Find The Best Sandwiches Around At Graziano Brothers, An Italian Deli In Iowa
By Kim Magaraci|Published December 12, 2020
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Kim Magaraci
Author
Kim Magaraci graduated Rutgers University with a degree in Geography and has spent the last seven years as a freelance travel writer. Contact: kmagaraci@onlyinyourstate.com
Des Moines’ Little Italy neighborhood is a vibrant community that’s packed with culture and culinary treasure, but way back in the early 1900s, it was just beginning to develop. In 1912, two Calabrese immigrants, Frank and Louis Graziano, founded their grocery business and deli, Graziano Brothers, Inc., on South Union Street, in what would soon become the neighborhood we know today. All these years later, Graziano Brothers still stocks gourmet Italian grocery products, and their deli makes the best sausage around and some of the most delicious sandwiches in Iowa.
Frank and Louis were just 21 and 17, and they made their way from Ellis Island to Des Moines as railway workers. They slowly established their grocery business and deli, and soon were able to quit working for the rails and focus full time on food.
Luckily for Des Moines, their business thrived! Everyone who stopped in to shop found just what they were looking for, and the Graziano sausage became famous throughout the region.
Stop in to enjoy a full selection of deli meats, cured meats, cold cuts, and fresh cheeses, perfect for making your lunches throughout the week or concocting a tray for your next get-together.
The most popular food at Graziano Brothers has got to be their sausage — and for good reason! All of the best restaurants in the region source their salumi from this fresh, famous deli.
Stop in to pick up lunch and order up from their sandwich menu! With names like the Franco, Bada Bing, and Knuckle Sandwich, you'll feel like you're on the set of the Sopranos. Try their Muffaletta or their famous sausage grinder.