You wouldn’t expect to find some of the most authentic Creole food on the East Coast, sandwiched between a Dollar General and a Mexican grocery on Route 16 in small-town Milton, Delaware.
But that’s exactly what makes Po’ Boys Creole Restaurant one of the most thrilling dining discoveries in the First State. 🦞
This is a true hole-in-the-wall — unpretentious, unhurried, and completely unapologetic about what it is: a scratch-made Creole kitchen that transports you straight to the back streets of New Orleans the moment the food hits your table. 🌶️
How Po’ Boys Creole Restaurant Won Milton’s Hearts
The man behind Po’ Boys Creole Restaurant is owner Mike Clampitt — and from day one, he ran this kitchen like it mattered, because to him, it genuinely does.
What separates Po’ Boys from every other seafood shack on the Delaware shore is the attention to craft.
The restaurant gained even wider recognition when it was nominated for Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” — a nod that surprised no one who had already discovered the place.
The Creole cuisine here is built entirely from scratch, from the house-made remoulade and Cajun tartar to the rich, deeply layered gumbo that takes hours to develop its soul.
Everything is made with the kind of care that only comes from an owner who treats every plate as a personal statement. 🎬
Visitors heading up Route 1 from Rehoboth and Lewes started making deliberate detours to Milton, and locals who had been going for years started bringing everyone they knew.
Po’ Boys became a must-visit Creole restaurant in Delaware — not through advertising or social media campaigns, but through the oldest force in the restaurant business: food so good that people simply cannot stop talking about it. 🌟
Food Highlights
- Shrimp Creole 🦐: Plump shrimp simmered in a rich, flavorful tomato butter sauce and served over creamy grits.
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Chicken & Andouille Gumbo 🍲: A rich, dark roux-based gumbo with tender chicken and smoky Andouille sausage.
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Fried Crawfish Tails 🦞: Golden-fried crawfish tails served with house-made Cajun tartar and remoulade.
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Crawfish Egg Rolls 🥢: Crispy egg rolls stuffed with crawfish, Tasso ham, and mozzarella, served with honey mustard.
- Shrimp Po’ Boy 🥖: Crispy fried or blackened shrimp piled high on French bread with Creole fries, fresh-made coleslaw, and your choice of house-made remoulade, Cajun tartar, or Creole honey mustard.
- Fried Oyster Po’ Boy 🦪: Plump, golden-fried oysters on French bread with Creole fries and coleslaw.
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Gator Bites 🐊: Cornmeal-fried alligator bites served with Creole honey mustard.
- Blackened Scallops 🐚: Pan-seared scallops over sautéed spinach with a bright lemon caper butter sauce.
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Seafood Pasta 🍝: Blackened scallops, shrimp, and crawfish tossed with spinach in a creamy Creole sauce.
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Zydeco Plate 🎷: A sampler of the house’s greatest hits — a cup of gumbo, crawfish étouffée, and red beans and rice.
Atmosphere
Po’ Boys Creole Restaurant is as unpretentious as it gets — and that’s the entire point. A modest storefront on Route 16 with no frills whatsoever, the restaurant lets the food do every bit of the talking, and it talks loudly.
The dining room is casual and relaxed, with the kind of warm, come-as-you-are energy that feels more like a neighborhood kitchen than a restaurant.
Owner Mike Clampitt is often on the floor, checking in with diners personally — a rare and genuine touch that transforms a simple meal into a genuinely memorable experience. 🌶️🤙
Bottom Line
Po’ Boys Creole Restaurant is Delaware’s most authentic taste of New Orleans.
Scratch-made Creole and Cajun cuisine built from real technique and real ingredients, a wildly creative menu that goes far beyond po’ boys, a “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” nomination, and a devoted local following that has never stopped growing — this is the hole-in-the-wall worth every detour.
Address:
900 Palmer St, Route 16, Milton, DE 19968
📞 (302) 684-0890
🕔 Open Wed–Sat, 11 AM–9 PM (Closed Sun–Tue)