Essex Restaurant – DE

A hundred years from now when people are eating freeze-dried astronaut food and getting to work via flying cars, there will be a grandfather who will sit his granchild upon his knee and reminisce about those long-gone good ol’ days and he will explain to the wide-eyed, curious little tyke how there used to be diners called greasy spoons that served food that wasn’t dehydrated or manufactured by NASA.  That grandfather will describe Essex…

Essex is a Wilmington staple; the restaurant serves lunch as well but it’s famous for its breakfast.  A short stack, bacon, sausage, and eggs are served up for about $6 (!).  The restaurant itself has seen better days and is uniquely surrounded by both the business district and a seedy neighborhood simultaneously and the diversity of its patrons reflects that, but Essex is a place where a game of checkers will break out before a gunfight does.  There is no pretense here; businessmen and gangsters are treated alike and there’s no frou-frou.  You won’t find confit of anything, the menu does not refer to pancakes as gallettes, and thankfully nothing comes with an emulsion or foam.
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It is food in its plainest and simplest form and that’s what makes it superbly delicious.
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Essex Restaurant
219 W. 8th St.

Wilmington, DE 19801

(302) 658-8258