One of the most fascinating things about food fanatics is that they can weave out a tale about a restaurant and transform it from an eatery to the Eighth Wonder of the World. One of my co-workers at work described this place as the ultimate food experience. Located in St. Petersburg, this co-worker boasted about this Italian market that has nothing but spectacular food, nothing but spectacular service, and nothing but pure spectacularability. That last statement has a non-word, I know. Mazzaro’s Italian Market is this heaven. And since I was already staying in the area, I’ve decided to give this place a shot.
Mazzaro’s Italian Market is owned by a husband-and-wife duo, and the place has been jumping for over 15 years. This market is located practically in the middle of nothingness, as surrounding the area is several buildings but a very limited amount of places actually food-related. You can practically say that this market has minimal competition. The parking lot was full to the core as we fought other vehicles like Vikings to find a spot. Inside, the place was full to the brim to a point of near overwhelmingness. That last statement also has a non-word.
This place is huge, and you’ll notice it the instant you walk in. By the time we reached the other end of the building, we passed by: a meat market, a winery area, a cheese section, and several aisles of imported goods, a massive bakery, a seafood market, and even a coffee bar. It took us five minutes to actually find the area where we order the food. We arrived there on a Friday to take on their fish sandwich, which is only available one day a week. Michael orders the Italian Sandwich ($5.50), which consisted of three types of Italian meats, Italian dressing, and lettuce. My fish sandwich ($5.00) has cod, special sauce, lettuce, and tomato.
We paid our food and ate it on the patio located behind the market. The legend of Mazzaro’s Market started becoming a reality when the first bite was taken. My fish sandwich was just a clever mix of fried, crispy, and juicy. Following this fish is the best lettuce I’ve ever tasted, and I am dead serious about this too. It tasted very fresh, and had the right amount of crunch too. The bread was very fresh, and the overall sandwich was not a meal, but a joyous occasion. Nearly toppling the quality of my cod sandwich work of art was Michaels’s Italian sandwich, which was a barrage of beautiful ingredients blending together without hesitation. Me and Michael looked like utter fools consuming this, because every so often we paused, marveled, and sighed a little. Everything, from the bread to the sauce was impressive.
We were not quite ready to leave yet, so we decided to give dessert a shot. The bakery was also intimidating, as it featured all sorts of tasty-looking treats; some meant to be eaten there, and some meant to be taken home. Michael decides to go with a classic: the Napoleon with vanilla cream. I went with the massive Oreo cream cake. The dessert was some of the best we’ve experienced in the West Coast of Florida. The Napoleon is leagues beyond your typical Napoleon because of its thickness and strength of its vanilla cream.
But topping all items was my Oreo cream cake. The chocolate was rich, extremely flavorful, and best of all there was creamy fudge smack dab in the middle of the cake. Neither of us were able to finish our desserts, but the trip to the abrupt finale was a good one. As a matter of fact, our dessert was so delicious; we wanted to meet the owners. Instead, we got the manager because the owners left. Despite our bursting of love towards their food, he dismissed it mildly and claims that the place was more a market than a restaurant.
And this statement is true. This Italian market can replace your Wal-Mart, Target, or Publix in a heartbeat. While it doesn’t have as many drinks (that’s not with alcohol) as the stores I mentioned, this place has a massive assortment of goods, from your meats to your veggies, to an inhumane variety of cheeses and pasta. They make their pasta from scratch every single day, and the massive following this restaurant has received proves this. However, all that being said, they really should be more attentive and prouder of their restaurant-like area, because they make some fantastic cuisine that is far ahead of most sandwiches I’ve ever consumed.
Bottom Line: I have visited the legend, the slice of heaven, and the piece of culinary goodness...and it is all I dreamed it would be. Mazzaro’s Italian Market is a legendary part of Tampa Bay cuisine with a beautiful blend of fresh baked goods, incredibly fresh Italian products, and one of the best fish sandwiches I’ve ever had. This place is an adventure to find, an adventure to park, and an adventure to maneuver through. But its an adventure worth engaging in. The service was wonderful, the atmosphere was Italianistically (non-word) friendly, and the food was scrumptious from beginning to end. I have nothing more to say, you must come here, at least once. Whether its for eating or shopping, I give this place 4 thumbs up: 2 from my hands and 2 from my feet.
And by now I bet you are thinking how you can pull off a thumbs-up sign with your foot.
Final Verdict: Highly Recommend
Mazzaro's Italian Market
2909 22nd Avenue North
St. Petersburg, FL 33713-4207
(727) 321-2400
P.S. The phrase is Latin, but was coined by an Italian man. So take that!
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