Giolitti Delicatessen — Restaurant in Maryland

Annapolis has some great spots for sandwiches and if you’re not inclined to venture downtown to the historical Chick & Ruth’s to deal with the congestion, parking; Giolitti Delicatessen has a different vibe, and parking right outside easy Peezy.

We’ve been there a couple of times over the years but just went twice over the past month and had great experiences.

Yesterday, I had a fantastic sandwich called The Porchetta, the roasted pork was amazing and the seasoning was right on point, very good crusty bread. A week later I got another one and this one was perhaps even better! A few weeks ago they didn’t have this available and I went for the Muffaletta, again great bread and nice portions of meat with a spicy olive mix. Maybe not the same as from Central Market but good for Annapolis.

The wife had a build your own tuna, it was ok but she wouldn’t be ordering it again. I think she has her eye on a Parma for her next order. The place does carry Route 11 Potato Chips, we got the BBQ and they were above average. For dessert, I got a Tiramisu, a Cannoli, but the wife sure won hands down when she picked the Tres leches cake! Wow, next week when we are back in that area I will certainly try to score two slices of that stuff for sure as it was delicious and way better than the other two. Now here is a funny thing, in this return trip a week later, I get two more slices: it might be my imagination, however, my wife confirmed it too; we both thought that one of the slices didn’t taste as good as the other. I don’t know if this is a matter of them having multiple bakers, and them not quite following the same recipe quite as enthusiastically or not but the first slice of cake just didn’t jazz us as much as the second one.

The only serious service problem was when she got out to the car with the big bag of goodies, we discovered the 3 desserts were missing from the bag yet on our receipt. She had to go back to get them. Given how good they are, to have driven away & get home without dessert would have been heartbreaking so check your bags…at least on our return trip this 2nd week every thing was included. My only new disaster was upon getting home with some dinners packed in paper bags with handles. Walking from the car a big qt of red sauce dropped through the bottom of the paper bag; it had become saturated from condensation by sitting next to a frozen chicken piccata; CAREFULLY CARRY THE BAG FROM THE BOTTOM NEXT TIME! It’s quite pain in the butt cleaning up quart of reds sauce in the garage after you produce a Jackson...

I never thought I would be writing this review. I’ve been a loyal Giolitti’s customer for over 20 years, eating here weekly and recommending it to countless friends and family. The food has always been excellent, and the staff have generally been warm and professional. But after what happened recently, my family and I will never step foot in Giolitti’s again.

Last week, I bought my usual lunch and some sliced Fontina cheese to take home. I’ve purchased this cheese from Giolitti’s for decades, so I know exactly how it’s supposed to taste. This time, however, it reeked and tasted completely spoiled.

The next day, I returned to politely explain the issue. The woman at the counter, who I believe is the owner, immediately brushed me off with, “That’s just how it smells, it’s imported.” I calmly explained that I’ve been buying this cheese for years and it has never smelled or tasted this way. I asked for a fresh order.

What happened next left me absolutely stunned. She opened the same package of cheese I had purchased and was returning because it had spoiled — which I had already opened, handled, and eaten from — and then began eating it right in front of me. As she did this, she said, “I’ll just take it home and eat it myself. But don’t worry, we’ll get you what you want,” in a sarcastic tone.

Not only was this condescending, but it was clearly said with the intention to humiliate me. And beyond that, it revealed a shocking disregard for basic food safety. Eating food a customer had already purchased, taken home, and returned—just to “prove a point”—is not only unprofessional, it’s disturbing. It made me question what other food safety standards are being ignored behind the counter.

I ended up asking for provolone instead, because at that point I didn’t trust her to cut me a fresh package of Fontina. The entire interaction left me feeling disrespected, embarrassed, and disgusted.

Earlier this year, I noticed Giolitti’s had closed temporarily and heard it was because most of the staff had quit. I don’t know if that’s fact, but after this encounter, it would make complete sense. If this is how a loyal, long-time customer is treated, I can only imagine how employees are treated.

It pains me to say this, but I cannot in good conscience support Giolitti’s anymore. Twenty years of loyalty and goodwill were destroyed in one interaction. If this is the type of “service” and “standards” being brought into daily operations, I fear for the future of this place. She doesn’t deserve my business, and I...

Revisited Giolitti's with the Kid today (their idea), where we dined on the same items as before- except we had different desserts: a 'torta della nonna,' a deliciously light lemon-egg custard tart that was a lovely way to finish lunch. We also had the decadent 'chocolate profiteroles.' (pics below) Again, the staff were extremely pleasant, the establishment was well maintained (tables wiped, soda area kept clean and free of debris), and the food worth going back for. Which, of course, we did.

Took the Kid there after a hard day's work painting Grandpa's barn (really), as we were very hungry and I had a powerful taste for a big salad. We arrived to find the staff hard at work, all wearing masks, the tables spaced for social distancing, and the usual fabulous selection of wines, meats, cheeses, breads and desserts awaiting us. I had the 'Antipasto Salad' and the Kid had the Roman Sandwich. The Kid does not usually go for sandwiches, so you can imagine my delight when it was proclaimed as the best they ever had! We also enjoyed a 'Chocolate and Vanilla Bomba' washed down with an iced latte. Always a pleasure to visit Giolitti's and cannot...