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The exterior of Pizzeria Delores, now open in Scott’s Addition at 3001 W. Clay St. (Photo by On Three Photography)
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The bar at Pizzeria Delores (Photo by Jacky Flav)
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The House Pie #1 at Pizzeria Delores (Photo by Jacky Flav)
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The Andre Benjamin at Pizzeria Delores (Photo by Jacky Flav)
Entering Pizzeria Delores feels like stepping onto a thoughtfully designed film set. As the door closes behind you, the brick corner building gives way to something sleek and cinematic. Wood-paneled walls meet block-patterned floors, and curved mustard-yellow booths sit beneath stained-glass Schlitz chandeliers that cast a warm glow. Iconic red plastic tumblers dot the tables, all framed by a back wall stacked high with pizza boxes branded “Hot and Heavy.”
It’s a full-on nostalgia-inducing, atmospheric trip, evoking flashbacks to family-owned slice joints or Italian neighborhood spots, but with enough polish that it feels entirely its own. The room is cozy, retro and remarkably deliberate.
Inside the kitchen, just to the left of the Italian pizza oven and out of sight from guests, is a phrase on the wall: “No energy for swimming back.” It’s a slightly dark, but apt sentiment for longtime friends Jacky Welch and Max Sayer, who spent nearly a decade dreaming of opening a pizza shop together. Eventually, they say, all their talk had to amount to a decision: It was time to do the damn thing. That commitment came to fruition on Aug. 21 when they introduced their Sicilian-inspired counter-service restaurant at 3001 W. Clay St. in Scott’s Addition.
“For me, we’ve been talking about this forever, but for us to actually do it was a big risk,” Sayer says. “We sort of made a pact that OK, now’s the time to do this. I always kind of had it in my mind when I was young, when I started working at a pizzeria in high school, that I’d love to have this one day and open a pizzeria. And now you’re sitting in it.”
The dining room inside Pizzeria Delores is the result of a collaboration with award-winning local designer Julie Roberts. (Photo by Jacky Flav)
Consider this the pair’s second act, having arrived at pizza from different directions.
A Richmond native and self-described restaurant industry lifer, Sayer’s first foray into pizzas-making began in high school. Locally, he’s worked at Joe’s Inn and was on the opening bar team of the bygone Jackson Ward restaurant Saison before bouncing around kitchens in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle. The West Coast gave him a crash course in pizza, where he helmed ovens of every style while continuing to experiment at home.
“When we started deciding we wanted to do this, I was working in pizzerias, and I started just researching, practicing everything I could,” Sayer says. “Everything I did was kind of geared towards doing this one day. I really had a purpose when I came into work at all these different places.”
Welch’s connection to pizza is rooted more in memory. Growing up in New York on Long Island, he was surrounded by the kind of food culture that gave even humble slice shops a certain romance. He can still picture his childhood stomping grounds just blocks from his house. “It was in a strip mall, a hole in the wall, but with these exact booths — red and orange counters, and the energy of just watching the pizza makers,” Welch says. “It’s just very high paced. I always loved counter service. My whole life I had great pizza growing up in Long Island.”
And although Welch hasn’t worked in the food industry since his deli days as a teenager, he was part of another industry focused squarely on hospitality. For most of his career, he stood behind a barber’s chair. “I’ve just always kind of had people-facing jobs,” he says.
A casual call between the friends finally turned their shared ambition into action. Sayer moved back to Virginia, and the pair quit their jobs. Together, their backgrounds form the foundation for Pizzeria Delores: Sayer’s technical obsession with dough and restaurant operations paired with Welch’s knack for creating a sense of place.
Named for Welch’s late bulldog, Delores, the pizza concept made its pop-up debut last summer at Susie’s Delicatessen, selling over 100 pies to a line stretching out the door. Through rigorous R&D sessions, they honed their signature thick crust.
“It’s a special thing,” says Sayer, who is of Sicilian descent and recently traveled to the island. “We went on this quest to figure out our version of the best Sicilian-style pizza we could make.”
Pizza road trips followed, with the pals popping into some of the most renowned slice destinations across New York’s five boroughs. They say, however, that their goal isn’t to chase strict tradition, rather to be explicitly themselves.
“We were almost like, ‘Do we call it Sicilian-ish?’ Because we’re not making purist pizza,” Welch says. “I have always thought it’s really important to respect tradition, but I wouldn’t want to be bound by it. We’re making the best version of this pizza, that’s our version, and we’re really proud of what we put together.”
