Photo by Justin Scott

A.Litteri, Inc. has been on my radar for a little while, but Saturday, I finally got my chance to head over to the Morse Street market that has been serving the D.C. area since 1926.

The shop is unassuming and upon entry doesn’t seem like much more than a few shelves of canned tomatoes and cooler full of sodas. However, rather like Alice’s rabbit hole, A. Litteri is easy to fall into. Just a few steps farther into the market, a trove of specialty Italian items opens to curious visitors.

I arrived at the perfect time of day, at about 2 p.m. A. Litteri is only open until 3 p.m. on Saturdays so the rush had already blown through and there was no line for the sandwich counter.

The Classic Italian sub. Photo by Justin Scott

Luis Joya, the manager of the market, who suggested I order their most popular subs, classic Italian and meatball. He also filled me in on the store’s typical rushes, which are lunch hour during the week and all day on Saturday, when shoppers come for groceries.

Though I was originally after the aforementioned subs, I couldn’t resist picking out a few more items. A. Litteri is packed from corner-to-corner, ceiling-to-floor with olive oil, giardiniera, balsamic vinegar, pasta and wine. I choose A. Litteri brand butter cookies, kept in the fridge to keep them from melting, a house made filetto di pomodoro sauce in a big ball jar, Delallo parmesan cheese and giardiniera and an olive oil infused with lime.

Freezer full of ravioli. Photo by Justin Scott

A. Litteri is worth a special trip for any DCist who has not been. If not for a full on grocery shop, than just for one of the delicious subs.

Party platters and sandwiches are also available with advance notice.