10 Delaware restaurants with great water views

Summer's not yet over and neither is al fresco dining. As long as the weather cooperates, patrons will always grab seats at outdoor dining spots with good views. 

Patios actually aren’t just for summer. With heat lamps, fireplaces or fire pits, restaurants can capitalize on additional seating almost any time of the year, according to the National Restaurant Association.

Food and fresh air pairs as well as cheese and crackers. Outdoor seating can increase revenue for restaurants by up to 30 percent, according to FastCasual, which reports on trends in the $23.5 billion fast-casual restaurant industry segment. 

Here are our suggestions for 10 Delaware restaurants where you can find great waterfront vistas.

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant

There are a number of eateries along the Wilmington Riverfront that overlook the Christina River. And all offer outdoor eating spots well into the fall.

We like sipping a cold White Iron Wit while noshing Nashville hot chicken sliders outside on the second floor at Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant.

But you can also check out Wilmington Riverfront patios at Banks' Seafood Kitchen + Raw Bar (formerly Harry's Seafood Grill), Docklands Riverfront (formerly Firestone), Joe's Crab Shack and Big Fish Grill Riverfront. 

At noon on Sept. 15, Iron Hill is featuring the annual release of Last Alarm IPA, a brew honoring Wilmington firefighters Christopher Leach, Jerry Fickes and Ardythe Hope, who died after a 2016 fire. A dollar from each pint or mug sold will be donated to the IAFF Local 1590.

Iron Hill, 620 Justison St., Wilmington, (302) 472-2739; www.ironhillbrewery.com

Big Chill Beach Club

This oceanfront hangout at the Indian River Inlet has a seafood-centric pub menu and large roof deck with an umbrella bar. The 360-degree views of the ocean and the bay are hard to beat anywhere in the state.

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Big Chill Beach Club has been rocking all summer long and seasonal service continues through October. Hours now are: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.

Taco Mania takes place at the club on Sept. 13 from 6 to 10 p.m. This year, 19 restaurants are offering 14 variations on tacos and 17 different margaritas. Local artists have painted sugar skulls that will be available for sale during a silent auction. Tickets are $25 per person online or $30 at the door.

Big Chill Beach Club at Delaware Seashore State Park, 27099 Coastal Highway (Del. 1) at Indian River Inlet, (302) 402- 5300; www.bigchillbeachclub.com

The Wheelhouse 

The Wheelhouse is a new seafood restaurant and oyster bar that opened this past spring near the drawbridge on Fisherman's Wharf in downtown Lewes. Diners can watch boats cruising the Lewes canal. Dogs are welcome to certain areas of the eatery. A weekend breakfast buffet begins Saturday, Sept. 15, from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Owners also operate Zogg’s Raw Bar & Grill in Rehoboth Beach and Paradise Grill in Long Neck. Other Lewes eateries overlooking the canal include Gilligan's and Irish Eyes Pub & Restaurant. 

The Wheelhouse, 7 Anglers Road, Lewes, (302) 291-2163; wheelhousede.com

Grain H2O

In January 2017, the owners of Newark's Grain Craft Bar + Kitchen purchased the former Aqua Sol eatery in Bear and totally revamped the site. Grain H2O sits along the Summit North Marina on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.

You can get there by car or boat, or bike to it along the Michael N. Castle Trail, a paved path linking the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River. It's named for the longtime Delaware politician.

Grain H2O, 3006 Summit Harbour Place, Bear, (302) 440-4404; meetatgrain.com

Paradise Grill

Paradise Grill in the Pot Nets Bayside community offers outdoor dining along the Indian River Bay in Long Neck. The sprawling complex, with its swaying palm trees feels like the Caribbean has been transplanted into Sussex County.

It has a full-service dining area as well as a lagoon, tiki hut, raw bars and ice cream and funnel cake shacks.  

And you still have time to check it out. Paradise Grill, founded in 2013, stays open through September.

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Hours now are 4 to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday; 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Paradise Grill, 27344 Bay Road, Long Neck, (302) 945-4500; paradisegrillde.com

Sambo's Tavern

There are three things to know before you visit Sambo's Tavern, a Kent County landmark crab house.

They don't allow anyone under 21 — it's a tavern, not a restaurant. They don't take credit cards — you have to pay in cash. The views of the Leipsic River from the back dining room windows are great — but there's no outdoor seating.

September and October are actually some of the best months to visit the seasonal Sambo's Tavern because that's when the steamed, local blue crabs served there are the fattest. You might want to know the crab seasoning is on the salty side. (We sometimes ask for "light" seasoning.) 

Ask for a table near a window. And don't forget about bringing cash, though there is an ATM machine on site.

Sambo's Tavern, 283 Front St., Leipsic, (302) 674-9724; Sambo's Tavern Facebook page

Catch 54 Fishhouse

This Fenwick Island eatery has long been a popular spot for seafood. But we think its stunning views of the Assawoman Bay also bring customers back. 

Catch 54, part of the SoDel Concepts restaurant empire, was named the best waterfront restaurant in Delaware by Coastal Style magazine.

We like the crab cake, soft-shell crabs (when in season) and the buttermilk fried oysters, but the burger also is a best bet for landlubbers.

The eatery is open at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at noon Saturday and Sundays.

Catch 54 Fishhouse, 38931 Madison Ave., near Selbyville, (302) 436-8600; www.catch54.com

Bluecoast Seafood Grill and Raw Bar

North Bethany Beach's Bluecoast restaurant might not impress at first glance. It sits along the highway, and it used to be a fish market.

But the flagship restaurant from SoDel Concepts Hospitality Group offers amazing sunset views of the scenic Salt Pond.

If you're a fan of reality TV on Bravo, the dinner-only restaurant just might look familiar. Casts from the shows "The Real Housewives of Potomac" and "Southern Charm" have eaten and filmed at Bluecoast.

Some of our favorite dishes include lobster cavatappi, seafood stew and shrimp and grits.

Blue Coast, 30904 Coastal Highway (Del. 1), Bethany Beach, (302) 539-7111; bluecoastseafoodgrill.com

Greene Turtle Rehoboth Boardwalk

The Greene Turtle chain started in a beach town. The first one opened in Ocean City, Maryland, in 1976.

But the Rehoboth Boardwalk location, in operation since 2010, easily has the best view of all of its eateries. You can sit in the 280-seat dining room and see the ocean or you can grab one of the tables for two on the outside balcony and actually smell the salt air. The building had once been the home of the old Sunview Motel.

The Greene Turtle, 101 S. Boardwalk second floor, Rehoboth Beach, (302) 226-2000; thegreeneturtle.com

Harpoon Hanna's

Harpoon Hanna’s has been welcoming customers for 35 years. The bayside Fenwick Island eatery was built in 1983 by Frank Hanna and it's open every day (and, yes, that includes Christmas.)

In 2016, Harpoon Hanna’s expanded its outdoor deck so that it now wraps around and goes out on the water.

Diners can enjoy waterfront dining with relaxing views or have a drink at the tiki bar. Open April through October, weather permitting, the tiki bar has waterfalls and palm trees.

Harpoon Hanna's, 39064 Harpoon Road Fenwick Island, (302) 539-3095; harpoonhannasrestaurant.com

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico