There’s a little Anglophile in all of us. Or maybe we just like a place where drinking good beer and plowing into stick-to-your-ribs comfort food are encouraged and expected.
Catherine Rooney’s
Known for: Being the good-time place where you can enjoy Guinness both in a glass and in a stew.
Insider tip: Go with the expected, including shepherd’s pie, Guinness stew and beer-battered fish and chips. On Sundays, the restaurant hosts traditional Irish music jam sessions.
1616 Delaware Ave., Wilmington, 654-9700; 102 E. Main St., Newark, 369-7330, catherinerooneys.com
Go Brit! Fish + Chips and Go Fish!
Known for: The real deal. Owner Alison Blyth was raised in London, and her sticky toffee pudding appeared on “The Today Show.” Go Brit is the fast-casual sister of Go Fish, which is a full-service restaurant in downtown Rehoboth.
Insider tip: For surf and turf, one person can order beer-battered fish and chips and the other can ask for beer-battered sausage and chips. Or, get an order of shepherd’s pie and one of the fisherman’s pies, made with cod, salmon, shrimp and vegetables in a lobster sauce. Both are topped with mashed potatoes. Don’t forget a side of mushy peas.
Go Brit! 18388 Coastal Hwy., Lewes, 644-2250, gobrit.com; Go Fish!, 24 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 226-1044, gofishdelaware.com
Rose & Crown
Known for: Rising from the ashes—the original business closed in 2005—in a more sophisticated space with a more innovative menu and a new owner, Jay Caputo.
Insider tip: Along with the classic fish-and-chip prep, there are some creative concoctions, including a version with Buffalo sauce and blue cheese. The menu leaves the isles for to-die-for short rib burgers or a lamb burger stuffed with goat cheese.
142 Second St., Lewes, 827-4475, roseandcrownlewes.com
Stoney’s Pub
Known for: Owner Mike “Stoney” Stone, a former music publicist turned restaurateur, who’s as much a draw as the fish and chips.
Insider tip: Fresh cod is delivered each day and fried in canola oil. Chips are cut on site. Also try a bridie, a Cornish pastry packed with cubed beef, potatoes, carrots and onions or the sausage roll, a family recipe. Yorkshire pudding is available on Saturdays only. The whiskey list competes with the beer list in length.
3007 Concord Pike, Wilmington, 477-9740, stoneyspub.com.