Massimo Italian Corner Opens in Norwalk With Gourmet Italian Specialties

Andrew Dominick October 17, 2023

Chicken parm on toasty Terranova seeded Italian bread

Like Batman running to help the Gotham City Police Department when he sees the Bat-Signal in the night sky, CTbites was summoned in a similar fashion. Only we spotted our Bat-Signal across the street from Aitoro Appliance in Norwalk, in the form of a neon sign that read: “Massimo.”

I hadn’t been that far up Westport Avenue in a while, so I turned to Steph and said, “Hey, hey. What’s this place? Heard of it?”

“Ohhh! Yeah! Fritz Knipschildt told me about it! He loves it!” was her reply.

Colandrea says Massimo, always has an open mind when it comes to finding a location. “He’s always looking,” Colandrea says of his father. “If he sees a sign, he’ll always give them a call just to see. He really liked this particular spot.” FYI: The space was designed by Enrico’s sister, Maryla.

Inside the case near the counter, you’ll find lots of temptations, like fresh made frittatas and….

The very next day for lunch, we met up at Massimo Italian Corner to welcome them and introduce you to who they are if you’re unfamiliar.

Behind the counter and display case that’s full of eggy frittatas, croissants, cannoli, two styles of pizza (New York and rectangular grandmas), and more, was Enrico Colandrea whose family owns the gourmet Italian deli and two other spots.

Sure, you can top a whole pie how you want it, or you can get a plain cheese slice. But what about a slice of sausage, egg, and cheese pizza?

“The original is Massimo (Pizzeria Ristorante) in Bridgeport,” he explains. “It’s my father’s (his name is Massimo) spot. He opened it in 1985. We opened a location like this one about six years ago, the Italian Corner Deli, in Trumbull that’s doing really well.”

What the Colandrea Family is bringing to the space that was formerly occupied by a Five Guys and a Blockbuster Video (iykyk!) way back in the day, is a blend of their culture (they’re from a small town outside of Naples that they visit every summer) and some Italian – American deli classics.

Said porchetta with peppers and onions on a roll

An array of pizzas, calzones, and stromboli are a feature right next to the deli’s grinders—yes, there’s an Italian combo, all the melty, saucy parm sandwiches, and plenty of Massimo’s specialties like one we have our eye on for next time, the Italian Corner Special with fried chicken, prosciutto, arugula, roasted red peppers, broccoli rabe, mozzarella, and balsamic vin.

“We try to keep everything as fresh as possible,” Colandrea says. “We make almost everything here—the cutlets, eggplant, frittatas are made every morning, we make our own mozzarella, and pastries are homemade and baked fresh (with the exception of cannoli shells, sfogliatella, and a few croissants). The grinder bread we use in all locations is from Terranova in the Bronx because you can’t get a better Italian bread.”

Massimo Italian Corner also boasts an espresso bar with all the singles, doubles, even a Nutella espresso, cappuccino, and lattes when you need a jolt of java.

Unlike most delis, Massimo stays open a bit later (until 9 p.m.), no doubt for their pizzas and Italian dinner specials—he even mentioned the possibility of selling beer and wine soon—but Colandrea says they’re trying to push breakfast.