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This story is part of WTOP’s Small Business September series, sponsored by EagleBank.
A. Litteri, an old-school Northeast D.C. Italian grocery store, has been around since the 1920s, and it’s aging like a fine wine, getting more and more popular and respected through the years.
“The store started in 1926, and we’ve been in this location since 1932 through a lot of different changes in the neighborhoods,” said owner Max Evans. “There’s not a whole lot of places like A. Litteri in D.C.”
Built on the foundation of providing authentic, high-quality, Italian products, the store is known for its variety of meats, cheeses and wines. The business makes a lot of subs and is often packed during lunch.
It’s located in a busy spot in the Union Market area.
When people have a debate about which business makes the absolute best sandwich in the nation’s capital, A. Litteri is frequently brought up during the conversation.
“We’re just a traditional, old-school, Italian grocery deli, and there’s not a lot of stuff like that,” Evans said. “When a place has been around this long, you develop a pretty nice following.”
As the decades have gone by, the store has evolved from a neighborhood staple to a celebrated destination, largely due to the power of word-of-mouth and, more recently, the effect of social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram.
Food lovers and influencers make videos about their sandwiches or give the business a review, and the content makes the rounds online.
“With social media, we’re busier than ever,” Evans said. “We’ve had a couple of them really go viral and bring us a ton of business, and then it’s a matter of making sure that we deliver the experience that they were hoping for.”
Evans prides himself on offering a wide selection of alcohol, including nearly 600 different wines and spirits.
“I work with lots and lots of different distributors and importers that I buy from pretty regularly,” Evans said. “I try to have a really nice selection of wine from everywhere. But the majority of our selections are going to be Italian.”
