The First State isn’t known to most outsiders as a foodie mecca, but it’s truly one of the most underrated places for foodies, with some Delaware foods bonafide American icons! With agriculture as one of the top industries, close proximity to fresh seafood along the coast, and of course our classic boardwalk treats, the most iconic foods in Delaware are sure to tempt your taste buds.
- Capriotti’s Bobbie
Brian Child / Flickr Delaware’s most iconic sandwich is made with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce on a sub roll. This one sandwich is now popular nationwide, but the first Capriotti’s was right here in Wilmington.
- Thrashers French Fries
bigbirdz / Flickr Thrasher’s Fries are boardwalk fries at their best. While you may have to dodge seagulls while you stuff your face, it’s so worth it! Remember, eat them with malt vinegar, not ketchup.
- Blue Crabs
Jeremy Cherfas / Flickr There’s nothing quite as tasty as crabs caught right in the Delaware Bay. Pick them yourself at a long table on paper, or enjoy fresh crabcakes from your local shack.
- Nic-o-boli from Nicola Pizza
Steve Snodgrass / Flickr The Nic-o-boli is a Reehoboth Beach tradition! Fresh pizza dough is stuffed with sauce, cheese, and ground beef to create an outrageously tasty meal.
- Dolles Salt Water Taffy
Susan Smith / Flickr The Dolles sign is one of Delaware’s most iconic landmarks, and it’s the taffy that made it famous! Choose from about six billion flavors and enjoy trying to pick taffy out of your teeth for hours.
- Chicken
The West End / Flickr Unless you live here, it’s hard to understand how “chicken” is one of the most iconic foods in Delaware. It’s our #1 agriculture export, and it all started with an accidental delivery of hundreds of chicks. The story of how Delaware became a chicken state may be the single craziest story you’ve ever heard.
- Slippery Dumplings
Emily Carlin / Flickr When it comes to iconic foods in Delaware, perhaps none is more misunderstood than slippery dumplings. Unless you were raised here, enjoying these noodles in chicken gravy, it’s hard to explain just why they are so much better than whatever the rest of the country calls dumplings.
- Peaches
University of Delaware Carvel Research and Education Center/ Flickr Peach pie is Delaware’s official dessert and one of the foods Delaware is known for. The first commercial peach orchard in America was right here in the First State, and you can still get farm fresh peaches all season long if you head to Fifer Orchards.
- Apple Butter and Lemon Butter
Rebecca Siegel / Flickr You don’t have to go shopping to track down some of the best foods in Delaware. Pretty much everyone knows someone who will make a batch of Apple Butter or Lemon Butter and hand out jars to family and friends.
- Macaroni and Cheese
Vancouver Bites! / Flickr There’s nothing like good, old-fashioned, southern-style mac and cheese. If you ask ten different Delawareans for their favorite recipe, you’ll get a different “family secret” each time.
- Watermelon
Lee Cannon / Flickr Delaware is one of the top watermelon producing states in the country, and you’ll always find some melon hanging out in fruit salads and at picnics in the summertime.
- Cream Chipped Beef
Kurt Wagner / Flickr This is one hearty breakfast food that I never quite understood, but growing up in Delaware, it was a family favorite. Plenty of people still call it “SOS” instead of cream chipped beef.
- Muskrat
Brian Henderson / Flickr Yes, there are places that still serve this marsh rat on their menus! The Southern Grill of Ellendale was looking for a new trapper last time I checked, so keep an eye out and go in for some grub when they get more muskrat in-house.
- Farm Fresh Ice Cream
UDairy Creamery / Facebook Delaware is packed full of dairy farms, and fresh ice cream is the sweetest of the many foods Delaware is known for. Stop in to your local creamery to try out a fresh take on your favorite flavors.
- Apple Cider Donuts
Joe A. / Yelp If you ask around about what to eat in Delaware in the fall, chances are everyone will point you to their favorite apple cider donut bakery. There’s nothing like the taste of cider and cinnamon on a chilly day.
- Lima Beans
University of Delaware Carvel Research and Education Center Delawareans love beans, and lima beans are a top export. Somehow, they became one of the most iconic foods in Delaware, and you’ll find dozens of recipes in any Delawarean kitchen.
- Goulash
John Harder / Flickr A mix of macaroni noodles, ground beef and spaghetti sauce is almost a guarantee at any Delaware gathering. Nobody’s really sure how this became one of the foods Delaware is known for, but we’re not complaining.
- Scrapple
mmarchin / Flickr Pennsylvania might claim this as their own, but in Delaware we embrace this porky goodness. RAPA Scrapple makes the best breakfast meats… just don’t ask anyone what scrapple really is, anyway.
What’s your favorite Delaware food and what do you think are the most iconic foods in Delaware?
Brian Child / Flickr
Delaware’s most iconic sandwich is made with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce on a sub roll. This one sandwich is now popular nationwide, but the first Capriotti’s was right here in Wilmington.
bigbirdz / Flickr
Thrasher’s Fries are boardwalk fries at their best. While you may have to dodge seagulls while you stuff your face, it’s so worth it! Remember, eat them with malt vinegar, not ketchup.
Jeremy Cherfas / Flickr
There’s nothing quite as tasty as crabs caught right in the Delaware Bay. Pick them yourself at a long table on paper, or enjoy fresh crabcakes from your local shack.
Steve Snodgrass / Flickr
The Nic-o-boli is a Reehoboth Beach tradition! Fresh pizza dough is stuffed with sauce, cheese, and ground beef to create an outrageously tasty meal.
