A good Italian sub is not complicated, but it is easy to get wrong. Thin meat, soft bread, and a sad slice of cheese will not cut it.
Across Maryland, a handful of family-style Italian markets still build sandwiches the way they always have, with imported cold cuts, sturdy rolls, and a deli counter that doubles as a grocery store. These are the places where you can grab lunch and a jar of olives, a pound of prosciutto, or a tray of lasagna for dinner in the same stop.
From Highlandtown in Baltimore to downtown Frederick, this list covers seven delis that treat the sub as serious business. Some have seating, some are strictly grab and go, and a few keep short hours, so the practical notes matter.
Save this one for your next lunch run or weekend errand loop.
1. Di Pasquale’s, Baltimore, MD
Highlandtown has a way of holding onto its classics, and Di Pasquale’s is one of the best examples. The shop on Toone Street is part Italian grocery, part cafe, with homemade soups, sandwiches, and pizzas coming out of the kitchen.
The sandwich to know is the Real Italian. It comes packed with salami, ham, capicola, and mortadella, which is about as old-school a lineup as you can ask for.
Beyond the sub, the store stocks imported Italian meats, a big cheese selection, pasta, olives, oils, and homemade bread. The house-made Italian sausage has a strong following, and frozen sauces and meats make it easy to take dinner home too.
There is lunch seating inside and out, so you do not have to eat in the car. Hours run Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM, and the store is closed Sunday.
Thursday through Saturday afternoons get busy. If you want a calmer browse through the aisles, a weekday evening before closing is the quieter window.
2. Scittino’s Italian Market Place, Catonsville, MD
Late sub cravings are rarely rewarded, which is why Scittino’s stands out. The Edmondson Avenue market stays open until 9 PM most nights and 10 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.
It works as both a sub and pizza shop and a full Italian market. The deli counter handles meats and cheeses, and the shelves carry pasta sauces, canned tomatoes, olives, cookies, spices, bread, and frozen foods.
On the sandwich side, you will find cold cut subs, an eggplant parm sandwich, a Reuben, and sausage, peppers, and onions. Nonna’s Lasagna and homemade pastries round things out if you want more than a sandwich.
Prices generally land in the $10 to $20 range per person. Ordering happens at the counter, there is seating, and the free lot usually has room.
Families will find high chairs and a kids’ menu. It is a practical stop for a weeknight dinner that nobody has to cook.
3. Giulianova Groceria, Westminster, MD
Main Street in Westminster is lined with older storefronts, and one of them happens to hold a serious hoagie counter. Giulianova Groceria sells hoagies, deli meats, Italian fare, and dry goods.
Cold cuts are the calling card here. Look for the Italian Extravaganza, which takes the classic cold cut and adds prosciutto, soppressata, and roasted red peppers, then lets you pick your toppings.
The shop also sells fresh Italian meats and cheeses by the pound, plus easy dinner options to carry home. It is a smart stop if you want sandwich fixings for the week.
Plan around the schedule. It is closed Sunday and Monday, open 8 AM to 4 PM Tuesday and Wednesday, 8 AM to 6 PM Thursday and Friday, and only until 2 PM on Saturday.
4. Juliet’s Italian Market and Café, Frederick, MD
Downtown Frederick has plenty of lunch choices, yet a line often forms at a small shop on East Church Street. Expect roughly a ten-minute wait at Juliet’s, and know that seating is limited.
The menu covers panini, subs, and salads. Prosciutto and provolone and mortadella and provolone are straightforward standouts, and the Italian cold cut sub comes with freshly sliced prosciutto and generous portions.
The pastrami sandwich has its own fans, which is a fun curveball for an Italian market.
Shelves hold imported Italian products and hard-to-find ingredients. Frozen pastas are either made in-house or brought in from New Jersey and New York, and ready-to-heat dinners like lasagna and eggplant parmesan make weeknights easier.
Hours are 11:30 AM to 5:30 PM Monday through Saturday. Street parking downtown can be tight, so a nearby paid lot may save time.
5. Gemelli’s Italian Market, Gaithersburg, MD
Bread can make or break a sub, and Gemelli’s leans on rustic hard rolls that hold up to a full stack of cold cuts. That alone earns it a spot for anyone tired of squishy rolls.
The Darnestown Road market serves cold cuts and warm subs, made-to-order pizza, and pastries. The deli case carries fresh meats and cheeses, and the store also sells fresh pasta and pizza dough.
Home cooks will appreciate the dry pasta and olive oil selection. A freezer stocked with Italian dinner entrees covers the nights when cooking is off the table.
Hours run 10 AM to 8 PM on weekdays and 10 AM to 7 PM on Saturday, with Sundays closed. Friday evening and Saturday afternoon are the busy stretches.
Free on-site parking keeps it an easy in-and-out errand.
6. Pastore’s Italian Delly, Towson, MD
Yes, it is spelled Delly, and no, that is not a typo. Pastore’s on Loch Raven Boulevard is a neighborhood deli and shop known for jumbo subs and kitchen items.
The meatball sub gets top billing, with large meatballs, plenty of sauce, and fresh baked Italian bread. Prosciutto and provolone subs are another favorite, and portions of meat run generous.
The counter also offers ricotta, crushed green olives, eggplant parmesan, stuffed shells, ravioli, and sausage in sauce. For dessert, there are cannoli, tiramisu, pizzelles, and rice pudding.
Canned Italian goods fill the shelves for anyone stocking a pantry.
There is no dine-in, so plan on takeout. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 AM to 4 PM, and Wednesday or Thursday mornings tend to be the least crowded.
7. Trinacria Baltimore, Baltimore, MD
Some families have been making Italian cold cut runs to Paca Street for generations, picking up lunch meats, cheeses, olives, and bread to build sandwiches at home. Trinacria still fits that routine.
For a ready-made lunch, the Italian Cold Cut Sandwich and the Meatball Sub are the headliners. A prosciutto panini is another option.
The market side carries prepared foods, deli items, dry goods, ravioli, assorted olives, and fig cookies. Prices stay in the $10 to $20 range, which is friendly for a downtown lunch.
Know before you go: there is no dine-in and no restroom. Hours are 8 AM to 4:30 PM Tuesday through Saturday.
Its location near downtown makes it an easy detour from the west side of the city. Grab a sub, grab some cookies, and head home with dinner sorted.
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