Tony’s Colonial Food Store

This place is like the less polished, less chaotic, more charming younger sibling of Venda Ravioli up the street. They have a small parking lot which is as rare as it is useful — otherwise it can be a nightmare to find parking on Federal Hill. The truffle cheese there is amazing and they have lots of hard-​to-​find authentic Italian products, but to be honest the bigger draw is the atmosphere. It’s just fun being in there and truly feels like a throwback to different time (and place!)

A recent conversation I had at Tony’s Colonial Italian market:
Me: can I have a taste of the Parma prosciutto please?
OG Italian deli guy: (incredulous) you’ve never had Prosciutto di Parma before?
Me: … (Struggling to find a good way to not say that I’ve tasted some counterfeit «Italian» products often enough that I always try to taste whatever I’m buying first). At some places it can be too salty.
OGIDG: if it was too salty, it wasn’t Parma.
Me: (exactly! Now gimme dat nicely marbled ultra thin cut slice) Yum.
In short, Tony’s has the Real Good Stuff, some of which I haven’t seen at any of the plethora of Italian shops in the area. The stuff I like here is too long to list, but my absolute fave of faves here is the stuffed artichoke, which is the best I’ve found in PVD. It’s on the pricy side, but the good stuff can cost ya. The deli line works like this, you converge in their line, tell them what you want, they get it for you and place it in a basket behind the counter kind of like an assembly line, and you get your stuff after you pay. Friendly banter between loyal customers and the owners/​workers here that slows the line even more is optional. I’m assuming this somewhat elaborate line process is geared to prevent shoplifting, and at peak times their process and the optional banter can contribute to a longer than average wait, but I can’t blame them bc I can absolutely imagine hungry shoppers mindlessly grazing and absentmindedly eating everything prior to payment. It’s good. Check it out.

Tony’s has the best selection of food. It’s a grocery store, deli, cheese shop, and Italian specialty store all in one. I highly recommend their olives and provolone cheese. Any of their prepared foods will taste great– I like to get the orzo salad and their Italian soup. Their sandwiches are also great– get the one with the roasted peppers or the pepperoncini. It’s a great place to buy your olive oil and anchovies. I could eat here every day and try something new each time, never getting sick of it.

if you love Italian food or Italian cooking then visit Tony’s!
such a wide variety of meats cheeses and warm foods for lunch. they also have a lot of different frozen pastas that were made fresh and just have to be cooked and coated with one of their own homemade sauces.
the staff were very helpful. i had a few questions on some of the pre made items that can be heated up an eaten there for lunch and they had no problem helping me. they also explained the difference between cheeses and gave their suggested opinion.
this store also sells kitchen gadgets and knick knacks so take your time looking around. so many good yummy options.
plus, its a cute tourist area so you can go hopping around the other restaurants and stores when your done.
worth the visit!

Tony’s was the best Italian Market I have been to on Federal Hill, to date. I have been to a couple of the Italian markets in the area, but Tony’s is the best.
My boyfriend is originally from Providence and wanted to show me the Federal Hill area of the city. Being of Italian decent, he knew right away where to take me. I had never explored Providence nor was I aware of the significance that Federal Hill has to the city.
I purchased an array of meats and cheeses, which were heavily influenced by viewing delicious slabs of cured meats sitting in the display case. While picking out our selections, the employee behind the counter was super nice and knowledgeable beyond belief. He event let us try a few different kinds of cheese (all of which we purchased). Beyond the meat and cheese, there was variety of traditional Italian prepared foods and olives. The loafs of bread were were in wire baskets, in open air. I loved the fact that I was able to pick the exact loaf I wanted. The freshness of the bread was off the charts.
Beyond the freshly prepared foods and antipasti, there is a large variety of imported Italian goods. There was a variety of olive oils, dried pastas, and other items along those lines.
When cashing out, I noticed the display of beautiful serving platters and bowls.
My first visit was one that I remembered. Now whenever I am in the area of Federal Hill I make it a point to stop at Tony’s, even if it is just for bread.

Bought some Italian cheese and cold cuts, planned to coincide with a visit to Wrights Dairy Farm Bakery the next morning; I love it when a plan comes together!

Walk in the front door and «sensory overload»…smacked in the face with the sweet smell of cured meats and imported cheeses. Hanging from the ceiling, all kinds of kitchen utensils and a rainbow of colanders mixed in with legs of smoked ham, salami and cheese wheels bigger than my head
Sampled the provolone and Procuitto stuffed peppers, snail salad and mortadella with pistachios… this is what I imagine heaven would look like

This is my favorite local grocer. Their food is fresh, the people are friendly and helpful. I love getting vetrano olives and tomato/​mozzarella salad. The sandwiches are great for lunch. Lots of other goods too like olive oil lip balm and lemon wine cookies. I usually shop by the day here, buying dinner ingredients or picking up lunch. They have their own parking lot which is great too.

I’m a huge fan of the store — great food
But I have to write, my biggest problem is every single time I am in the store (min. twice a month) the staff is verbally fighting — Someone is yelling at someone else — If I wanted all the yelling I would just go to my own family house — The yelling isn’t professional at all

Amazing Italian gourmet food stop stuffed with all kinds of foodie treats. We loved the cheese department as well as all of the sausages and olives. We bought a boatload of treats for my bf’s Italian dad for Father’s Day. Wicked fun shopping, really sweet counter help. Prices are pretty high but so what, we had fun and had all kinds of treats to enjoy… parking is a bitch, though.

