Mike’s Deli brings fresh pasta factory to Port St. Joe deli
Mike Coraci’s new Port St. Joe deli will pack a back-room pasta factory, seven or eight fresh shapes, and a June 1 target opening into the old Cozy Cafe.
Port St. Joe’s former Cozy Cafe is getting a Motor City transplant with a Gulf Coast address and a much bigger ambition than a sandwich counter. Mike’s Deli Inc. is targeting a June 1 opening at 301 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., and the tell is the back-of-house pasta setup, where Mike Coraci plans to make fresh pasta instead of treating it like an afterthought.
Coraci is pitching the place as a family-style deli shaped by New York, Italy and Detroit, with counter ordering and a dining room built for about 24 to 26 guests. The menu leans hard into that identity. The From Motown to Joe Town Crunch, a 12-inch sub, will come loaded with apple coleslaw, pastrami and provolone. The Doc, an Italian sub, is named for Coraci’s father. A Reuben, meatball sub, turkey sub and the Gardella, a muffaletta-style sandwich named for his grandfather’s business, round out the deli side. Bottled drinks are set for opening, with beer and wine planned later.
The pasta operation is what separates this from a standard neighborhood deli. Coraci said he expects to make seven or eight kinds of pasta, with fresh pasta, dried pasta, sauces and family-style pasta meals on the menu. That gives the shop a second identity inside the first one, and it is the part that should matter most to pasta fans watching whether a new restaurant is actually building a kitchen culture or just borrowing the language. Here, the pasta program sounds like part of the business plan, not a garnish.
Florida business records show Mike’s Deli Inc. was filed on Dec. 31, 2025, and is active. Those records list Michael Coraci as registered agent and sole principal, with the company mailing address at 207 16th Street, Port St. Joe, FL 32456. The deli is moving into a recognizable local space too. Cozy Cafe had operated at the same Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard address, where it was listed with seafood-focused offerings, and Tripadvisor showed the closed restaurant with 13 reviews and a 4.5-star rating.
That is what makes this Port St. Joe arrival feel less like a simple deli opening and more like a hybrid taking shape in a beach town. The old Cozy Cafe address is about to trade its previous identity for one with Detroit bones, Italian leanings and fresh pasta turning in the back.
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