One longtime Milford restaurant manages to cover a surprisingly wide range without feeling like a menu built by committee. Fresh seafood, scratch-made pizza, strombolis, Italian platters, country fried steak, and a Sunday breakfast buffet all share the same kitchen.
A few dishes have built especially loyal followings. The crab soup gets repeated praise for generous chunks of crab, while stuffed flounder with jumbo lump crab, seafood platters, and scratch-made pizzas give regulars plenty of reasons to come back.
Then there are the extras that make the place harder to categorize. Saturday nights can include a magician, Sunday mornings bring a breakfast buffet, and the menu stretches from ribeye breakfasts to Crab Imperial and Buffalo Chicken Stromboli.
That variety is a big part of why this Milford spot has remained a local habit for so many years.
A Milford Landmark with Deep Roots
Some restaurants feel like they have always been part of a town, and The Palace at 556 S Dupont Blvd, Milford, DE 19963, is exactly that kind of place. Sitting along South Dupont Boulevard, it draws in everyone from families grabbing Sunday breakfast to regulars who have been coming since the late 1990s.
Owner Steve Akoglu and General Manager Katie Carter, who has been with the restaurant for over eleven years, have built something that feels less like a business and more like a community anchor. The place holds a 4.2-star rating across over 1,600 Google reviews, which tells you everything about the consistency locals have come to rely on.
The restaurant operates seven days a week, opening at 7 AM daily and closing at 9 PM most nights, with extended Friday and Saturday hours until 10 PM. That kind of reliable schedule makes it easy to build a habit around this place, and many Milford residents clearly have.
The Atmosphere That Keeps You Coming Back
The inside of The Palace has a personality that is hard to manufacture. Past visitors have described the decor as vintage, with nods to local Milford history displayed on the walls, giving the space a lived-in warmth that feels genuinely earned rather than designed by committee.
Roomy booths line the dining areas, making it easy to settle in for a long meal without feeling cramped or rushed. The restaurant is smoke-free throughout, and the outdoor seating option gets plenty of attention in customer reviews, with 15 separate mentions across recent feedback.
The staff plays a huge role in creating this atmosphere. Servers are consistently described as friendly, attentive, and genuinely warm, with multiple reviewers pointing out specific team members who went above and beyond.
One server even charmed an entire table that included a seven-month-old baby, which is the kind of detail that says more about a place than any marketing ever could. That human touch is what turns a one-time visit into a years-long habit.
Breakfast That Earns Its Own Fan Club
Not every dinner restaurant can pull off breakfast, but The Palace has made it a serious draw. The morning menu features classics like country fried steak with eggs and home fries, a ribeye breakfast plate, and a spread that has earned enthusiastic praise for both its flavor and its pricing.
The Sunday breakfast buffet, running from 9 AM to 2 PM, is a particular highlight. Guests load up on a rotating selection of hot dishes in a relaxed, unhurried setting that feels perfectly suited to a slow weekend morning in a small Delaware town.
What stands out most in the reviews is the value. One diner noted that the ribeye breakfast, which most restaurants would charge $25 or more for, comes at a price that feels almost too reasonable.
The portions are generous, the coffee comes with free refills, and the staff keeps the pace comfortable without letting things drag. Breakfast here does not feel like an afterthought; it feels like a reason to come back on its own terms.
Pizza Made the Right Way, from Scratch
The Palace takes its pizza seriously enough to make the dough and sauce entirely from scratch, and the cheese gets shredded fresh in-house every single day. That commitment to preparation shows up clearly in the final product, with reviewers consistently praising the crust as crispy, flavorful, and never greasy.
The Palace Special pizza is a standout, loaded with pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, sausage, and ground beef for those who want everything in one shot. The Meat Lover’s version doubles down with pepperoni, ham, bacon, sausage, and hamburger, which is exactly as indulgent as it sounds.
For lighter preferences, the veggie pizza has attracted its own following. One recent reviewer called it perfect, specifically calling out the crisp crust and well-prepared vegetables that stayed firm rather than turning soggy.
The kitchen clearly understands that a great pizza is built from the bottom up, starting with the dough, and that philosophy comes through in every slice. This is scratch cooking done with real intention.
The Crab Soup That People Cannot Stop Talking About
With 19 separate mentions in customer reviews, the crab soup at The Palace has taken on a life of its own. Reviewers describe it as packed with generous chunks of fresh crab meat, perfectly seasoned, and rich in a way that makes it hard to share even when you planned to.
That kind of word-of-mouth reputation does not happen by accident. The kitchen clearly uses quality crab and treats this dish as a signature rather than a throwaway starter.
Spoonful after spoonful delivers the same consistent depth of flavor that keeps people ordering it visit after visit.
Delaware sits close enough to the Chesapeake Bay region that fresh crab is practically a local tradition, and The Palace honors that tradition well. Whether you order it as an opener before a seafood platter or as the main event on a lighter day, the crab soup earns every bit of its reputation.
If there is one dish that defines what this kitchen is capable of, many regulars would argue it is this one.
Seafood That Surprises Even the Skeptics
Stuffed Flounder filled with local jumbo lump crab meat, Stuffed Shrimp broiled and topped with imperial sauce, Crab Imperial, and Salmon Oscar are just a few of the reasons the seafood menu at The Palace has earned serious attention. These are not token fish dishes added to pad a menu; they are crafted with care and presented with pride.
