Iron Hill Rehoboth set to open for Memorial Day weekend
After two days of a “soft opening” practice run, the Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant will officially open its Rehoboth Beach location Thursday, just in time for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
“We are pretty excited to be here,” said Kevin Finn, Iron Hill president and CEO.
Iron Hill opened its first restaurant in Newark 22 years ago and the Rehoboth location will be the 14th. Restaurants are located in Delaware and three other states — Pennsylvania, New Jersey and South Carolina.
The restaurant was named after a Revolutionary War landmark near Newark, where General George Washington battled British forces.
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Finn said he was drawn to the Rehoboth area because his father, a Lewes resident, “pestered me for 15 years.”
Regardless of parental pressure, Finn and his partners — Mark Edelson and Kevin Davies — all agree that a restaurant in the coastal region of Delaware is a sound business decision.
“It is a great location for us,” Finn said before the three partners performed the ritual “first pour” during pre-opening ceremonies. “There is a lot of growth here in Sussex County, and we are excited to participate in that growth."
Each restaurant is equipped with a small brewery, and local brewmasters have discretion to create beers in addition to some staples on the Iron Hill beer list.
The new Rehoboth outpost offers Iron Hill Light, Vienna Red and Clockout lagers along with four IPAs. One of them, the Breakwater IPA, is the first unique Rehoboth beer, according to John Panasiewicz, head brewer at the new location.
“I am pretty excited about it,” he said.
At the moment, the other beers on tap, including Pig Iron porter, Ore House, Sweetleaf and Hipster IPAs and a pair of Belgian wheats — White Iron Wit and Witberry — were brewed at other Iron Hill locations.
Panasiewicz said the Rehoboth site will soon be serving its own, locally brewed beer.
“I’ve brewed 10 batches of beer already,” he said.
Iron Hill also offers a food menu that is not the typical pub fare, hence the presence of a head chef. That role belongs to Geoffrey Allen, who was a corporate chef at La Vida Hospitality Group prior to joining the staff at Iron Hill.
The official motto: “Craft Kitchen. Scratch Brewery.”
The eclectic menu includes typical offerings like burgers, sliders, soup and wings, but also features 10 salads and an array of entrees. Appetizers include unusual offerings like fried cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and spring rolls.
Iron Hill also offers a separate, gluten friendly menu.
The new restaurant will open at 11:30 a.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. on weekends. The restaurant and bar will be open until 11 p.m., although food service ends an hour before closing. There will be a Happy Hour from 4-6 p.m. on weekdays.
The general manager of the new location will be Rick Whittick, who previously was managing partner of an Applebees restaurant in Folsom, Pennsylvania.
“We are looking forward to being a part of this community.” said Panasiewicz.
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