Restaurant Spotlight: Palm Coast sandwich shop opens anticipated Italian-American market

One of Palm Coast’s most frequented sandwich shops just got better with the addition of a new Italian-American market.

JP’s Italian American Bistro, a Flagler County favorite that’s made its name known in the less-than one year it's been serving sandwiches and more, opened the doors to its next-door market last month, after first teasing the new project on social media back in August.

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Adding the market to the beloved eatery was a no-brainer for owners Anthony Parenti and his wife, Sandra, who say its creation was centered around one driving force.

“It was our guests,” Parenti began.

“Oh (they were) begging for it, you know? ‘Can you bring this and bring this?’ So, finally, we surveyed every person that came in — should we take over next door? And I’m telling you, there were tears of joy.”

And so the project began.

What you’ll find at the market

The local market, much like its neighboring bistro, prides itself on its authenticity — a place where curiosity prompts the first visit, but its quality and rarity of goods creates returning customers.

The restauranteur and his wife have fostered a relationship so genuine and transparent with the local community, he tells me, that each and every item found on their market's shelves was personally requested by customers themselves.

Whether stopping in for a Brooklyn-imported, twisted, seeded loaf, some sweet sausage or homemade soup, one thing is for certain — what you find at the market, you won’t find anywhere else. The local shop holds something new and inimitable on every shelf, offering a range of imported Italian goods, like the Parmigiano-Reggiano; Mutti finely chopped tomatoes; pepperoncini; and Pranzo peppers, olives, pasta and sauces — alongside bread so authentic it has, quite literally, brought Brooklyn-born Floridians to tears.

“I mean even the bruschetta, the caponata — they’re just flying off (the shelves) because they’re great products," Parenti said. "And you can’t find that at Walmart or Publix. And I’m not saying that they don’t have a certain kind, I’m saying it’s not this kind — it’s not imported from Italy.”

The newly opened shop found immediate success among customers new and returning, flying through nearly everything in stock during its first week. Committed to continually taking community requests and input, making adjustments as needed, and customizing the shop’s stock to its clientele, the local market prides itself on its ever-changing offerings — those that seem to sell out as quickly as they’re shipped in each week.

Whether it's homemade chicken parmesan, Italian gnocchi, ravioli and marinara, or imported olive oil, sopressata salami, Auricchio cheese or sweet fennel sausage, there never seems to be a lack of variety at JP’s Italian American Market.

“Every day that you come in, you’re going to find something different. Whether it’s the soup — today's soup is Italian wedding and minestrone; tomorrow it might be escarole and beans and potatoes and tomato bisque — it all depends,” Parenti said.

“I try to bring stuff in that you can’t find at Publix and Walmart … Both of them know exactly what they’re doing, but they cater to the masses — I don’t. I cater to anyone who wants this type of food.”

How the restaurateur got his start

Although he tells me he’s been around food service his whole life — for as long as he can remember — Parenti explained that opening a restaurant was never planned, but rather a sort of boredom-born dream.

The Brooklyn native, a self-starter whose passion for both people and pastrami is palpable, moved to the Sunshine State in December 2022 with his wife, where the couple planned to retire — a plan that soon came to a halt.

“It was like ‘what are we doing next, honey? What are we doing next?’ you know? I was torturing her,” he laughed.

Eager to do more, the then-retiree began to explore his options.

After hearing about a local shop up for grabs, without a second thought, JP’s Italian American Bistro was born.

“As soon as I walked in, I knew what I wanted to do with the place,” Parenti said. “I just wanted a sandwich shop like I grew up with in Brooklyn. That’s what I wanted — that was it. You come in, get a sandwich, open 11-3, and then I want to go home and be with my wife.”

And that’s exactly what he did — at first.

What the restaurateur had not anticipated was the eatery’s immediate success, building a loyal community of authentic Italian comfort food-lovers within the very first month. Known for its homemade sandwich selections at "respectable prices," the eatery’s menu of authentic meats, cheeses and more quickly became a Palm Coast staple.

“Sometimes it’s so crowded it might take 45 minutes, but we’re different, you know? When a person walks in, we're not — ‘Oh, it’ll be 15-20 minutes’ were like ‘It’ll be 45 minutes to an hour, so go somewhere else or come back in a hour and we’ll save you a seat, you know? And our guests do it.”

“It’s just that good,” I say.

“No,” he corrects me.

“That’s just how cool our clientele is.”

What started as a grab-and-go sandwich shop soon expanded its hours and offered indoor seating for those — a majority of the eatery’s customer base — who loved the conversation and feeling of genuine community that eating at the restaurant provided — a feeling Parenti says is mutual.

“You can come in and eat a sandwich for $8.95 — its unheard of, and my sandwiches are packed. We love doing it, and all of our guests become family. I’m not just saying that — we’ve been invited to two weddings … When you come here, you’re over-fed, you’re under-charged, and, you know, just keep coming back.”

What’s on the menu at JP’s Italian American Bistro

Food like he once knew it in Brooklyn.

That, the restaurateur tells me, is the very inspiration behind his expansive menu of salad, sandwich and pasta plates.

For sandwich lovers, the selections range from The Godfather — ham, prosciutto, hot capocollo, hot soppressata, pepperoni, mortadella and provolone — The American Big Boy — ham, turkey, roast beef and American cheese — and The Brooklyn Jewish Deli Heaven — corned beef, pastrami and turkey — to The Hogfather — pork loin, bacon, mortadella, soppressata and cheese — and The Italiano — pork loin, ham, cheese, pickles and mustard.

Other options range from the onion, relish and dill pickle-topped Chicago Dog, the chicken caprese — fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil and balsamic — and the Reubini — cheese, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing, and your choice of pastrami, corned beef or turkey — to the chef salad — ham, turkey, American cheese, hard boiled egg, tomato and cucumber — and the Cheesesteak Poppy — mushrooms, peppers, onions and cheese.

“Just about everything is homemade — my corned beef is homemade, my pork loin is homemade, my meatballs, my roast beef, every soup, every salad, the chicken is hand-trimmed,” Parenti explained.

“And it doesn’t hurt that everybody who eats our food says it’s the best food in all of Florida, but, you know, listen, I’m no culinary genius. I cook comfort food, and I cook it the way my mother did, and my grandparents did. It’s that simple.”

What to know about JP's Italian American Bistro

A smaller-scale expansion is in the works for the new year at JP’s Italian American Bistro — one Parenti tells me will bring in more salami, prosciutto and other popular offerings.

Alongside the restaurant’s daily menu, the local eatery also offers a catering menu with baked pastas, soups, salads, party platters and more.

Whether stopping in to the bistro for an afternoon bite or the neighboring market for fresh breads, meats and cheeses to-go, customers new and returning know authenticity is at the root of where they’re shopping, the restaurateur noted.

“The communities here are overwhelming with just nice people looking for different places to go. They really want to take care of the small mom-and-pops in the area … it’s wonderful,” he said.

“It’s all about the food; it’s not about us.”

JP’s Italian American Bistro and Market is located at 5 Utility Drive, Suite 19, in Palm Coast. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday, while the market is open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Saturday and closed Sunday. For information, call 386-585-4339 or visit jpsitalianamericanbistro.com.

Helena Perray is the restaurant and dining writer for The Daytona Beach News-Journal. A New Jersey native and passionate storyteller, she can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook. Support local journalism by subscribing

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: JPs Italian American Bistro opens new market in Palm Coast