Back in 2022, we reported that two food concepts were taking over one Hoboken space at 500 Jefferson Street. The dining duo, composed of The Pizza Shop and Flour, has operated as a take-out-only pizza spot for the last year. The restaurant has entered a new era with The Pizza Shop’s open-kitchen, new American counterpart Flour officially soft-opening last month. Read on for what we know about Flour and its soft opening in Hoboken.
The Soft Opening
On May 11th, @flourhoboken took to Instagram to share a cryptic post: a video, which said “It’s finally happening,” paired with a caption reading “DMs are open.” The video went on to announce Flour’s soft opening here in Hoboken, which took place Wednesday, May 17th, and Thursday, May 18th, with limited seats available.
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Flour, located at 500 Jefferson Street, is the second concept to open up within this location — the first being its sister eatery, The Pizza Shop, from the same owners Ray Falco and Justin Avila. The Pizza Shop is already known for its unique selection of pizzas (see: the Post Melòn, the Aloha, etc.) and Flour is an expansion of that menu with an array of new American dishes, from whipped ricotta toast to Mexican street corn and steak tartare.
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Flour is a BYO, open-kitchen concept restaurant that Ray and Justin imagined + curated with care. While they established themselves in town with The Pizza Shop, the duo of restauranters were simultaneously crafting (conceptually and physically) Flour. According to local foodie @hashtagfoodpic, Justin hand-crafted each table. HG reached out to Flour regarding a confirmed opening date but has received no response at this time. Read on for a complete timeline of The Pizza Shop + Flour’s arrival in The Mile Square.
Delfino’s Shuts Down
Delfino’s had been the long-standing restaurant at 500 Jefferson Street since 1987. In July 2021, the pizzeria that had been a staple in the neighborhood shut down after 34 years in business. Owned by Frank Biancamano and Delfino Biancamano, the reason why Delfino’s closed shop was because the owners were ready to retire.
The old-school restaurant had built a long list of loyal fans who enjoyed Delfino’s homemade pizza and classic Italian dishes. Many Hobokenites were saddened to hear the news about its closing, including the new owners of 500 Jefferson Street, Ray Falco and Justin Avila.
“This was [my] local pizzeria growing up and upon hearing the news that Delfino’s was closing, it really hit home,” Ray, who was born and raised one block from the location, told The Hoboken Girl. “I spent a lot of time in these walls and created a lot of fond memories here. My grandpa was the fire captain of the Hoboken Fire Department and he had been coming here since Delfino’s opened.”
^ Inside Delfino’s Before Shutting Down
Upon hearing about Delfino’s closing (through The Hoboken Girl, of course), the new owners reached out to Frank and Delfino and a Realtor to get the ball rolling in occupying the space.
“We understand the impact Delfino’s had within the neighborhood and are honored and grateful to have the opportunity to be opening a restaurant in such a historic location,” Ray and Justin tell HG. “Our families are both from the same little village in Italy and it’s been our dream to open a restaurant together.”
All About The Pizza Shop + Flour
The new, first-time restaurant owners shared exclusively with The Hoboken Girl that there will be two new spaces taking over Delfino’s: The Pizza Shop and Flour. The Pizza Shop will be the area for deliveries and for customers to pick up food for takeout – which has been operating for a year.
Flour encompasses the dining room area and is an intimate setting, with an open kitchen, and will be BYOB. This part of the restaurant recently soft-opened this week.
Ray and Justin, both of whom have experience working in the restaurant industry in Hoboken, have worked with “independent and local farmers, wheat growers, flour millers, and mushroom foragers.” The pals also consulted with renowned chef Elliot Malsky, whose resume includes working for pasta guru Michael White and celebrity hotspot Carbone in NYC.
“By building these relationships we are able to have access to the freshest ingredients possible and help support as many local establishments as we can,” the long-time friends told us. “For our pizzas, we are using organic freshly milled flour from upstate New York, Jersey Girl cheeses, and organically grown tomatoes from California. Our whole concept starts with one simple idea — sourcing the best ingredients we can get our hands on and not screwing them up.”
The menu will be constantly evolving and will depend on using ingredients that are in season and available at the time. So far, the new American menu includes pasta dishes, classic pizza, square, calzone, and specialty pizza like an all-white pie, Hawaiian pie, and a very special one that pays tribute to Delfino’s called “Delfino,” made with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, fennel sausage, chili oil, and onions.
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“[Frank and Delfino] created something special in this neighborhood and we couldn’t be more excited to create new memories and experiences here,” the owners share.
Be sure to follow The Pizza Shop and Flour on Instagram to keep up to date with the latest news surrounding the restaurants’ openings.
