[The French Quarter, New Orleans, LA] - Central Grocery

The first time I had a muffaletta was at Baguettes in Elk Grove. Baguettes was pretty good, and at the time, I had no idea what a muffaletta was. It had olives, salami, mozzarella, ham, and provolone. At least, that was the best I could gather from looking at the one someone else was eating in the shop. So I bought one too. It was layers upon layers of meat and cheese. Of course, the combo was gold. Eventually, I learned that muffalettas are from New Orleans. Then, since I knew I would be going to New Orleans, I had to find the best places to get it. Central Grocery kept popping up everywhere I looked. How would it compare? 

It was so good, that when I went again this year, I made a point of going there to get another sandwich. Central Grocery is located a few blocks down from Cafe Du Monde, in case you want to plan for dessert right after lunch. Or dessert before lunch--no judgement. The grocery is mostly that - a grocery. Lots of Italian food items, lots of cheeses, and pasta. Great place to browse even though it's relatively small. If you're lucky, the line isn't too long and you just have to tell the cashier if you want an entire round, half, or quarter. Half is pretty big, but a quarter feels like it goes too fast. We shared a half and I still had room for beignets. 

The bread is the main thing that makes a difference. The texture is fantastic. The outside is a little harder/crispy, while the inside is softer. Most other places I've tried it at serve it on a focaccia like bread where it's all soft and mushy, or if not mushy initially, it gets there pretty quickly. Or I've had it on ciabatta, which I also am not a fan of because the outside is too hard. The filling in the Central Grocery muffaletta is plentiful, but not so much that I have to take two separate bites to get through everything like I did with Baguette's muffaletta. The olives from the olive salad is too salty for me, but otherwise, everything is delicious in this sandwich. Oh, and I also learned that there is mortadella in there also. If you feel like trying to recreate this sandwich, Central Grocery also sells their olive salad and comes in a box that you can toss right in your luggage. Doesn't hurt to bring one to go also since airlines charge for food. If you're going to pay for dinner on a flight, might as well be something you want to eat! That and the sandwiches don't get soggy quickly like other muffalettas.

Half of a muffaletta to share. It was hot that first trip so we just ate it in the store. This past trip, the weather was moderate and felt great so we brought it out to Jackson Square and ate it in the park.

Address:

923 Decatur St

New Orleans, LA 70116

Hours:

Daily 9am-5pm