Newark Restaurants

Applebees is a family favorite with us. Wherever we visit, we can find good food and relaxing, casual atmosphere at one of the neighborhood grills.

The center of the restaurant is a bar with bar stools from which customers can drink or order a meal. In a u-shape around the bar are small tables with high chairs (yuppie seats) where usually the young adults sit and have a meal along with their drink. Around the bar and these small tables are the booths and large tables for the family diners. These seats are much more comfortable for older boned people so we usually seat out in the booths.

The menu is given on the website below, so I will not repeat it here.
I usually go for anything they have that involves lettuce and chicken like the Chicken Caesar salad. I get my proteins and my greens and a full stomach. My wife tends toward either the fish dish like the Filet of Sole or the pork dish like the BBQ Spare-ribs. She is a five-napkin ribs eater. For beverage, we like the sweet tea or hot coffee and for dessert they have a great Hot AppleCrumb Cake with Caramel syrup over vanilla ice cream.

The atmosphere is basically family diner with freindly and efficient waitresses and good cooks who serve up tasty food in a short amount of time. (They now have call-ahead where you can call in your meal order and then come in and pick it up).
The pricing is reasonable. We are usually under $25 for two people for dinner.

This restaurant is about as fancy as it gets on Main Street. You can show up in jeans or a suit and no one bats an eye. Caffe Gelato is known locally for 2 things: it's ice cream (which isn't exactly Italian gelato, but it's close) and a great wine list.

We had a pleasent dinner and the service was great. The only downfall is that the dining room is fairly small and it felt a bit cramped. Food was excellent!

Favorite Dish: The rack of lamb is superb. Get it rare and it's extremely tender. For desert get the "Quatro", it's a selection (you choose) of 4 gelato flavors. You get a small scoop of all 4 and it's just enough of the rich flavors to not be overwhelming.

Close to the University, but not on Main Street, the Trap is a great spot for a casual dinner or nice lunch. The restaurant offers a full bar, with a good selection on draught. Food is inexpensive and the service is quick and friendly. The restaurant is well-known for it's seafood, offering nice fish dishes and plenty of local crab and clam choices.

The Trap Seafood Restaurant is open daily from 11AM until midnight. Reservations are suggested on Fridays. Saturdays & Holidays.

Favorite Dish: The Maryland blue crab bisque is wonderful with large pieces of crab meat and a thick, cream broth.

Peace A Pizza offers gourmet pizzas which are pretty good. Honestly, I'd take a simple Grottos Pizza over one of the gourmet types. The prices are a bit high for a slice, but there is usually a large selection of unique toppings and cheeses.

Worth a try if you're a big pizza buff.

Brew Haha is a cozy coffeehouse on Main Street in Newark, very close to the University. Between the wood floors and the fireplace, the cafe is a comfortable place where you'll find a lot of students during the school year. There's also a nice patio with plenty of seating to enjoy when the weather is nice. As you sit inside, enjoy some light jazz music as you relax with a book.

Brew Haha feels like a traditional coffeehouse with couches and a warm feeling. The staff is friendly and won't bother you if you just order one small coffee and then stay for 3 hours.

Don't miss the peanut butter cookies, especially right after they come out of the oven.

Favorite Dish: Some nice lunch-type foods, fresh baked pastries and cookies and great espresso coffee drinks.

Lettuce Feed You is a small Delaware chain (I only know of one other location, up in Wilmington) and offers the best salads and sandwiches in the area. Salads are made while you wait and you can pick exactly what you want in it or order one from their menu. Sandwiches and soups are very good and always fresh.

Not overly expensive, I think the owners understand that most of their customers are college kids or university staff. The only problem is it closes kind of early on weekdays, so it's more of a lunch spot than a place for a light dinner.

Klondike Kate's is on Main Street in Newark and occupies an old Victorian building. Kate's has been a tavern, a hotel and now a restaurent/bar. It originally opened in 1757 and in the early 20th century was used as a local jail.

Food is good and decently priced. Drinks are a little pricey, but the bar offers a nice wine list.

Favorite Dish: Kate's makes a nice cheesesteak and has some unique, yummy salads.

Iron Hill Brewery is a small chain in Delaware and Pennsylvania. There are usually 6 to 10 homemade brews on draught, my favorite being the Raspberry Wheat.

Dinners are good, but quite expensive. I would suggest dropping in for a drink and an appetizer at the bar.