Cafe on 26

What a pleasant surprise! Went here because of the gluten free menu for my daughter who has celiac and was blown away at how good it was. The potato encrusted salmon was great. Mussels were some of the best I’ve ever had!

Best crab cake in Bethany/​Fenwick/​OC — all crabmeat and no filler and cooked to perfection. All dishes are homemade. My asparagus and the green beans were fresh and delicious — very light with no heavy, overwhelming sauces.
The atmosphere was wonderful — charming home/​restaurant, cozy, not too loud — very warm and inviting.
I really want to keep this place a secret, but it deserves the recognition for an outstanding meal in an outstanding atmosphere.

My husband and I just moved to Bethany in March and have been trying new restaurants. This was outstanding! By far the best meal we’ve had. The atmosphere is quaint and charming. There are paintings for sale on the wall by local artists. It’s literally an old home so it feels cozy. We started with French onion soup which was perfection, and shrimp cocktail. The white sauce they serve on the side for the shrimp is unbelievable! It wasn’t a tartar sauce, more of a tzatziki taste. My husband had the prime rib with Yukon gold mashed potatoes and Caesar salad. All PERFECT. I had the steamed mussels in white wine, butter and garlic. We were STUFFED, so we didn’t order dessert but will be back again soon. Worth 5 stars! Trust me!

We eat at the Café on 26 at least once a week. While the food is outstanding, what really sets this restaurant apart from the competition is the service quality, and total customer experience. They always accommodate our dietary requirements and show incredible flexibility in their offering. The owner cares about every customer and makes you feel like you are part of the family. We do have our other favorites in town, but always come back to the Café on 26 where it feels like home.

Best dining experience ever!
Our server Charlie was fantastic, was able to seat us in the best table in the house. Explained to us the specials and presented a bottle of wine. Staff was always alert, ice water never wet empty. Chef Jason cooked an amazing meal, we had the Surf and Turf! The wait time for the food was normal. We just finishing up our dinner when The owner Maria, came out to our table to check up on us and make sure everything was great. Always make a reservation! Great service, great staff, great prices. I love this place. I’m a café fan. Definitely recommend this cuisine to anyone. Words can’t describe the experience here. Must try!!!
Thank you Café for the best dining experience.

We continue to go to this little gem, especially off season for the fantastic prime rib, $ 1.50 an ounce and cooked just as you ask. Creamed spinach is wonderful and service is personal, friendly, and attentive, but not intrusive. We are charmed every visit. And we keep visiting!

The food here is overpriced which is why my family and I walked out as soon as we saw the prices. Too bad because this is in a good location.

Went here because the restaurant we were going to was hosting a reception and not open to the general public. The Café was a true disappointment. Extremely flavorless food and by that I mean hospital food standards. And what was even worse were the prices. High prices and no bread or anything brought to the table before the food arrived. I would AVOID this place. There are many better places in Bethany. We will not go back.

I think 3 may be generous here but it wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t good. Think of this like the senior dinner hangout sort of like the P.M. IHOP. Flavor was pretty good, but lack of variety, pricey dishes, and food served cold and plain w/​out sauces are very scattered impressions. 3 seems appropriate but much closer to a 2 than a 4. Duck was ok but not close to special, the salad was good. But probably a skip.

Great place. Absolutely Amazing food! Nice selection of art from local artists. Not a place for kids, At least for dinner. Highly recommend it!

The Café on 26 is a «must dine» place for my family when we make our annual summer trip to the beach. We have eaten at this restaurant several times and the food is always delicious!
The menu changes daily to incorporate fresh, local food and it never fails to disappoint us!

Fantastic meal there tonite… polite efficient staff who even called back to confirm our reservation request left on their answering machine. Attentive service. Delicious bruschetta to start. Best filet… cooked perfectly and delicious. No filler in crabcake. House specialty crusted salmon delicious. Amazing homemade desserts… vanilla cheesecake with sweet crust and warm apple fritters a la mode to die for. The chef Jason is inventive and a wonderful cook! Can’t wait to go back!

