Mazzaro’s Italian Market

Mazzaro’s Italian Market anchors a stretch of 22nd Avenue North in St. Petersburg, and for anyone who loves to cook, or just loves to eat well, it is worth planning a whole outing around. This is not a small specialty shop with a few imported jars on a shelf. It is a full gourmet Italian market: a deli counter, a butcher and seafood case, a bakery turning out cannoli and cakes, a wine and beer shop, fresh-roasted coffee, and a cheese counter said to carry more than 300 varieties. Wander the aisles and you will also find imported olive oils, truffle products, pastas, and other specialty Italian groceries that are hard to track down elsewhere in Tampa Bay.

The market has built a serious following among locals, and it shows in the numbers: TripAdvisor has ranked it the number one restaurant in St. Petersburg out of more than 700 listed, a notable feat for a market that is technically more grocery store than sit-down restaurant. That crossover between market and dining spot is part of the appeal. Mazzaro’s has patio seating where you can order prepared food and eat right there, and on Fridays and Saturdays the shop runs wine sampling hours if you want to taste before you buy a bottle.

Because so much of the inventory is deli and prepared food, Mazzaro’s works well for more than just weekly grocery runs. The market does catering for parties and events, with trays of pasta, entrees, appetizers, and sandwiches, plus gift baskets that make a good hostess gift or holiday present for a food-loving friend. During the fall, the market also builds out a Thanksgiving menu for people who would rather order the sides than make them from scratch.

A visit here rewards a little patience. Because the deli and cheese counters are genuinely extensive, it can take a few minutes to get through the line, especially on a Saturday morning when the market is busiest (it is only open until 2:30pm on Saturdays and closed entirely on Sundays, so plan around that). Parking can fill up during peak hours too. But the payoff is a shopping cart full of ingredients you cannot get at a chain grocery store, from house-made pasta to imported cheeses cut to order.

If you are new to the market, start at the deli counter for a sandwich or prepared dish to eat on the patio, then work your way through the cheese and wine sections once you have got a feel for the space. Regulars tend to have a running list of go-to items, whether that is a particular cut of prosciutto, a favorite bottle of wine, or a standing order of fresh pasta for Sunday dinner. It is the kind of place where a quick stop can easily turn into an hour of happy browsing.