Mangia e stai zitto.” That’s what you’ll read on the back of staff shirts at Andreoli Italian Grocer along with the restaurant logo on the sleeve. From Italian it translates to “Eat and Shut Up!” One server told us that phrase is common in the Italian home where discussing the day’s happenings is secondary to enjoying the meal. We also heard that the saying matches the signature no-nonsense, authentic Italian attitude of Chef Giovanni Scorzo. Sure enough, Chef Scorzo’s debut book “Shut Up and Eat!: A Journey to a Symphonic Culinary Masterpiece” even features that phrase.
When Food Network gliteratti Guy Fieri and the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives crew visited Andreoli Italian Grocer in December, 2014 for an episode (Season 22, Episode 4: “Italy Meets Arizona”) which aired two months later, the effusive host seemed to bring out a much less serious chef. The banter between the two was more than convivial; they joked like the best of old friends. Despite that joviality, Fieri was blown away by Andreoli, declaring: “You give the experience of Italians that slow down at lunch time, take the time to enjoy the food, and relax – that what it’s supposed to be. Dynamite!”
In Season 1, Episode 11 of Triple D Nation, Fieri returned to Scottsdale to revisit the authentic marketplace favorite and visit with Chef Scorzo. It was like old times. It was somewhat disappointing to see Chef Scorzo’s reserved parking spot vacant when we visited Andreoli. We’ve been around the block enough times to know celebrity chefs don’t prepare every meal at their restaurants. Still, we can hope. Not meeting the great chef wasn’t our only disappointment. The second was the ordering process. Diners walking into the restaurant immediately join a queue of other hungry patrons. The walk to the counter where you place your order is akin to the longest mile, especially since shorter diners can’t read the menu if standing behind a more altitudinal diner (like me).
During his visits to Andreoli, Fieri focused heavily on the restaurant’s commitment to authentic, from-scratch Italian cooking. Chef Scorzo featured demonstrated his preparation of several traditional staples. Among those staples was a prosciutto sempronio sandwich built on fresh house-baked bread using a 35-year-old starter culture. The sandwich was constructed with authentic prosciutto cured on-site for a year using Sicilian sea salt, red wine, garlic, and black pepper, topped with fresh mozzarella and roasted peppers. Another dish made for Fieri was bollito di carne, a traditional, comforting northern Italian version of meat and potatoes featuring slow-simmered beef. Guy famously remarked that it “feeds not just your stomach, but it feeds your soul.” That sounds like my kind of Italian restaurant.
Visit Andreoli’s website and you’ll see the logo “A taste of Italy straight from the source.” Chef Scorzo fancies himself as “the creator of a piece of theatrical realism” with the “Italian lifestyle being staged and Italian food is consumed not only by the most authentic culinary tradition, but a real-life experience made of speeches, meetings, sharing, laughter, feeling and passion.” Andreoli’s website also describes the great chef as “Andreoli’s great puppeteer, showcasing his culinary prowess and larger-than-life personality. A meal at Andreoli is staged daily, always the same on the canvas but different in content. The patrons are all unaware actors of this truth theater where the staging slips marked by the three central moments of food tasting: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
Andreoli operates on a first come, first served basis. On its busiest days, the restaurant is usually able to keep wait times to under 30 – 45 minutes. It’s one of very, very, very few restaurants for which I’d wait 45 minutes (maybe even longer) to be seated. It’s not everyday you’re fed be offered homemade, fresh, and organically created food prepared daily by a master chef in an environment where diners are surrounded by antiques and shelves lined with Italian imports that invite you to stay and enjoy. From the delicious handcrafted bread, homemade salami and cheeses, to the tiramisu and espresso-everything is authentically Italian, and lip-smacking delicioso.
Because you’ll be in line anyway, make sure to browse the shelves where Italian commestibles beckon. As you draw closer to placing your order, you’ll gawk in awe and wonder at the pastries and confections in a glass case. Everything from chocolate mousse to cappuccino cake is calorifically tempting. Beyond those delectable sweets, you’ll encounter cheeses to bring out the turophile in you. Then there’s a case the envy of many a salumeria (an Italian delicatessen or shop that primarily specializes in selling salumi (cured and salted meats like salami, prosciutto, and mortadella)). The appellation “Italian Grocery” sells Andreoli short. It’s a bakery, deli, and grocer which brings the heart of Italy right to Arizona, offering hand-crafted, from-scratch dishes that transport you straight to the cobblestone streets of Rome or Florence. (As my words inadequately describe this Italian paradise, I’m already planning my next visit.)
Andreoli’s website listed options that weren’t available when we visited during lunch. The menu posted overhead was somewhat abbreviated, but still listed temptations a plenty. Antipasto, Insalate, Sandwiches and Pasta offerings were available. Andreoli’s entire menu is a veritable compendium of Italian deliciousness. It’s conceivable you can’t go wrong no matter what you order. We were blessed to have enjoyed our inaugural meal at Andreoli with brother-in-law Tim and his Italian bride Lola DeVito Laws. They had visited twice before and loved it.
Fate somehow decreed that I’d spend my first 39 years on Planet Earth without experiencing the joy of Pasta Boscaiola (Farfalle with sausage, mushroom and olives in a tomato and cream sauce). My inaugural experience with this heavenly dish occurred just two days prior to seeing Boscaiola on Andreoli’s menu. Gelato Dolce Vita & Italian Grocer’s version was outstanding! Andreoli’s version was amazingly even better. Farfalle (often called “bowtie” pasta but which translates to “butterfly” in Italian) proved the perfect vehicle for the tomato cream sauce. The farfalle was a masterclass in al dente pasta, an absolute exemplar of just how firm and chewy pasta should be. Sausage and mushrooms were smallish, really letting the pasta and sauce shine. Every morsel was a delight.
Among the many superb items for which Andreoli is known is sandwiches. These aren’t your average deli-style subs stuffed with lettuce and microscoping portions of meat and cheese. Andreoli’s sandwiches are the genuine article, each crafted as it might be in Italy. Made with fresh, top-quality ingredients and served with an attention to detail that reflects the traditional Italian approach to food, these sandwiches are sure to tempt even the most serious pasta paramours. My Kim’s choice (which she insists is something she never calls me) is the Bastardo (Milano salami, pecorino and homemade olive tapenade. Served on homemade baguette. Comes with a mixed green salad). Rarely have we enjoyed a sandwich this much. The olive tapenade is muffuletta worthy, soaking into the homemade baguette. The salami and pecorino were of the highest quality, each an adventure in enjoyment.
Andreoli stands out as a one-stop shop for those of us looking to enjoy the finest authentic Italian cuisine Arizona has to offer. The made to order freshness and homey touches ensure every bite you take is a true reflection of Italy’s culinary excellence.
Andreoli Italian Grocer
8880 East Vía Linda
Scottsdale, Arizona
(480) 614-1980
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LATEST VISIT: 4 August 2026
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$$
BEST BET: Pasta Boscaiola, Bastardo
REVIEW #1542