The owners of Bardea Food & Drink have opened a taqueria in the DECO Food Hall in downtown Wilmington.
It’s the second food stall for partners Scott Stein and Antimo DiMeo who already operate Pizzeria Bardea at DECO. The food hall is located inside the DuPont Building at 10th and Orange streets.
The Bardea team also is putting finishing touches on a new city steakhouse that will be opening shortly at 620 N. Market St. near their flagship Bardea Food & Drink contemporary Italian restaurant, also on Market Street.
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Bardea co-owner Scott Stein said he doesn’t yet have a firm date on the steakhouse’s opening. The partners are still waiting for furniture to be delivered and there have been some supply chain issues, he said.
DECO Food Hall, with its eight food stalls, opened in April 2019. Just as it was nearing its one-year anniversary, it was forced to temporarily close March 2020 through September 2020 as part of a state mandate halting indoor dining at the state’s eating establishments due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The food hall bounced back and has been operating even though many city workers haven’t yet returned full-time to downtown office buildings. The hall has had two vacant slots in recent months including the spot that had formerly been occupied by a Vietnamese stall called Phubs.
Stalls still operating include the Bardea pizzeria, Connie’s Chicken & Waffles, Al Chu’s Sushi, Spark*d pastry and coffee, Stu & Sammy’s delicatessen, and Green Box Kitchen smoothies and bowls.
Taqueria el Chingon has taken over the Phubs site, Stein said and began serving customers on Wednesday.
The fusion taco and burrito menu (items are between $5 to $10) include varieties such as beef cheek with barbacoa, mole verde and mango mostarda; pork al pastor with pineapple, togarashi, lime and peppadew remoulade; chorizo with chipotle, corn salsa and queso fresco; and mushroom asada with pumpkin seed chimchurri, aji amarillo crema, and cotija cheese.
Stein said while executive chef DiMeo usually concentrates on Italian-style dishes, Taqueria el Chingon will be highlighting spins on Mexican foods. It mostly will be foods that staff members have cooked and eaten as a part of “family meal” which employees enjoy before regular service begins at Bardea Food & Drink.
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“Family meal at Bardea became our favorite time of day, as our team cooked some of the most incredible food from their native cultures for the staff,” the Bardea partners wrote on posts on their social media sites.
“We wanted to figure out a way to share that greatness with the rest of Wilmington.”
Bardea became a major player on Delaware’s hospitality scene when the James Beard Foundation Award in 2019 named it one of the country’s best new restaurants. President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden have dined at the restaurant and Olympic commentator Johnny Weir recently gave the restaurant a shout-out.
Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico
