New gourmet pizza inW. Delray Beach
Inside Pizzeria Sophia, a new restaurant in West Delray Beach, there are vintage photos of old pizza parlors and a few blackand-whites of celebrities— like Frank Sinatra— eating pizza.
But there is only one color photo and that is of movie goddess Sophia Loren.
“I always loved Sophia Loren,” Frank Crupi says. “I have this picture of her making a pizza in the kitchen, Iwould say itwas in the mid to late Fifties. I always knew Iwanted that inmy place.
So, we’re thinking about names [for the restaurant]. One day I just said, ‘Pizzeria Sophia’ and everyone said, ‘Yeah, that works.’”
The Pizzeria Sophia had a soft opening thisweek at 15065 S. State Road 7 (441andWest Atlantic Avenue). Just blocks from West Delray Regional Park, the casual eatery is in a shopping center wrapped around a Wawa convenience store. For more information, call 561-359-2606 or go to PizzeriaSophia.com.
“I’m not on East Atlantic Ave-
nue [the dining/entertainment enclave],” Crupi says. “I’m farwest. I’m west of the [Florida] Turnpike. Basically, there’s nothing out here yet except for residential developments. Wewant to be the local place for the residents.”
The Miami Shores resident says that he and his wife are looking to relocate to the Delray Beach/Boca Raton area.
“The last seven years I’ve been playing baseball … andmy baseball team is based out of Boca Raton. We’re the Southern Yankees. All these years, I fell in love with the area. My wife always wanted to move up here,” Crupi says.
Pizza power (and plenty of patio) pummels pandemic
There’s plenty of room for Pizzeria Sophia to spread out. The inside dining room can seat 75 and the al fresco patio can
match that number, which Crupi says is a big plus in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
“You don’t want to benefit from things that are going on that are negative,” he explains. “Butwe have a tremendous outdoor patio, which is very comforting for people whowant to dine out, but are very aware of COVID.”
He adds, “The pizza parlor is one of the few things in the hospitality industry that is sustainable because it is so conducive to take-out and bringing it home to eat.”
The restaurant features a nostalgic vibe, harkening back to Crupi growing up in South New Jersey and South Philadelphia. There is a classic pizza oven that is the focal point of the interior, and design details include subway tiles and Chicago brick that covers the pizza oven and front counter.
The menu… as of now Pizzeria Sophia is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday
Saturday but expands to full dining hours in the next fewweeks.
Also, the restaurant is currently offering a limited menu, for now.
Standout dishes include: ■ The Sophia, the signature margherita pizza with mozzarella, tomato sauce,
Parmesan, basil and extra virgin olive oil for $12 (small) or $20 (large).
■ The Meatball Parmesan Sandwich with housemade meatballs, tomato sauce, provolone and oregano on an Italian hoagie roll for $10.
■ The Sophia Salad with
mixed romaine and radicchio, bell peppers, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, kalamata olives and a house-made parmesan vinaigrette for $8 (small) or $11 (large).
Other pizzas are $14 for a small and $24 for a large. You can also get eggplant
parmigiana and lasagna for $14 each or roasted chicken and potatoes for $16.
There are also starters/ appetizers, panuozzo sandwiches, desserts aswell as wine and beer.
For the full menu, go to PizzeriaSophia.com/menu.