The Double Pepp at Pizzeria Delores (Photo by Jacky Flav)
Typically, Sicilian pizza, known as sfincione (meaning “thick sponge”), is baked in a pan to create an airy, spongy dough with a crisp base. Taking cues from this tradition while bending the rules to create a distinctly Delores style, the shop bakes its dough in oiled pans, resulting in square slices with a golden, almost fried bottom and a soft, dense crumb. While the structure feels similar to focaccia or Detroit-style pizza, it’s less airy and bouncy, with a tighter chew and crunch that serves as a sturdy canvas for toppings. That thick, resilient crust also means the slices reheat well the next day, snapping right back. Lacy frico — shards of crispy fried cheese — envelops the edges, and every pie is served with a ramekin of housemade ranch.
For now, the menu consists of signature pies and a make-your-own option.
A no frills Red Top Deluxe comes with fresh basil, wild oregano and roasted garlic oil, while the House Pie #1 features tomato sauce, aged mozzarella, pepperoni, seasoned ricotta, roasted jalapenos and spicy honey. House Italian sausage, Mama Lil’s peppers, onion and a swizzle of Rosi’s Hot Oil distinguish the D-Lo Special, while the Double Pepp is covered in a dense blanket of crispy pepperoni cups.
The Veggie Mobb packs cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced onions, banana peppers, Kalamata olives, Mama Lil’s peppers, and roasted jalapeno and garlic, while the cheeseless and pungent Andre Benjamin has red sauce, seasoned bread crumbs and garlic three ways — fresh, roasted and in oil form, all brightened by basil.
The “Hot and Heavy” slogan stamped across the pizza boxes is fitting, as the pies deliver serious heft with nine thick, square slices per box layered with cheese beneath the sauce. Inside the restaurant, the setup is streamlined and casual: Guests order up front at the counter before claiming a spot at the bar, sliding into a booth or heading out to the front patio. For those on the move, or if the dining room is full, there is a dedicated walk-up takeout window.
The beverage menu features two house cocktails, a cherry Bruscola — draft Lambrusco wine topped with cherry coke and lemon — alongside a classic Negroni. Beers skew light and crushable, ranging from “Blue Rocky Mountain Water” (aka Coors Banquet) to local favorites including The Veil Brewing Co.’s Master Shredder, plus bottles of Pacifico, Potter’s Craft Cider and Suntory Vodka seltzer.
Nostalgia carries through to the single dessert item: Fat Boy ice cream sandwiches, the old-school freezer-section treat known for leaving a sticky chocolate-wafer residue on your fingertips.
That detail speaks to the broader spirit of the shop: At its core, Pizzeria Delores sells more than pizza; it delivers a definitive feeling. To pull that off, the owners took over the building previously occupied by ice pop purveyors King of Pops last year, transforming the shell into the pizza parlor they had envisioned. They collaborated with designer Julie Roberts, who has lent her touch to local restaurants Lost Letter, Lillian, The Brooklyn and Antonelli’s Deli.
Of himself and his partner, Welch says, “We’re 41, so we have to do something that we want to drink at, we want to eat at. It’s important to be in a space that you like every day. There’s going to be modern touches, but it’s going to be rooted in really classic stuff. Our space has that, our pizza has that.”
That timeless attitude is reflected in the staff’s uniforms: crisp white button-downs and matching hats with “Pizzeria Delores” embroidered in deep red. Inside, beneath a mirrored ceiling, an orange-topped bar with swivel stools faces oxblood-red wall tiles that pop against sleek stainless steel, and framed black-and-white photographs of New York dot the walls. Each booth is set with a small vase and a flickering candle. A vintage wall clock sourced from Mechanicsville adds a local touch, while vintage tunes spin on the sound system.
“And that really is a huge part of our entire ethos and perspective for this entire thing,” Welch says. “It’s the same with our food. We want to do something that feels familiar, because we feel like that’s really important, something we really wanted.”
After years of talking, researching, road-tripping and experimenting, there is not much left for the pair to do but lean into the world they’ve built with intention.
“We’re just going to trust our point of view, our perspective, our taste,” Welch says. “Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully, people dig it like we do. But when you give someone a great pie, it’s game over.”
Pizzeria Delores is open Thursday through Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m.
