micucci's italian grocery

"unique" and not in a good way.. let me say first off that micucci's italian grocery is an amazingly great italian market with a wonderful selection. the pizza however is awful. maybe it's just not my style, but the sauce tasted like chef boyardee and the crust was not even as good as the pre-made dough from the supermarket. it was too much and too thrown together. i can see how you could be bowled over by such and impressively large slice, but the execution was sloppy at best.

apparently, the michelin man has high end tastes. i stumbled upon this video on cnn.com today, and it made me think about all the really great food out there that isn’t being appropriately appreciated because it isn’t expensive. higher cost does not neces

...a lovely mix of bakery items, deli and products.

not so great. sandwiches were premade and variations on the same boilerplate sandwich. the pizza was ok. i would not go out of my way to return.

the pizza!!! yes, the pizza. go for a gigantic slice of yummy pizza. you'll find these hidden gems in the back of the grocery store. delicious.

best deal in town. the hot and feeling sandwiches are the best deal along the waterfront. real italian deli with the hot food hidden in back in the bakery area. it's first come, first serve. they only make so many sandwiches and when they're gone, they're gone.

so italian. great place, mouth watering. thank you. amybeth hurst, portland, me

since 1951 this old school italian grocery has been serving downtown portland, maine and anyone familiar with bay cities in santa monica will feel right at home here. while bay cities is renowned for the godmother, the mother of all italian sandwiches, micucci’s is known for their pizza.  it’s a sicilian slab, coming on doughy bread with sweet sauce and cheese and those in the know will line up for it for half an hour if need be (and the need is often).

the slab is the best pizza in portland. steve is great, especially with all his baking magic goodness!

sicilian pizza ? no, but you'll like it. i'm not trying to be an italian food snob, but rather to offer an "opinionated clarification". the "slab" is a good tasting pizza if you like your sauce sweet. but it's only resemblance to silician style pizza (meaning pizza you would find in sicily, or anywhere in italy for that matter) is the shape and the cheese portioning. i haven't been to every city in italy, but i've going there for the past 8 years and i've sampled pizza from more than 30 different towns all around the country, including several on the island of sicily. not once have i tasted a sauce that sweet on any italian pizza, nor a crust that doughy and soft on a sicilian style pie. sicilian pizza has a moderately thick, crispier bottom and lighter middle. while i enjoy the "slab", i see many slices that have large bare patches without sauce or cheese and i won't pay $4.50 for a slice of flavored bread. so ... though i may sound like i speak sacreligious about one of portland's favorite pies, i think there's room for improvement on the evenness of the slices. as for the sauce, you either love it or you don't... that's not going to change. i just had to respond to those reviewers who call the "slab" a "real slice of italy". it's no more authentically italian than the chicken parmesan you'll find at the olive garden, but that doesn't mean you won't like it! :)


-----22 aug, 2012-----

new sandwich at miccuci's. they've added a couple of new sandwiches back by the pizzas. one is an italian that comes with a small canoli which i haven't tried yet. the other one i had today - genoa, provolone, mortadella, olives and mild hot peppers on a mufaletta style bread, all for $5. sounds like it should be delicious, but i was quite disappointed mostly in the bread, though the meats were rather bland as well. if you're accustomed to a new orleans style mufaletta, you won't recognize this sandwich. the bread was tough, chewy, thick and completely overwhelmed the meats. it was hard work to chew it and i actually gave up and took the sandwich home and put it on different bread! even then, neither the meats nor the spread had much zest or flavor. i'd rather see a cappicola or hot ham on there to liven it up. the green olives especially seemed lifeless, as if they'd been sitting in water for too long.

this is new for them and hopefully they'll work out the kinks, but i can't say i enjoyed it and would buy it again. i do recommend micucci's for anything else from their store... deli meats, cheeses, pasta, sausage, ravioli, wine, canned goods. i love the store and the service and shop there often, but this sandwich wasn't a winner... not yet.


-----09 feb, 2011-----

the best deli and wine - period !. if heaven were a grocery store, it would be micucci's. you already know about the pizza and pastries that knock your socks off, but the deli is without a doubt, the best in the city for quality and value. you won't find "boars head meats" here, thank goodness, but you will find great prices and tasty meats, cheeses and sausages, pastas and canned goods in individual or bulk packaging. the wine prices are the best around... really, no one is better and i drink a ton of wine so i know! there are lots of hidden wine gems on the shelves, so you'll be rewarded if you steer away from the common stuff and try things you don't know, like a $14 bottle of anglianico or a salice salento reserve. my only warning is this:micucci's is habit forming!

as many amazing things as i have read and heard about it, i still think it was completely underrated! this pizza is a vision of perfection with minimal cheese, a sweet homemade red sauce that was beautifully glossy with chunks of tomato on deliciously chewy homemade dough. a word of advice for those dying to try it: go during the week or at a non-peak time on the weekend to avoid a large crowd.

#1 pizza. this is hands down the best pizza in portland. it's my little secret that i share with friends coming from out of town. don't go here, you will spoil my secret. but really, you should go here.

incredible. the sicilian slab pizza that baker steve lanzalotta bakes is the finest example of sicilian "slab" pizza i've tasted in the u.s. light, but chewy and hefty. the sauce is absolutely perfect. do not miss this if you are in portland, maine. incredible.

sicilian slab. thick, soft on the inside, crispy on the outside crust. sweet fresh tomato sauce with just the right amount of savory cheese. it seems expensive at 4.50 a slice, but one is all you'll need. p.s. get 2 napkins, you'll need them, it's that good.

no wonder people stand in line for a slab of pizza!. i had my first slab of pizza here recently. it was every bit as good as i had been told. very nice store too, with lots of quality food. get a slab of pizza and a cannoli and you will think you are in sicily!