Susan Smith / Flickr
The Dolles sign is one of Delaware’s most iconic landmarks, and it’s the taffy that made it famous! Choose from about six billion flavors and enjoy trying to pick taffy out of your teeth for hours.
The West End / Flickr
Unless you live here, it’s hard to understand how “chicken” is one of the most iconic foods in Delaware. It’s our #1 agriculture export, and it all started with an accidental delivery of hundreds of chicks. The story of how Delaware became a chicken state may be the single craziest story you’ve ever heard.
Emily Carlin / Flickr
When it comes to iconic foods in Delaware, perhaps none is more misunderstood than slippery dumplings. Unless you were raised here, enjoying these noodles in chicken gravy, it’s hard to explain just why they are so much better than whatever the rest of the country calls dumplings.
University of Delaware Carvel Research and Education Center/ Flickr
Peach pie is Delaware’s official dessert and one of the foods Delaware is known for. The first commercial peach orchard in America was right here in the First State, and you can still get farm fresh peaches all season long if you head to Fifer Orchards.
Rebecca Siegel / Flickr
You don’t have to go shopping to track down some of the best foods in Delaware. Pretty much everyone knows someone who will make a batch of Apple Butter or Lemon Butter and hand out jars to family and friends.
Vancouver Bites! / Flickr
There’s nothing like good, old-fashioned, southern-style mac and cheese. If you ask ten different Delawareans for their favorite recipe, you’ll get a different “family secret” each time.
Lee Cannon / Flickr
Delaware is one of the top watermelon producing states in the country, and you’ll always find some melon hanging out in fruit salads and at picnics in the summertime.
Kurt Wagner / Flickr
This is one hearty breakfast food that I never quite understood, but growing up in Delaware, it was a family favorite. Plenty of people still call it “SOS” instead of cream chipped beef.
Brian Henderson / Flickr
Yes, there are places that still serve this marsh rat on their menus! The Southern Grill of Ellendale was looking for a new trapper last time I checked, so keep an eye out and go in for some grub when they get more muskrat in-house.
UDairy Creamery / Facebook
Delaware is packed full of dairy farms, and fresh ice cream is the sweetest of the many foods Delaware is known for. Stop in to your local creamery to try out a fresh take on your favorite flavors.
Joe A. / Yelp
If you ask around about what to eat in Delaware in the fall, chances are everyone will point you to their favorite apple cider donut bakery. There’s nothing like the taste of cider and cinnamon on a chilly day.
University of Delaware Carvel Research and Education Center
Delawareans love beans, and lima beans are a top export. Somehow, they became one of the most iconic foods in Delaware, and you’ll find dozens of recipes in any Delawarean kitchen.
John Harder / Flickr
A mix of macaroni noodles, ground beef and spaghetti sauce is almost a guarantee at any Delaware gathering. Nobody’s really sure how this became one of the foods Delaware is known for, but we’re not complaining.
mmarchin / Flickr
Pennsylvania might claim this as their own, but in Delaware we embrace this porky goodness. RAPA Scrapple makes the best breakfast meats… just don’t ask anyone what scrapple really is, anyway.
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Address: Delaware, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
iconic foods in Delaware February 06, 2020 Kim Magaraci What is the most iconic restaurant in Delaware? When it comes to classic foods Delaware is known for, you’ll hear a few local restaurants mentioned over and over again. Grottos, Capriotti’s, and the Dog House are longstanding favorites that serve up well-known Delaware dishes. What is the one type of food to try in Delaware? Crabs! You can’t top Delaware’s fresh blue claws, and you’ll find them at a much better price than in Maryland. Load them up with old bay and dig in by the bushel. Delaware is also known for producing world-famous Delaware Bay oysters. What are the best places to eat in Delaware? Delaware’s best restaurants are the ones that serve up iconic foods in Delaware with their own twist. Local crab shacks are always a hit, and it’s hard to go wrong with pizza places in our coastal towns.
The OIYS Visitor Center
iconic foods in Delaware
February 06, 2020
Kim Magaraci
What is the most iconic restaurant in Delaware? When it comes to classic foods Delaware is known for, you’ll hear a few local restaurants mentioned over and over again. Grottos, Capriotti’s, and the Dog House are longstanding favorites that serve up well-known Delaware dishes. What is the one type of food to try in Delaware? Crabs! You can’t top Delaware’s fresh blue claws, and you’ll find them at a much better price than in Maryland. Load them up with old bay and dig in by the bushel. Delaware is also known for producing world-famous Delaware Bay oysters. What are the best places to eat in Delaware? Delaware’s best restaurants are the ones that serve up iconic foods in Delaware with their own twist. Local crab shacks are always a hit, and it’s hard to go wrong with pizza places in our coastal towns.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
When it comes to classic foods Delaware is known for, you’ll hear a few local restaurants mentioned over and over again. Grottos, Capriotti’s, and the Dog House are longstanding favorites that serve up well-known Delaware dishes.
What is the one type of food to try in Delaware?
Crabs! You can’t top Delaware’s fresh blue claws, and you’ll find them at a much better price than in Maryland. Load them up with old bay and dig in by the bushel. Delaware is also known for producing world-famous Delaware Bay oysters.
What are the best places to eat in Delaware?
Delaware’s best restaurants are the ones that serve up iconic foods in Delaware with their own twist. Local crab shacks are always a hit, and it’s hard to go wrong with pizza places in our coastal towns.
