DeFalco’s Italian Deli & Grocery Scottsdale Guide

Looking for real Italian food in the Valley?

DeFalco's Italian Deli & Grocery in Scottsdale, Arizona is a family-owned Italian deli, market, and restaurant where you can order a hot sub, sit down for pasta, and shop for imported groceries all in one stop.

It's been serving the area for decades, and it stays busy for a reason. The deli case is stocked with meats and cheeses, the kitchen turns out pizza and baked pasta dishes, and the grocery aisles carry the kinds of items that are hard to find at a regular supermarket.

You'll find out what to order, what to take home, and how the place earned its reputation with locals and food shows alike. Whether you're feeding yourself or a group, there's a good chance you'll leave with more than you planned.

Key Takeaways

• DeFalco's combines a deli, restaurant, and Italian grocery store under one roof in Scottsdale.
• The menu covers sandwiches, deli meats, pasta, pizza, and catering for larger groups.
• Its long local history and TV recognition have helped build a steady following.

What Makes This Scottsdale Italian Deli Stand Out

DeFalco's Italian Deli & Grocery combines a working family business with a full Italian market and kitchen under one roof. You get imported groceries, a butcher counter, and hot food made to order in the same trip.

A Three-Generation Family Food Tradition

The DeFalco family has run this business for decades, with children and grandchildren of the founders still involved in daily operations.

That continuity shows up in the recipes. Sauces, sausage, and prepared dishes follow methods passed down rather than changed with trends.

Being family-owned also affects how the store feels. Staff often recognize regulars, and questions about a cheese or a cut of meat get real answers instead of a shrug.

You'll find this kind of Italian comfort food in a family restaurant setting rather than a fine-dining one. Tables are casual, portions are generous, and the noise level reflects a busy market.

For many Scottsdale and Phoenix-area customers, the deli has become a standing weekend habit — one that's carried from parents to their own kids.

Italian Grocery Shopping and Made-to-Order Meals

The grocery side stocks Italian products you won't easily find at a standard supermarket:

• Imported pasta in shapes like bucatini, orecchiette, and paccheri
• Cheeses including Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, and fresh mozzarella
• Cured meats such as prosciutto, soppressata, and capicola, sliced at the counter
• Olive oils, vinegars, canned tomatoes, and olives from Italian producers
• House-made sausage and marinated meats from the butcher case

The kitchen handles the rest. You order at the counter for sandwiches on fresh bread, baked pasta, pizza by the slice or pie, and daily specials.

DeFalco’s Italian Deli & Grocery Scottsdale Guide

A practical approach: eat lunch first, then shop for what you need at home. Many customers leave with dinner ingredients after finishing a sandwich.

Signature Sandwiches and Deli Meats

The sandwich menu at DeFalco's splits into two camps: cold subs built on imported Italian meats and cheeses, and hot sandwiches like Italian beef, cheesesteaks, and meatball subs. Every order starts with bread baked in house and finishes with your choice of toppings from the deli counter.

Cold Italian Classics: Italian Combo and The Maximus

The Italian combo is the sandwich most people order first. It layers Genoa salami, capocollo, mortadella, and pepperoni with provolone cheese.

Each meat brings something different. Mortadella is mild and smooth, capocollo has a peppery edge, and Genoa salami adds tang.

The Maximus steps up from there. It uses aged prosciutto along with the standard combo meats, which gives the sandwich a saltier, more concentrated flavor.

You can also order meats by the pound at the counter. Prosciutto, salami, mortadella, and pepperoni are all sliced to your preferred thickness.

Ask for a thin slice on the prosciutto. It makes a noticeable difference in texture.

Hot Favorites: Italian Beef, Cheesesteaks, and Meatball Subs

The Italian beef is thin-sliced beef served on a roll with au jus. You can order it dipped, which means the bread gets a quick soak in the jus before it reaches you.

Add hot giardiniera or sweet roasted red peppers on top. Both are standard choices for this sandwich.

The beef cheese steak uses chopped steak with melted cheese, grilled onions, and peppers. Cheese steaks here are made to order, so you can adjust what goes in.

The meatball sub comes with house-made meatballs in marinara sauce, topped with melted provolone. The meatballs are made in the kitchen rather than shipped in frozen.

Bread, Cheese, and Sandwich Toppings

Bread is baked on site daily. You can pick a standard sub roll or ask for the roll to be hollowed out so the filling sits lower.

