JD Shuckers: New owners, new items, old favorites
Story Location:
Highway, DE
United States
JD Shuckers has new food on its menu, new beer at the bar and new owners who say the restaurant’s longtime customers still enjoy coming there as much as when it opened five years ago.
The restaurant is off the beaten path, and doesn’t compete with restaurants along Route 1, said Jamie Davis who co-owns the establishment with Strohm Edwards.
Davis was a partner with Alex Pires, the restaurant’s previous owner, and Edwards tended bar. They purchased and began operating the business in January.
Davis has continued to focus on food service, and Edwards manages the bar. The restaurant has kept its seafood and raw bar theme.
“We’re using fresh fish daily; we weren’t doing that before. And our beer selection is changing gradually as we run out of old stock,” Davis said.
The restaurant’s pub-style menu offers daily specials, and oysters are available at the raw bar.
“We also do some steaks, and our hamburgers and cheeseburgers are good. We have mussels, steamed shrimp and clams, which we’ve always done,” Davis said.
Chicken wings and burgers are specialties in the bar area, which the men plan to expand to occupy about half of the ground floor; the other half is for table dining. Most of the upstairs is for dining; it also has a small bar.
The partners emphasize customers not old enough to consume alcoholic beverages are allowed to sit at the bar area’s high-top tables, but they’re not allowed to sit at the bar.
The restaurant is featuring Evo craft brewing beers, Dogfish Head craft brewed ale and Yuengling beer on tap.
Thursday the restaurant features a DJ, and there’s live music Saturday.
Happy hour is in the bar area, 4 to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. “It’s a decent happy hour. We have $1 off drafts, $3 rail drinks, $1 off house wines and inexpensive food,” Edwards said.
The partners said they’re planning happy hour changes, probably expanding the menu and featuring new drinks.
Dinner is served 4 to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, and until 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Lunch is served 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Attire is casual; reservations are not required.
The restaurant is located at 20750 John J. Williams Highway (Route 24). For additional information, call 302-945-8850.
