Sambo’s Tavern

Not really worth the trip. The food was average. The prices were high and the service was slow. For the price I think they should offer a little bit more. You can’t beat the view of the meadow however.
Like another posting, we too came in and asked for a window seat and were told that they were reserved. We sat at a long table and for the entire time we were there the window table sat unoccupied. So if you plan to dine there make sure you make reservations ahead of time.
For three of us the cost was $ 106.00. That was for two crab cake sandwiches, one crab cake platter, 2 bowls of soup, four beers and 2 glasses of wine and an order of fries because the sandwiches did not come with anything extra.. If the sandwiches were platters I could live with that price but these were just two sandwiches and that was it.
I do not anticipate coming back.

I had heard about this place and thought it might be good. Boy were we wrong. The crab bisque was like putting and tasteless. I got the fried oysters and was served six of them on a small salad plate with extra small helpings of potato salad and coleslaw and very small cups of cocktail sauce and tartar sauce. And for $ 20? This place is way overpriced! The oysters were loaded with breading and I think they came out of a frozen box from a factory somewhere. other than that they were fairly tasty. Someone else mentioned boondocks. So I think we will go there and try it. We will never return to Sambo’s. Not worth it!!!

Good, but expensive. I do love the atmosphere very old school crab house. They only take cash.

We went for lunch. The food was good, but very expensive for a sandwich. Crab cake was good, on a potato roll, but that’s all, literally. Lettuce and tomato, .50 extra, a tiny plastic cup of coleslaw $ 2, extra. Husband has 10 shrimp, mac salad, $ 2, fries 2.75 extra. $ 35, total. Just not worth. It wasn’t to die for.

This place is a real deal crab house on the Leipsic River. I had a terrific crab cake made from fresh Delaware Bay lump crab. No filler, just crab, very lightly spiced. Delaware #1 crabs are now available.

Best crabs I’ve ever had! I’m from New England so I never understood the blue crab craze until I went to Sambos! The crabs were huge and meaty! So much flavor! Really great view and location. Perfect sea shack hangout!

The last time we were there was the end of last season. They don’t take any cards there including credit. We won’t be going back there. The food is okay but not great.

The place where I learned to love soft-​shell crab. So thanks for that. Generally, eating crab en masse is a bit of an undertaking — all that pounding and plucking and slurping and hand wringing and wiping. The shrimp was good too but messy, as it similarly requires shelling. The crab bisque was straight up gross. Overall, an experience worth having, and a great view over the canal/​marsh/​water whatever it is. I probably won’t be a regular, though — food always tastes better when someone else is footing the bill.

Walked in, but was turned away because we had a 2 year old and infant. It was lunch time and they were maybe at 15% capacity. Very bizarre, I’ve never come across a restaurant that didn’t allow people to sit and eat because of kids… It’s not like this was a fancy establishment. It’s a hole in the wall.
You must be 21 or older to eat here.

Finally made the trek to Sambo’s, and the trip was well worth it. I have known of Sambo’s since the ‘70s when my parents would leave us home in Seabreeze, NJ and take the boat across the Delaware Bay to this great crab house where kids are not allowed. That is all still the case, no one under 21 allowed in the tavern and the crabs are great!
We came for the crabs and were not disappointed. My wife also had a cup of the crab bisque which was very good, and we got an order of hush puppies which were okay. The #1 crabs were steamed to order, very good sized, and full of meat. Market price was $ 45/​dozen. Our 1^st dozen went down pretty fast. We took our time on the 2^nd dozen, but they were so full of meat, we needed to bring a couple home in a doggy bag.
If you want a window seat, make sure to call ahead for a reservation. Also, beginning in their 2016 season, they will no longer accept credit cards. So be prepared. We will be back no matter what. Great place, Great Crabs!

I have eaten here several times and it has always been good. This time I ordered crab bisque. I saw dark pieces of something in the bisque and suddenly realized it was canned mushroom soup with crab meat in it.
Really disappointing.

Very casual atmosphere and be prepared to share tables with people you don’t know, but it doesn’t matter because everyone is there for the same reason. The crab bisque was delicious and flavorful, so thick it was like crab pudding. Their house salad was fresh with what appeared to be local produce. Happy, happy me. I ordered the flounder sandwich ($ 9) only to see on the bill they had charged me for the platter ($ 24.95) so that sucks, but it was really good flounder. Fried perfectly and the flavor was just salty and perfect in my opinion. Everyone else at the table very happy with their meals. It was a great place to visit off the beaten path, if not a little unpolitically correct (at least where I live).

If it’s not fried, you can’t get it! But food is beautifully fried. Homemade cole slaw. Crab cakes size of baseballs and no filler! Yum!

EXCELLENT. I had the crab cakes and were some of the best I have ever put in my mouth. Make sure to write your name and pin your location on their wall map.

Top notch flounder, it tasted as if the fish had leap out of the ocean onto my plate. Excellent service, family style tables, clean place, clean ladies room, lots of character and lovely views over water and marsh as sun set. Also had tasty steamed clams w beer. Definitely drive down 9 on coast as alter native to 113 and 1. Lush vistas all around.

It’s been a tough season for crabs. Have had a couple bad experiences at different establishments this season.
Crabs were $ 55 a dozen. Period. No choice of size. I would call them number 2’s. They were heavy, meaty and perfectly cooked, and Seasoned.
If they can be this good this season I would love to go back when crabs are running good.

