Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Eye of God at Newchurch in Pendle
St. Govor’s Well.
St. Govor’s Well
Shivsrushti
Pierced domes of Hammam Seffarine.
Hammam Seffarine
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Grasshopper Chapel and grounds.
How the Rocky Mountain Locust Plague Spawned Federal Disaster Relief
4 days ago
The Guy Bradley Visitor Center at Flamingo in Everglades National Park.
America’s First Game Warden Died Fighting for the Birds
4 days ago
Echo Park Time Travel Mart.
Atlas Obscura Presents: Traveling Back in Time for Coconut Cake With The Sporkful
5 days ago
One of the PATH’s many entrances.
A Supposedly Boring Mall I Might Actually Visit Again
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Oakland Ratto's Market & Deli
Gastro Obscura

Ratto's Market & Deli

International delicatessen has been owned and operated by the same family for more than 110 years.

Oakland, California

Added By
aerialdomo
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Inside of the market. (Ratto’s Market & Deli)   http://rattos.com/history/
Inside of the market. (Ratto’s Market & Deli)   http://rattos.com/history/
Inside of the market. (Ratto’s Market & Deli)   http://rattos.com/history/
Inside of the market. (Ratto’s Market & Deli)   http://rattos.com/history/
Front sign   popcornqueen / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Born in the Italian province of Alessandria in 1868, Giovanni Battista Ratto sailed as a cabin boy on a schooner to Buenos Aires when he was just 13 years old. After some time, the Bay area appealed to Ratto and he moved once again. There, he met a prominent produce farmer who took him under his wing and gave him a job. Eventually, he married and had four daughters and a son.

Ratto went on to open the Colombo Bakery in Oakland. After running the business with his co-founders for seven years, Ratto bought and ran a retail food store on lower Washington St. in the same neighborhood. Right from the opening of the store, Ratto brought in international items to differentiate his store from the other run-of-the-mill grocers that lined the streets of Oakland.

Ratto's decision to import items from all over the world proved a huge success. This international delicatessen and grocery has been run in the same location for over 110 years by the same family. It has survived the Great Depression, a four-alarm fire in the 1970s, and a 7.1 magnitude earthquake the following decade.

Related Tags

Unique Restaurants & Bars Architectural Oddities Food Markets Architecture

Know Before You Go

G.B. Ratto’s Market & Deli is located at 821 Washington St. in the heart of downtown Oakland, California, just a few blocks from the Oakland City Center BART station.

Community Contributors

Added By

aerialdomo

Edited By

Blindcolour, nbj914, popcornqueen

  • Blindcolour
  • nbj914
  • popcornqueen

Published

February 8, 2011

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Insider Pages: Ratto's International Market: http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3710054127/rattos-international-market-oakland
  • GrassRoots Guides: Ratto's Deli and International Market: http://www.grassroutesguides.com/uncategorized/ratto%E2%80%99s-deli-and-international-market/
  • Tribe: Ratto's International Market: http://sanfrancisco.tribe.net/recommendation/Rattos-International-Market/oakland-downtown-sf-/a4c549d4-4162-4a29-97ee-02b1d3488778
Ratto's Market & Deli
821 Washington St.
Oakland, California, 94607
United States
37.801044, -122.274785
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

De Lauers Super Newsstand

Oakland, California

miles away

Cathedral Building

Oakland, California

miles away

Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon

Oakland, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oakland

Oakland

California

Places 30
Stories 7

Nearby Places

De Lauers Super Newsstand

Oakland, California

miles away

Cathedral Building

Oakland, California

miles away

Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon

Oakland, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oakland

Oakland

California

Places 30
Stories 7

Related Stories and Lists

13 Places for Feasting on Pasta, History, and Italian-Americana

List

By Sam Lin-Sommer

Related Places

  • Mexico City, Mexico

    La Casa de los Azulejos

    Once home to an aristocratic family and a workers' organization, this intricately tiled building now houses a chain restaurant.

  • Montreal, Québec

    Gibeau Orange Julep

    The skyline of Montreal includes the silhouette of an unexpected fruit-shaped Canadian staple.

  • The Cathedral Café has been serving it’s community for more than 120 years.

    Fayetteville, West Virginia

    Cathedral Café

    Soak in the sacred vibes at this beloved food and coffee hangout inside a former church.

    Sponsored by West Virginia Department of Tourism
  • The best sauerkraut is made with an indigenous Slovenian cabbage.

    Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Ljubljana Central Market

    Buy raw milk from a 24/7 vending machine or pick up tomb candles at this local market.

  • Nuts and dried fruit on display at Panjshanbe Bazaar.

    Khujand, Tajikistan

    Panjshanbe Bazaar

    A bustling bazaar with an elaborate facade in Central Asia’s underrated capital.

  • McDonald’s in Freeport, ME.

    Freeport, Maine

    Freeport McDonald's

    When the town wouldn't allow the fast-food behemoth to build a new restaurant, they put one inside an 1850 home.

  • Inside the restaurant.

    Lindesnes, Norway

    Under

    The world's largest underwater restaurant is submerged off the southern tip of Norway.

  • Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico

    Vena Cava

    Get three sheets to the wind at this desert winery with a nautical theme.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.