Jessop’s Tavern

great local pub… good drinks and food

Met friends here for lunch on a Saturday (today). We made reservations so we could have a separate table for our young adults, but it wasn’t crowded. The ambiance was was great– it is a colonial building and is well kept up, but very authentically maintained. They took us to a back room where we could freely talk a little treason against the crown. Food was good (I recommend the chocolate decadence). Staff in colonial costume was friendly and attentive. It’s an hour away, but We’ll be back.

We stopped in again for dinner on the way home from MD and were not disappointed. The place was packed and we had to eat at the bar (not my favorite place to eat dinner). As usual, their beer selection was extensive and the bartender knowledgeable — always a good combination. My wife had the Blue Cheese Burger with Sweet Potato Fries and I had a new item, the Pork BBQ Sandwich. Both choices were spot on and very tasty. Both my wife and I especially like d the cole slaw.
The ambiance is really nice and authentic — nothing fancy and the floors are uneven along with the tables. The bar has a «lived in» feel and it is obvious that this place caters to locals and I hope that it stays that way. Only a few minutes off of I-​95, it is worth the detour for a great meal.

Unique, historic atmosphere, personable & friendly service, great food. What more can you ask for?

Regulars from the bar my wife and I run recommend Jessop’s. They did not steer us wrong. Food was fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. Best quality beef. Literally some of the best food we have had. Ever. So if debating weather or not to come here. Stop debating: just go!
Would be 5 stars but we did not get greeted by any of the wait staff… just stared at. It was weird and unprofessional.

The food was excellent. The atmosphere was fabulous. The beer selection was lovely. I kind of wish the servers had been in character though.

A tiny place with a colonial theme. The shepards pie was a huge meal and was good, but not amazing. Beer selection — especially Belgian — was 2^nd to none.

Great beer selection! I had the Kasteel Winter and really enjoyed it. To eat I had the veggie burger which was different from any I’ve had before, it was very good, had a great mix of flavor. We went around 8 pm on a Tuesday and there were a fair amount of people at both tables and the bar. Looking forward to going back and trying a pot pie!

I had very low expectation going in but the food was much better than I thought. Three out of five of my companions ordered the shepherd’s pie. It was huge, rich, and tasty! All of them had more than half of the pie leftover to take home. I had a fish dish which was the special of the night. The fish was done just about right and the sauce had a good blend of soy and ginger favour. Service was excellent as well.

I’ve visited Jessop’s reasonably often over the last 15 years or so and it has always been good. But now, after a longer gap than normal, I returned today to find they have truly raised their game to a whole new level (prices too a bit, but worth it). The selection of bottled beers is impressive, if a little gimmicky, but their selection of decent draught beers shows a true appreciation for the art. My local microbrewed IPA was excellent and my girlfriends porter was all the better for being a rare find.
Food wise too they have improved on good. I’ve had the signature crab dip appetizer before but the presentation was now excellent in a fresh, crispy bread bowl. My girlfriend’s shrimp were equally excellent with a batter that was light, tasty and didn’t detract from the large shrimp themselves, the sauce was delicious too. Her pot roast was succulent, tender and tasty. I had their take on Shepherd’s Pie and as a Brit I’m fussy about these things. Overlooking the routine mistake that Shepherd’s Pie should be lamb not beef (Shepherds look after sheep not cows) their Cottage Pie (the correct term for the dish with beef) was truly inspirational and a very generous portion. Few, even in the UK, get the consistency of both layers so well and the gravy was well matched. I’ve seldom had its equal anywhere.
Ambience wise it was pleasant even as it busied up but if you are at all hindered in the eyesight department take a small flash light. The dim lighting plus real candles are very atmospheric but made the menu very hard to read… we were moving the candle about to get more light! Other than that though, a great visit.

