Day Trips: Maceo Spice & Import Co., Galveston

Photos by Gerald E. McLeod

Maceo Spice & Import Co., the little grocery store and lunch counter on the edge of downtown Galveston, has provided a big gateway to a world of flavors since 1944.

Stepping into the shop, you know you've found the real deal. It's a neighborhood Italian, family-run market with an aroma from the kitchen that makes the anticipation of lunch all the sweeter. There is a small dining area in the store, but the picnic tables in the lot next door are the better option for enjoying your lunch largesse.

The menu focuses mainly on soups, salads, and sandwiches, but daily specials can be anything from spaghetti and meatballs to crawfish pie and étouffée.

While you're waiting on your order, browse the aisles of imported foods and spices, sign your name to the wall, or order cheeses and meats by the pound. At the very least, you'll want to take home a bottle of the Sicilian-style tomato gravy. Many Italian American cooks prefer the thick red gravy rather than the lighter spaghetti sauce.

The family patriarch Rosario Maceo, who passed away in 2009 at age 91, is credited with introducing the muffuletta sandwich to Galveston. The family sells their fresh olive dressing in pint jars.

The Maceo family of Palermo, Italy, arrived in Galveston in 1910. Brothers Rose and Sam were barbers, but branched into bootlegging. They ran the legendary Balinese Room, a restaurant and illegal casino on a pier off the seawall, until it was shut down in 1957.

Maceo Spice & Import Co. is at 2706 Market St. in Galveston. Lunch is served 11am-3pm, but the store is open until 5pm. Online orders are taken at maceospice.com.

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