Marino's/Donze's Italian Sausage

Donze's Italian Sausage will be available to Syracusans again soon as it makes a return to the city's Northside.

As of now, the new business is called Marino's/Donze's, thanks to Mike Donze, whose uncle and father started the family business when it was located on N Townsend St. Donze's Meats closed in March of last year, while Marino's was sold a few months ago.

Both types of sausage will be sold at the new business at the former Marino's location at 1814 Butternut St.

"Donze's is made strictly from pork shoulder butts, which is very lean," Mike Donze said. "It's also a coarser grind than Marino's, which is firmer and made from pork picnics and trimmings as well as shoulder butts. The spices are a little different too."

I had never been to Marino's, but I was able to buy some sausage from Donze's Meats a few years ago when I first moved into the neighborhood and I remember it being very good (I had the "hot" kind, if memory serves me correctly). And then a couple months ago, I was driving around the St Joseph's Hospital area and amid all the crazy new construction that's going on up there, noticed that the store was totally vacant. Great to see that the sausage will be getting some life again on the Northside.

More information about the new (or old?) business can be found here.