Best of the Best: Delaware

Morning: Centreville Place

5800 Kennett Pk., Centreville
302-777-4911 / CentrevillePlace.com

For years, Susan Teiser ran the Centerville Café in a 200-year-old house, offering breakfast all day. High ceilings, comfy furniture, a long wooden table, quiet diners sipping coffee, reading the news: it seemed like home. When Susan retired in 2022, Elizabeth and Vince Moro took over and changed little, updating only incrementally. Centerville Place (new name) still features breakfasts, though until noon. Try the Eddy (breakfast sandwich), Lucy (omelet) or Sammy (smoked salmon and cream cheese), Parisian (toasted baguette, choice of meats) or Mona Lisa (cheese, tomatoes, basil on sourdough). More options: quiche, oatmeal, granola parfait and, of course, avocado toast. Plenty of coffee choices, including French press.

Noon: Buckley’s Tavern

5812 Kennett Pk., Centreville
302-656-9776 / BuckleysTavern.com

Buckley’s has been a local institution for decades. The building with the wraparound porch, cozy fireplace and bar has known families, stagecoach travelers, ice cream fans and hungry patrons since 1817. In 1951, Dennis Buckley bought it and gave it his name, and since 2012, Tom Hannum, CIA grad and former Hotel du Pont chef, has helmed the kitchen. For years, restaurant-goers (some wearing PJs on Sundays) have flocked for lunch: cream of mushroom or Thai noodle soup with a zing, Buckley’s burgers, crab cakes and salmon. Plus comfort food faves of pot pie or penne with vodka sauce. Scoop up cobbler with local ice cream to fit that old-time tavern ambiance.

Night: Krazy Kat’s Restaurant

582 Montchanin Rd., Montchanin
302-888-4200 / KrazyKatsDE.com

Located by the historic Inn at Montchanin Village and housed in the former blacksmith shop, Krazy Kat’s opened in 1996 and is known for its eclectic, locally sourced farm-to-table cuisine, its tiger-print chairs and fanciful portraits of dogs and cats, some dressed in military outfits. It’s the kind of restaurant to start with oysters, crab bisque, foie gras and end with crème brûlée. There are posted special menus but the center cut filet, braised Buffalo short rib and pork osso buco are tempting. Dine on a Saturday, stay at the inn and return for a sublime Sunday brunch.

Night: Columbus Inn

2216 Pennsylvania Ave., Wilmington
302-571-1492 / ColumbusInn.net

The building opened in 1798 as a bakery, then a tavern until 1849, when it became the Columbus Inn. In the 1950s, it hosted actors, athletes and businessmen as Wilmington’s social hub. Sadly, it went into a decline and was shuttered for years. But then in 2010, it was bought by the Capano family and began a new life. Recast as a lively place where the old guard and new can meet, it’s again become a popular dining destination. Chef Ross Essner describes the current contemporary American menu with signature dishes as “fiercely seasonal.” Appetizers are creative — red wine braised octopus, arrogant cauliflower. Steaks, superbly juicy. Crab cakes, shrimp, lobster and other seafoods, exceptional. Plus the wine and cocktail list will make it memorable.

Don’t Miss: The Hotel du Pont — now Le Cavalier

42 W. 11th St., Wilmington
302-594-3154 / LeCavalierDE.com

In 1913, the Hotel du Pont began serving up grandeur to VIPs and food afficionados who arrived by auto, foot or horseback. The luxurious dining room, originally the Green Room, became Le Cavalier in 2020 with a nod to early and recent equestrians. Le Cav still offers fine dining in sumptuous surroundings from a past era — wood paneling, exquisite ceiling and piano on the balcony to keep people returning with the next generations to this Wilmington institution. Menus showcase halibut with saffron crema, filet mignon with hints of truffle plus bistro fare. And there are new features to enjoy. Fridays host afternoon tea and Sundays brunch with a martini and Le Cheeseburger with aioli, caramelized onion on brioche. Enjoy “anyday” oysters at the bar and profiteroles at dessert. Just soak in the history, and catch a show at the theater at the hotel.