Palatine restaurant sees bright future at historic location
Palatine’s Pizza Bella restaurant has entered a new era.
Once a pickup and delivery spot at the Clock Tower Plaza shopping center, the pizzeria now is a dine-in restaurant and bar at a historic location in the village’s downtown.
It’s a big step for owner Tony DeFilippis, who first opened in Palatine more than 15 years ago, and the downtown, which is seeing the adaptive reuse of the old Zimmer Hardware building at 16 N. Brockway St.
The restaurant’s opening was celebrated Saturday with a ribbon cutting attended by a big crowd that included Palatine Mayor Jim Schwantz. The celebration included a champagne toast and even a priest sprinkling holy water.
The pizzeria’s decor is welcoming to families who want to sit down to a meal, as well as sports fans who can watch their favorite teams on the many TV sets.
But there also are nods to history — an old-fashioned telephone booth with a vintage rotary dial phone stands in a corner, exposure of some of the building’s original brick and a photo from Palatine’s horse-and-buggy days.
Owning a restaurant has been a dream for DeFilippis since he was growing up on Chicago’s Northwest side and then in Addison.
“Cooking has always been a passion,” he said, adding that he would even pretend to have his cooking show.
One of his goals with the downtown location is bringing back the type of family dinnertime experience he had as a kid.
“I was fortunate,” he said. “We had a very tight-knit family. Dinner was a priority.”
Since he took over Pizza Bella more than 15 years ago, he has spent his time perfecting the Detroit-style pizza that is its specialty.
“I truly love the dough baking and the dough science process,” said DeFilippis, who often can be found at work in the kitchen.
DeFilippis said he was “blown away” by the number of people who showed up at the ribbon cutting.
Palatine Area Chamber of Commerce board President Deb Gabriel said Pizza Bella has been an integral part of the community.
“It was great to see that they could stay in Palatine and continue to be part of our community for a long time,” she added.
Schwantz said Pizza Bella is a business that has become synonymous with the town, and not just for its longevity.
“You look at what (DeFilippis) does for local sports teams, the school districts, the businesses in Palatine,” he said.
For DeFilippis, the feeling is mutual.
“This is a very ‘hometown’ town,” he said. “This town supports its town, whether it’s for sports, shopping, restaurants.”
DeFilippis said he loves that his new location’s building is more than 100 years old and has maintained its structural integrity. The village helped with the renovations with tax increment financing money that funded facade improvements and utility upgrades.
While it remains to be seen whether the restaurant can match Zimmer Hardware’s longevity, DeFilippis said he is looking forward “to the next hundred years of Pizza Bella.”