1808 american bistro

1808. good food, service good. menu snaps way off from current menu.

user reviews. try the cheesecake... very good!

good experience. while alittle pricier than other delaware restaurats, i think its worth it! the shrimp n' grits are delicious! i was surprised that a menu like 1808s would make it in delaware. but they continue to serve excellent meals. the steaks are good as well.

the bar selection is good and the service was prompt and attentive. this is a great place to celebrate those special events or just grab a meal with friends. glad to have them in delaware!

good food, slow service. i dine here at least once a week. the quality of the food is outstanding! the service is usually slow. if you are not in a hurry and enjoy high quality food, this is the place for you. a great find in delaware.

nice place. a fine, fine little joint. best manhattan around!

a little disappointed. the caesar salad was bland at best. no real substance to the dressing. looked more wet than dressed. the crab and crawfish cakes had a sour (spoiled) taste with no crawfish on them. i do not plan on returning.

great desserts & coffee. they make great coffee here. only came for dessert, but i have to say the best beignets outside of louisiana!

food is always great, but it's hit or miss on the service. last night the bar servers couldn't muster up a smile and i felt like we were inconveniencing her for drinks. if you are not going to smile, fine. but at least be on it with the service.

good food, iffy service...

family dinner. i don't think this is a great value for the money spent. one thing that came out is the martinini price, don't say half price and charge full, service is key. sell us on the drink and then overcharge... party foul. your food could be great, but that ruins the experience.
we had the crab cakes, walleye and fried chicken.
crab cakes, they had the same color as the walleye, just looking at it i knew it was not a good idea. tell me you are going to deep fry my crab cake. it was dry and tasteless without enough sauce to help it along. the chicken was pounded within an inch of it's life, battered and fried, served with a side of glue. the walleye was ok.
i didn't go there to have a fried food fiesta for 150 bucks

great little restaurant. we visited 1808 for dinner tonight and were pleasantly pleased.

the renovated space is beautiful and the food was good. lily had tempura shrimp and the wedge salad, both of which she really liked. debbie had a burger, which she said were really good.

i had the 48-hour short rib. it was good, but the entire dish would have been elevated to outstanding with the judicious use of some salt. the texture and tenderness of the beef were great -- it was supposedly cooked for 48 hours "sous vide." the mashed potatoes actually tasted like potatoes, not some gummy mess like what passes for mash in so many restaurants these days.

all of the elements seemed to lack any salt. too bad. very, very positive experience, but could have been a "top 10" meal!

we'll definitely be back, but hope the kitchen staff starts to season and taste their food more consistently.

great restaurant. 1808 continues to provide outstanding food prepared exquisitely and with excellent presentation. the nature of the interior permits talking without having to raise the volume level to be heard at the table. the wait staff are courteous, attentive and helpful. my wife and i have been there several times and it is always an enjoyable outing.

food is superb but service needs work. we drove up from columbus on a friday night around 8pm after having a great meal and experience the last time we visited 1808 a couple month ago. we walked in to the bar area where every table was full. the host ignored us as he grabbed silverware for a table, delivered the silverware, and returned to the host stand to stare blankly at us. i told him we had a party of two for the restaurant. he said there would be a 20-30 minute wait. i was shocked as the second half of the restaurant was empty when i glanced in the window before we came in. we agreed to wait and since it was 8pm several tables were getting up to leave anyway. we were offered to sit in the bar area as a table open up but declined the seat as we already indicated we wanted to be sat in the restaurant. ultimately we were seated within 25 minutes which seemed like a lifetime as there was a drunk table of 4 sitting in the high-top tables in the bar. our waiter (scott) seemed a little frantic which again surprised me as only half the restaurant was open and from what i could tell he only had 2 other tables other than ours. we asked if a different preparation was available for one of the specials (which was one of the reasons we decided to drive there that night). he said he would have to check with the kitchen. he came back several minutes later to give us this long spiel about checking with the kitchen and ended it saying the special was sold out. we ordered a beer and a wine and bread service to start. the bread took forever to come out and wasn't as good as i remember. i order the shrimp scampi and my husband order the burger. both our entrees were delicious. last time we had the beignets and they were to die for but we were too full and too annoyed with everything to stay. living in columbus we have a million restaurant options. we drove to delaware for something special. bottom line the service needs work but we would return solely because of the food.

delicious. a refreshing bistro found right in delaware, who would've thought? the interior is decorated with class. the menu attracts a sophisticated crowd, though it is not overly priced. some favorites are shrimp&grits and goat cheese mezzaluna.

an exceptional evening at 1808. the restaurant was busy and the sounds, smells and warmth were in stark contrast to the dreary evening outside. the staff were attentive and polite and we settled in to what was one of the best meals i have experienced. i think it is a true sign of a chef's talents in their ability to be creative, not only with different foods, but in how they combine flavors, preparation and presentation. our meal was a delightful sample of some of the wonderful 1808 creations. i won't go into specifics, there is much to choose from and you should try a bit of everything (though that may take a few visits). it is clear the chef at 1808 has a passion for all things gastronomic. it shows through in the staff, the menu, the presentation and in every bite. with a complete bar, 30 some beer choices and a brilliant menu from start to finish, 1808 has all the qualities for a great meal every time.