Farewell to the Italian Food Center

[Fat Guy]

I was walking along Grand Street yesterday when I noticed that the Italian Food Center was closed up.

I remember 10-15 years ago the Italian Food Center was an amazing deli-grocery. The last time I checked in, maybe 2-3 years ago, it had become more of a mediocre-looking pizzeria. Now, it's gone. Makes me a little sad.

[Moopheus]

That's too bad. I seem to recall that when I worked in that neighborhood around 2005, it was still a decent Italian grocery, but that they didn't have too much that couldn't be had elsewhere. Probably hard to survive that way in a bad economy.

[Jesica]

Why it is not there nowadays? Any special reason. If everything was fine it must be getting good response.

[weinoo]

I guess it wasn't fine. And calling it an "amazing deli-grocery" might be a bit of hyperbole, in my opinion.

The expansion of DiPalo's, Eataly, Whole Foods, Fromaggio Essex, Faicco's, and a number of other places where basically anything you could get at the Italian Food Center can be had, albeit in a nicer, cleaner environment, have probably all led to its demise.

A couple of years worth of construction along Grand St. couldn't have helped either.

It's closure doesn't bring me to tears, however; I never liked the joint.