Di Palo’s
200 Grand St
New York, NY 10013
Mulberry St & Mott St
Little Italy
Di Palo’s is the one stop store for all your authentic Italian goodies in Little Italy. From fresh cheese, to curated meat, to all the dry pasta shapes you can think of, Di Palo is there for you! This is not just any Italian specialty store, Di Palo has been a family business for over a hundred years. All the products in the store are imports. On a lucky day you may be able to find some space to peruse around, but most likely the small shop will be packed with locals and tourists. Next door to the specialty shop is their own wine shop. With a large selection of Italian wines with prices that range from very affordable, to something incredibly fancy for a special occasion, the man behind the counter, Sam, will be able to guide you to the perfect bottle. Both store fronts were impressive in terms of their authentic product selections, but the wine store was exceptional in their service and selection.
Personally, the Italian store was not anything new to me but I have to agree that it is a great shop to buy Italian imported goods. These products range from cured meats, cheeses, sweets and herbs. It is interesting that they own a wine shop right next door. This is a brilliant way to make more revenue. A lot of times, people want to do their grocery shopping at their own convenience. This way they can purchase a wine that is well paired with the purchased Italian goods. Even though this may not seem to be very amusing to me, I do understand the importance of this business in a an area that is full of rich NYC history. Today, Little Italy is still one of the hottest tourist neighborhoods especially for Italians just to experience and compare the thrill to Italy.
Although there’s not many “real” Italians living in Little Italy, Di Palo’s is definitely a real Italian business who offer a real Italian service and goods. The outside of the shop took me back in time almost. The fake sausages hanging in the window made me feel as if I was looking at a real shop in the 1920’s. The inside of the shop was super welcoming with a variety of cheeses,pastas, flour, olives, meats and sweets along with other tourist groups. I enjoyed the cheesy smell and the different bottles of raw honey (that caught my eye) and the Italian flag and memorabilia all around. In Italy, family is a huge aspect of one’s live and this shop felt like it. I’ve been to Venice,Milan and Rome but shops like this encourage me to visit homier cities such as Tuscany,Naples,Amalfi Coast and Sicily.