With beach season upon us, folks throughout the region will be flocking to the beautiful Eastern Shore to enjoy our coastline, visit the ponies on Assateague Island, snack on crabs with lots of Old Bay, and enjoy the bounty of the summer season.
When going out to eat or buying groceries for your family, we know it can be hard to make sure you’re supporting local, environmentally-conscious farmers, especially while on vacation. This can be made even more complicated by the greenwashing that can occur in the restaurant and food industry. Some restaurants may advertise that they support local, family farms on their menu, but what that could mean is that they bought basil from a neighboring farm two years ago, but that’s where the relationship began and ended.
Luckily, we were able to speak with some of our farmer partners on the Eastern Shore to get the scoop on which restaurants, food businesses, and grocers consistently source from, and support their surrounding, sustainable farms.
Cambridge
Black Water Bakery sells artisan baked goods, all made on site. They’re also now offering breakfast and lunch, if you’re craving a little more than a sweet treat.
Bistro Poplar is a French restaurant with a Mediterranean and Asian twist. They commitment to purchasing local when possible is reflected in their seasonal menu.
Easton
Hill’s Café and Juice Bar serves breakfast and lunch, along with freshly prepared vegetable and fruit juices.
Out of the Fire describes itself as an environmentally and socially-minded restaurant. Located in the heart of Easton, the restaurant offers lunch, dinner, coffee, and drinks.
Weather Gage Coffee describes itself as a new age coffee shop. They offer coffee, teas, and baked good, which are made on-site.
Salisbury
The Rabbit Hole sells only local and regional products, including fresh, seasonal produce, organic meats, and baked goods. The Rabbit Hole also has a food truck, Cultured Corners, that is also committed to sourcing local and sustainable fare.
Berlin
Go Organic Grocer, formerly known as Organic Local Yokal, is an organic health food store featuring local and organic fare including products from our friends at Nice Farms Creamery.
Ocean City
Mother’s Cantina features Tex-Mex food with a focus on bold flavors and fresh, organic, and local ingredients. They’re also known for their margaritas if food isn’t what you’re after.
Rare & Rye, deemed Ocean City’s original whiskey and wine bar, is committed to incorporating local meat and produce into every dish they create.
West Ocean City
Braddah Barney’s focuses on creating modern, Asian-fusion dishes where you can find everything from a kimchi quesadilla to a bulgogi cheesesteak.
Ocean City Organics is the perfect place to stock up on local farm goodies on your way in to Ocean City. They offer a wide variety of products and you can even find hydroponically-grown lettuce from Terrapin Farms.
Sello’s Italian Oven & Bar, featured as a 2017 Best Of Winner in Coastal Style Magazine, offers Italian food in a relaxed atmosphere. They recommend coming before or after peak dinner hours to avoid long wait times.
The Shark on the Harbor believes that great food and healthy ingredients are not mutually exclusive. They buy organic produce from local farmers, and seafood from the commercial fishing harbor right outside of the restaurant.
Throughout the Shore
Eat Sprout makes eating healthy, and supporting your local farmers, as easy as pie. They prepare and deliver organic, locally-sourced meals throughout the Shore.
Rise Up Coffee, a Shore favorite, can help satisfy your coffee cravings with locations in St. Michael’s, Riverside, East College, Easton, and West Ocean City.
Delaware
Our Harvest is a new spot in Fenwick Island that aims to “pay tribute to the farmers, growers, cheesemakers, fishermen, crabbers, and winemakers, who work passionately and tirelessly to offer the finest products possible and to fill our tables with their harvest.”
One Coastal is in the heart of Fenwick Island and not only serves fare from local and sustainable farms, but the owners are actually farmers themselves. Here’s more information on their sustainability practices and some of the farms they source from.
We know this list is far from exhaustive and invite you to let us know of businesses we should add by emailing shelby@fairfarmsnow.org. We also encourage you to always ask local restaurants and grocers where they source their food – the more customers ask, the more these businesses will prioritize supporting local and sustainable farms.