Cheese options include provolone, mozzarella, and Swiss. Provolone is the default on most Italian sandwiches because it holds up against cured meats without overpowering them.

Standard toppings:

Pasta, Pizza, and Italian Comfort Food

The hot food menu at DeFalco's runs from baked pasta plates and hand-formed gnocchi to pizzas and stuffed calzones, with lighter soups and salads for smaller appetites. Most dishes lean on the same core ingredients you'll find on the grocery shelves: house marinara, fresh garlic, ricotta, and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Pasta Dishes Worth Ordering

Baked ziti is the standard starting point. It comes with marinara, ricotta cheese, and melted mozzarella, and you can add Italian sausage or meatballs.

Potato gnocchi is another option worth trying. The small dumplings are soft and hold sauce well, so they work with marinara or a meat sauce.

Tortellini rounds out the pasta list. The cheese-filled rings are usually served in either red sauce or a cream sauce.

Chicken parmigiana is the plate many people come back for. A breaded chicken cutlet is topped with marinara and cheese, then baked and served with pasta on the side.

Common add-ons:

• Italian sausage
• Meatballs
• Extra ricotta
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Pizza and Calzones

Pizzas are made to order with a hand-stretched crust. You can order a cheese pie or build your own with toppings like pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, and fresh garlic.

The sauce is the same marinara used on the pasta plates, so the flavor stays consistent across the menu.

Calzones are folded and baked, then filled with ricotta cheese and mozzarella. The Centurion Calzone is the largest of the group and is easy to split between two people.

Each calzone comes with a side of marinara for dipping. Expect a 15 to 20 minute wait during busy lunch hours, since these are baked fresh.

Soups, Salads, and Lighter Choices

If you want something smaller, the soups rotate and often include minestrone or a pasta e fagioli.

Salads range from a simple house salad to larger plates that work as a full meal. The chicken pesto salad pairs sliced chicken with greens and a pesto dressing.

You can also ask for a chicken cutlet added to most salads. That keeps the meal filling without a plate of pasta.

Many salads come with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and a house vinaigrette. Sides of bread are available if you want something to go with the soup.

Italian Grocery Items to Take Home

The deli counter and shelves at DeFalco's hold the same ingredients used in the kitchen, so you can rebuild a favorite sandwich or Sunday dinner at home. Expect a case full of imported Italian meats and cheeses, dry and fresh pasta, jarred sauces, and a dessert counter with cannoli and chocolate.

Fresh and Imported Meats and Cheeses

The deli case is the starting point for most shoppers. Staff will slice imported Italian meats to the thickness you ask for, which matters more than people expect with thin cuts.

Common requests include:

• Prosciutto di Parma — sliced paper-thin for sandwiches or antipasto plates
• Capicola, mortadella, and salami — sold by the pound
• Italian sausage — sweet or hot, sold fresh by the link
• House-made meatballs — heat them at home with sauce

On the cheese side, you'll find Parmigiano Reggiano cut from the wheel, along with fresh mozzarella, provolone, pecorino, and ricotta cheese for lasagna or filling.

Ask for a taste before buying. The counter staff can tell you which provolone is sharp and which is mild.

Pasta, Sauces, and Pantry Essentials

Dry pasta lines the shelves in shapes you won't always see at a regular grocery store — bucatini, orecchiette, paccheri, and rigatoni from Italian producers.

The refrigerated case carries fresh options like gnocchi and tortellini, which cook in just a few minutes.

For sauce, you can buy jarred marinara and other red sauces, or pick up canned San Marzano-style tomatoes and build your own.

Other pantry items worth a look:

Catering and Group Meal Options

DeFalco's handles group orders through two main paths: hot food trays filled with classic Italian dishes, and sandwich platters built from the deli counter. Both work for office lunches, family parties, and team events.

Hot Food Trays for Parties and Events

Hot food trays come in half and full sizes, so you can match the amount to your guest count. A half tray usually feeds about 8 to 10 people, while a full tray covers closer to 18 to 20.

Popular choices include:

• Meatballs in marinara sauce
• Italian sausage with peppers and onions
• Chicken parmigiana
• Baked ziti
• Salads, including a garden or Italian chopped option

You can also add pizza to round out the order, which helps if you have picky eaters or kids in the group.

Place your order a few days ahead when possible. Larger orders and weekend dates fill up faster, especially around holidays.

Sandwich Catering for Larger Groups

Sandwich platters are the easier option when people need to eat quickly or eat at their desks. The deli slices meats and cheeses in house, so the sandwiches are built the same way they are for walk-in customers.

