Pizza is soon to be the newest addition to the Delmar Maker District. Del Bono is the next concept from restaurateur Ben Poremba and the team at Bengelina Hospitality Group. The restaurant opening is set for the end of June at 5232-B Delmar Blvd. in the Maker’s Yard, also the current home of Bengelina restaurant Nixta.
Poremba has been a champion of Delmar for years, and he’s placing Del Bono there as a continuation of intentional restaurant development. “We’ve always been interested in wood-fired cooking, so this is a natural extension of our other concepts,” Poremba said. “It fits our idea of growing the Delmar Maker District with different concepts in one main hub with different price points so we can host people from a variety of communities. We wanted something a little more casual, a little more family-friendly. The name is a nod to Delmar and means ‘of the good.’”
Classic wood-fired pizzas start at $15 with ingredients focused on quality over quantity. Several of the pizzas feature Del Bono’s unique cheese blend of smoked mozzarella, asiago and provolone. Toppings range from pepperoni and salsiccia to mushrooms and anchovies.
The seasonal and experimental pizza menu is subject to change, but guests can expect features like the Greca: a pie with spiced lamb, ricotta, oregano and chili crisp. The Roma is inspired by cacio e pepe and includes artichokes, black garlic and Romano cheese.
The menu also includes salads, shareable snacks and mozzarella-based antipasto. The curated cocktail menu features a variety of spritzes, martinis and negronis, along with beer and house wines available by the glass or bottle.
While reservations will be available, Del Bono prides itself on being walk-in friendly, with a large section of the restaurant devoted to that availability. Takeout is welcome, and on Sundays, the restaurant will be open an extra hour specifically for takeout orders.
Del Bono will have the largest seating capacity of all the Bengelina restaurants so far. The restaurant comes equipped with a copper oven, which inspired the decor throughout the space. The dark, sleek colors bring an elegance to a casual restaurant designed for the whole family, and a mural by local artist Julie Heller ties the look together.
Del Bono isn’t the only Bengelina spot headed to the Maker’s Yard; established brunch locale Florentin relocated there on May 29. The site hosts multiple restaurants that surround a central greenspace. It was also formerly the home of locations of Steve’s Hot Dogs and The Fountain before being hit by last year’s tornado.
“We’re still in recovery mode,” Poremba said of the Maker’s Yard. “There was a lot of exterior damage. Some things are still not fully functioning, but we feel blessed that we didn’t have a ton of structural damage.”
For Poremba, adding restaurants to Delmar and the Maker’s Yard isn’t about convenience of proximity; it’s an intentional investment in a long-rejected part of the city.
“Delmar is a cultural front porch of St. Louis. I’m serious about getting St. Louis to become a better place by filling the streets of Delmar,” Poremba said. “It’s the most recognizable street name in St. Louis in and outside of our city. Historically, there was a negative stigma around this area, and we’re contributing to a more positive narrative. Think of the Maker’s Yard as a community hub you can come to multiple times a week. Bring the family to hang out for a few hours on the weekend.”
Del Bono will be open from 5-10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 12-6 p.m. for dine-in, but until 7 p.m. for takeout, on Sunday.
Florentin is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday at 5248 Delmar Blvd. Both are located in the Delmar Maker’s Yard.