One reviewer described the seafood platter as packed with shrimp, crab, scallops, and lobster, all cooked to the right texture and tasting genuinely fresh. The overall experience was called relaxing and elegant, which is high praise for a spot that also serves pizza and gyros.
Stuffed flounder earns three specific mentions in customer reviews, a small number that actually carries weight given how rarely individual dishes get called out by name. The kitchen appears to treat its seafood with the same from-scratch philosophy that drives the pizza program.
Fresh ingredients, careful preparation, and a menu that trusts the quality of what it sources make the seafood section one of the most rewarding parts of dining here.
Strombolis, Calzones, and the Art of the Fold
There is something deeply satisfying about a well-made stromboli, and The Palace has turned this baked roll into a genuine crowd-pleaser. The Palace Special Stromboli mirrors its pizza counterpart with a hearty combination of meats and vegetables wrapped in that same scratch-made dough, creating a portable feast that holds together from first bite to last.
The Buffalo Chicken Stromboli offers a spicier route, loaded with crispy chicken tenders tossed in zesty sauce before being sealed and baked to golden perfection. For those who prefer their fillings folded rather than rolled, the calzones deliver a satisfying pocket of ricotta and mozzarella, served alongside a cup of marinara for dipping.
What ties all of these together is the dough, which the kitchen makes fresh every day. That foundation transforms what could be an ordinary handheld into something worth ordering specifically.
Strombolis get four dedicated mentions in customer reviews, which is notable for a menu this large. Once you try one, the reason becomes obvious: good dough changes everything, and this kitchen knows it.
American Comfort Food Done with Conviction
The Chicken Imperial is one of those dishes that gets mentioned with a kind of reverence by people who have tried it. Perfectly cooked chicken in a rich, savory sauce is a straightforward description, but the execution is what earns the loyalty.
Classic American comfort food at The Palace does not rely on gimmicks; it relies on getting the basics right every single time.
Burgers, gyros, hot subs, and fried baskets round out a menu that covers every craving a hungry diner might show up with. The gyro earns nine separate mentions in reviews, which puts it in the same conversation as the crab soup when it comes to dishes that develop their own following.
Portions come up 36 times in customer feedback, almost always in a positive context. Guests consistently note that the food arrives in quantities that feel fair for the price, which is a refreshingly honest trade in an era when restaurant portions can feel unpredictable.
The Palace seems to understand that value is not just about cost; it is about walking away satisfied.
Salads and Starters That Deserve More Credit
The appetizer lineup at The Palace reads like a greatest hits of American bar-and-grill starters, but executed with enough care to stand apart from the average. Mozzarella sticks arrive hot and satisfyingly gooey, and one recent first-time visitor called them super before declaring the restaurant a new favorite.
Buffalo wings come both boneless and bone-in, served with celery and a choice of blue cheese or ranch.
The salad section is more substantial than most people expect. The Greek salad brings tangy feta and briny olives to the table, while the House Salad layers roast beef, ham, turkey, bacon, and provolone over crisp greens for something closer to a full meal.
Seafood lovers can opt for the Grilled Blackened Salmon Salad or the Buffalo Shrimp Salad for a spicy, protein-packed option.
Paninis earn five mentions in customer reviews, quietly building a reputation as a reliable midday choice. The garlic cheese bread arrives crispy and loaded with flavor, the kind of side dish that disappears from the table before anyone officially claims it.
These starters set a confident tone for whatever follows.
Italian Platters and Pasta Worth the Trip Alone
The Italian side of the menu at The Palace holds its own against any dedicated pasta spot in the region. Shrimp Scampi, Veal Via Maria, and hearty lasagna appear across years of customer reviews with consistent enthusiasm, suggesting the kitchen has kept these recipes steady through ownership changes and menu expansions.
Seafood Alla Vodka has a particularly devoted following among long-term regulars. One guest recalled coming back specifically to reconnect with this dish after a long absence, describing their earlier experiences with it as superb.
That kind of emotional attachment to a pasta dish is rare and speaks to the depth of flavor the kitchen manages to achieve.
The Italian platters offer generous portions that make the pricing feel genuinely fair. Whether you order chicken parmigiana, a classic pasta with marinara, or one of the more elaborate seafood preparations, the kitchen treats each plate as something worth doing properly.
The Palace earns its reputation here not by cutting corners but by sticking to preparations that have proven themselves over many years of service.
Sweet Endings and Why You Should Save Room
After working through a menu this generous, dessert might feel ambitious, but The Palace makes a compelling case for pushing through. Cheesecakes, creamy cakes, and comforting pudding round out the meal with options that feel classic rather than flashy, which suits the overall personality of the restaurant perfectly.
The beverage selection is equally thoughtful. Sodas and iced tea come with free refills, and hot chocolate, coffee, and hot tea also get the free refill treatment, which is a small but genuinely appreciated detail.
Milk, chocolate milk, and various juices ensure that younger diners have plenty of choices beyond the standard soda lineup.
This closing chapter of the meal at The Palace mirrors the entire experience: straightforward, generous, and executed with enough care to leave a good impression. The restaurant phone number is 302-422-2007 and the website is milfordpalace.com for anyone ready to check hours, browse the menu, or place an order before arrival.
After everything this kitchen offers, the only real question is how soon you can come back for more.
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