Sussex Public House

We ended up in a Goldilocks situation where the first restaurant we went to turned us away, the second was way too loud, then like magic SPH was there and just right. This restaurant is outstanding!

We came in, sat down, and were immediately impressed with the clean design of the location and the friendliness of the staff. I tried to sort through the draft menu, which has excellent detail and description, before opening up the regular menu and seeing some great specialty drinks. I got the campfire old fashioned and it just worked. The description looked like a lot, but it just worked together really well. The smoke laden presentation like the fire had just gone out was excellent and left a slight lingering smokiness that was complementary and not overpowering. The bartender balanced the ingredients with such a high level of skill that I would not be afraid to try anything on the drink menu.

The food items came quickly as we ordered them and the chef's skill matched the bartender. Simple things were done uncommonly well. The chicken wings had a perfect fry on them with a crispy exterior and not overcooked interior. As someone who has lived in the Carolinas, the Carolina style barbecue was more of a honey mustard barbecue than a real Carolina style, but was delicious. The seafood food flight my wife ordered was equally well prepared. I got the butcher's flight and it has to be the first time in decades for me that a grilled chicken breast from a restaurant was juicy and flavorful like that. The steaktips on it were great as well. The side house salads were really good and even the sauteed vegetables had significant flavor.

Our biggest regret was that we were too stuffed for dessert, even with two boxes coming home. The menu there had some interesting looking items that would no doubt be outstanding if the chef or team bakes as good as they grill and cook. Highly recommended.

It was fine. But for a gastro house though, I expect more. Example something simple like the red potatoes with grated cheese was basically canned grated cheese vs. freshly ground cheese. For what you pay there it should be a step up and I just didn't get there (placing it on a giant cutting board looks nice though).

On a positive side the burger was good, and the short rib good. But the mahi was ok, and the chicken rubbery. Drinks were ok as well. Of those we tried the mezcal was worth a try.

A hidden gem in the beach area. Food is always extremely fresh and menu is very unique. Prices are not that bad, especially if you sit by the bar and visit during happy hour.

Great beer selection. Friendly staff that was giving us several suggestions on what to order from the menu.

Slightly upscale, but at the same time it was laid back.