Bardea Steak

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Serious About Snacks & Steaks

Bardea Steak sits at 608 N. Market Street in Wilmington, Delaware, where Executive Chef and partner Antimo DiMeo — a James Beard Foundation semi-finalist for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic — has built one of North America's top 50 steakhouses, according to Southern Living. The restaurant earned Delaware Today's Best New Restaurant in 2023 and Best Date Night Restaurant in 2024, and its wine program carries a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. The recognition is well-earned: this is a place with a clear point of view, expressed through both the sourcing and the cooking.

The Steak List

The kitchen's philosophy starts at the butcher block. Steaks are cut daily from a rotating roster of breeds, each chosen for a distinct reason. Piedmontese — originating from Northern Italy — brings exceptional leanness and tenderness. Grassfed Prime Aberdeen Angus from the Carolinas offers deep marbling and complexity. Australian Wagyu delivers a grassy flavor with leaner texture, while American Wagyu (a Wagyu-Angus cross) combines heavy marbling with bold, beefy flavor. Holstein, better known for dairy, surprises with a creamy, almost buttery texture. For those who want the full picture, the Butcher's Feast offers a tasting of six cuts.

The Italian-steakhouse sensibility shows in the details: a Piedmontese filet nods to its Northern Italian origins, chimichurri crema accompanies the Holstein Picanha, and French onion-miso butter is available as a finishing sauce — East and West meeting at the table without fanfare.

Beyond the Grill

Chef DiMeo's creativity extends well past beef. The snacks section reads like a greatest-hits of confident, cross-cultural cooking: Hamachi Bombs with lemon, caviar, and barrel-aged soy sauce; Duck Wings with orange-szechuan glaze and yuzu ranch; Tater Tots topped with crab and aji amarillo; and a Cheesesteak Empanada with cooper sharp and caramelized onion that winks at local Philadelphia food culture. Seafood options include a whole Bronzino prepared acqua pazza and Scottish Salmon with sticky rice, tahini cream cheese, and guava — flavors drawn, as the restaurant puts it, from Chef DiMeo's "globetrotting inspirations and childhood memories."

The Room and the Team

Bardea Steak is a partnership between Chef Antimo DiMeo, Scott Stein, and Giuseppe "Pino" DiMeo. The bar opens earlier than the dining room and runs a happy hour Tuesday through Friday, with discounts on cocktails, wines by the glass, and snacks — making it equally comfortable for a quick stop or a long evening. Valet parking is available, and the restaurant accommodates private events and catering. The Italian-steakhouse DNA runs through every layer of the experience, from the breed-specific steak list to the gelato and Bananas Foster on the dessert menu.