Delmar’s Maker’s Yard is about to smell a lot more like wood smoke and melted mozzarella. Chef and restaurateur Ben Poremba is opening Del Bono, a new wood-fired pizzeria tucked inside the Delmar Maker District and built around a gleaming, handcrafted oven. The neighborhood-minded spot will serve personal 12-inch pizzas, soft-serve gelato and Italian-style cocktails in a sleek dining room that Poremba describes as approachable, relaxed and family friendly, meant as a casual counterpoint to his other projects.
According to St. Louis Magazine, Del Bono is set to open June 18 at 5232-B Delmar Blvd in the Maker’s Yard. The dining room will seat about 75 guests, with another 25 to 35 seats on the front patio. The team plans to host private events while still holding a chunk of the room for walk-ins. As reported by St. Louis Magazine, hours are slated for 5 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
What to Expect From the Menu
Sauce Magazine reports that Del Bono will center on five core pizzas that guests can customize, plus a rotating cast of more experimental pies. Early names on the board include the Greca and the Roma, and classic pies are expected to start around $15. The pizzas will be supported by salads and mozzarella-heavy antipasti, with a soft-serve gelato program carrying dessert duty. On the drinks side, Sauce Magazine notes that the bar is leaning into spritzes, martinis and Negronis to keep the mood low-key and Italian-ish. Reservations will be available, but the team is treating walk-in service as a nonnegotiable part of the concept.
Design and the Oven
The space has been overhauled by architect Patrick Knobloch of Mademan, with the whole room visually orbiting around a copper-toned wood-fired oven built on site by Scott Barden of Maine Oven Craft. The oven features a French-engineered Le Panyol core, according to St. Louis Magazine. Local artist Julie Heller added a mural that runs across the dining room’s black walls, while copper pots suspended from the ceiling echo the oven’s metallic finish. The layout is designed to flex, so sections can be carved out for private events without wiping out the options for spur-of-the-moment diners.
Why Del Bono Matters for Delmar
The opening marks another investment in the Delmar corridor and the Maker’s Yard, a cluster of shops and restaurants that has been rebuilding since the 2025 tornado, according to the Delmar Maker District. Hoodline previously highlighted Bengelina’s Delmar footprint in a story titled Florentin Hops Up Delmar, and Poremba has cast Del Bono as part of a broader effort to bring everyday foot traffic back to the strip. As Sauce Magazine notes, he has framed the project as a way to give neighborhood families an affordable, regular dining option close to home.
When it opens, Del Bono will rank among the largest dining rooms in the Bengelina family of restaurants, and the team says it plans to keep a mix of bookable space and seats held back for spontaneous visits. Locals can keep an eye on neighborhood listings and the Maker’s Yard calendar for word on any soft-open happenings or tweaks to the schedule as opening day approaches.
