Wilmington’s Bardea Restaurant Group has started the new year strong, finishing renovations inside the DE.CO Food Hall and opening its full-service Italian restaurant and bar, Casa Nonna, last week.
The menu stands as a tribute to Bardea Chef Antimo DiMeo’s grandmothers, Maria and Italia. The menu includes classic Margherita pizza, a porchetta with broccoli rabe and classics, like spaghetti and rigatoni. Prices range from $11 to $50 with the star dish, Nonna’s Rabbit.
“It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to open a restaurant in honor of my nonnas. Both of my nonnas’ homes were places I’d find joy in, sitting around the dinner table and spending time together,” DiMeo told the Delaware Business Times.
The chef, who was once again nominated as a semifinalist on James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef list, said the vision of the restaurant is to be an ode for his grandmothers’ incredible skills, as well as the influence that shaped his culinary career.
“The dishes on our menu are directly inspired by recipes I grew up eating. I hope everyone feels the love we’ve put into this restaurant to honor not only my nonnas’ cooking, but ‘grandma cuisine’ from every cozy kitchen from every corner of the world,” he said.
The opening of Casa Nonna also signals a new chapter for Bardea, as the rising restaurant group has taken management of the DE.CO Food Hall, on the first floor of the Hotel duPont, from Buccini/Pollin Group (BPG). The Wilmington development group is well known for its years of investment in the city – specifically with turning old office buildings into apartment complexes – and bought Hotel duPont in 2017.
BPG was among the first to open a food hall concept in Wilmington, shortly followed by Johnson Commercial Real Estate with Chancery Market. The goal, BPG co-president Chris Buccini said, was to create a food venue that would evolve over time and the new management structure plays a major role in that. In
“It was never meant for BPG to be the manager, as this is not a core business of ours,” Buccini said in an email to DBT. “It is very exciting to have Bardea, one of the leading restaurant groups in the United States, continuing to grow and invest from their original pizza stall, into the Mexican stall, into now managing and opening a restaurant. They will bring the service, ambiance, and experience to the next level that Wilmington deserves.”
Bardea has been on the rise since it first took a bet on Wilmington in 2018 when it opened its 120-seat restaurant on Market Street. That first restaurant, Bardea, was named after the goddess of food and drink. Over the years, the group has added Bardea Steak, the outdoor dining venue, Garden at Bardea, and a pizza and taco stall at DE.CO food hall.
In DE.CO, the restaurant group now has Pizzeria Bardea, Taqueria El Chingon, and Bean by Bardea, a new coffee concept. A Mediterranean food option, Sumac, is coming soon, along with stalls to be announced. Al’s Sushi will also remain inside the food hall.
Bardea co-owner Scott Stein said the timing was right and the opportunity was there with DE.CO. He estimated the cost of renovations inside the food hall to be more than $1 million.
“Many of the operators were not from downtown. Ultimately, we are making sure DE.CO food hall will be one of the best food halls in the country,” Stein said. “When you’re as passionate as we are, and when you put the time in, good things result. People trust us and believe in us, and that’s important.”
Casa Nonna, which opened Feb. 3, serves dinner six days a week, Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Guests can make reservations on OpenTable.
This story was written by Jordan McClements. Katie Tabeling contributed to this report.
