Rusty Rudder in Sussex County

Its my first time here and I loved it. I came for the Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival and I will be coming back. The food was delicious and considering the size of the audience I have no complaints about the service.

My granddaughter, (exdaughter-in-law and I spent a long weekend at Dewey Beach. I must say that Rusty Rudder was my favorite place! The band was phenomenal, wait staff was excellent and our bartender, A.J., made our night extra special. Can’t say enough nice things about this place. If you are able to visit Dewey Beach or Rehobeth Beach in Delaware, stop in if you like fun and dancing and great food.

My first visit since pandemic. Last visit was October 2019. Saw JJ Sansaverino and Four Eighty East. Show was awesome but a lot shorter than I expected. Parking is no longer free. Rate is $3 per hour maximum $36 a day. They should include parking in cost of tickets or let people know parking is extra.

Parking 3-6 dollars. Its drinks and pub food. You can watch a sunset while sipping your Bud Light. Wife had a salad and I, the fish taco. Food is okay and the drinks come in plastic cups. This by the way does not bode well for a margarita! Tables and chairs are lopsided, but staff were attentive. You can do a lot better if you are looking for a decent meal, but if pub food, and a refreshing Bud light out of a can at sunset is your gig then search no more.

BE AWARE of your bank account when you eat here! My debit card was charged THREE times and only one of those transactions was mine. I called and spoke to a women who informed me that they had NO transactions from my debit card around the date i was there. Now Im out $90.00 from this place. Ripping people off is not the way to do business Rusty Rudders!!

We have been going there for 30 plus years. Always one of our stops when at the beach. The last time we stopped by after a beach morning we sat outside looking out over the bay and enjoyed our crushes. The gouchujang cauliflower was bangin!

Awesome variety of fresh crushes and great food. Off season now but great service even on a Monday. Cant wait to go back

Dinner was so good. We went there for 2 nights to eat. We also had a great time seeing Jump Seed Momma Love.

We went there and I was really disappointed. I ordered the nachos and when they came out they were cold, the chicken was old, and the chips were stale. The waiter did take them back and brought out a fresh plate without the chicken. They were just not good. If you go there dont order the nachos.

Looks very nice. Unfortunate dogs are not allowed after 5PM as we did not know. We could have left them on dog mode on the Tesla but figure they would always be a next time.

Good Bar food. The wings were good, but the grouper fish tacos were undercooked for my taste. We where not looking for sushi. But all in all OK.

Sat outside under cover. Dinner was ok, nothing to write home about. Except for the very loud, boisterous, intoxicated group next to us. Several other people declined being seated near them. Totally ruined our meal. And I have never seen a restaurant that charges you to park in their own parking lot. Only $3 per hour! We wont be back.

The only good thing about our experience with the Rusty Rudder was the quality of the food! First off, you need to pay to park there to buy their overpriced food! We were a party of 8, and we needed 3 separate checks. The waitress informed us that they only do one. So that left us to figure out who pays what. We were quite annoyed. I assume that is because then they can force you to pay 18% gratuity, regardless of the quality of service. Our "table" was actually 2 tables put together, and 1 of them had a sign that said it will be moved at 9 pm. We didnt order until about 8 pm! When I asked our waitress if the table will be moved, she seemed to have an attitude about it, and said "no, because you didnt even get your food yet." My husband and I each ordered the fish and chips, and we each received a pile of fries with a tiny piece of fish--for $23 EACH! Although there was no description as to how much fish you get, the picture showed multiple pieces. Additionally, when the waitress brought food or drinks to us, she would only hand them to one of us at the one corner of the table to pass to each other, even though there were plenty of other places where she could have served the food or drinks to the appropriate person. It took a long time for us to get our food, and I cant help but wonder if thats intentional so that you need to pay more for parking. After the meal and spending time figuring out who pays what, we asked the waitress if they will take more than one payment. She said they will accept 2 cards and the rest can be cash. But they cannot split up the bill?! We ended up asking to speak to the manager who said that it was stated on the menu, but who looks at the menu for something like that? The manager also unsympathetically said that is the policy and that we were to expect that because this is a resort town. This is unacceptable!

We go here 2-3 time a week. We are locals. The service and food have gone downhill for the last 4 years. Tonight they wouldn’t seat 4 of us it a table for 10. They said 6 of us had to be there. My children were hungry and the rest of the people were on the way. Literally down the street. But, wouldn’t hold it either. I go to support the bands that we love and are friends with. The singer asked manager if we could be seated. Manager still was resistant. So I asked if we could get a six top. She said not until all 6 get here. So they would have seated 10 top with 6, but not a 6 top for 4. Then I see 2 people seated in a 6 top and point that out. She just says they shouldn’t be there, but doesn’t do anything about it.My friends go there 10 minutes later and now and there is only a six top available and 8 of us have to squeeze in. The when we’re walking to the table and they make snarky remarks lol you don’t have to come here. Last year my husband gave $150 tip on a $50 bill to the only good waiter we’ve had.I’ve been coming here 22 years and this is how they treated regulars who tip well and spend a lot of money there.