Update! Been a few years and thought it would be a good idea to give it another go. What a horrid mistake. I am frankly amazed that it gets good reviews. The service is horrid. Sat at the bar (seats around 14 people for perspective) for 15 minutes before order was taken. I had a local and better half had a Hoegaarden (flabbergasted when check arrived and they charged $ 7/​each for a mug). They still play horrible (what they consider) «colonial Music». I did laugh when Wagner’s «Ride of the Valkyries» played. Not really sure what era that was supposed to capture… lol.
So, I decided to have what used to be a fairly decent sandwich and what I would consider a safe choice — tilehouse chicken sandwich. She had fish and ships — the bartender described as their specialty. My sandwich was dry and overcooked and also came with fries that were likely Ore-​Ida frozen. The absolutely killer thing was that the ketchup was served in a beer mug with a spoon in it — shared among customers. This is so vile an idea that I know that there definitely is not a manager or staff here with any type of experience working here. The fish and chips was bland and tasteless.
I was really happy to hear another bartender list off the specials to neighboring customers as my food arrived. Yep, my bartender in her dirty colonial frock never mentioned it to us. The place is filthy, the food/​drinks are over-​priced and suck. The service is horrid. Stay away unless you feel the need to have crappy food served by slow, poorly trained/​managed wait staff. The menu hasn’t changed in years which proves how absolutely lazy the ownership and kitchen staff are. This is the type of hole that gives Delaware a bad name.
Never again!

What a great find just off the beaten path in Historic New Castle, DE. If you find yourself headed up or down ’95 this is a fun place to have lunch and just refresh. The room is COZY.
Smallish and colonial settings, tables that aren’t quite level. But nicely done.
Colonial style menu fare. Had the beer cheese soup. Enough to split as an appetizer. Very tasty. The turkey sandwich which we ordered to share, came nicely portioned and split onto two plates. And two pickles and two cole slaws. Nice touch!
Fresh roasted turkey. A winner.
Wish we had more time and weren’t driving so far The Guinness isn’t cheap but was perfect to split.
Service was fast, friendly and attentive, Nice!
Really recommend this place and make it a must-​do to walk around and see the colonial architecture and wonderful row houses. This is a real treasure,

Magnificent beer wine and food
Even the servers did a fabulous job. They wearnt in your face or trying to get you out quick, and they knew their stuff. They knew the beers the food and the wine.
About time a restaurant sold food that was good and wholesome with top class beers and wines.
Thoroughly recommend the menu! Or just come for a beer at the bar.

What a cool place that dates to American Colonial times! The place feels like somewhere George Washington stopped to water his horse and have a meal and flagon of ale. The food was also delicious. I had the pot roast, which was tender and moist. The gravy was perfect. My hubby had a burger, which he described as one of the best. We had sweet potato fries with the caramel sauce– woah! These are fantastic. Salty and sweet, why has no one done this before. My husband had a true flagon of ale, and I had a root beer so I wouldn’t feel left out. This is the place to go if you are into local Delaware history, or simple rustic food. Come here after visiting ft. Delaware!

Very excellent place! Great food, drinks, atmosphere, and customer service. A win-​win all the way.

Visited here again on a summer evening. Walked in, and took in the colonial ambience, from the décor to the music to the servers. Sat at bar. The selection of beer is unbelievable; of course their specialty is Belgian. You can experience a selection of beer with a beer menu that fills a catalogue. Had a wonderful dinner also — my wife had duck (she was pleased it returned to their menu) and I had the fish and chips. Both were excellent. We sat at the bar and tried to soak it all in. You just don’t experience too many restaurants like this. After, we took the most wonderful walk in Battery Park along the Delaware River. A beautiful sunset capped it all off. We love Old New Castle.