Trays are usually cut into halves so guests can take one or two pieces. Common picks include Italian sub, turkey, ham, and vegetarian options.

A few things worth deciding when you order:

Since DeFalco's operates as a family restaurant and market, you can pick up bottled drinks, desserts, and Italian pastries at the same time.

Local History and Food Network Recognition

DeFalco's Italian Deli & Grocery grew from a family kitchen in Scottsdale, Arizona, into a market and restaurant that draws both regulars and travelers. A national television visit from Guy Fieri added to that reputation.

From Family Recipes to a Scottsdale Mainstay

The DeFalco family opened their first Arizona location in the 1970s, bringing recipes from their Italian roots to a state with a small Italian-American population at the time.

What started as a small deli counter turned into something bigger. Today, the Scottsdale store on North Scottsdale Road combines a full grocery, a deli counter, and a sit-down dining area under one roof.

You can buy imported olive oil and dry pasta on one side, then order a sandwich or a plate of pasta on the other.

The house-made Italian sausage is one of the items that built the store's local following. Cheeses, cured meats, and fresh bread are cut and packed to order.

That mix of market and restaurant is what keeps this family-owned Italian restaurant busy across generations of Scottsdale customers.

Guy Fieri's Visit and the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Feature

Guy Fieri brought his Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives to DeFalco's, putting the Scottsdale shop in front of a national audience.

The segment focused on the Centurion Calzone, a large stuffed calzone made in the kitchen behind the deli counter. Fieri watched the staff assemble and bake it on camera.

Since the episode aired, the calzone has become one of the most requested items on the menu. Many visitors show up specifically because they saw the store on television.

Reruns still air, which means new customers keep finding the place years after filming. The exposure helped move DeFalco's from a neighborhood grocery to a stop on many food-focused trips through the Phoenix area.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before you visit DeFalco's, you probably want to know what's on the menu, when the doors are open, and how to place an order. Here are answers to the questions customers ask most often about the sandwiches, hours, ordering options, and catering.

What are the current menu options and prices?

DeFalco's serves hot and cold Italian subs, pizza by the slice and by the pie, pasta plates, salads, and daily specials. The deli case holds meats, cheeses, olives, and prepared foods you can buy by the pound.

Most sandwiches fall in the $10 to $15 range, with prices that change based on size and ingredients. Pasta dinners and pizzas are usually priced a bit higher.

Prices shift over time, so check the menu posted at the counter or on the deli's website before you order. The grocery side also stocks imported pasta, canned tomatoes, oils, and other Italian pantry items at standard retail prices.

What are the deli's hours of operation?

DeFalco's is open seven days a week, with morning through evening service. Lunch is the busiest stretch, especially between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays.

Hours can change on holidays. Call ahead or check the deli's website or social media pages if you plan to visit on a holiday or late in the day.

Does the deli offer online ordering, delivery, or takeout?

Yes. You can order takeout by phone or in person at the counter, and online ordering is available through the deli's website.

Delivery is offered through third-party apps in the Scottsdale area. Keep in mind that app prices often run higher than in-store prices, and delivery fees apply.

If you're picking up a large order, calling ahead helps the kitchen have it ready when you arrive.

What are the most popular sandwiches and Italian specialties?

The Italian sub is the item most people order first. It layers capicola, salami, and provolone on fresh bread with lettuce, tomato, onion, oil, and vinegar.

Other regular favorites include:

• Meatball sub — house meatballs with marinara and melted cheese
• Chicken parmesan sub — breaded cutlet, sauce, and mozzarella
• Eggplant parmesan — available as a sandwich or a plate
• Cheesesteak — grilled steak, onions, and cheese
• Pizza by the slice — cheese and pepperoni are the standard options

On the prepared food side, lasagna, baked ziti, and stuffed shells are common picks. The bakery counter carries cannoli, tiramisu, and Italian cookies.

Is catering available for parties and events?

Yes. DeFalco's caters office lunches, family gatherings, and larger events.

Catering options include sandwich and sub trays, antipasto platters, pasta pans, salads, and dessert trays. Pans are usually sold in half or full sizes, with a full pan feeding roughly 10 to 12 people.

Place catering orders at least 24 to 48 hours ahead, and give more notice for large groups or weekend dates. Call the deli directly to confirm pricing, portion sizes, and pickup or delivery arrangements.