Cornucopia

Excellent sandwich and worth the wait, but there was definitely a wait. Portion is small relative to price, but the quality of the sandwich was great. A hidden gem.

Great sandwiches. I got the Italian pastrami and prosciutto subs. Very good. Best in Bethesda.

This is Sandy’s wife talking… I pace myself visiting this wonderful store or I’d weigh 3,000 pounds. Everything is beyond perfect. I have a very strong addiction to the cookies… all the varieties are delicious. They have a very distinctive texture which adds to their appeal… could eat them forever. The pasta, sandwiches, deli, and nougat (that is to die for) are too good to be true. My dream is to have overnight privileges and taste eveything in the store.

The prices are far too high for the quality, portion sizes, and service.
If you saved money from shopping off and on at this place for a year, you could visit actual Italy.
The small store has potential, because some offerings are good, but it suffers from too much variety and insufficient staffing. Things are not labeled and priced reliably. The arrangement of goods is very chaotic (like that of a flea market) for the prices being charged.
It was a 1-​man show the several times I visited, so (very long waits with no apology for the wait. who does he think he is, the seinfeld soup nazi?) there wasn’t enough attention paid to who arrived first in line.
If I were management, I’d begin by cutting the inventory in half and hire a happy assistant or two with perfect handwriting and good organization skills.
Another star off for upset stomach.

I came on Friday afternoon to pick up about 100 Italian cookies for my engagement party. The gentleman at the shop was incredibly helpful and sweet (I’m not sure if he was the owner). I told him how many cookies I needed and he gave me a cake box and said take as many of each as would I like (they’re all the same price and charge by weight). He even said open up any boxes if there’s some you want from those. The cookies were amazing. My mother is Italian and was very pleased with the quality and assortment that I picked up. The cookies were gone in 10 minutes at the party so I’d say they were a hit! The shop is cute with lots of specialty groceries which I know we will be coming back for. There is an enormous selection of specialty ravioli and a number of specialty sandwiches. The sandwiches are made fresh and there is a small seating area to eat. I was super impressed with the shop and it’s selection of Italian goods so I see myself becoming a frequent shopper. We’re looking to provide a Venetian hour at my wedding and the gentleman said they can accommodate large orders (he said he’s made 400 cannoli for events before!). Can’t wait to come back!

Great place! We stumbled upon this place a few weeks back and have returned a couple times since. Great Italian cookies, cheeses, olives, coffees, and great atmosphere for a relaxing stop. My husband and I got sandwiches last week and they were great! I recommend! Also, my 3 and 5 year old really like it– could be the cookies :)

Good products but mostly high prices. Owner can be standoffish but seems nice enough.

The carnevale sandwich and a sfogliatelle will ruin your best diet. The Italian cookies are great and so are the fancy olive oil and balsamic vinegar selections. The oil/​vinegar mix they brush onto their sandwiches will change your life.

Ripoff. 30 $ for two 6 inch subs (with 2 slices of meat on them) and two root beer bottles. They didn’t even put tomato on mine after I requested it. Unacceptable. Lived in Bethesda for 25 years and never heard of this place.
Decent quality Italian deli meats but you’re better off going to Subway and buying 6 foot longs for the price.

What a surprise to have found this little gem. Enjoyed some delicious sandwiches with the freshest ingredients. Yum!!! And the cookies, OMG! I am still regretting not buying a pound of them. Definitely bookmarking this place for future visits.

Wow wow wow!!! That was the best sub I have ever eaten. Adding the balsamic dressing, makes it! I got a couple cookies to go and they were just as amazing. I’m not in bethesda often, but everytime I am, I’m stopping here. AMAZING!

Great sandwiches for lunch and a nice, quiet spot to have real Italian coffee and cookies in the afternoon.
You can tell the ingredients higher quality right away.

This is a super cute little shop at the edge of downtown Bethesda. I love going there and patronizing an independent establishment that clearly takes their service and quality seriously. I’ve purchased a few grocery items and taken home some of their frozen dinners, all terrific and completely delicious. I look forward to returning for their desserts and sandwiches. Please visit and keep these small businesses alive!

This place is by far, the best Italian sandwich shop in the DC area. It’s all about the experience! Ibo is fantastic, and made us feel as if we were old friends, creating speciality Italian delicacy sandwiches on a whim. He is passionate about his craft, and it shows through his food. The imported Italian meats, cheeses, olive oil, breads are top quality. And the array of pastries and baked goods are fantastic! Undoubtedly worth the trip!

