Delaware Today Magazine featured Top Outdoor Restaurants- August 2009 Issue

(edited to reflect only the Beach Area restaurants)

• Arena's Deli and Bar, 149 Rehoboth Ave. Rehoboth Beach,
  The 42-seat section of sidewalk in the Village by the Sea Shops is shaded by potted palm trees and umbrellas.  Customers are allowed to bring pets, which helps create a friendly, relaxing vibe.
   
• The Back Porch Cafe, 59 Rehoboth Ave. Rehoboth Beach, DE
  Reminds one of Key West or a New Orleans courtyard. At dusk, both the sunset and moonrise are visible from upstairs.
   
• Big Fish Grill Seafood Restaurant, 4117 Highway One, Rehoboth Beach, DE
  Not much of a waiting list if you sit on the patio.
   
• The Buttery, 102 Second Street, Lewes, DE
  40 diners can sit at glass-topped wrought iron tables on porch.  Has a Charleston and Savannah vibe.
   
• Cafe' Azafran, 109 Market Street, Lewes, DE
  Have dinner under the tin roof of the sidewalk dining area.
   
• Cafe' Sole', 44 Baltimore Ave. Rehoboth Beach, DE
  The gurgling fountain is the centerpiece of the intimate, relaxing Key-West style patio.  The area is covered in flowers, bamboo and palm trees.
   
• Captain Pete's Mediterranean Cove, 700 Coastal Highway, Fenwick Island, DE
  It's a little bit of Greece.  The owners even like to push all the outdoor tables together and throw one big, fat Greek party.
   
• Catch 54 Fish House, Route 54, Fenwick Island, DE
  The deck is under the main restaurant, so the entire area is covered, and it's as close to dining on water as you can get without falling in.
   
• The Cultured Pearl, 301 Rehoboth Ave. Rehoboth Beach, DE
  More than 15,000 gallons of water create a man-made lagoon shaded by gazebos. Reach your table by tiptoeing across boardwalk bridges while koi and goldfish swim below.  Palms, irises and bamboo reach skyward.
   
• DiFebo's Restaurant, 789 Garfield Parkway, Bethany Beach, DE
  The gated courtyard is decorated with blue umbrellas and wicker furniture, which makes it feel thoroughly Mediterranean.
   
• Fager's Island, 60th Street, Ocean City, MD
  Fager's is an actual island.  Clear evenings provide amazing sunsets.
   
• Galaxy 66 Bar and Grill, 66th Street, Ocean City, MD
  The rooftop bar is wide open to the stars.
   
• Gilligan's, 134 W. Market Street, Lewes, DE
  Restaurants don't get more nautical, where the kitchen is housed in an old shrimp boar beached along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal and the torch-lit deck hovers over the roof of the boat's galley.
   
• Harpoon Hannah's, Route 54, Fenwick Island, DE
  The giant deck and tiki bar provide awesome viewing of jet skis boating across the Assawoman Bay.  A waterfall and torches create a Jimmy Buffet-esque hangout.
   
• Hobos Restaurant and Bar, 56 Baltimore Ave. Rehoboth Beach, DE
  Health-conscious Hobos includes a covered patio with hightop tables and four-seaters.  Statuettes peer out from the lush foliage.
   
• The Iguana Grill, 52 Baltimore Ave. Rehoboth Beach and 122 Mulberry St. Milton, DE
  People love to walk off the beach directly to the 55-sea porch where they sit in bathing suits on the bright multi-colored chairs.  The Milton place offers a terrific view of Wagamon's Pond.
   
• Kindle Restaurant, 111 Bank St. Lewes, DE
  One part of the patio looks onto Second Street.  The other, defined by a white picket fence, runs along Bank Street.  Red umbrellas shade some tables.
   
• Mango's, Boardwalk, Bethany Beach, DE
  From the second-story deck, diners can see the ocean better than they can from the boardwalk- the perch provides a view of Bethany's growing dunes.
   
• Northbeach Restaurant, 125 McKinley St., Dewey Beach, DE
  Even when you're inside at Northbeach, you're outside.  The space, overlooking Rehoboth Bay, is almost all open.  Dig your feet into the sand while eating on picnic-style tables.
   
• Nalu Hawaiian Surf Bar and Grill, 1308 Coastal Highway, Dewey Beach, DE
  Hurricane windows give Nalu its outdoor ambiance along with the thatched-roof bar, totem poles, and  palm trees.
   
• Obie's By the Sea, 1 Olive Ave. Rehoboth Beach, DE
  This 10-table boardwalk deck and bar is the ultimate no-shirt, no-shoes, no-problem spot for casual dining with an unobstructed view of the ocean.
   
• Porcini House, 210 Second St. Rehoboth Beach, DE
  The Tree Top Lounge strives for canopy cool through chunky beams and dramatic lighting.  The heavy bar of marine-grade mahogany was hand-carved by a shipwright in Annapolis.
   
• Que Pasa, 124 Dickinson St., Dewey Beach, DE
  Mere feet from the Rehoboth Bay are tables umbrellas, a few wooden benches and a handful of private Adirondack chairs.  Order a drink and some food, and settle into a mesh recliner on the beach.
   
• Rusty Ruddy, 113 Dickinson St., Dewey Beach, DE
  Before the Dewey party begins, the bayside deck is a pretty great place to spend a late afternoon with a drink and a burger.  Walk up or boat in.
   
• Seacrets, 49th Street, Ocean City, MD
  A forest of palms and thatched-roof bars feel like a secluded island.  Wade out to an inner-tube in the bay to relax.
   
• Victoria's, Boardwalk Plaza Hotel, Olive Ave.& Boardwalk, Rehoboth Beach, DE
  Rise with the sun for breakfast on the boardwalk.  Have dinner under the black trellises- among the most romantic seats in the state.