Opened in 1822, Cantwell’s Tavern is located in the historic section of Odessa, DE. It’s only about mile east of Delaware State Route 1, and a few blocks east of DE SR13, just before the Appoquinimick River. Positioned on the corner of Main and Second Streets, the colonial influence is apparent and the brick construction is a striking reminder of our country’s architectural roots.
As is in most historical districts, parking is on the street, and while they have a pretty good amount of street parking, if you go when it’s busy be prepared to walk a little (although not too much). Also be aware of the handicapped and no parking areas, particularly on Second Street, where the handicapped entrance is with the required ramp.
As soon as you walk in the door, you can see the tavern’s past is written strongly in each room. From the wood stair case and railing, to the trim, even including the floor, all of which have been well kept to exhibit it’s original splendor.
The first floor is split into the bar on the left and two rooms with dining on the right, all having working fireplaces (gas, but ), that add to the ambience.
Upstairs there’s even more seating with one large room above the bar, a smaller private room in the center over the vestibule with a single table, a mid sized room, and two tables in a small room.
All throughout, wall hangings and other decorations further exhibit the time period for the tavern.
Even the seasonal decorations are of the same type you would have seen in days gone by.
There’s a single accessible bathroom on the entry floor near the accessible entrance on Second Street, but the larger mens-womens bathrooms are in the basement. In one of the original additions, they installed an installed an elevator that staff said was over one hundred years old. We were happy to know that it not only looks quaint, it functions without issue.
Cantwell’s menu has some typical tavern favorites, yet has added both contemporary and adventurous items, which is exactly what we look for when searching for a restaurant. You’ll notice a nice raw bar selection, along with pizzas, flatbreads, soups, salads, sandwiches and large plates. With items like Salmon BLT and Portobello Burger on the menu, it almost goes without asking that Cantwell’s is working hard to accommodate all sorts of dietary requests. And considering one of the chefs eats gluten free the wonderful diverse menu makes perfect sense.
Brocolli Cheese Soup isn’t on every restaurant’s menu, and getting it right takes some talent. Not only was this good, it turns out this was a meal unto itself. The bowl was huge so there was more soup than you normally get at a restaurant. The soup itself was thick and creamy with great flavor. The cheeses were a prominent feature, but you could still taste the influence of the brocolli. (sorry, the bowl was fuller, but we ate some prior to the picture)
Meatloaf sliders were a hit as an appetizer. With only two you’d think it wasn’t much, but not only did they taste really good, they filled you up. Especially with the addition of Muenster cheese, carmalized onions, and BBQ sauce.
The brick oven fired pizza not only looked good, it tasted better than it looks. We ordered the Local Mushroom pizza with white sauce, mozzarela cheese, and balsamic paste drizzle.
How can you go to a tavern and not have their meatloaf? This one did not disappoint. The Shitake mushrooms and spinach were good in the Au Jus. In fact, we asked for more Au Jus it was so good. Sorry, but we substituted the fries for the mashed potatoes, but it was well worth it. So much so that we ordered a side of french fries.
Because we were pretty full already we originally weren’t going to have any dessert, but then we looked at the menu.
So we decided to try the Sticky Apple Bread (too obvious?) along with their Chia Seed Coconut Pudding dessert. The Chia Seed dessert is Gluten free and while not a typical taste, it was definitely a great dessert.
