Serving Since

New Orleans

Serving since

1906

120 years in New Orleans

Central Grocery

French Quarter · Sandwich shop

Go here for
Muffuletta
Why go
The muffuletta at the Decatur Street grocery that says it created the sandwich, run by the same family for three generations.
Local character
Visitor destination
Good to know
Expect crowds. 64 Parishes reports tourists now account for about 85 percent of Central Grocery's business, per the Tusa family.Open daily 9am to 5pm only.
Directions Official website

Founded in 1906 by Salvatore Lupo. Closed for more than three years after Hurricane Ida and reopened in December 2024.

Why it matters

Salvatore Lupo, a Sicilian immigrant, founded Central Grocery in 1906. The store credits him with creating the muffuletta: round Sicilian bread with Italian cold cuts, cheese and olive salad, made for farmers at lunchtime.

The grocery came through the Depression and Hurricane Katrina. In 2021 Hurricane Ida brought a neighboring brick wall down onto its roof, and it stayed closed for more than three years, reopening in December 2024. Cousins Tommy and Frank Tusa, the third generation, own it.

The story

  1. 1906Salvatore Lupo founds Central Grocery1
  2. 2021Hurricane Ida wrecks the roof; the store closes2
  3. 2024Reopens in December after more than three years3
  4. TodayStill serving New Orleans

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Notes on the record

  • Central Grocery calls itself the home of the original muffuletta. We report the claim; we haven't verified it.

Details

Address
923 Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA 70116
Neighborhood
French Quarter
Ownership
Family-owned
Status
Open · verified Sep 2026

OldScore

A secondary, editorial measure. The founding year above is the fact that matters most. How it works.

Age34/ 35
Continuity5/ 20
Local significance15/ 20
Local food culture15/ 15
Independence10/ 10
OldScore79/ 100

Local character: Visitor destination. 64 Parishes reports tourists now account for about 85 percent of Central Grocery's business, per the Tusa family. This is separate from OldScore: a place can be popular with visitors and still belong here.

More like this

Sources

  1. Central Grocery and Deli (official site) Founding year, Ownership, Address, What to order, Current status
  2. PBS NewsHour, 'An Italian grocer, a famous sandwich and a long-awaited comeback' (Sep 27, 2023) Founding year, History, Ownership, What to order
  3. Fox 8 (WVUE), 'Central Grocery, home of original muffuletta, reopens after Hurricane Ida repairs' (Dec 14, 2024) Founding year, History, Ownership
  4. 64 Parishes (Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities), 'A Century of Garlic and Olives' History