This was my first time eating here with my in laws who are life time customers of this place and as soon as we got there they told us we were not allowed to set by the window that was for guest who made reservations even tho all of the window tables were not taken the whole time we were there and spent a $ 100 on our meals the owner of this place needs to read a book on how to treat customers that have been dining here for the past 40 years. The food was ok but not the best I’ve ever had. If not for the in laws we would have walked out as soon as the owner made that statement. I will not ever eat here again it’s not worth the money.

This is one of those places that you find that is just overflowing with natural homegrown kitsch. Others try to emulate what Sambo’s Tavern pulls off naturally. The walls are covered with a homage to the nearby race track with photos of the old-​time drivers intertwined with pure Americana artwork. The long tables (think family style sharing) are covered with newspapers, just perfect for cracking those sweet crabs. The windows look out onto the water and marsh and this small little Delaware town.
But really, the décor is just a bonus to what you really come here for… the crabs and local seafood. We ordered the crab legs and they were the best we have ever had. The meat was fresh, sweet and flavored just right with their «secret» seasoning. The wait staff never stopped working hard, and were very welcoming to us being from out of town. Our waitress even offered to show us how to crack the crabs open.
If you find yourself in the downtown Dover area, take the extra drive to Sambo’s. Skip the chain restaurants and head to this special little spot. We are losing our Americana ma and pop shops and Sambo’s is one not to be missed.

You would think Dover’s proximity to the water would open them up to a bevy of great seafood restaurants, but boy would you be wrong. So instead, you can drive to the two-​block town of Leipsic where you can find the best crabs the city has to offer, though they’re listed among a lot of other pitfalls on the menu.
The restaurant is located on the edge of a little marina, and they buy their crabs right off the pier there. Problem is it’s not a very big river, so they presumably pay a good deal for them and pass the costs onto you. A dozen crabs, boiled and tossed with some salt, were $ 45. Still, it’s about as good as you’re going to find around here.
The freshness of the crabs extends to their other crabby products, most notably the crab cakes, which were so lacking in binder that it was a wonder it held together. The answer probably laid in their deep-​fried preparation, which resulted in a nifty golden brown crust, though I prefer my cakes pan fried. This habit of deep frying extends to almost every other item on the menu — rockfish: fried; shrimp: fried; clams: fried; mussels: fried. All of these ingredients, along with a couple of crab cakes, were on the sampler platter I ordered. It was a shame to see so much fresh seafood taken to the easiest, unhealthiest, and most obstructing method of preparation. But then again, we’re in a crab shack in the middle of nowhere — it’s not like Escoffier is in the kitchen doing up this seafood. I guess I’d rather have well-​fried seafood than poorly-​executed other preparations. At $ 27, this wasn’t cheap, either, but you got to try a lot of things. They even included the world’s tiniest hushpuppies as an additional value.
I don’t know why they have to classify themselves as a tavern, but if it means I don’t have to put up with any screaming kids, I’m all for it. That dining room can get loud enough as it is.
It comes back to the crabs: if you want fresh crabs in Dover, this is the place, though don’t think you’re getting out of here paying less than $ 30.

The most appropriate adjective for Sambo’s Tavern is «quaint.» The wood paneling on the walls features framed, age-​yellowed newspaper articles about the tavern, along with several pushpin-​tagged maps (some of which are old and must surely show Germany as a divided country) where visitors from afar can, and obviously have, commemorated their meal. Autographed portraits of NASCAR racers and persona hang prominently on the walls of the dining room.
Said dining room offers a panoramic view of the marsh and local waterfront where fishing or crabbing boats come and go. Whether they are supplying Sambo’s seafood or by proximity giving the impression that they do (as some reviewers have alleged), I’m not sure. I do know that, as we were leaving one time, a seafood company delivery truck was unloading at the back, and a SYSCO truck was lined up right behind it, so it’s a sure thing that at least some of the seafood is imported.
Regardless, the crab is of good quality, and the crab cakes are all meat and no filler — it’s too bad they serve the latter on a soft, mass-​produced potato roll, which takes the quality of that particular dish down a notch or two. Even toasting the roll might improve the meal, as would including lettuce and tomato with the sandwich gratis instead of charging an additional $.50 for it. I suppose the bit of tartar or cocktail sauce served with it is nice, though. Like Boondocks nearby, this place relies overly much on its deep fryer to make most food taste good — and, admittedly, much of it is tasty, in a manner that panders to the rural palate.
The fries are seasoned with Old Bay, as per local custom, and the hush puppies have a hint of onion in them. I’ve had crab bisque here that was middling at best. The drinks are nothing to write home about, either, as could be guessed by the fact that the tavern hangs Budweiser and Pabst Blue Ribbon signs out front. Even the Bloody Mary I ordered once was rather flavorless; I don’t think they used anything as base as McCormick’s, though… in fact, I don’t think they used much of any vodka at all. On our last visit, the waitress didn’t put in my side order of fries — I guess I’ll have to be a bit more specific next time instead of saying «I’ll have the exact same thing the previous person at my table ordered,» which I had thought would’ve been self-​explanatory.
I’ve heard that NASCAR racers visit the place regularly when they come into town — and the décor seems to lend veracity to this rumor. This occasional boost in business is probably what allows this place, set in a diminutive town on the edge of civilization, to stay in business. As much as those down-​home folks may appreciate it, however, I’m not sure true foodies should make the trek. Food connoisseurs would do much better (both price– and taste-​wise) going down to Pleasanton’s nearby, buying the seafood fresh, and cooking it at home.