Geno Visits JJ’s Market & Delicatessen in St. Pete

Author Geno

September 16th, 2021 11:06 AM

This wasn’t my first visit to JJ’s. It was a place I used to stop from time to time on my drive to the radio station when I used to live on the Hillsborough side. Now that I live on the Pinellas side, I don’t often head east. JJ’s is one of those places the hipster organic crowd will love. Yelp reviewers loves this place. The employees are always friendly. On this visit, the woman working behind the counter was coughing and sneezing and didn’t wear a mask, which honestly bugged me a bit. But I’m not the type to complain, especially since they’re always super nice there.

JJ’s is across from the race track on Gandy on the St. Petersburg side. Most JJ’s fans like their sandwiches and soups, craft beer selection and wine. They have harder to find items you won’t see on the shelves at Publix. For example, they had a Chicago pizza in the freezer that got my transplant friends super excited when I shared a photo on Facebook. Let’s give you a quick tour.

• I went with the Philly Melt… not bad, but Delco’s in Dunedin has nothing to worry about.

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  Shaved ribeye, melted American, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, garlic mayo, pressed ciabatta for $10.99. That description got my mouth watering, but it was tiny. I'm a big dude... I was ready for another meal a couple hours later. Plus it was cold in the middle so I assume this was probably just reheated meat, not fresh grilled.

• When they have Hank’s it’s a good sign.

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  Their root beer is good too, but the orange cream soda is the way to go. $2.

• Some fun childhood throwback treats.

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  Was I the only one who hated Cracker Jacks? I loved the prize as a kid, but I was more on Team Reese Cup. Swedish Fish though were a childhood favorite. I'll pass on the Necco.
• Not a lot of indoor seating, but probably 5 or 6 tables.

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• Lou Malnati’s fans were psyched when I posted this photo to Facebook… many apparently have this shipped from Chicago. $28 seemed steep to me so I passed.

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  A roundtrip flight to Chicago right now is under $100. That's only 3 pizzas. As for JJ's price, it really isn't bad when you consider Malnati's charges $68 to ship 2 pies online.

• $5 for a loaf of bread isn’t for me.

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  But I'm sure it's much better for you than the $1.50 loaves at the grocery store.
• Lots of wine and craft beers.

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  Compared to the other items in the store, the wine prices seemed low.

• I wish I was a bigger fan.

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  I DO like supporting small business. But I don't think I'm their target customer. But for the hipster, organic types, I think you'll dig this place lots. As I mentioned, online reviewers love their breakfast items, salads, soup and wraps. I just found it too overpriced for what you get. It's still a spot I'll pop into from time to time.

More of Geno’s stories from this week…

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Author Geno

Category:

• Geno

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Food,Geno Are Tampa,restaurants,Small Business,St. Pete,St. Petersburg