Coniglio Bros. Deli (and Catering!) Connects Present and Past

Sept. 23, 2025—The story behind Coniglio Brothers Italian Deli on Cannery Row sits right there on the top of the menu. It also offers everything you need for a great lunch.

Note the #1 Uncle Philly with dry coppa, Provolone, lettuce, pepperoncini, vinaigrette and the yum house spread on a seeded roll; the #2 Uncle Peter with Black Forest ham, Emmentaler Swiss, lettuce, pickle, house spread; and the #3 Uncle Johnny—like its brothers, a crowd favorite—that layers Genoa Salami, Provolone, Dijon and lettuce.

Jason Coniglio, who launched the spot with his brother John and wife in 2019, took direct inspiration from the previous generation’s Mediterranean Market in Carmel and Med Market in Del Monte Shopping Center.

“The whole reason we called the deli Coniglio Bros. was as an homage to my dad and his brothers,” he says. “For me it’s keeping the family tradition alive. Food and family were center of our world growing up.”

Not that there aren’t plenty of additional directions to reach supreme satisfaction besides the uncles’ signature sandwiches.

The newest involves a blossoming catering operation.

Options include anything clients are after, and often feature to-order charcuterie boards, from individual to 8-foot party spreads.

Or customized sandwich spreads with cuts of the The C Star (with house tuna salad and Swiss) or JRC 2 (with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella) sliced into 1/3rds or 1/4ths.

And full-on parties like next week’s gathering of 250 people.

Chrystal Star-Coniglio, who helped launch the deli with her husband Jason, and now coordinates special events, believes those unfamiliar with the operation might be surprised by the work that goes into it.

“A lot of people know us as a family-owned Italian deli, but what they sometimes miss is just how much of it is truly made in-house from scratch,” she says, ticking off house spreads, salads, Nana‘s meatballs, and her father-in-law’s marinated olives, which are now available in jars. “It’s not about shortcuts—it’s about carrying forward traditions that have been in my husband’s family, and now my family, for generations.”

Then there are the other sundries populating the store: the Coniglio recipe tomato salads or Sicilian olives or marinades; curated (and imported) Italian potato chips and sodas; bespoke wines and cheeses; plus all the other sandwiches populating the menu beyond the “uncle specials,” like The Filippo with pistachio mortadella and provolone.

The sum of all the food and drink, combined with the feeling of sanctuary in the shop juxtaposed with the touristed sidewalk outside, gets at the greater goal.

“For me it’s about the personal experience and quality of product, really sticking to our guns with fair portions and pricing things where it’s almost too good of a deal,” Jason Coniglio says. “We don’t believe in gouging, but in [guests] getting what they want and having a nostalgic experience.”

Wise minds agree that’s being accomplished. And don’t take our word for it.

Longtime star restauranteur, food critic and Pebble Beach Food & Wine orchestrator-of-chefs Dorothy Maras used to frequent Med Market in Monterey.

“The Med Market was a colorful, delicious, zoo for the senses,” she says, citing the nostalgia for her childhood Italian market experiences as a kid at Piemonte’s Italian Delicatessen in the Tower District of Fresno. “It reminded me of the deli my Dad used to take me to…dangling salamis flying from the ceiling, the smell of cheeses from Middle Earth, the sound of the creaky wooden hardwood floors and loads of colorful things I wanted to touch, taste and explore.”

And so a specific sort of approach finds fresh expression, while reemphasizing its old-school identity.

More at conigliodeli.com. For custom catering and personalized service (like the old days), call 831-901-3175.