Following a dream in which two guys owned a pizza shop, Pizzeria Delores opened its doors in Scott’s Addition on Aug. 20.
Owners Max Sayer and Jacky Welch have recreated a 1970s to 1980s pizza parlor right in the middle of Scott’s Addition, complete with Formica tables, wood-paneled walls and bench seating. The tiny space has an orange counter, walnut stools and vintage Schlitz chandeliers over the booths.
Pizzeria Delores at 3001 W. Clay St. adds to Scott’s Addition’s growing mix of restaurants and neighborhood businesses beyond the breweries that first put the area on the map.
Sayer, from Atlanta, and Welch, from Long Island, got together in Richmond to launch Pizzeria Delores, named after Welch’s dog.
Pizzeria Delores focuses on Sicilian pies.
“I just grew up eating it outside New York on Long Island,” Welch said. “We just love the edges and the crusts.”
As to what makes their crusts so special — the critical component of the Sicilian pie — Sayer said, “It was just a labor of love.”
“And we also cheese it all the way to each edge of the pan, so it has like a fried cheese kind of crust around,” Welch added.
Pies cost $21 to $35 and run the gamut from red to veggie, and sausage to (cupping) pepperoni and ricotta. There is also the option to create your own pie ($23) that comes with red sauce and mozzarella, with toppings priced a la carte.
“We really wanted to have a menu that touches every sort of spectrum of what we wanted to serve, and what people would enjoy in our style of pizza,” Sayer said.
Dining and Cooking