4.5 Stars
The best place for sandwiches I’ve found in the DC area.
Sandwiches are made with high-​quality Italian cold cuts and cheeses and expertly constructed; the ingredients are proportioned in the right amounts. Simple, fresh, delicious food — as Italian food should be. Portion sizes are perfect for me, but if you’re very hungry or like large portions, you might want an accompaniment with the sandwich.
Cornucopia has a good assortment of speciality Italian items: imported Italian olive oils, balsamic vinegars, canned tomatoes, specialty coffee and brands of rice and pasta. These items are not cheap, but when I’m cooking an Italian dish that I want to make extra special, I will often go here to pick up some high-​quality ingredients (arborio rice and dried porcini mushrooms for risotto, imported canned Italian tuna, etc).
I also enjoy the Italian pastries. If you are familiar with Italian pastries and enjoy them, then you will like the ones here.
Ibo (shop owner) is very friendly, personable and accommodating. He will recommend items that he thinks you will like and he will give you a money-​back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied with the item (but I always am). Ibo’s neighborly attitude and investment in product quality makes Cornucopia a great find in Bethesda and DC.

Excellent cannoli can be found here. The best in the DMV, says my family. It’s freshly made to order, so not sitting about. Another Unilocaler clued me in on this and, really, that is what sets Cornucopia’s cannoli apart. When in Bethesda, we always stop by to get some to take home.
A most delightful personality in the owner, a transplanted Italian who is equal parts charm and hard work.
Food products from Italy (of course) and other European (mostly Western) countries that are difficult to acquire are for sale here. At Christmas time, great stuff comes in.
Better attention is needed in how its offerings are displayed and purchases are handled. For example, the cookies and sweets, of which there is quite a selection, are clumsily scattered here and there. The menu board needs some updating; there are too many lists and notices taped about. There is plenty of space inside, but things are not well organized. Also, the small eating nook really does not compel one to sit down to savor an expresso or have one of their sandwiches, etc. Italians are so good at design, just a word to the wise is probably all it will take.
I do have a soft spot in my heart for this accurately-​named establishment that features authentic delights from the Old World.
Delizioso.

I had never been here before and swung by to grab a coffee. The shop was closed, so I updated the hours on Unilocal and was ready to pull away when I saw someone coming to the door and unlocking the shop. I poked my head in and asked how soon he might be ready to prepare a coffee thinking I would come back in 30 minutes. The owner was extremely sweet, apologize that the store has been closed this morning due to a family emergency, and didn’t mediately offer to prepare me a cappuccino and handed me cookies to munch on while I waited. I should mention they were very good Amaretti — I had a hard time waiting for my cappuccino to arrive!
He sent me off with my cappuccino, and a bag of assorted delicious Italian cookies. I will definitely be back!

I stumbled upon this place while exploring my new Bethesda neighborhood, and it pretty much made my day. Let me explain why…
I really just came in to browse around, not really knowing where this adventure would take me. I was greeted by every kind of Italian cookie you can think of, all beautifully displayed as I entered the shop. I knew this was gonna be a good decision.
After browsing for about 10 minutes I settled on some non-​filtered olive oil (mmmm), and a couple of cold cuts. Yes, it is a bit expensive, but it seems that most items are imported directly from Italy. I ordered salumi and speck, because this seemed like the type of place that would offer good dried meats. And, oh boy, was I right. I chatted with Ibo, the shop owner, for a bit and explained that my father is from Northern Italy and we ate a lot of speck when I was growing up. Well, when I got home and tasted the speck I had bought, it was like going back in time to my childhood. To top it off, Ibo was very pleasant and sent me home with a complimentary loaf of bread! All in all, a great experience.

Came here for a Italian deli sandwich and got an Orangina, cappuccino and two cookies too.
My husband and I were yearning for a good hunk of sandwich with good deli meats and cheese. We’re big fans of Potbelly’s but didn’t feel like that type of deli sandwich. After reading the good reviews about this local market, we decided to give it a visit.
Street metered parking like anywhere else in Bethesda, we walked into the warm and quiet market filled with fresh breads and sweets near the front. The chalkboard menu in the back had our sandwich options and a nice lady took our orders. It is self service for the breaks and cookies so take what you’d like and put it into a paper bag.
Our sandwiches were made to order. Meat, cheese, arugula, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing on a fresh baguette. The sandwiches were delicious and of great quality ingredients. They were not massive, meaning you can eat it lady-​like without a mess.
They have small tables and chairs on the side amongst a wall of pastas, sauces, and other Italian imports. There’s also an olive bar.
Will return for another sandwich. The cookies were nice and fluffy. I wouldn’t say it is the best, but it’s not bad.

Three and a half stars. Prosciutto di parma sandwich ($ 9.99; prices shown are tax-​included) was ready within minutes. Baguette is thin and semi-​crusty, briefly swabbed with balsamic vinegar and EVOO. Fresh organic greens, a fairly nice provolone cheese. Generously piled with prosciutto, to my delight. I want to try their dinner pastas!
Most of the pastries and cookies are on open display. The germaphobe in me cringes to wonder how many children have wandered through and sneezed without covering their mouths. Doesn’t help that I’ve seen their baked goods stored overnight under a loose plastic sheet.
Tables are arranged along the side, making their shelved inventory during dining hours. Pesto, Nutella, ink linguini, regular pastas, peppers, olives, sauces, balsamic vinegars, various oils– EVOO, truffle, lemon, porcini. Rounding up for the specialty dry goods.