Tucked off of Elm St in Denton you’ll find Di Abruzzo Italian Market which hearkens back to traditional Italian markets you’ll find in cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. Owned by Lantana resident Jack Santarelli, Di Abruzzo is the manifestation of the love of food that he inherited from his parents and grandparents, who immigrated from the Abruzzo region of Italy in the 1920’s.
Kitchen Manager, Lauren Wilson, and Owner, Jack Santarelli
Kitchen Manager, Lauren Wilson, also has family who came from the Abruzzo region of Italy and she also grew up learning to cook from her mother who she said was always feeding the whole neighborhood with her delicious home cooking. It’s because of all of that cooking Lauren did from an early age that she’s a pro in Di Abruzzo’s kitchen today. When you order their fresh, in-house-made pasta, that’s made by Lauren!
What else will you find in the aisles of Di Abruzzo? They carry a wide variety of imported Italian wines, oils, dried pastas, cheeses, and more. We had such a blast strolling up and down the aisles and exploring what they have to offer. If you’re unfamiliar with what to buy, their staff is wonderfully trained to help you find what you’re looking for. And if you’re looking for something very specific, they’re equipped to help you with that too!
In addition to Di Abruzzo’s grocery and store selection, they also have an amazing deli counter where they sell their house-made sausages, meatballs, cheeses, and butchered meats.
So you can come stock up on ingredients to take home and make your own food, or you can order from their deli menu to eat something there! They always have a daily selection of hoagies (those are sandwiches, people) and pasta and entree specials.
We’d recommend you start with their namesake Abruzzo Italian Hoagie made with fresh-sliced provolone, salami, soppressata, and capocollo. Then they top it off with a little red wine vinegar and olive oil drizzle, lettuce, tomato, and onion and wrap it up in one of their delicious hoagie rolls.
If you want to try out their mammoth-sized meatballs, you can order their Meatball Hoagie stuffed with a pound of their meatballs which are made with ground beef, veal, and pork giving them a super unique flavor. Those meatballs are then smothered in their homemade marinara sauce and then topped with freshly-shredded mozzarella.
The day we were there we also got to have some of Lauren’s famous homemade egg fettuccine pasta with a fresh pesto and it was so deliciously light – the perfect pasta dish for a warm summer day.
Last but not least… we couldn’t leave without trying a cannoli! Lauren actually made us two – one in a chocolate-coated shell with pistachios and another with a plain shell and some chocolate chips. If you order one, bring a friend or bring your appetite because they are large and in charge and their recipe for the ricotta filling is truly one of the best we’ve ever had.
We had such a blast visiting Di Abruzzo Italian Market in Denton. From the moment we walked in the door we were laughing and joking around with Jack, Lauren, their staff, and even our fellow customers. We can’t wait for you to visit and experience what already has customers coming back over and over again.
*Di Abruzzo Italian Market is located at 508 S. Elm St. Suite 105, Denton TX 76201.
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