Delaware Restaurant Named to USA TODAY’s Restaurants of the Year 2025 List
A Wilmington, Delaware, restaurant has taken top honors in USA Today’s list of best restaurants in the United States. The USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year 2025 list added Bardea Food & Drink in Wilmington to this recognition, along with 43 restaurants ranging from fine-dining restaurants to burger shacks.
Bardea Food & Drink is a hip, progressive Italian restaurant in downtown Wilmington. Since owner Scott Stein and Executive Chef Antimo DiMeo opened the restaurant in 2018, Bardea Food & Drink has gained praise from its customers. The restaurant and DiMeo have each been nominated for James Beard Awards. In 2024, Bardea was selected by The White House to cook for former President Joe Biden’s 2024 Quad Summit in Delaware.
Among the highlights of Bardea’s menu is the Burrata “Pop Tart,” featuring a sweet onion fennel jam. Homemade pasta includes specialties such as Ravioli with Duck Confit, Gorgonzola, and Pear-Walnut Pesto. Guests can also savor dishes such as a dry-aged, bone-in ribeye steak with maitake mushrooms, sunchoke garum, and caramelized onion crema.
A statement on the restaurant’s website describes its mission: “Our team works with intention, partnering with organic, regenerative farms and sustainable fisheries for ingredients that are not only exciting for our palates, but also positively impact our environment.”
According to a Delaware Online report, food journalists from the USA TODAY Network across the country combine their culinary expertise to curate the list, which includes establishments they love and recommend to others.
Bardea Food & Drink is at 620 N. Market St. in Wilmington. Call 302-426-2069 for reservations or more information.
