Bites Nearby: The Canalside Cup

Down South Delaware Drive, along the Delaware Canal, you’ll find the Canalside Cup, a retro little eatery with a big menu that’s open every year from March to October. Music from the 1950s plays over speakers outside while seven shaded picnic tables invite patrons to relax and enjoy the scenic view while they eat.

With the scorching heat we’re experiencing this week, perhaps the best reason to visit the Canalside Cup is their selection of ice cream--more than fifty flavors of soft-serve that is mixed right inside the walk-up restaurant.

According to owner Debra Kozic, the Cup’s black raspberry ice cream is a perennial favorite, with peanut butter close behind. Also on the list are some esoteric flavors like Almond Joy, crème de menthe, maplenut and tutti-frutti.

Besides the soft-serve, they also offer up some other frozen treats, like hard ice cream, milkshakes, Italian ice, and gelati. All of their ice cream comes from local distributors.

The hot menu is just as extensive, ranging from grilled fare like hot dogs and their popular cheeseburgers to BLTs, sweet potato fries, and a more recent addition, deep-fried beer-battered spicy pub pickles.

“People are always surprised at how big our menu is,” Kozic said. “Every year I try to add something new.”

This is Kozic’s seventh season as the owner of the Canalside Cup, which she runs with the help of her three daughters. Each season begins on the last Friday of March and ends in October, whenever the weather turns.

“If it’s a warm October, we stay open,” she explained.

The walk-up order windows make it easy to get food on-the-go, but there are also seven outside picnic tables, all of them shaded by surrounding trees that edge the property.

The nearby Delaware River makes the Cup a popular place for people fishing, tubing or hiking. Area sports teams also visit frequently for ice cream and food.

With all the local support, Kozic tries hard to keep costs down. “I want it so that people can come out for ice cream once a week with their family, not once a month,” she said.

And her menu reflects that; you’d be hard-pressed to spend more than $10 per person for food and a frozen treat.

The Canalside Cup is located at 1610 South Delaware Drive, Williams Township, a little more than four miles from the 3rd Street entrance to Route 611. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and is a cash-only establishment.