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‘Legendary’ Salt Lake City deli reopens after sale and monthslong closure

Grove Market & Deli was sold in December, about six months after owner Jim Savas died.

(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Grove Market & Deli's sign is shown Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

Grove Market & Deli is finally reopening after being sold and then “temporarily closed” for months, according to a handwritten sign on the front door.

The iconic Salt Lake City business at 1906 S. Main St. — which for years has offered “great food” for “fair prices” — is having its grand reopening Saturday, the sign read.

Fans of the deli’s enormous sandwiches with meats piled high will be happy to hear that, “Yes, we have the same sandwiches. Yes, we have the same prices,” another sign read Friday.

(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) A handwritten sign on the door of Grove Market & Deli is shown Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

At Grove Market & Deli, the most expensive full-size sandwich on the menu is the “Big John Combo” for $17.99; it comes with ham, turkey, roast beef, pastrami, corned beef, salami, bologna, Swiss cheese, American cheese and “all the trimmings.”

Pete Savas opened Grove Market in 1947, then his son Jim Savas took it over when he was 19 and added the deli. Savas ran it for almost 60 years, until he died last May.

His obituary read, “Under Jim’s care, Grove Market became more than just a place to get the biggest sandwich you’ve ever seen — it became a cornerstone of the city."

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) An employee prepares a sandwich order for a customer at Grove Market & Deli in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.

Matt Caputo, CEO of Caputo’s Market and Deli, told The Salt Lake Tribune, “My dad, [Tony Caputo], really liked Jim and the Grove Market. I remember him taking me there on occasion for their insanely huge and delicious deli sandwiches that make it easy to see why they’ve become so legendary in SLC.”

Jim Savas’ wife sold the business in December. Attempts to reach the new owners have been unsuccessful.

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