Would not return… everything lacked flavor and there is no excuse for a flavorless tomato in august. Poor value, food, and service.

We came because of the great Unilocal reviews and left disappointed. The food was mediocre at best and as the only people in the place our service matched the food. Not a fan.

Our party of seven couldn’t find anywhere to be seated Fourth of July weekend, but Café on 26 worked to fit us in. Our waiter was great, very attentive to our needs and special requests. The food was outstanding. We’ll definitely be returning, and would highly recommend!

3 stars to 3.5 stars for a Sunday Brunch visit with a party of 5. We were nicely accommodated with a reservation and the 5 of us were seated in a semi-​private alcove. We were really surprised at how quiet and not busy the Café was, as there aren’t many establishments of its kind in the immediate vicinity.
Parking was easy in the private lot behind the big, charming Victorian home that houses the café. Host was very friendly, and recognized our reservation immediately. Our waiter and the table staff were all great; no issues there whatsoever.
I was hoping for a slightly more varied menu; it irks me somewhat when very lunchy items find their way on a Sunday brunch menu, but I get it — brunch is a portmanteau of «breakfast» and «brunch» and there are people out there who want lettuce/​salads for their first meal of the day…
Anyway, two of the ladies in my group ordered the «Crazy Eggs,» and they were a huge hit! Well worth the supposed extra wait for the kitchen to prepare, however their eggs came out with the rest of our entrees. Another girl in my group fell in love with the Creamed Chipped Beef, so she was a very happy camper. I ordered a create-​your-​own omelette, but was dismayed at the $ 2 upcharge for egg whites (less of an upcharge for egg substitute, but that stuff weirds me out). While I was hoping for a healthier and more creative alternative to the requisite home-​fried potatoes, such as fruit, that wasn’t an option, so I shared my potatoes with my pals.
Coffee was decent and cups were filled frequently. It was a nice place to stop for a top-​up and fuel-​up prior to the long drive home after a fun weekend playing on Delaware’s beaches.

Called for a 7 pm reservation; reservation confirmed. Arrived at 7 pm, host couldn’t find reservation. After a few minutes, they offered to have us cool our heels outside (we asked for a drink). Seated closer to 730. Once seated, we were attended to, and ordered. Took 40 minutes to get our salads. Asked for bread in the interim — no luck. Barely done with our appetizers and the entrees arrived — cold. All around, a JV operation. Food could have been good had we been served as they planned. Pretty sure they lost our reservation and scrambled. Overall, not great and not planning to return. And my folks are residents of Bethany. Too bad.

Tonight’s dinner was awesome. We were in the alcove, fits six, so personal and private. Salmon dinner specials, regardless of sides, were perfectly prepared. Crab cake had NO fillers, fantastic! Pork chop was cooked just right for a very particular person.
Only issue was minimal desert menu which only bothered desert eaters, not the rest of us.
Definitely a repeat location!

We went in around 1 p.m. on a lazy Wednesday afternoon expecting the place to have, per the outdoor sign, a place to get cozy in with a cup of great coffee. Not. It’s a beautiful place, but referring itself as a coffee house is a big, big rubber-​sheeted stretch.
And the coffee? Thin. Plus the hulking espresso machine had automated pour features, not a sign of coffee craftsmanship IMHO.
The service was uneven. The gal who prepared the drink was attentive and quick. The help was slow and inattentive to our request for the check (she disappeared and and a few minutes later reappeared with a bus tray that she used to load up dishes from another table; the attentive one got the already-​prepared check to us in two eye blinks.

I ordered take-​away and was pleasantly surprised. I have the veggie sandwich and all of the ingredients were so thinly sliced. I loved it! So light and perfect for a hot summer day. The roll it was on was nothing special.
That’s it. Sorry it’s not more. I’ll add on after another visit.