Dover Restaurants

Where Pigs Fly is Dover's best Barbecue joint. It is a nice restaurant at a great location on the corner of Loockerman St and Du Pont Highway. They (of course) specialize in BBQ including ribs, brisket, sausage, and chicken. They also have a few non-BBQ entrees such as baked chicken if you are not a BBQ lover. Their sandwiches are good, but be sure to ask for them with the cole slaw on the side (and not on top) if you've never tried coleslaw on your BBQ sandwich! Most meals here are under $10 with the exception of the dinner combos.

There's a reason locals call this place "Where Pigs Die!"

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The Boondocks restaurant in Smyrna is a local favorite for hard shell crabs, soft shell crabs, and steamed shrimp. It has a huge dining area with seating for several hundred guests. Try one of their combo meals such as the "Pig Out" and enjoy 6 crabs, 1/2 lb of steamed shrimp, chicken wings, corn on the cob, and french fries for about $30 -- it feeds two people.

Try the "Swampwater" for an extra kick. A large is $8 and small is about $5. This green mixture contains rum and other assorted goodies.

The second picture shows the debris and carnage after eating the "Pig Out" at Boondocks. No wonder they use a huge plastic table cloth to wrap up the waste and throw the whole thing away!

Here you see the crab carcasses along with empty bowls from the wings, fries, and shrimp, along with a nearly-empty glass of delicious Swampwater.

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The Lobby House is a huge restaurant/bar on the edge of Silver Lake in downtown Dover (Loockerman St). They have a unique menu of tasty food including burgers, wraps, and dinner entrees. I enjoyed a very good Bleu Cheese Steak wrap on my visit. When the whether is nice, there is no better place in Dover to sit than The Lobby House's outdoors dining area along the water.

We have also returned here off an on for drinks in the evening.

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This tavern on the water is open seasonally and serves great Maryland crabs and local seafood (scallops, shrimp, flounder, etc). A lot of the fish comes fried, but you can get it grilled if you'd prefer a healthier alternative. The staff is a lively group of women and the owner is pretty much always sitting by the bar chatting with customers. Feel free to get messy, the place is covered in newspapers.

Since it is a tavern, you need to be 21 to get in, so this is not a family spot. But grab a seat in the back room and you can look out onto the water at the crabboats coming in.

Sambo's is only open from April to November. But it is open seven days a week during those months. They only serve fresh crabs in season, so they might not have any until May each year. Prime crab season is in the fall.

Favorite Dish: Steamed crabs smothered in Old Bay seasoning with shrimp and french fries.

So on one of my last days in Dover, Joe and I grabbed Vietnamese food for lunch. Now I understand why people like noodle bowls so much! I had a beef brisket bowl and we split some rice-paper rolls. It was all really good. A nice little place to stop for lunch.

I've been to the Lobby House countless times because it's an easy place for new people to find and has good wings. That being said, with the exception of once or twice, the service is slow and spotty at best. While the food is good, I'd suggest going in the evenings for drinks and maybe something small to much on at the bar. You'll save yourself time and frustration.

The ambience is casual and the restaurant itself is nice, with large screen TVs and a fireplace. On weekends it tends to be crowded with the 30-35 yr old crowd and the overflow from Smithers up the street.

Start with 'lil Chicken Fingers you can dip in honey-mustard. Then get a crisp Green Salad with some spinach leaves included (i go for oil and vinegar dressing). Next, the Prime Rib, tender and juicy with that reddish center and a Potato baked, served in its skin with melted butter. Coffee and Apple Cobbler for dessert (and bring out the wheel barrow to roll me out to the car).

If that sounds good to you, then you need to come to Lone Star Steakhouse. Bring a friend and a thick wallet 'cause it ain't cheap.

Price was about $15 for the steak, $2 for the salad, $2 for the coffee, $4 for the dessert. That's about $60 a couple (including tip). But it is worth every bite

Viet Kieu is one of two Vietnamese restaurant in Dover. I tried the pho (or noodles) with beef on my visit and it were very authentic, reminding me of my trip to Vietnam. The decor is also very authentic traditional Vietnamese in a clean, modern restaurant (in other words, you don't sit on small plastic stools like in 'Nam!).

A small bowl of pho is around $4 while a large bowl is $6. Three spring rolls (pork, chicken or shrimp) cost just over $3. They also offer larger meals such as beef or chicken skewers (satay)

A great place for a quick lunch.