After 50 years operating, and 14 of them in Sicklerville… Matteo’s Italian Foods closes November 2nd as owners Rob and Donna head into retirement.
Located on Cross Keys Road in the strip mall of stores behind Grocery Outlet, the Matteo family are selling the remaining inventory over the next few weeks… still making fresh pasta and mozzarella, but as they caution on Facebook:
Supplies of our products & inventory will be limited as we approach our closing date. Please plan ahead for the upcoming holidays.
I stopped in to catch up with Rob and Donna who are the second generation owners of Matteo’s to hear their story of Matteo’s as well as realizing it was time to move on to a quieter and simpler life in retirement.
Also on-hand for my visit was Rob’s dad Bob, who in 1976 started Matteo’s at 12th & Ritner Streets South Philadelphia, and now in his late 80s still comes into the store to lend a hand and expertise. I also met Donna’s mother Sandy who also works in this fully family operated business.
Matteo’s is a full Italian food specialty store where the signature items are the fresh made pasta and ravioli, as well as their homemade mozzarella.
Rob takes pride in their products which are made in a very old school South Philly way, for example using a many decades old ravioli machine which takes considerable expertise to operate and create the delicious raviolis. It’s a preparation and taste you won’t find anywhere.
Matteo’s mozzarella is freshly made with no preservatives, and is perfect for recipes… but Rob recommends a slice of fresh tomato and mozzarella on a lightly toasted slice of Italian bread… delicious! I brought some mozzarella home and will be trying this tonight!
Customers will also find family recipe food items including their San Marzano marinara, a variety of soups including Italian wedding, cheesesteak strombolis and even a lobster sauce .
If you’re looking for a quick but delicious meal they have prepackaged “heat and serve” items including chicken cordon bleu, lasagna roll-ups, or how about a sausage and meatballs with their homemade red gravy?!
Throughout the store are a variety of other Italian Food Specialties, as well as a refrigerated section for provolone stuffed olives, cheeses and more.
To our Customers and Friends
It has been an honor and privilege to serve you, our loyal Matteo’s customers. My parents started the tradition 50 years ago at our South Philadelphia location. Donna and I have worked their legacy and continued the tradition here at our New Jersey location for the past 14 years. It was a true pleasure. we’ve made so many friends along the way.
Change is often difficult. It wasn’t an easy decision, but after a lifetime of hard work that was truly our passion, we have decided that now is the time for us to retire and enjoy the next chapter of our lives. We look forward to enjoying ourselves without the daily pressures of running a business
Matteo’s Italian Foods will close Sunday November 2nd at 2:00pm
We offer our heartfelt thanks for your patronage, support, loyalty and kindness. We will miss all of you!!
Rob, Donna, Bob and Sandy
Matteo’s Italian Foods – Path to Retirement
A few things have changed in recent years such as they no longer offer their sandwiches such as fresh chicken cutlets…. and they now are closed on Wednesdays.
Which leads us into the closing of the Matteo’s store and retirement.
Rob first started working with his father in their Philadelphia store when he was 12 years old… Two things have made up his entire life; his loving family and working at Matteo’s pasta making raviolis, mozzarella.
And while the family does take a break here and there for vacation for the most part, for 50 years it has been working 7 days a week getting up early in the morning to make fresh pasta products, mozzarella and Italian specialties, running the store and then making fresh sandwiches for customer orders.
For many years the Sicklerville location had a full staff of employees to help run all of the delicious Matteo’s food menu.
But like many businesses, things changed for them with the pandemic. On one-hand there were times where they were the busiest they’ve ever been as many restaurants had been closed during the pandemic.
The downside though is their staff eventually moved on to other opportunities leaving the whole operation to be run by just the family.
With the labor intensive effort of creating handmade raviolis, pasta and mozzarella… some things had to change such as now being closed on Wednesdays, and no longer making sandwiches.
Moving forward to 2025, Rob having turned 62, and Donna reaching retirement age very soon… the couple felt it was time make the last final adjustment which means to close the shop and retire further South.
Rob tells me they’ve been planning this for a years now and to help streamline their plan into retirement it made the most sense for them to close up the Matteo’s store now,so they can focus on the final aspect of relocation to their retirement place.
Rob and Donna have set November 2nd at 2pm as the closing time for Matteo’s. Please stop in for one last order of ravioli’s, mozzarella or simply to wish Rob and Donna good luck with their future quieter life!
Links and Location
Matteo’s Italian Foods – Last Day November 2nd, 2025
673 Cross Keys Rd
Sicklerville, NJ
856-629-5799
Hours – From Facebook
Monday 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday CLOSED
Thursday 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Sunday 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Dining and Cooking