Scottsdale Features

Voted Top Three Best Italian
in Scottsdale:

DeFalco’s Italian
Deli & Grocery

DeFalco’s Italian Deli & Grocery is one of Scottsdale’s rare finds. The family-owned Italian restaurant and grocery store has satisfied stomachs across the Valley for over 50 years and has served house-made, high-quality meals since the beginning. 

On top of serving great Italian comfort food, DeFalco’s offers a wide variety of homemade and imported Italian meats and cheeses that can be sliced upon request, pasta, spreads, sauces, desserts, and beverages. Plus, spices, seasonings, and toppings to complete any Italian meal.

DeFalco’s is the best for many reasons. You can order a sandwich or pasta dish while waiting for your aged prosciutto to be sliced, house-made meatballs packaged, or fresh sausages weighed and bagged while simultaneously receiving recipe tips from the staff. This is the best place for one-stop shopping!

Speaking of food… if you’re looking for a delicious cold sandwich, the Italian Combo and The Maximus are right up your alley. The Italian Combo is one of the original DeFalco’s sandwiches and includes ham, salami, mortadella, and pepperoni. The Maximus has prosciutto, capocollo, genoa salami, and mortadella, and both are layered with provolone cheese. The fresh meat sits between your choice of an 8-bread selection and optional toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, DeFalco’s Italian dressing, and more.

Moving over to hot sandwiches, you can’t go wrong with the Beef Cheese Steak, Italian Beef, or classic Meatball Sub. 

The Beef Cheese Steak is a best seller, and you can request fried peppers, onions, and/or mushrooms added on top. The beef is juicy, and the peppers and onions give the sandwich a nice crunch.  

The Italian Beef is a delicious combo of thinly sliced roast beef dipped in au jus, fried onions, and peppers sandwiched between a toasted roll. 

Lastly, the classic Meatball Sub, a classic for a reason, is comprised of two or four house-made meatballs, depending on if you get a half or whole sub, and appropriately smothered in house-made sauce and covered in melty cheese. 

If sandwiches aren’t on your mind, DeFalco’s also offers soups, salads, pizza, calzones, pasta, and sides. 

The Baked Ziti with sausage and cheese, the Chicken Parmigiana, and the Potato Gnocchi are all fan favorites and must-tries for pasta dishes.

The Baked Ziti is DeFalco’s take on the Italian classic. Theirs is flavorful and has a generous amount of fresh-made Italian sausage links sliced throughout. The served pasta is a warm bowl of noodles, meat, and cheese deliciously combined together.  

DeFalco’s offers 8 types of pizza and 2 types of calzones. You can customize your own pizza with 20+ topping options. If you need a little inspiration, try this DeFalco family secret order! A red sauced pizza with dollops of ricotta cheese, fresh garlic, roasted red peppers, and sliced meatballs.  

In addition to DeFalco’s serving delicious meals, they are also known for their catering. They can suit any catering needs, whether you need a 6ft sandwich to serve 30 people or hot food trays for a party of 20. They can recreate practically all their menu items for you and your guests.

When you visit DeFalco’s, check out the sheet pan signed by Chef Guy Fieri! The restaurant was featured on The Food Network show “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” in 2013. Guy tried the Italian Sausage with peppers and onions, and the Centurion Calzone, which he loved.

Part of what drew Guy Fieri and many customers into DeFalco’s is their history. 

Before the DeFalco family brought their recipes to The Valley, they had Italian delis in Michigan and Canada. The family moved to Arizona in 1973 and chose to open another family business due to the small Italian products and produce market. The restaurant started with a few sandwiches and has grown into an established Scottsdale favorite.  

With recipes that are 100 years old and each order made fresh to go, DeFalco’s truly stands out from the rest and is a great family restaurant for Scottsdale families. 

Review provided by The Scottsdale Living – RipLey Simone Kennebrew. 

RipLey Simone is currently a senior at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University

Photos via DeFalco’s Italian Eatery & Grocery

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