KL Neighbourhoods

An Italian Deli Near Pavilion KL

/ by Riccardo

An Italian Deli Near Pavilion KL

Bukit Bintang is not short of places to eat, but somewhere to shop for real Italian ingredients is rarer. Benvenuti. If you’re looking for an Italian deli near Pavilion KL, you’ll find us a short walk away, in the heart of Bukit Bintang, where we’ve been since 2011.

We’re a cafe, pizzeria and grocer in one, which means you can sit down for lunch and leave with the cheese, pasta and olive oil that made it. It’s an unusual combination, and it exists because we think the two belong together: you should be able to taste something properly made and then take it home. Here’s what’s on the shelves and how to find us.

What a proper Italian deli looks like

A deli is not a supermarket aisle with Italian packaging. The difference is the counters and the turnover.

At our cheese counter you’ll find imported cheese across all the families: aged Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino, fresh mozzarella and burrata, soft taleggio, and gorgonzola. Our beginner’s guide to Italian cheeses explains the map if the names are new.

At our charcuterie counter there’s prosciutto, salame, coppa and more, sliced as you order rather than sitting pre-packed. Our guides to prosciutto and to building a charcuterie board will get you started.

Why a deli beats a supermarket aisle

Three reasons, and they all come down to how food is handled rather than what’s on the label.

Turnover. Fresh cheese and sliced charcuterie are only as good as how recently they arrived. A counter that sells through its stock keeps everything young, which matters enormously for mozzarella, burrata and freshly sliced prosciutto.

Cutting to order. A wedge cut for you keeps far better than one pre-wrapped days ago, and prosciutto sliced as you watch is a different product from prosciutto sealed in plastic a week earlier.

Somebody to ask. This is the part no aisle replicates. If you don’t know whether to buy Pecorino or Parmigiano for a dish, or which olive oil to finish with rather than cook in, you can simply ask the person who tasted both that morning. Our team is trained in Italian hospitality, and they’d far rather point you to the right thing than sell you the expensive one.

The pantry shelves

Beyond the counters is the Italian pantry, which is where most people lose half an hour happily:

Our Italian pantry starter list is a good shopping list if you’re stocking a kitchen from scratch.

What to buy on a first visit

If you’ve never shopped an Italian deli before, it’s easy to walk out with either nothing or far too much. A good first basket looks like this:

  • A wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano. It keeps for weeks, and it improves almost everything.
  • A packet of bronze-die pasta. One long shape and one ridged tube.
  • A bottle of extra virgin olive oil with a recent harvest date.
  • A jar of good tomato passata for weeknight sauces.
  • A little cheese and charcuterie from the counters for tonight.

That’s five items, and between them they’ll produce a fortnight of proper dinners. Come back for the truffle, the balsamic and the gorgonzola once the basics are on your shelf, and you’ll build a pantry that means never having to plan dinner in advance again.

Eat first, shop after

This is the part that surprises people. Because we’re a kitchen as well as a grocer, you can have lunch or dinner, taste something you like, and then buy the ingredients on your way out. Ask what’s in a dish and our team will tell you, then point you to the shelf.

Fresh pasta produced in our central kitchen, pizza, proper Italian coffee and chef specials that rotate weekly and monthly are all on the menu, with the current specials worth a look before you arrive.

Finding us from Pavilion

We’re in Bukit Bintang, a short walk from Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, which makes us an easy detour from a shopping trip rather than a separate journey. The covered, air-conditioned pedestrian walkway that runs between Pavilion and Suria KLCC puts us within reach on foot from either end, and the Bukit Bintang MRT and monorail stations are close by.

One honest note: there’s no free parking. Paid open-air parking is available nearby, though on a busy afternoon in Bukit Bintang most people find walking or rail considerably less trouble.

We’re open Monday to Saturday, 11:15am to 11pm, and on some Sundays, which vary from month to month, so message us before a Sunday visit. Get in touch for directions or anything you’d like set aside.

Or let us bring it to you

If you’d rather not carry cheese through a shopping mall, we deliver. Order from the grocery store and everything arrives across the Klang Valley within the hour, with perishables packed cold. It’s the same shelves, delivered.

Come and browse, ask questions, taste things. A deli is meant to be a place you linger in rather than a shop you rush through, and half the pleasure is discovering something you didn’t come in for. That’s what a deli is for. Buongiorno.

Frequently asked questions

Q1. How far is the deli from Pavilion KL?
Ans. We’re a short walk away in Bukit Bintang, so it’s an easy detour from a shopping trip. Message us and we’ll send exact directions.

Q2. Can I buy Italian ingredients without eating there?
Ans. Absolutely. Plenty of people come purely to shop the counters and pantry shelves, and you’re welcome to browse without ordering anything.

Q3. Is there parking nearby?
Ans. There’s no free parking, though paid open-air parking is available close by. Walking or taking the MRT is usually easier in Bukit Bintang.

Q4. Do you slice cheese and cured meats to order?
Ans. Yes, that’s the point of a counter. Tell us how much you need and how thick you’d like it.

Q5. What if I don’t know what to buy?
Ans. Ask, and tell us what you’re cooking. A minute’s conversation at the counter saves a lot of guesswork.

Q6. Are your products actually imported from Italy?
Ans. The pantry and counters are built around imported Italian products, and where certifications like DOP exist we stock the certified versions. Our DOP guide explains what those marks mean.

Q7. Can I get everything for a dinner party in one visit?
Ans. Yes, from antipasti through to pasta, wine and dessert. It’s the advantage of a deli over a supermarket aisle.

Q8. Do you sell Italian wine as well?
Ans. We do, alongside beer, and wine is one of our specialities. Ask our team what suits what you’re cooking.

Q9. What are your opening hours?
Ans. Monday to Saturday, 11:15am to 11pm, plus some Sundays that vary month to month. Message us to confirm a Sunday.

Q10. Can you deliver instead of me visiting?
Ans. Yes, order from our grocery store and we’ll deliver across the Klang Valley within about an hour, packed cold where needed.

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