Rehoboth Foodie

I get so many emails asking me about where dogs are allowed and where they are not, so here goes:

DOGS ON THE BEACH

Rehoboth Beach
Dogs are prohibited on the beach and the boardwalk from May 1 to September 30.

Dewey Beach
Dogs are allowed on the beach year-around by special license. From May 15 to September 15, dogs are only allowed on the beach before 9:30 am and after 5:30 pm. During the off-season, dogs can be off-leash, but must be under your control and be cleaned up after. A license can be obtained during business hours at 105 Rodney Ave. for $15 per pooch. The license lasts for a lifetime (the dog's, not yours).

Bethany Beach
Dogs are prohibited on the beach and boardwalk from May 15 to September 30.

Lewes
Dogs are prohibited from all beaches between 8 am and 6:30 pm from May 1 to September 30.

Prime Hook
Dogs are allowed on trails and throughout the park. They must be under the owner's control, leashed and properly poop scooped.

Delaware State Parks
Dogs are allowed in the parks. But between May 1 to September 30, they are prohibited from beaches where sunbathing, swimming, sailboarding or surfing take place. Shorebird nesting areas are also off-limits. Details may be found at destateparks.com/rules/pets.asp.

DOGS IN RESTAURANTS

An exhaustive search of the Delaware Food Code, as it applies to the physical environs of a commercial restaurant, resulted in this:

(B) Live animals may be allowed in the following situations if the contamination of FOOD; clean EQUIPMENT, UTENSILS, and LINENS;
and unwrapped SINGLE-SERVICE and SINGLE-USE ARTICLES can not result:

(2) Patrol dogs accompanying police or security officers in offices and dining, sales, and storage areas, and sentry dogs running loose in outside fenced areas;

(3) In areas that are not used for FOOD preparation and that are usually open for customers, such as dining and sales areas, SERVICE ANIMALS that are controlled by the disabled EMPLOYEE or PERSON, if a health or safety HAZARD will not result from the presence or activities of the SERVICE ANIMAL;...

The restaurant and food sanitation inspectors apply the rules as follows (all of the inspectors I spoke to are major dog lovers, by the way). The only exception applies to Service Dogs for the blind, etc.

Dogs are prohibited in the actual area where people are dining. However, if the front porch/deck area is fenced in or otherwise separated, dogs are allowed on the other side of that fence or separation. Based on this information and my general observation, below are examples of Rehoboth Beach restaurants with front porches and/or decks where dogs may be allowed adjacent to the front porch or deck. Dogs are never allowed in inside dining areas, and are not permitted to pass through these areas on the way to a back deck area, Again, with the singular exception of Service Dogs.

Seafood Shack, and Hobo's on Baltimore Ave. (outside the fence/railing around the front outside dining area). 

Iguana Grill on Baltimore Ave. does not allow dogs up on the front deck, but they provide areas adjacent to the deck (on the other side of the fence) where your dog can be near your table. The dogs asked me to remind you that the fence allows for treats to be passed through.

Green Man on Wilmington Ave. (out in front of the restaurant, but not where the tables are). 

Cilantro on Rehoboth Ave. (outside of fence surrounding sidewalk dining area).

Arena's off Rehoboth Ave. in Village by the Sea Center (outside of fence surrounding outdoor sidewalk dining area).

Arena's outdoor seating at their location on Coastal Highway adjacent to Big Fish Grill (outside of fence surrounding the outside dining area).

Big Fish Grill next to Arena's above, apparently some of the outdoor seating area is also available to Big Fish customers. Woof!

Cafe Papillon in Penny Lane on Rehoboth Ave. (adjacent outdoor public seating).  

Lori’s Oy Vey Café in the adjacent outdoor public seating in CAMP Rehoboth courtyard.

Zogg's behind Gus & Gus' on Wilmington Ave. In the outdoor seating area only.

Grotto Pizza on Rehoboth Avenue. In the adjacent outdoor seating area only, and outside the perimeter fence.

JAM Bistro on Baltimore Avenue. Outside the perimeter fence surrounding the outdoor dining area out front.

Adriatico on First St. Outside the perimeter fence surrounding the Baltimore Ave.-facing outdoor dining area. Dogs may not access that area via the restaurant.

(Note that Victoria's Restaurant outdoor dining area, inside or outside the fence, would be off limits to your pooch during the summer, since you can only get there from the boardwalk where dogs are prohibited in-season.)

Rigby's on the back patio only. You must enter from the back, as you can't walk your pooch through the restaurant.

Gallery Espresso on the patio only. Enter through First St. Station at First St. (duh) and Rehoboth Avenue.

Woody's East Coast Bar & Grill in Dewey. In the front deck dining area only.