Beach Break offers bites for the boardwalk-bound

A new hotspot is waking up the neighborhood on the Bethany Beach Boardwalk. Beach Break Bakrie & Cafe, located at the marketplace at Pennsylvania Avenue and Garfield Parkway, around the corner from Bethany Blues, is bringing a healthy, fresh alternative to the table, whether customers are stopping in for a morning muffin and a cup of joe, a salad or sandwich for lunch or the rustic pizza for dinner. Even a bite on the run, such as their savory sweet potato fries, offer a tasty twist to a midday or evening stroll down the boardwalk.

Costal Point
Beach Break Bakrie and Cafe owner, Beth Webb (right), and employee Ashley Romano, show off some fresh muffins at the shop, located on Garfield Parkway In Bethany Beach. Opened this summer, Beach Break offers a healthy bite - breakfast, lunch or dinner - for beach goers, shoppers and strollers, alike.

“Bethany Beach is a great town,” said owner Beth Webb, who opened Beach Break this past Memorial Day weekend, “and we want to bring a healthy alternative at an affordable price. We wanted people to have somewhere to go in Bethany Beach where they could get a good sandwich and a drink for under $10. All of our sandwiches are made to order and are very fresh.”

Having worked in the local restaurant industry for more than two decades – primarily in her native Rehoboth Beach – Webb said she was excited to get back to baking and catering to summertime patrons.

“This is definitely a throwback to growing up in the restaurant business,” she said. “That’s where I started as a kid, and now I have the opportunity to bring my own.”

After having dabbled in the local real estate business during the time that it took a drastic hit from the downturn in the economy, Webb was more than happy to get back to the food-service scene.

Fresh, sweet pastries, from peach and zucchini muffins to vanilla and chocolate frosted muffins, offer a tasty compliment to a freshly brewed cup of coffee or a latte. Customers seem to have already found a favorite, too.

“Our caramel-apple-pecan muffin is our best seller,” said Webb. “It’s like our signature muffin. People keep coming back for it.”

Made-to-order breakfast sandwiches, Greek-style yogurt and freshly sliced fruit keep patrons health in mind, as well as their wallets. Blended ice coffees can help take off the edge of the summer heat, while flavored coffees offer a wide range of options, too, with skim and soy milk available to cater to individual preferences.

Though breakfast is available anytime, people are swinging by for the Beach Break’s “linner” (lunch and dinner) lineup, as well. Hearty sandwiches, including The Cuban, The Hawaiian and the Sussex Countian, offer a choice of a new flavor upon each visit. Seasonal and daily specials are advertised on the chalkboards in the shop, offering even more variety.

Already this summer season, business has been booming, Webb said, and most of it is coming via word-of-mouth.

“We’re seeing a steady stream of repeat customers,” she said. “A lot of people are recommending us, from Maureen’s, the Bethany Beach Surf Shop, and even the change kiosk beside the boardwalk. We have a solid foundation with the people who work right here in the shops, and they’re telling others about us.”

While the regulars are making it a habit of swinging by, the vacationers are just as eager to get their Beach Break fix.

“We’ve had people on vacation stop in early during the week,” Webb added, “and they’ll come in every day that they’re here.” A new awning and outside seating have helped increase the number of curious passers-by along Garfield Parkway who stop in for a bite.

While the summer season is under way, Webb anticipates staying open throughout most of the year, keeping the doors open in the off-season for the locals, too.

“I think, as it gets later in the year,” she said, “we’ll probably be closing in January and February and have restricted winter hours, but, for now, people are stopping by all the time.”

Beach Break Bakrie & Café is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m., but has been known to extend hours during busy evenings. For more information, stop into the café, located at 123 Garfield Parkway in Bethany Beach, just around the corner and up the steps from Bethany Blues or call (302) 537-3800.