From Naples
to Franklin Street.
A family-run Italian deli in Adelaide CBD. Italian home cooking, in Luigi's own words.
From Naples, With Love
In his own words. The deli is an extension of his home, and his customers are his family.
For as long as I can remember, hospitality has been in my blood.
I was born in Naples, a city where food is never just food. It is family, conversation, music, laughter, love and life itself. Growing up, every meal was an occasion to come together, to eat, talk, argue, laugh, sing and share whatever the day had given us. That spirit has stayed with me all my life.
I have always called it the theatre of food.
When I created Luigi Delicatessen, I never wanted to simply open a restaurant. I wanted to create a place that felt like an extension of my home, somewhere people could walk through the door and immediately feel welcomed, cared for and part of the family.
Over the years, that philosophy has become the heart and culture of Luigi's.
It is in the way we welcome our guests. It is in the generosity of our service, the authenticity of our Italian food, the aroma of great coffee, the sound of live music and the energy that fills the room when everything comes together.
Because that is Naples.
Naples has always been a city of love, food and song, and at Luigi's we bring those three things together under one roof. Authentic Italian cooking, genuine hospitality and entertainment are not separate parts of what we do. They are all part of the same experience.
We believe hospitality should have soul. Great food matters, but so does how you make people feel. Every person who walks through our doors is important to us, and I am still genuinely honoured every time somebody chooses to spend their time at Luigi's.
After all these years, the philosophy remains very simple:
Cook with love. Serve with generosity. Make people feel at home.
That is Luigi's.
Enjoy, and buon appetito.
“Nobody leaves my table a stranger. That is what all the cooking is really for: to make a room feel like family.”
Luigi, founder
Anna Di Costanzo
21 January 2017
Mamma Anna, the heart behind Luigi's
When Luigi's first opened its doors in 2014, there was one person who was determined to be there from the very beginning: my mamma, Anna.
Most mornings, before the sun had even come up, Mamma would be standing outside her home at 5am waiting for me to pick her up. It could be freezing cold, but she didn't care. She was ready to go to work.
And when we arrived, she cooked.
Meatballs, lasagna, parmigiana, sauces, soups, all the beautiful, honest food she had made for our family for as long as I could remember. There were no shortcuts and no fuss. Just the same love, generosity and instinct that had always come naturally to her.
For Mamma, cooking was never simply about feeding people. It was how she showed love.
She adored being at Luigi's. She loved meeting our customers, having a laugh with them, making sure they had eaten enough and watching people enjoy the food she had helped prepare. And our customers loved her right back.
That spirit became part of Luigi's.
The warmth. The generosity. The feeling that when you walk through our doors, you are not simply coming into a restaurant. You are being welcomed into our family.
Mamma believed that people should eat well, laugh loudly, enjoy themselves and leave happier than when they arrived. In many ways, that simple philosophy still describes Luigi's today.
Sadly, Mamma passed away on 21 January 2017.
In January 2027, it will be ten years since she left us. Ten years without her physically here, but never a day without her presence being felt in what we do.
Every plate of food made with care, every customer welcomed like family, every full table, every laugh, every song and every beautiful night at Luigi's carries a little piece of her with it.
Her recipes helped build Luigi's.
Her values helped shape it.
And her love remains at the very heart of it.
We carry her legacy forward every single day, and I hope that somewhere, Mamma is looking down at what we have created and smiling, probably telling me what I could still be doing better.
Rest in peace, Mamma, Anna.
The most amazing woman I have ever known, my greatest teacher, and the heart and soul behind everything we do.
I miss you every day. I love you always. And I will spend the rest of my life making you proud.
Luigi
Come to Luigi's. Let us feed you.
Our no-menu philosophy is deeply rooted in Italian tradition.
When Mamma and I opened our original little Luigi's in Flinders Street, we simply cooked. It was a tiny space with a galley kitchen and only a handful of seats. Each day, we prepared a few beautiful dishes using what was fresh, seasonal and available.
People would come in, we'd tell them what we had cooked that day, and we would feed them.
No written menu. Just good food, generosity and trust.
That simple way of dining became part of who we are, and thirteen years later, we still haven't had a written menu.
We ask about your allergies, dietary requirements and preferences, then we do the thinking for you. We cook with the seasons and take you on an Italian food journey, one dish at a time.
It's the way I grew up eating. It's the way Mamma cooked. And it's still one of the most authentic ways we know to welcome people to our table.
Come to Luigi's. Sit down. Relax. Let us feed you.
Pull up a chair at the family table.
The deli is open Monday to Friday, and the Italian restaurant serves dinner with live music, Thursday to Saturday. Buon appetito.