by Mike Shaw
Several years ago, a family friend visiting the Cape stumbled upon The Red Cottage Restaurant, located in the South Dennis Historic District less than two miles off Route 6. The restaurant is set up like an old-style diner in a former two and half room cottage that serves breakfast and lunch.
The Red Cottage Restaurant has a dozen notable features – literally – which necessitated a “first timers” informational webpage featuring – twelve crowd favorites. The restaurant also offers muffins, pies, and quiches as delicious takeaway options.
Originally established in 1951 by Kenneth Pareseau as a seasonal restaurant serving fresh seafood, it was sold in 1953 to the Mathieu family, who expanded it to a variety/grocery store. It was also owned by the Powers, Madeiros, Gordon and Peabody families. For the last 37 years, the Rosenbach Family has owned and operated the restaurant.
Patrons may also notice two unique offerings that prove the Red Cottage Restaurant is anything but a typical diner. First, two types of coffee are offered: regular, “diner-like” and a premium, special blend. The staff also decorates tables with placemats featuring a vintage 1950s “noontime nostalgia” menu, which was still offered on certain days of the week (well, pre-COVID). I mean, how can you pass up a Cream Cheese & Olive Sandwich or Creamed Chipped Beef? For $6.99, what a deal!
I’ve visited several times and usually have their homemade corned beef hash with sides of toast and sausage links. The homemade hash is excellent and the portions are quite generous. You should also splurge and “upgrade” to the (famous) Red Cottage Home Fries, prepared with ham, onions, peppers, and layered in hollandaise sauce.
The staff are extremely friendly and treat you like family. On two separate occasions, when the staff learned about a customer’s birthday, they dimmed the lights, sang Happy Birthday, and offered a complimentary dessert item complete with candle. Not your typical diner experience!
In short, The Red Cottage Restaurant is a gem and worthy of a special trip when visiting the Cape. One note of caution: perhaps unsurprisingly, the restaurant gets extremely busy during the peak season, with limited parking options and wait times easily passing one hour. Plan accordingly and try to arrive early – you won’t regret it!