J. Viviano & Sons

J Viviano’s is one of my favorite groceries on the Hill. The store and its personnel have a lot of personality. They have a great selection of groceries, and they have really reasonable prices!

Great Frozen Pastas and Daily Fresh Bread.
The staff in –store is hands off and not unhelpful — no greeting, etc. Busy talking about last night’s plans and trying to avoid those pesky customers who interupt them to ring up their purchases.
Great place to stock up on Italian specialty items!

I didn’t try the deli on my visit but this store is definitely authentic and credible. It’s small like a typical neighborhood ethnic market, but very well stocked and updated. Customer service seems pretty hands off, as it wasn’t at all busy and we weren’t acknowledged by staff. This seems to be THE place to find unique specialty items, Italian style… and some other European stuff as well. I was pretty disappointed to see unusually high prices on some of my go-​to items though. For example, I can find biscoff ginger cookies pretty much anywhere these days for two bucks and they wanted four for the same packet at J. Viviano & Sons. That was the deal across the board as I browsed.

Everytime I am in Saint Louis I have to come here and load up on spices, oil, cured meat, and cheese. My family always asks to bring them back their garlic pepper (so good), so I buy 8 at a time. Always spend more money than I intended, but don’t ever feel bad about it.

Great place to pick up Italian to make at home

Truly an old-​timey Italian grocery! I always end up spending more than I intended! The olive/​antipasta selections are great. They have a huge selection of olive oils and most are less expensive than a regular grocery store — ditto on the jars of olives and garlic! Spices and herbs are bulk and REALLY inexpensive! Be sure to bring your cooler and check out the frozen ravioli and tortellini… all are freshly made and delicious! Their Italian sausage (available sweet and spicy) is delicious! This shop is definitely a MUST STOP when in St. Louis!

Love Viviano’s for their stuffed tortellini and ravioli. Prosciutto and Chicken, roasted red pepper and goat cheese… done and done. They are on groupon every so often so keep an eye out!

Interesting enough to go in and visit but many of the items are available at any other grocery.
I was not too impressed by the staff. I walked in and they essentially looked the other way. I won’t be in a hurry to go back.

The store is a fine place to load up on Italian groceries but beware of their deli/​sandwich shop. The sandwiches are tasty IF they remember to take the casing off the meat after it is sliced; otherwise it is like biting in to rubber bands. As far as the accompanying side? Don’t know as both times I’ve gotten food from them I was sent home without the side I had ordered. Tried to call to discuss the issue and never heard back. So much for caring about the customer.

I love this old-​world store. And it smells divine every time I go.
It’s been at this location since 1979, but Viviano’s has been around since 1949.
There is all manner of Italian dining ingredients, plus many ready-​made (and frozen) pizzas and filled pastas.
Olive oil, canned tomatoes of all kinds (sauce, paste, whole, diced, crushed) and sizes, capers, olives, spices, pasta in all shapes and sizes, a fabulous meat and cheese counter, sauces, bread, and so much more.
It’s a great place to shop for your next homemade Italian dinner.
Also, you can order online. Check out the website
to see all the offerings.

Authentic Italian. And the deli food is incredible could be the best place one at on The Hill. Courteous and friendly staff too. A must stop place on each of our future visits to St. Louis

J. Viviano & Sons is a true family owned Italian grocery store, which offers quality home made pasta, sauces, pizzas, and bread. J. Viviano also offers a deli counter, in addition to the largest selection of olive oil I have seen in Saint Louis, this is a one stop shop for an quick to make yet authentic Italian dinner at home. If you are in The Hill, its a must stop.

The best new sandwich in Saint Louis is naturally on The Hill, but surprisingly its in a grocery store that has been open for 60+ years. Meet «The Soprano»… toasted muffelatta bread packed full with breaded strips of eggplant — fried to perfection — Roma tomato’s, fresh slices of mozzarella, fresh basil and olive oil. This giant sandwich comes with a side for 8.99. It is without a doubt one of the best most unique sandwiches i have ever had.
Ask for Joey and let him make your day — you won’t be disappointed.

A wonderful Italian grocery for anyone looking for authentic and hard to find Italian ingredients. They have a nice deli counter, fresh meats, bulk spices, kitchenware, a nice refrigerated and frozen selection. Also lots of dry goods such pasta, sauces, oils and canned goods. Fair prices too.

