WILMINGTON — The Bardea Restaurant Group opened Roost Pub & Kitchen on Market Street last night and owner Scott Stein said he hopes the restaurant will serve as a “love letter” to Wilmington.
Roost, which is located at the same spot that housed the former Stitch House Brewing for years, spans 6,000 square feet and seats 170 people.
Bardea had a tighter budget for Roost which lent to a light remodel for the place. The restaurant includes a mixture of high and low tables, as well as a 19-seat bar.
“We just want to make it comfortable for our guests, and a lot of the direction was based on the feedback from the community and filling a gap in downtown,” Stein told the Delaware Business Times. “The best way I can put it is sometimes, when I’m out with my family I want a casual meal. The menu is designed for lunch, dinner or late at night. There’s something there for everyone.”
Roost was designed to be a cozy neighborhood pub that includes televisions to watch a game as well as being able to get a top-notch burger or try something new, like the cheesesteak bao buns. The menu, shaped by
James Beard-nominated chef Antimo DiMeo and Roost general manager Samantha Costa, highlights classic comfort food small plates like deviled eggs, pierogies and more.
No beer is brewed on site, but the Bardea group has not entirely ruled out the possibility.
With the remodeling costs at least twice as high when the restaurateurs built Bardea in 2018, Bardea opted for slight renovations this time around to improve the guest experience, like adding wood and fabrics to make it more inviting for customers. Low Edison light bulbs and quirky wallpaper also help to “warm the place up a bit,” Stein said.
The Bardea Restaurant Group took over the space at 829 N. Market St. in 2024 after
Stitch House closed and Daniel Sheridan and Robert Snowberger approached the group with the intention to sell.
Looking back, Stein describes it as an unexpected opportunity that came with challenges. Bardea was just starting to manage
DE.CO Food Hall and work on opening Casa Nonna inside at the time.
“We weren’t looking for other projects, and when they came to us, we said we were too busy. But when we saw the place, we fell in love with it and we saw the void for a casual place,” he said.
Taking on
DE.CO alone offered an extreme challenge in incorporating Bardea’s high standards across various concepts like Mediterranean food and a coffee shop while staffing. At times, Stein said it fractured the group’s infrastructure to maintain the existing Bardea venues while working to hire new people.
“But that’s where I have faith in our team, and at the end of the day, I’m super proud of being able to operate all our concepts. Even if it’s a casual bar concept, it’s our name on it. When people come in, we want to blow them away with excellent service, food and an experience,” he said.
With Roost now open for business, Bardea now has three other concepts: Bardea Food & Drink, Bardea Steak, Casa Nonna, as well as management of
DE.CO. Stein pushes back on the idea that Bardea is building an empire in Wilmington’s business district, instead positioning the restaurateurs as ambitious and hustling.
“We’re working insanely hard, and I think we’ve fell in love with Wilmington. I often joke that Roost is a love letter to downtown. We want other restaurants and bars, we don’t want to be just it,” he said. “I think what we’ve created is a reason for a whole new crowd from all areas, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, to come here.”
“We call Wilmington the best-kept secret food destination in the country. I think we’re just identifying needs that need to come here,” Stein added.
