Coco Mango expands business to Love Creek

For those stuck in traffic on Route 24, an oasis awaits in the most unexpected place.

That place is Coco Mango Island Grille, located just off the Love Creek Bridge next to the Residences at Rehoboth Bay condominiums. 

Coco Mango is the brainchild of Brandon Mays Jr. and his father, Brandon Mays Sr. Brandon Sr. has been cooking in the Cape Region for years and previously had a Lewes-based Coco Mango on Henlopen Drive. He brought back the name in the form of a food truck in the mid-2010s, and that's where Brandon Jr. got started working with him. Brandon Jr. has also cooked at restaurants around the region, including Big Fish. 

While they continue to operate the food truck – it’s at Mispillion River Brewing in Milford every Saturday – they recently opened a physical location off Route 24.

Coco Mango specializes in island-style barbecue with favorites such as shrimp tacos, jerk chicken and pulled pork. Brandon Jr. said a lot of the ideas came from his dad, whose love of the islands comes from his love of reggae music and artists such as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.

“We like to push the island vibe, like something you can find out there. We have the food that fits it, and we want the ambiance as well,” Brandon Jr. said.

Besides a full menu, Coco Mango also has specials for Taco Tuesday, usually involving a different style of meat. And while the food truck remains a priority, the Mays duo is looking to up Coco Mango’s profile, starting with opening an inside dining space at the Route 24 location, which comes with video games and a pool table, in addition to a cornhole set in the outside area. Besides their own full menu, Brandon Jr. said the restaurant also serves key lime pie from the Backyard restaurant in Milton. Eventually, the goal is to have alcohol service and to continue to expand into the community. Brandon Jr. said Coco Mango is working to do future events with The Shepherd’s House in Georgetown, a charity that works to feed the homeless. 

“We love to cook. We love to work together. It coincides very well,” Brandon Jr. said. “We’ve been doing this for a while now, but now we’re trying to take the next step and keep evolving our business.”

Coco Mango is open from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday and noon to 6 p.m. on the weekends. For more information, go to www.facebook.com/cocomangogrille.