My mom got me a gift certificate for Christmas, and I finally got around to using it last Sunday. The boyfriend and I showed up a little before 12 and the place was packed. They didn’t have any tables, but the bar was free so we took a seat. Then we waited and waited some more. After about 10 minutes of no one even stepping foot behind the bar, my boyfriend talked to a passing server and then someone did come to wait on us. Once we got a server, she was very friendly and helpful.
I got the flank steak sandwich and he got the shepherd’s pie. The shepherd’s pie was huge and he said it was amazing. The steak sandwich was quite good as well. It came with sweet potato fries which I normally do not care for, but these had an interesting spice mixture on them and were better than any I have had before.
They have an insane amount of Belgian beers, so we had to try some. We looked through the giant binder and each selected one. Now my issue here is that there were no prices. We got beers in the 8−10% ABV range, so we knew they’d be pricey, but it is generally nice to know a price.
All total our bill came out to $ 50 which was exactly the price of the gift certificate. This was purely luck as we had no idea what the beers cost. A bit pricey for lunch, but we both got a second meal out of our leftovers, so all in all it was worth it. We would definitely go back again, but it might be better to have a reservation.

This is an awesome restaurant/​tavern. We thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality. The colonial setting was perfect, as we had just strolled around old new castle and battery park. The manager and staff were helpful in guiding us through the beer list and menu. The Belgian beer selection (while unique and in depth) is expensive! Ask questions!
Given the unfamiliarity most people would have with their kind of alcohol selection, I would like to have seen prices on their drink menus. You might decide to try one of their beers, not knowing it could easily be $ 25+

We ate there for the first time on Saturday, June 6, 2015. The restaurant’s atmosphere is nice and the service is good. Good Beer Selection. Very happy with our server.
We both order the soup appetizer, Fishermen’s Catch, it was good. My husband had the shepherd’s pie, which I tasted. We both thought the Shepherd’s Pie was delicious and the best we have had. I had the special, Halibut. This was cook well and tasted delicious. It came with fresh green beans, not canned or frozen. The green beans had cheese on them and that I did not like, but could easily be scraped off. It also came with mashed potatoes, which were good, but not what I would pair with fish; I would prefer rice or another veggie.
The desserts were the only thing we did NOT like. I got bread pudding and it was way to over baked and dry. My husband go the peach cobbler, which I tasted and neither of us liked; much too sweet and the texture was grainy. We both ended up not eating our dessert. They were that bad.
I WOULD definitely go back. I want to try their meatloaf and pot pie. I just won’t order dessert.
If you like bread pudding, just pick up dessert to go a Nora Lees, just next door.

Great Belgian beer collection. You can have samples until you find one that you want to drink a glass of. Some are so heavy and quirky, it’s well to test them unless you are knowledgeable about Belgian ales. I had a Cherry Ale that was 5% alcohol and slightly tart and bitter, which was very refreshing. I am not a fan of the heavier ales, but there definitely is something for everyone – from draft to bottled. They have a tome of the Belgians they have just in bottles. You can also have your Guinness and other standard beers. Maybe 8 or so beers on tap? Many many many more in bottles. Beer lover’s oasis.
As far as food goes, good for appetizers and «bar food” – and just awful for main dishes. My pot roast was so terrible, it was inedible. It was a pile of dry shreds under thick, dark, salty, commercial gravy, with a skin on it, and a side of stiff, pre-​made, mashed potatoes that were like a lump of cement. I’ve seen this method of scooping mashies out and storing them in a fridge and reheating them. It must be stopped. These potatoes were impervious to a fork and even the gravy ran from them. The replacement burger wasn’t much better. It was greasy. Appetizers – fried oysters with a spicy remoulade on very sorry greens was great, and a soup of andouille and corn, a chowder, was also very well made and seasoned with some subtlety.
The bar is friendly and it has a very old, quaint atmosphere, with waiters and waitresses in colonial garb (tricorn hats, etc.) Fife and drum music adds to the atmosphere but gets old pretty quick.
Summary: Old New Castle is delightful for a Sunday stroll in good weather, and this is a terrific watering hole. As a dining experience, it suffers from Delaware’s peculiar and regrettable tastes in cuisine: stodgy, salty, and prepared often in advance with no view to its condition later on the plate.