."
Kitchen fare includes yakitori, negimaki and grilled lemon scallops alongside tempura, don buri, udon and soba plates.
No. 1 Sushi is open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
Checkers and Rally’s
4301 N. Market St., Wilmington
The double drive-thru burger brand announced its reopening in Wilmington on Wednesday, Oct. 13 with an updated look and simplified operating model.
It is owned and operated by Dinesh Goswami, This location is the third in Delaware. Goswami also is an owner of multiple franchise concepts including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Popeyes.
Checkers and Rally’s merged in 1999 to form one concept. Checkers and Rally’s current strategy is targeting select markets throughout the United States, particularly in Wisconsin, Ohio, New York New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Las Vegas, Arizona, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Lore Modern Woodfyre
1100 St. Anne's Blvd, Middletown
Located within the St. Anne's Club in Middletown, Lore Modern Woodfyre will host its grand opening Thursday, Nov. 30. However, it is currently open for carry out and dine-in to the public.
Lore offers a woodfire grill, buck-a-shuck oysters every Thursday evening, bottomless mimosa brunches and live entertainment. Its menu offers five different pizza options, charcuterie boards, burgers and sandwiches for lunch and seafood options for its dinner menu.
Chicken House
865 N. DuPont Hwy, Dover, 302-672-0594, chickenhousedover.com.
Not to be confused with the juicy Peruvian chicken at The Chicken House in Newark, Dover's Chicken House opened on Wednesday, Nov. 1 with mango boba teas, avocado or watermelon fruit slushes and every permutation of fried chicken you could dream of.
This of course means tenders and nuggets, alongside bone-in wings served up with sauces ranging from lemon pepper to Buffalo to "Asian Zest." And it means fried chicken sandwiches both spicy and not. But then there are the improvisations: Fried chicken in a quesadilla. Fried chicken mashed potato bowl. Ranch BLT wraps and spicy chicken wraps. Fried or grilled chicken in a bowl with corn and tortillas.
The world is your chicken.
Chicken house is open daily: 11 a.m. to 9:30 Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.
The Secret Sauce Thai Kitchen
18949 Coastal Hwy. Ste. 103, Rehoboth Beach
The Secret Sauce Thai Kitchen opened in October, next to Rosenfeld's Jewish Deli and in the former space of Minh's Bistro. Reviews shared on social media have been very good.
Their menu features soups, salads, curries, noodles, fried rice and other dishes. They offer a wide selection of teas, as well as cocktails, sake, beer and wine.
The Secret Sauce is open daily, except for Tuesday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner.
Henlopen Pizza Kitchen
18766 John J Williams Hwy., Unit 1, Rehoboth Beach
Lincoln and Cassie Rogerson, owners of Coastal Taproom (the former Grey Hare) in Rehoboth Beach, have opened Henlopen Pizza Kitchen next door.
"We felt it was necessary to have some food on the property," Lincoln Rogerson said.
The "fast-casual coastal pizzeria and eatery," as the website describes it, offers mainly pizza and wings, along with appetizers, salads and sandwiches.
Henlopen Pizza Kitchen is open 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Lincoln Rogerson said they hope to expand hours and add delivery services in the near future.
Contact Patricia Talorico at [email protected] or 302-324-2861 and follow her on X (Twitter) @pattytalorico Sign up for her Delaware Eats newsletter.
Contact Molly McVety at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @mollymcvety.
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: New restaurants in Delaware offer pizza, ramen, sushi, tamales, wings
