About
A & F Italian Specialties Market is a family-owned market on North Main Street in Forked River. It offers a deli counter, house-made sausage and butcher cuts, daily baked bread and prepared foods, with dine-in and takeout available. The market also provides catering for offices and events.
The market is open every day: 8 am to 6 pm on weekdays, until 5 pm on Saturday, and until 4 pm on Sunday. Breakfast and lunch are served all day for eating in or taking out. Its website says the family has been preparing Italian food for more than 30 years. The deli slices Boar's Head products, and the in-house bakery, called Lia's Bakery, turns out sourdough, semolina and seeded twist loaves each morning along with Italian pastries made from family recipes.
Separate menus for sandwiches, breakfast, bakery items and bread are posted on the site, and everyday orders can be placed online through DoorDash. The navigation also lists Frankies Frizz, an espresso soda.
Catering covers sandwich trays, prepared meal trays of pasta, proteins and sides, and cookie and pastry platters. Sandwich trays are built on bread baked in-house, with condiments packed separately so the bread stays firm, and portioning works out to about one sandwich per guest. Trays arrive labeled with contents and serving counts. The market asks for two to three days' notice, or about a week for large or custom orders. Delivery reaches Forked River, Beachwood, Toms River, Lacey Township, Brick and Barnegat and is timed to the event start; it is a drop-off, with plates and utensils on request but no setup or staff. Vegetarian choices and ingredient exclusions can be requested when ordering.
