Delrio's first opened his doors on August 1990, establishing itself as one of York's foremost Italian restaurants.

Prior to that, a restaurant formally known as 'Corallo' had been on site for over 10 Years. When 'Corallo' first opened, it used to trade upstairs where the BSM office is, and used the cellar space only exceptionally. It's only after the then loyal clientele regurarly requested a table in the cellar that Mr Cuinu (Corallo's Founder) finally decided on moving the restaurant down below. After few years Mr Cuinu retired, leaving the restaurant available.

The unique venue, a secluded cellar restaurant, with private alcoves, suited perfectly Mr Delrio's ambitions in creating his very own restaurant, based on Italian cuisine with Sardinian influences, the island where he originally comes from. Giovanni's culinary ability and a friendly approach proved to be an instant success.

Since then, Giovanni never looked back, expanding the 50 seat restaurant, first in 1995, when he burst into the adiacent basement to create a bar area, then in 1998, when he anneaxed another available basement with a garden area. He then extended the kitchen to a size that would cope with the increasing number of diners. All this expanding took the capacity of Delrio's to a 160 cover restaurant.

Despite the changes Giovanni managed not to lose any of the original concepts that made Delrio's a great success: great food produced in a unique athmosphere.