Grove Market & Deli
Address: 1906 South Main Street
Telephone: 801-467-8860
Website: grovemarketdeli.com
District: Ballpark
“He just can’t die. He’s too needed. I thought he would be with me forever because we’ve been together forever,” said Patsy Savas, reflecting on the sudden loss of her husband, Jim. Grove Market & Deli - built by Jim’s father, Pete Savas, in 1947 - has been a fixture in the Salt Lake City community for generations.
Pete had come to the United States from Greece in the late 1800s and eventually purchased property on 9th South where he built the market in the yard beside the family’s home. With nine children, his goal was to create a business where they could all work - a foundation for the family and a gift to the neighborhood.
Pete was also known for running a small saloon on the property before the market was built, a place where he quietly helped those in need, particularly members of Salt Lake’s Greek community. His generosity left a deep impression on Jim, who would carry that spirit forward. Pete passed away when Jim was just eleven years old. Years later, after graduating from high school, Jim joined the Air Force and was training to become a firefighter, a path that promised stability and a secure future. But when the brother running the store succumbed to alcoholism and drove it into bankruptcy, Jim came home. He found his mother in tears, having relied on the store’s income to survive. Jim knew what he had to do. He asked to be placed in the Air Force Reserve and took over the store full time. From age 18 until the day he died, Jim Savas dedicated his life to Grove.
Jake Torres grew up just down the road. He remembers walking into Grove as a kid and immediately feeling like he belonged. “I would sit on a stool for hours, just listening,” he said. “Jimmy would tell me stories about his childhood, about his dad and the saloon, about how they used to ride horses and wagons to California to bring back produce packed in ice.” For Jake, those stories were not just history - they were an invitation to be part of something larger. He started working there young, coming and going over the years, but always finding his way back. Today, Jake is managing the store, doing everything he can to keep Jim’s spirit alive. “I would like to see this place be around for another 100 years,” he said. “It has already been eighty.”
Grove is more than just a deli; it is a time capsule, a gathering place, and a local institution. Over the past two decades, it has won nearly twenty awards for best sandwiches in Salt Lake City. Towering, overstuffed, and made to order, the deli offerings are legendary. The “Big Jim,” piled high with roast beef and pastrami, is a local favorite. The Grove Club, loaded with turkey, ham, and bacon, is a close second. Each sandwich comes with lettuce, tomato, onions, mustard, mayo, and hot or mild peppers unless otherwise requested, served on massive hoagie rolls.
The market is just as memorable. A huge wall of hot sauces lines one side - dozens and dozens from around the world, including Grove’s own house-bottled blend. Shelves are packed with specialty items, sardines, European cookies, nostalgic candy bars, German chocolates, and old-school sodas you can rarely find anywhere else. Locals come for ingredients, for lunch, or simply to relive childhood memories. Even if they do not need anything, people drop by just to say hello.
Out front, the patio with picnic tables is a neighborhood meetup spot. Everyone knows each other. Regulars chat over sandwiches. Newcomers are welcomed with a nod and a smile. It is the kind of place that makes a city feel like a small town. And, on the side of the building, a mural now honors Jimmy - a tribute to the man who gave everything he had to the community. It is a reminder that while buildings may be bought and sold, the soul of a place lives in the people who pass through it. “There were so many people at his memorial,” Patsy said quietly. “All the neighborhood kids, all the people he fed and cared for, came to say goodbye. He meant everything to this place. And I just keep thinking… he can’t be gone.”
