Augustine Inn

Ah the wonderful descriptions of the food on their Facebook page… I had to try it. My wife and I rode our motorcycles the 40+ miles, parked in their rutted gravel parking lot and went inside for our 22^nd anniversary dinner. We showed ourselves to one of the dirty tables and waited for service. After 5 minutes the bartender finally came over and took our drink order and said she didn’t know where our waitress had gone. After 5 more minutes with still no drinks or order our waitress showed up and with her being stoned, it was obvious where she had been. She was unfamiliar with their small menu but took our order. I ordered the wings w/​2 Killian’s beer special for $ 10. She didn’t even think to ask what sauce I wanted. My wife ordered a crab cake sandwich for $ 12. The burnout never offered her tarter or cocktail sauce. She thought I wanted both of my warm beers at the same time and my wife’s draft was warm as well. After a lengthy wait our food arrived. My wings were tiny, rubbery, their radioactive sauce was mild, not extra spicy as advertised, and there were only 2 tiny drummys. The rest were mostly broken flappers. At that point I would have enjoyed frozen Tyson’s wings more. My wife’s crab cake was tiny and on a stale bun. Her potato salad was tasteless. Her fries were nasty frozen ones. Not hand cut as advertised. My wife asked for water and was told it was undrinkable. She brought out bottled water. Hmm! What are they cooking their nasty food with. When I went to the bathroom, it was obvious why you couldn’t drink the water. The water is where the strong sewage stench was coming from. I nearly had to hold my breath when I turned on the faucet to wash my hands. I couldn’t dry them. The same staff who is too lazy to clean tables can not put paper towels in the restrooms either. My wife confirmed that the ladies room was the same. Luckily we had cash. They do not accept credit cards. After walking back to our bikes, we saw our burnout waitress sneak out the side door and go behind the building. I guess she wasn’t stoned enough. What a huge disappointment. I’ll never go back.

Progress is being made on the renovations and they are having a ghost hunt on May 4^th and 5^th and they are having a bbq on memorial day

Augustine Beach used to be a resort destination before the massive industrial exploitation of the Delaware River. The opening of the nuclear facility directly across the river from Port Penn really shut the door. There are a few remnants of this old history as you travel along Route 9, however, and Augustine Inn is one of the neatest. Built in the 18^th century as a wayfarer’s destination, the Inn is still hanging on. Don’t expect to find rooms to let, though. And for that matter, don’t expect to find a comfortable spot inside to sit down. When last I visited, boxes and detritus were strewn everywhere in the seating area, leaving only a perch at the bar proper. This upheaval may just have been in preparation for winter, though.
Regardless, the porch is pleasant in summer. The beers are a couple of bucks. And if you sit outside, you’ll still be in earshot of the profanity-​laden tirades of the bartender/​owner. He’s an affable guy who will warn you about hazards to the motorcyclist on Route 9 (despite your protestations that you don’t even own a bike). Or he might complain winningly (though coarsely) about his dealings with the soda distributor.
Delaware doesn’t have a whole lot of character left. Preservation of spots like the Augustine is therefore essential.