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Antonelli’s Deli is located at 3401 Patterson Ave. in the Museum District.
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The patio at Antonelli’s Deli
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Antonelli’s baker Giustino Riccio preparing bread
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The signature sandwich bread at Antonelli’s
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Antonelli’s also offers pizzettes, personal-sized mini pizzas.
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The dining room inside Antonelli’s Deli
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Antonelli’s patio at the corner of Patterson Avenue and Roseneath Road
The baker is in the building, fresh-baked bread perfumes the air, and sandwiches are stacking up. Antonelli’s Deli, the luncheonette-style neighborhood sandwich shop from baker Giustino Riccio and Superstars Pizza owner Taylor Antonelli, is now open at 3401 Patterson Ave.
Their motto: “What are we having with the bread?” The bread: Riccio’s housemade loaves. The New Jersey native and percussionist for Richmond salsa band Bio Ritmo says he likes to focus on one thing and take his time, and over the past few months he’s gotten to know his imported Italian bread oven, testing, fine-tuning, and soliciting feedback from friends and other food lovers.
During those months of experimentation, Riccio’s father gave him an unexpected gift: a children’s book titled “Il Riccio Giustino e il dono di essere sé stessi,” whose title translates to “Giustino the Hedgehog and the Gift of Being Oneself.” The title character is a small, charismatic hedgehog, whose lesson is simple: The things that make us different can also be the things that make us special. And fittingly, Riccio — known for his unofficial uniform of a flour-dusted apron, hat and sly smile — is making something singular and unmistakably his own.
His bread resembles a pane tartaruga, a traditional Italian roll named for the tortoise-shell pattern on its crust, though Riccio says, “It’s a little different as far as the essence is concerned.” Riccio’s version is golden brown and crisp on the outside, airy and tender within, sturdy enough to support a hefty pile of fillings, with a signature score across the top. Like the hedgehog that shares his name, it’s distinctive by design.
The corner deli’s menu is simple and streamlined, paying respect to the Italian love of simple, high-quality ingredients and breadmaking while channeling the delis of the North and lunch counters of the South.
Sandwiches — all named for Antonelli’s nieces and nephews — practice restraint, relying on a short list of familiar, zippy ingredients: Bomba Calabrese (an Italian savory hot pepper and vegetable spread blending spicy Calabrian chile peppers with olive oil, eggplants, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes), extra-virgin olive oil, good meats and sharp cheeses.
The Nico stacks pastrami, Swiss, housemade slaw, hot cherry peppers and brown mustard with extra-virgin olive oil, while the Rome is a nod to an Italian hero, layering Genoa salami, capicola, mortadella and sharp provolone with vinaigrette, onion and banana peppers.
The Liam sandwich at Antonelli’s Deli
The Mira pairs thinly sliced smoked turkey with pickled red onions, dressed arugula, tomato, Duke’s Mayo and EVOO. The Liam is a Northern Italy-meets-Richmond mashup, relying on smoked turkey, a salty lift from crispy speck, the fat and acid delivered via Bomba Calabrese, and a slathering of Duke’s.
Meatballs made with a blend of beef and pork are blanketed with a slab of fresh mozzarella, marinara, basil and pecorino Romano in the Milo. The vegetarian Pepp includes broccoli rabe, smoked provolone, Bomba Calabrese and sun-dried tomato; expect Riccio to showcase seasonal produce with daily specials.
“We’re trying to create that kind of Italian-inspired deli but have our own sort of Southern luncheonette-type twist — marrying those two, the sandwiches that I’m used to ordering at [those] places with what you would see in Italy, too,” he says.
The goal, Antonelli says, is simple: Make the food accessible, both in ingredients and price point, so that people can make Antonelli’s part of their routine. “I want people to come here every week,” he says.
A sense of place is woven into the deli, with Antonelli having grown up right around the block. Framed photographs of his family, including his grandparents standing in the downtown restaurants they owned, add a sense of history to the room. The “rock on” hand gesture — one Riccio grew up seeing his grandmother make that is traditionally used to ward off evil spirits — can be spotted on the patio door and throughout the space in various tchotchkes, also has roots in Italian heritage.
A luncheonette-style seating area inside the dining room. Antonelli’s worked with James Beard Award-winning local designer Julie Roberts on the project.
Inside the deli, dark olive-toned vintage Italian tiles greet customers at the entrance, spelling out Antonelli’s; the same tiles frame the curved archway leading to a small dining room. There, a checkered tile counter in dusty hues of tomato, mustard yellow and avocado green wraps around the space and frames the view through the windows, while a pair of diner-style tables sit in front of a wall-to-wall mirror, its surface etched with Antonelli’s in a cursive swirl, along with phrases including “prego,” “allora” and “What are we having with the bread?”
A longtime Richmonder brought to the city through music, Riccio first gained a devoted following for his pizza while working at Galley in Stratford Hills. For fans who still dream of those pies, prepare for a mini reunion. Riccio’s 6-inch mini pies, dubbed pizzettes, are the cutesy cousins of his full pizzas.
Antonelli’s is waiting for approval of its ABC license and plans to introduce a spritz-forward beverage program for enjoying on the deli’s spacious patio, dotted with bistro tables and large striped umbrellas. In the coming weeks, the deli case will expand, with cold cuts available by the pound, along with a selection of breads and rolls, grab-and-go pasta salad, pimento cheese, stuffed peppers, and more. Seasonal salads and a charcuterie program will follow.
“We’re creating the space for the neighborhood,”Antonelli says. “What a great place to have a neighborhood deli. And as someone who grew up in this neighborhood, it’s amazing to know that we get to put this piece of the neighborhood here.”
Antonelli's Deli is currently open from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with plans to extend hours to 8 p.m. in the coming weeks.
