Village Staple Dell’anima Moving To Hell's Kitchen Food Hall

WEST VILLAGE, NY — Local favorite Dell’anima is relocating to a Hell's Kitchen food hall after 11 years in the West Village, Eater reported.

The beloved Italian bistro at 38 8th Ave. is set to shutter on Dec. 23 after owner August Cardona announced in November that “the business model of the small yet ‘elevated’ neighborhood restaurant — one that was unique just over a decade ago — simply no longer works."

But instead of closing outright, it will relocate to Gotham Market West and morph from a brick-and-mortar restaurant into a counter at the Hell's Kitchen hall with a 10-year lease, Eater reported.

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“It may not be the jewel box restaurant in the West Village, but it is what it is,” Cardona told the site. “We’re lucky to have this opportunity to take a beloved restaurant that we would have loved to continue to run in a space that just wasn’t working.”

Dell’anima opened in the West Village in 2007 and attracts "mobs of salivating foodies and goggle-eyed scenesters clamoring to get in," according to a New York Magazine review.

At the new 600 11th Ave. location, Cardona and his staff won't have to manage garbage, cleanup and building issues — all of which will be taken care of by food hall employees. And instead of a monthly lump-sum rent the eatery's rent is a percentage of its profits.

The new location will boast 22 seats and serve the same nosh and wine selection at similar prices.

Yet Dell’anima will be forced to downsize its employees due to the smaller space, Eater reported. “You have to adapt,” Cardona told Eater.

Photo courtesy of Caroline Spivack/Patch