Matt's Fish Camp 2.0 set to open in Lewes

Matt's Fish Camp Lewes will honor company founder Matt Haley while also offering a great new restaurant experience in the Cape Region, says SoDel Concepts President Scott Kammerer.

Before Haley's death during a philanthropic trip to India in 2014, Kammerer said, it was his hope to expand the brand. The company did not open a new restaurant last year, but Kammerer always had a second Matt's Fish Camp restaurant in mind. It was about finding the right location, he said.

He believes he found it in the former Donut Connection/ Lazy Susan's spot in Tenley Court on the southbound side of Route 1, south of Wawa. The restaurant used the same footprint, with an interior space built where an outdoor patio once stood. Even with the expansion, Matt's Fish Camp is cozy at 2,800 square feet, seating about 80 people.

“It doesn't have to be huge and over decorated to have character and be a place where you feel welcome,” Kammerer said. “The building suited the concept.”

The concept is a humble seafood shack that offers the feel of a summer picnic.

Heading up the kitchen is executive chef Maurice Catlett. Catlett has been with the company for eight years, and he has worked in five of the company's restaurants, most recently at Fish On in Lewes.

Catlett's menu features many favorites from SoDel's Northeast Seafood Kitchen in Ocean View, Bluecoast in Bethany Beach and Catch 54 in Fenwick Island. It also has a number of best sellers from the original Matt's Fish Camp, just south of the Indian River Inlet, including the award-winning lobster roll and popular Ipswich clams. The new restaurant also has a full raw bar. For customers who may not want to go the seafood route, there's chicken pot pie, country fried steak and barbecue chicken in what the restaurant calls its Coastal Comfort Classics.

To complement the menu, the restaurant offers a wide selection of drink options. Matt Patton, director of operations, said the bar will have six draft beers and 20 more in bottle and can, with a primary focus on local and regional craft brews. The wine list will feature of brands known to pair well with seafood, although, wine director Mike Zygmonski has selected a few lesser-known wines he believes will work well with the menu too. Matt's Homemade Sodas are available as well.

Kammerer said he is very pleased with the outcome at Matt's Fish Camp and is eager to open the doors Sunday, June 12. The restaurant will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

“We're immensely proud of this as a company,” he said. “We spent a lot of time and energy and really planned this one very well. When we build restaurants, we want to make it a wonderful experience for the guests, but also a wonderful experience for the people who are working here.”

Matt's Fish Camp Lewes is located at 34401 Tenley Court, Lewes. For more information, call 302-644-CAMP (2267).