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Market Explorer: RoVino The Foodery Italian Market in the East Village
Exploring the specialty markets of San Diego is a great way to get to know the wonderfully diverse county we call home.
Explore the largest Italian market and restaurant in San Diego: RoVino The Foodery in downtown’s East Village.
The Market: RoVino The Foodery
Location: 969 Market St, East Village, San Diego
Hours: Monday-Thursday: 7am to 9pm, Friday 7am to 11pm, Saturday 8am to 11pm, Sunday 8am to 9pm. Lunch counter open at 11 am, restaurant open at 3pm
Specialties: Italian specialty foods and prepared meals
Open since August 23rd in the space that formerly housed The Market Hall, RoVino The Foodery is billed as San Diego’s largest Italian market and restaurant. The spacious venue in downtown’s East Village houses a coffee bar, pizza and sandwich counter, bakery, gelato case, sit-down restaurant, and marketplace stocked with specialty Italian foods, packaged meals, pantry staples, sweet treats, wine, beer, and plenty of pasta.
The team behind the ambitious endeavor also operates RoVino Rotisserie + Wine in Little Italy.
The Foodery’s sit-down restaurant menu is more on the casual side, with pizzas and a straightforward pasta menu that lets diners choose their desired sauce and noodle combination.
Happy hour specials include $5 drinks and small bites including spicy parmesan fries, fried ravioli, and roasted artichoke (also salad).
What to look for at RoVino The Foodery
Fresh Pasta
Fun and familiar fresh pastas like ravioli, bucatini, and ravioli are displayed next to containers of sauce and tubs of cheese, making for an easy meal anytime.
We saw buffalo mozzarella, burrata, ricotta, pecorino cream, and all manner of shredded cheese—plus vegan mozzarella and parmesan.
There’s also a freezer stocked with frozen pasta, and all sorts of different dry pasta displayed throughout the store—including imported pasta pouches with noodles and sauce in exotic flavors like black spaghetti with marinara and capers.
Cured Meat
It’s a salame, pepperoni, mortadella, and ‘ndjuja party in the refrigerated case opposite the fresh pasta. Tucked among the tubular meats, look for cheese and spreads fit for an Italian party platter.
Convenient Meals
Next door to the cured meat there’s portable (and well-priced) packaged vegetarian meals ready to grab and go, like cheese manicotti, mushroom ravioli, and grilled vegetable risotto. Just make sure you’re headed somewhere with a microwave (they’re stored cold).
Deli & Bakery
The deli counter serves a well-designed array of sandwiches served on hearty Italian rolls that are par-baked in store.
Partner Vincenzo Bruno recommends the L’ Italiano, a triple-meat deli sandwich with mortadella, salami, capicola, provolone cheese, pepperoncini, and Italian dressing. The La Strata, with turkey, prosciutto cotto, crispy prosciutto, Fontina cheese and avocado also sounds delicious.
There’s also eight different pizzas on offer, ranging from Verdure (red bell peppers, artichokes, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms) to Tutto Carne (pepperoni, meatball, sausage, prosciutto cotto, capicola).
Coffee
Craving caffeine? The coffee bar slings inventive espresso-based drinks like tiramisu lattes, amaretto cappuccinos, and “the Handsome Italian”, a signature creation starring a shot of espresso topped with homemade sweet cream and caramel foam. The shop also sells ground and whole bean Italian coffee.
Sweets
The extensive selection of sweets at the coffee bar includes muffins, Italian cookies, giant eclairs, caramel budino, and several varieties of cake by the slice (pro-tip: order yours with a scoop of gelato).
Other tempting desserts like crispy pizelle cookies, Italian chocolate bars, festive gelato flutes, cannoli shells and pipe-yourself bags of mascarpone filling, gourmet ice cream pops, and family-sized slabs of lemon and traditional tiramisu can be found throughout the store.
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