Great food and the sunset was amazing.

Food was excellent, kids loved the margarita glass of fries, waitress had the foresight to seat us away from others as my 2 year old was FULL of energy that day, fried shrimp was great and the Crab came in a steam pot with corn so that was cool.

A great live music venue right on the marina. Such an awesome spot to watch the sunset. The live music was great but there is a $10 cover charge later on (we arrive after 9pm). You can order late night snacks from a limited menu.

Great food and very friendly service by the waitstaff. The view was beautiful right on the water. Took a lot of pictures. There was a live band playing as well.I believe the band plays every weekend. Definitely stop by if you want to listen to live music while enjoying your meal. Overall, it was a great experience!

Hostess was awful! We walked up in a Saturday evening for dinner. I greeted and spoke and she just looked at me. We stood there for a minute and she starts walking never uttering a word! We werent sure if we were to follow her, but we did. Never said anything! Fortunately our server was great! The crab cake is billed as being huge for $30. It is not, but it was good .

Really fun place for drinks and live music! We always go here when we come to the beach 🏖️.I would recommend coming here at the end of your night for a great view and decently cheap beer.

Another great bay side restaurant in Dewey Beach. Great open beach vibe. Started off with an excellent rum punch drink. Highly recommend this. Our apps of crab dip, wings with the crab seasoning and the steamed little neck clams were outstanding! Our dinners of lobster roll, crab cake sandwich and the fish and dips were very good. But there should be more than one piece of fried fish, lol. Key lime pie is very good too. Our waitress, Mackenzie was great. Courteous and always smiling. Definitely recommend this and we will be back again soon!!

Food was pretty good the sides could have been bigger, but the atmosphere and the view were great!

After eating at the lighthouse and Rigby’s, this was the most disappointing meal we had during our visit (and the most expensive). Mushy brussel sprouts, mushy cauliflower, stinky clams, half empty lobster roll on stale bread, poorly crafted drinks… the only plate we thoroughly enjoyed was the poke bowl.After it was all said and done, I actually felt ripped off for my experience. It probably didn’t help the live music was a random dude wailing away off key while strumming a guitar off tempo.I can see why we waited an hour to eat at lighthouse but were seated immediately at Rusty Rudder.

Cant beat the view and the setting. Sometimes the June bugs get a little rowdy. Otherwise awesome back drop. Food is decent...but I love the atmosphere.

Kind of a dump. Waited 15 minutes for someone to take our order, and then we started waving down other waitresses to find the one that was handling our table. When she finally came over, she had a really bad attitude. The seafood dishes we ordered were mostly french fries with a few shrimp and a small crab cake. The best part of the night was watching the 50 somethings yell at the band to keep playing Jimmy Buffet. One of the guys in the band played the saxophone, so deserves a second star.

We have been coming to this restaurant for 30+ years and loved the buffet, one of the best around. Now they make you pay 3$ an hour for parking and make you walk around the whole restaurant looking for the host stand and you get a nice breath of cigarettes when you walk right through the front door! If you love filth and paying for parking come on in to the corrosive rudder! (DONT GO)

I love this place for the entertainment and drinks alone! I’ve had the food here a few times and it wasn’t anything to write home about. They get the live entertainment right. It’s a beautiful spot, right on the bay. It’s worth checking out after dark!

Service was quick and food was delicious 😋

Food was all freezer food and deep fried dripping with oil, Salads were warm, salad add-ons were ridiculously expensive for the small amount you get. wait staff was rude and food was over priced in many cases. This place is nothing special.

Very nice location on the bay side of Dewey Beach DE. Live music. Lots of outside seating to enjoy the sunset. We had to wait for a table, but much shorter time than expected. One thing to beware of: many of the tables are removed at 9:00 PM for dancing! We didnt know this, but finished our dinner before our table was taken away.

Im going to be honest with you. My boyfriend and I went to this restaurant with high hopes. We had gone last year and it was so amazing. However, this time there were no redeeming quality in the food. Actually I lied the one redeeming quality was the soda and the CANNED beer. We both got the Alaskan crab legs and they were anemic 🫠 and we only got three small potatoes and a unhealthy looking corn. Our waitress was so kind however food sucked. Also one of the older ladies at the front was very condensing to an older couple with a baby and stroller. That left an even worse taste in our mouths than the crabs. Not to sound like an ambassador but I personally would pay far more for the lighthouse right next door!! Now my boyfriend and I never complain but we do not want someone else to experience this disappointment :( Again I would never do something like this but I was very upset.

The frozen drinks are tasty. The chicken sandwich was pretty good, make sure to ask for condiments because they serve it without anyone.

Disappointed during my visit. My steak was well done, not medium as asked. Requested no onions on salad and red wine vinegar. Server said, no problem. I got onions and balsamic vinegar. Portions way too small for the pr

Classic beach bar with great music on most nights. Tons of bartenders so you never have to wait for a drink!

