Dewey Grotto Pizza nears completion

As the new Grotto Pizza in Dewey Beach nears completion, company President Jeff Gosnear said plans call for the restaurant to open weekends in March. 

“It’s really close,” Gosnear said. “We’re almost ready.”

As of Jan. 4, water and sewer still need to be connected across the street, Gosnear said, and they are waiting for Delaware Department of Transportation approval to chop up the street and make a connection.

The new restaurant is smaller than previous Grottos and has an industrial feel with exposed ceilings and concrete floors, Gosnear said, a modernized look that is a new prototype for Grotto Pizza. 

“It’s the best-looking restaurant we’ve had,” Gosnear said.

The restaurant’s interior is very open, Gosnear said, with large garage doors that can raise and screens that can be brought down. 

“It feels like you’re outside, but with air conditioning,” he said.

At 5,500 square feet, the new restaurant is a more efficient size than previous Grotto restaurants, Gosnear said, noting the previous Dewey restaurant was about twice its size. 

The restaurant will likely open Thursday through Sunday the first couple weeks of March, before expanding to five days a week and then seven days a week in May, Gosnear said.

The new building faces Coastal Highway directly across Read Avenue from the Grotto Pizza it replaces. That structure was demolished and will be redeveloped as a mixed-use property with retail space on the first floor and condos on the second floor.