Central Grocery Store

In the long line of elegant and busy buildings on Decatur Street in the French Quarter, a deep red board announcing the rather bland Central Grocery will probably go unnoticed. But the delicious smells wafting from the open door will surely give pause. Started as an old fashioned grocery store by an immigrant Italian-American family, the store had become synonymous with delicious sandwiches of various kinds. However, nothing is more popular or famous than the muffuletta which was invented in New Orleans. Made with a kind of soft, round bread that is almost 10 in. in diameter, it is stuffed with the store’s signature olive salad, mortadella, provolone and other condiments and can contain ham, seafood or beef. It is sold as a whole or halves and quarters as well and is a fulfilling meal.