Went for dinner after all the other restaurants had an hour wait time and they could seat us right away. The service was great and the only reason for a two star review. The food left much to be desired, it is just hyped up bar food and the drinks were crazy expensive. Then you have to pay to park in the parking lot for dinner. Will never go back there to eat. There are many other great restaurants in the area that don’t charge you to park and the drinks are cheaper and better.

Disgustingly disrespectful staff. False accusations about not paying for meals purchased by people dining before myself: Paying customers forced to move and verbally assaulted while appropriately asking questions about why An unrelated meal was being charged to my car. full meal paying customers were being forced to move without warning and given inaccurate checks. This restaurant seeks advantage of paying customers. Also heard a customer was inappropriately touched by a staff member in return for underage entry (such is not an accusation by me but take note that inaccurate accusations are rarely made unwarranted).

This “staple” bar/grill definitely relies on name recognition, the food was almost okay and the drinks were a little overpriced. The biggest surprise was when the sandwich “with coleslaw and chips” came with a little bag of brand name chips, not homemade hot chips. Everything is also served on paper plates with plastic utensils, which is a surprising decision for restaurant right on the water that relies on healthy sea life for most of their menu. The music was great tho!

The waterman crushes were delicious however the service sucked. We weren’t even offered a menu…took several minutes to get waited on for a drink. I guess if your butts not out and your not 22 you don’t get good service. Leaving to go where we are treated as welcomed. Remember mature women tips sorry you only got $2.

I have 9kids and Im the busiest midwife staying here from Pa.. thank you, for a normal experience with my kids, the music, the food and drinks.. and nobody cared that we have 9 freaking kids.Really great food. Short wait for 100people. Kids can be loud. & The drinks are strong.

Such a great place to eat dinner. The seafood options numerous, we had a big group with lots of variety and everyone loved it. Friendly staff! Great views at sunset.

We cant go to Dewey without making it to Rudder Town. We have so much fun drinking and dancing with Friends. Great line up of bands throughout the week. Staff is attentive to our requests. Cant wait for our next visit.

I’d leave zero stars if applicable. The waitress was inattentive and never once came to check and see how our food was after it was delivered to the table. It was insanely overpriced!! My crab cake sandwich, I mean slider, had next to no flavor and not to mention it cost $36 (you read that correctlyand was served with a .75 bag of chips and coleslaw. The kids food was served with packaged applesauce. The chips and applesauce could have been plated to at least be more appeasing on the stomach. I was shocked when the check arrived only to find out I was charged $2 for tap water. This restaurant is trying to be a caviar restaurant on a pollock budget. The restaurant left me with nothing but flatulence, feeling like I needed to stop for fast food and an empty wallet. Besides the view of the bay and the eye candy bartenders, don’t waste your time or money.

Place is decent. Live music, staff is fairly friendly, they do a good job at attending to your needs. Bathrooms smell like a portapotty, and are hit or miss in cleanliness.One of my gripes here is that a table can only get one check and only split once. Kind of frustrating, and they fall back on "it says it on the menu". While they arent wrong, it does say it, at the bottom in small print.

Great view of the ocean. Good party atmosphere. I grit the shrimp salad sandwich, I felt it could use some more flavor. The rest of my party enjoyed their food. Our waitress was great. I would go back.

We docked to grab a bite and drinks to go... food menu was very underwhelming so we passed on the food. Prices a little steep but thats how everything is trending these days.Our server was very attentive, friendly and nice.We tried to get crushes to go.. our server checked with the bartender, he was told that we needed to purchase > $10 worth of food to get to go drinks? Seemed arbitrary from our view. Maybe there are regulations were unaware of.

This is a must stop when you come down to Dewey Beach in Delaware. The food was amazing and the service was outstanding from Jake I. I believe he told me a different name. The band that was playing outside was awesome. They really got the folks going at the tables. My wife even got up and danced. This never happens. We will definitely be back. Like I said this is a must stop when in the area .Please like my post and click follow me.

Nice outdoor beach bar. Can dock your boat if there are open spots or anchor off shore and walk in. Both indoor or outdoor seating, though no A/C inside. Not a huge menu, but some seafood options, sandwiches, and the burgers are good. Specialty drinks from the bar are very tasty. Live music. Overall it’s a good time.We said it was our friends birthday and they went above and beyond. Brought out a whole cake (which was surprisingly very goodand got the band to sing.

My first time at this restaurant wonderful outdoors atmosphere had a live band did not catch their name but they were awesome very much enjoyed the entertainment in the atmosphereThe food was A little plan for my taste, I had the salmon & Cream of crab soup soup was excellent. I would go back the

Your paying for the view. 2 small crab cakes with cold fries for $40. Mac and cheese is trash go to Starboard Raw for better cheaper food and the mac and cheese SLAPS there.

A real mixed bag. Plenty of space, and dog friendly. Super views. Cutting down on the straws. Very tasty fries. On the other hand, no real vegan options - they have the beyond burger on the menu but not in stock. The beer selection is strangely 95% Annheiuser Busch stuff, pricey, and not really all that cold. The fruit tray with brown limes and stickers still on the lemons was a real bummer. Grapefruit crush was impossibly bad. Watermelon crush was fantastic, though. Bartenders were very nice.