Dining Alfresco in Salisbury

By Robbie Tarpley Raffish | March 27, 2021

Brew River is as well known for its Tiki Bar, which often features live music, as it is for its outdoor deck and crab cakes.

Umbrellas are popping up all over downtown Salisbury, Maryland, and not because of rain. The completion of the Main Street Project – a major infrastructure program in the historic Downtown area – has created the opportunity for beautiful al fresco dining through the town.

Laura Soper, Director of Business Development for Downtown Salisbury says, “Now that restaurants are at 100% capacity in Maryland (accounting for social distancing), outdoor dining is playing a huge role in our economic recovery from COVID-19. It was something many restaurants relied on last summer and this summer we are even better situated for it.”

Photo 1: Enjoy EVO’s Beer Garden (and look for a feature about the Brewery & Public House in our Early Summer issue!)

Photo 2: End the day with a craft cocktail and a charcuterie board at The Brick Room.

Photo 3: Roadie Joe’s tavern-style menu is a favorite, especially on 3rd Friday.

Soper said that the infrastructure program, which had been planned long before the pandemic, was designed to create paths for foot traffic to – and even through – outdoor dining areas. For example, she pointed to spaces front of Mogan’s Oyster House and Maya Bella Pizza, where the sidewalk passes through the dining spaces.

“In general, I think some of the public is still a little leery of eating indoors, so the timing is really good for this,” she said. “This is a really good time to visit Downtown; there’s a lot of energy building. There’s a real resurgence of people walking, shopping, eating and supporting local businesses.”

Photo 1: Mogan’s Oyster House, Downtown’s newest full-service restaurant, brings seafood to the sidewalk for a refreshing meal.

Photo 2: Market Street Inn’s deck is a draw for business lunches, happy hour and dinner for family and friends.

Photo 3: Mojo’s Urban Eatery’s newly expanded patio is a great place to decompress with a beverage and innovative appetizers as well a lunch and dinner.

The streets program included a complete overhaul of underground infrastructure including fiber for hi-speed internet. Now all visitors can see is the renovation of the “greenscape” including oversized flower planters, lamp posts, benches, picnic tables, trashcans and similar, giving it, as Soper said, a “seamless appearance.”

One of the draws to the area is that the Wicomico River meanders through town allowing for waterfront dining. Another is shopping boutiques and art galleries. Once a month nearly yearround, the town hosts “3^rd Friday” which features music, crafts, family activities and lots of food.

WHEN YOU GO

A quick survey of the area shows that there are more than a dozen restaurants, coffee houses, dessert shops and bars within a very walkable half mile of the Downtown Plaza including: