Ropewalk Bethany Beach

I don’t write reviews like this lightly, but Ropewalk Bethany Beach earned every ounce of this anger. What should’ve been a fun coastal meal turned into a full-blown culinary horror show — and yes, I have the photos to prove it.

Let’s start with the crab, since this place clearly wants crab to be its entire identity. What arrived was an embarrassment. Shredded, dry, mangled bits of meat torn apart like someone wrestled it out of the shell with pure frustration. “Jumbo lump” is a fantasy here. The crab looked overcooked, stringy, and utterly joyless — the kind of crab that tastes like it gave up halfway through its life. If this is their pride and joy, that’s deeply concerning.

Then there was the pasta — though calling it pasta feels generous. Burnt-looking pieces, greasy and uneven, with whatever sauce was promised on the menu completely missing in action. It wasn’t creamy. It wasn’t rich. It was just oily fragments clinging together, clearly forgotten on a pan too long. Zero balance. Zero care. Just heat and hope.

And now… the kids spaghetti. I genuinely had to pause when this hit the table. This looked like cafeteria spaghetti from a bad dream. Plain noodles drowned under a suspicious, glossy red sauce slapped on top like an afterthought. No effort to mix it. No seasoning. No attempt to make it even remotely appetizing for a child. It looked sad, sloppy, and borderline insulting — like they assume kids (and parents) won’t notice or won’t complain.

The common theme across everything we were served?
No pride. No consistency. No respect for the customer.

The plates looked messy and careless. The food tasted rushed, reheated, or overcooked. For a restaurant with a massive menu, bold descriptions, and premium prices, the execution was shockingly lazy. This isn’t a one-off mistake — this feels like a kitchen that relies entirely on its location and branding while cutting every possible corner.

Ropewalk Bethany Beach presents itself as a coastal staple. What it actually delivers is tourist-trap food dressed up with fancy words and inflated prices. If you enjoy paying a lot of money to feel disappointed, this might be your place. Otherwise, save yourself the frustration, the hunger, and the regret — and eat literally anywhere else.

This wasn’t just a bad meal.
It was a warning.

I also can't forget how rude the staff were. I asked for the waiter to recook the steak because it was half-raw and had several cooked flies on it. She denied to recook it and started ranting about how the chefs put in work and that it wasn't bad at all. She also said we should eat healthier things then although she was one of the fattest people I have ever seen, no offense or anything. Me and my family gave in and left the restaurant with all our joy sucked in from the terrible options. Overall, it was an absolute disgrace in that place.

My family visited Bethany Beach for the first time this Memorial Weekend and found Ropewalk. We were lured in by the balcony which has the best view of the charming shopping square. It did get a little windy but the vibes were just what we were looking for.
Super family friendly with a cute fish bowl drink that my toddler absolutely loved.

Food was great. Tuna appetizer was delicious as was the salmon. My only issue was with the espresso martini. It wasn’t cold as you’d expect from being mixed in an ice shaker. Instead of espresso, it seemed more like watered-down coffee was used. It was very watery and did not have a very strong coffee/espresso taste. Reminded me of an iced coffee that sat out too long. Won’t order that again. Also, there were NO prices on the drink menu so we either had to ask about each one or just take a chance it wouldn’t cost too much.