Literally one of my favorite places on The Hill. I always stop in here for my prosciutto, soppresata, and salami. No holiday is complete without antipasto so this is a mandatory stop for all of my ingredients. They get insanely busy around the holidays so prepare to be overwhelmed but they move things along fast and everyone is always very pleasant and friendly.

If I lived on Federal Hill I’d give myself the happy assignment of comparison shopping between Tony’s and Venda Ravioli on a regular basis. Based on two visits I can tell you that the quality is extremely high at both places, Tony’s is generally a little pricier (although not always: it seems to be cheaper on cheese) and Venda wins on variety being a bigger store.
On the other hand, Tony’s has everything a reasonable person could want. And it wins on old-​school charm, with neighborhood characters wandering in and out and being greeted in Italian, and in-​store tables which are for enjoying a gelato or a soda instead of fine dining. Plus the amazing Muffato blue cheese from Venice (see my photo) which adds a star all by itself.
Result: a tie, which means the winner is you and me. Mangiamo!

Since we’ve moved from Regency Place to Barrington it’s been few and far between since we’ve visited Tony’s. Today my trip happened to take me right by Atwells at about noon. I called to ask if they had grilled chicken today… to which they answered, yes! GLORIOUS! I took the Atwells exit and drove up to Tony’s with the excitement of the best sandwich I’ve ever had.
Upon entering I see «ma» and «moe» working the counter. Moe has always made me the sandwich that has no equal. He takes a loaf of bread and splashes it with vinegar and oil. He then shaves some very thin prosciutto and cuts a nice few pieces of fresh mozz. Lastly he places a few sprigs of basil on the sandwich and the hot grilled chicken breast tops it all. I knew I wouldn’t be able to make the trip home, so I asked Moe to cut the sandwich in half for me so I had something to munch on.
Arguably the best sandwich in Rhodie!

I’ve been going to this place for years for their sandwiches, everything is cut to order handmade and AWESOME. You won’t find a better Italian sub damn near anywhere!

Tony’s is a classic and authentic Italian market that features cold cuts, cheeses, breads, sausages (fresh and cured), prepared foods, ingredients, supplies and more.
I often stop in to browse and pick up a sandwich or snack. They make great hot sandwiches. The chicken parm is exceptional. The bread they use is fantastic.
When I was a kid there were plenty of places like this but Tony’s is one of the few originals still left.

If you’re looking for old world Italian imports, here is the place to be. I stopped in today after checking out Venda… but I realized that this place is where the ‘real’ Italy is. Nothing against Venda, as you can get some imports there too, but here, the ravioli, stuffed pastas, olive oils, and so much more are from the old country. Maybe that’s why the name is Tony’s Colonial.
What sets apart Tony’s is besides the pride and cleanliness of their shop… their PREPARED FOODS! and bread. I bought a delicious, crusty roll for lunch, paired with a clamshell (half pound) of green bean salad… and let me tell you, that roll was spot on, along with the deliciously blanched and then EVOO salt/​pepper deliciousness of the green beans.
I could have called that lunch! (and I did, don’t tell my diet that.)
I’ll be spending more time frequenting this store… especially around lunch. There was no wait, and the service was exempletary.

Family owned delicatessen. Great variety of imported Italian foods and prepared dishes. Difficult to choose as everything is wonderful. Staff very friendly and helpful, will make great suggestions about pairing foods or what to get for your specific occasion. Small tables inside and outside where you can enjoy some hard core espresso. There’s unique items as well such as hand painted pottery, pasta pots, oils/​vinegars, truffles, dried mushrooms, chocolates and interesting flour (chestnut, chick pea and corn). Parking out back.

Old School is often better. I am sometimes overwhelmed by Eataly and actually prefer classic Italian-​American gourmet delis like this one. From prepared foods we sampled a slice of asparagus frittata which was outstanding, with the texture of a Spanish omelette. Stuffed cubanelle peppers were even better, with an overflowing cone of sausage, breadcrumbs, olives and herbs. For salumi we went with prosciutto di parma, perfectly sliced and generously sampled. We rounded out our order with grana padano, cerignola olives and artichokes. For those whose frame of reference extends to the South, this store is on the level of DiPalo in NYC, or DiBruno in Philly. Not to be missed!

This place is awsome! A nice little family owned business with great Italian specialty foods home made and imported. O yea and the best bread around that stays fresh for days!

My last visit here made me realize something. I expect prepared food you buy from groceries and delis to be disappointing. You buy it, and you know you’re going to get bland, under seasoned, and overcooked (I’m looking at you Whole foods). So I rolled out of Tonys with what I thought was going to be a disappointingly healthy meal, cursing my will power under my breath. Grilled chicken breast, green bean and tomato salad, chickpea salad. A revelation. Who knew I expect mediocrity. This was simple and delicious. The chicken was NOT over cooked! It was seasoned well as were both the salads. I enjoyed my meal so much.
Had a lovely conversation with Tony on the way out about Italy. Happy camper all around.