What am I going to do without easy access to amazing pizza?
That question plagued me when I moved from Brooklyn to Richmond in 2024. Of course, I’ve since discovered that Richmond has plenty of delicious pizza joints. However, I often still find myself missing the linoleum-tiled hole-in-the-wall pizzerias I frequented in New York. Needless to say, I was overjoyed when I heard about Richmond’s newest pizza venture: Pizzeria Delores.
Longtime friends Max Sayer and Jacky Welch recently opened the Sicilian-style pizza restaurant at 3001 West Clay St. on the corner of Altamont Avenue in Scott’s Addition. The restaurant is currently open Thursday through Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m.
Pizzeria Delores is located at 3001 West Clay St. on the corner of Altamont Avenue in Scott’s Addition.
According to Welch, the pizzeria has been the duo’s shared dream for nine years. Restaurant veteran Welch, a native New Yorker, grew up eating Sicilian-style pizza during his youth on Long Island and has loved it ever since. For Atlanta native Sayer, who has over two decades of restaurant experience under his belt, he found that Sicilian-style slices were hard to come by and he savored any chance he had to devour one of the upside-down pies.
“We both just started talking about how passionate we are about the style and decided to pursue making the best Sicilian-inspired pizza that we could,” explains Welch. “Upside-down Sicilians or sauce-on-top is a classic method of making Sicilian-style pizza. We love the way it looks and the way it eats, with the blanket of sauce and toppings over the melty cheese.”
Jacky Welch says of their style: “Upside-down Sicilians or sauce-on-top is a classic method of making Sicilian-style pizza. We love the way it looks and the way it eats, with the blanket of sauce and toppings over the melty cheese.”
Even before reading their menu, I was enamored with the concept when I learned where the restaurant’s name originated. Pizzeria Delores is named after “one of the world’s greatest dogs—Jacky’s long-lost legendary American Bulldog, Delores.”
Although Welch notes that at times, the development of the restaurant “seemed like a dream too far-fetched [to accomplish], through sheer determination and a lot of help from our community, we have been able to make our dream come to life.” Once Sayer and Welch secured their patio-clad single-story brick storefront, they set about making the space feel like a “cozy, classic New York pizzeria with some modern elements incorporated into it.” They worked with Julie Roberts (“a true visionary”) on the interior design of the space and Matt Scott Barnes (“he is tremendous”) for the logo and branding of the restaurant.
The owners worked with Julie Roberts (“a true visionary”) on the interior design of the space and Matt Scott Barnes (“he is tremendous”) for the logo and branding of the restaurant.
The resulting pizzeria concept that Sayer and Welch created is “something that we feel is unique,” Welch says. “We decided that we weren’t gonna hold back and we are going to embrace all the things we love in pizza and incorporate it into our own take on Sicilian-style pizza.”
And so far, the community reception has been outstanding. The first time I tried to get my hands on a slice, I was unsuccessful because of just how many other Richmonders had the same idea. As I approached the block in Scott’s Addition where Pizzeria Delores is located, I was struck by two things. One, the red-brick corner spot is adorable. And second, the horde of eager Richmonders milling about while waiting for their pizza was equal parts impressive to behold and disappointing for my stomach and tastebuds.
What combinations of flavors manage to attract such a crowd?
The House Pie #1 is another offering that’s extremely popular, according to Sayer and Welch. The pie has Ezzo pepperoni, whipped ricotta, red sauce, aged mozzarella cheese, marinara tomatoes, roasted jalapeños, wild Calabrian oregano, Pecorino Romano cheese and homemade spicy honey drizzle.
Welch describes the dish as savory, creamy, herbaceous and spicy.
Sayer and Welch meticulously crafted myriad specialty combos, but customers can also build their own pizzas. Welch notes that the pair wanted “to create a balanced menu that harkens back to familiar pizza combinations, but with our own style. We love all our combos so much that we don’t really have one that is our absolute favorite, and we mean that.”
He shares that the D-Lo Special is an especially notable offering. It has homemade Italian pork sausage, red peppers, fresh basil, pizza sauce, marinara tomatoes, aged mozzarella cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese and wild Calabrian oregano. Welch suggests diners dip it in the pizzeria’s homemade ranch that’s included with every pie. This experience will leave you in “pizza heaven” says Welch, who suggests diners eat the corners of the pizza first.
The House Pie #1 is another offering that’s extremely popular, according to Sayer and Welch. The pie has Ezzo pepperoni, whipped ricotta, red sauce, aged mozzarella cheese, marinara tomatoes, roasted jalapeños, wild Calabrian oregano, Pecorino Romano cheese and homemade spicy honey drizzle. Welch describes the dish as savory, creamy, herbaceous and spicy.
Beyond the specialty offerings, “customers love to get creative and have really had us making some killer pies,” Welch shares. “The Red Top Deluxe is our take on a cheese or Margherita-type pizza. It’s beautifully simple, yet has so much depth and complexity for a cheese pizza. One thing people have been doing is adding whipped ricotta to the Red Top Deluxe. That’s an absolute pro move.”
Ultimately, Sayer and Welch hope that customers experience their vision holistically—from the pizza to the restaurant space and the vibe as a whole. “We want it to feel nostalgic and familiar with an understanding that it’s new and unique as well. We want people to feel like they just had an amazing experience,” says Welch.
And people are already having that exact reaction. According to Welch, the response has been unbelievable: “We hope we are creating something that Richmond can be proud of. The support has been overwhelming at times. We have both lived around the country, and the community in Richmond is something that really sets the city apart. We feel so fortunate to be a part of it.”
Pizzeria Delores (3001 W. Clay St.) is open Thursday-Sunday, 5-10 p.m.