Real Italian. I don’t know if Viviano’s qualifies, but in a town where there’s pasta boiling on every corner, this place has a look, feel and smell like it could be on a backstreet in Rome. A lot of the goods here are packaged on premises or within walking distance. It’s all about fresh here, plus I love just looking at the artwork on fhe cans of olive oil — probably about 50 varieties. Prices are reasonable, too.
There are always some cheeses and meats to sample, and a selection of wines under $ 10. Okay, I’m not familiar with most of these wines, but that’s probably my fault from spending too much time in the big box stores.
I’ve been here maybe six or seven times, and always come away impressed that the folks working here understand a smiling face makes a difference.
Be sure and stop by if you’re on the Hill.

I don’t know if we’ve ever, EVER visited Saint Louis without doing the same re Viviano.
Over the years, we’ve picked up anything from stuffed cherry peppers (which sometimes don’t make it out the door) to mile-​long spaghetti to ravioli makers… and always, always, we get a box or so of the locally made sauces, of which there are many varieties.
Spend a DAY or MORE on The Hill. Hit up all the markets you can. Comparison shop, if you want. For THIS is, in fact, Little Italy. Thanks to the amoebocytosis of NYC by Chinatown, theirs is now Miniscule Italy.
I have to drag myself out of here before I drink and eat straight out of the vats in the deli.
Mangia! Buy More! Mangia again!

I love J. Viviano’s for so many reasons. Their olive bar is amazing. If you love olives, this is the place for you. Their cheeses are incredible quality and they are cheap! You can get parmigiano reggiano for substantially cheaper than at your average grocery store. They make their own ricotta and it is fantastic.
You can get amazing italian meats as well, proscuitto, panceta, salami, etc… I also love their frozen pasta sheets for lasagna and ravioli. Until I learn to make my own pasta, I will buy their sheets and tell people I made them (Kidding…).
I only wish they had fresh or frozen balls of pizza dough that you could roll out. All they have is premade pizza shells, which you can’t use for other things like calzones or other dough-​y delicacies.
They don’t have fresh bread either, which is a little disappointing.
The staff is always friendly and helpful and you usually get a free box of pasta upon check out, which is a nice little gift.

Next time you are preparing an Italian dinner, get out of the pasta aisle at your favorite grocer and take yourself to J. Viviano & Sons on The Hill.
You will be amazed at the variety of ingredients to help you create a truly authentic Italian meal. They’ve got it all and at prices you will not want to resist.
I have always been a fan of their typical ingredients; tomato sauce, paste, spices, fresh cheese and etc. etc., but this last visit I experienced something totally new. I tried their frozen ravioli and was shocked how well it went with our awesome homemade sauce. They are made and frozen in house, so it is almost like you made the pasta yourself. I’ll keep it a secret, if you do.
The staff is always friendly and helpful. If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask, they’ll give you ideas on that masterful meal.
As we were leaving, at a perfect time. A huge charter bus pulled up in front and droves of little cute silver haired ladies headed to the front entrance. I had no idea, Viviano’s was a tourist stop.

Stopped by Viviano’s after a trip to the botanical garden and was glad I did! This is the kind of place that can seem intimidating before you go — ethnic groceries can do that to you if you aren’t the ethnicity in question, thus feeling like you’re an outsider when you walk in. Because I went with someone who had been there many times, I felt more confident than if I had walked in alone. Any fears I had disappeared when I walked in. There were lots of folks there, and they weren’t all speaking Italian! It was easy to find things and a pretty cool place overall.
They have all sorts of Italian staples — olives, olive oil, roasted peppers, cheese, meats and pastas GALORE. They have a lot of different filled pastas in the freezer as well as an entire aisle of it. I saw several types I hadn’t heard of and got some to try. I also got some spinach tortellini, which was yummy! Along with that, I got pesto sauce. There were a lot of different sauces, some interesting (like butternut squash sauce and bruchetta topping). I also noticed they have a huge selection of spices that are CHEAP so this is definitely a place to shop if you like your spices like I do. The only place I’ve found that’s as good in prices is Global Foods, so if you live in the city this would be a good place. They also sell wine.
I’ll be back for my Italian cooking needs!

what a great great little shop! based on recommendations of fellow Unilocalers, I cam by here to pick up some proscuitto di parma. The shop, though small, is very warehouse-​y, and stocks all kinds of pastas and olive oils and canned sardines and such.
staff is super friendly and helpful