Bodega Sandwiches In NYC You Need To Try At Least Once

There are many things you can do in New York City. Tourists have their to-do lists, natives have their recommendations, transplants have both. And yes, you can come for the world-class art, the lights of Broadway, the famous architecture, the sea of sports, or just the fascinating frenzy of its unique and diverse collection of humanity. You can also forget about all that and just eat your way through the City That Never Sleeps. And if you're not making time (or devoting entire trips) to bodega food specifically, you're missing out on something that's a part of the Big Apple's fabric. 

From Uptown Manhattan to brownstone Brooklyn, from the deeps of the Bronx to the far reaches of Staten Island, from Queens to, well, Queens, there is a cornucopia of low-fi deli eats both celebrated and under-the-radar. Acknowledging the New York City classics like chopped cheese or a BEC (Bobby Flay's favorite late night snack) but going well beyond, here are some of the bodega sandwiches you need to try at least once in your life.

What is left to say about Ocky Way. Rahim Mohamed, self-styled and self-earned as General Ock, has garnered over a million followers on Instagram and more than 5 million on TikTok, made his bodega a must-visit for influencers and A-list celebrities alike. Why? It's his sandwiches. And how does he do them? How else: the Ocky Way.

What is the Ocky Way? Well, it's your way. You can take a classic chopped cheese, or a choice of its various augmentations, or any other sandwich, and replace the bread with either Jamaican patties, garlic grilled cheese, pancakes, waffles, French toast, or honey buns. Mind-melting? Stomach-rapturing? Yes and yes. But the best way to enjoy this glorious Frankenstein approach: the Philly cheesesteak. The epic savory-ness (that should feature this sandwich on any best outside-of-Philly cheesesteak list) combined with pastry-like balance of either the patty or the French toast is something from another world. Or, more accurately, Red Hook.

www.instagram.com/rah_money1

603 Clinton St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Originals can get surpassed. They can easily be forgotten. What they inspire can be so great, and their seeds fertilize to such a degree, that they become left in the sea of what they birthed. With that poor attempt at pseudo-poetry said, Hajji's has not been forgotten about. Like true originals, people still come. And people still love it.

And yes, the fact that it may not actually be the exact originator of the iconic chopped cheese, is a viable argument. But it is certainly one of the forerunners and is still setting the bar. Is that not worth a pilgrimage alone? People still visit CBGB's, even though it's now a John Varvatos. Some still visit Times Square looking for peep shows. But head up to East Harlem for a chopped cheese at Blue Sky, and you're still getting the real deal.

(646) 682-7488

2135 1st Ave, New York, NY 10029

This Brooklyn bodega churns out amazing Mexican food that rivals any taqueria. But its torta Cubana is something to behold — even if it isn't technically a Mexican meal. But what does it matter when it tastes this good. To be fair, any torta (or burrito or taco or quesadilla) from Reyes, with any of the fillings, is going to be a jonrón. The weekend barbacoa is especially sought-after. 

But the meaty goodness of the Cubana offering is so stupendous, so filling, so satiating, that you might not eat again for the rest of the day. Or at least not want to, for the satisfaction shall not be equaled. Pay a visit, say hey to Mike behind the counter, get your almuerza, take a seat on the bench outside on Fourth Avenue, and indulge, güey.

reyesdelibk.com

(718) 369-3211

532 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

We're heading to Richmond County for this next Jamaican-inspired sammy. The Forgotten Borough has become less forgotten every year when it comes to food. There's so much deliciousness there, from Mexican to Liberian to some of the best Italian food in the entire city. And just a few minutes from the perpetually misspelled Verrazzano Bridge lies Tolins Gourmet Deli, in the neighborhood of Grasmere.

Sure, you could head to Crown Heights or Flatbush for your jerk chicken, and no one on Earth would blame you. But why not get your island flavors from an actual island. Tolins' take on a jerk chicken sandwich is its signature, and a must if you're going for shamelessly slapdash bodega bites. Colby jack cheese, onions, peppers, jalapeños, and ranch accompany the chicken on either a hero or a wrap. And although Bob Marley may have never eaten his jerk chicken this way, this sandwich might become your one love.

tolinsgourmetdeli.weebly.com

(718) 442-3878

2050 Clove Rd, Staten Island, NY 10304

You know a sandwich is great when you have to simply get there before the main ingredient runs out. Otherwise, you're out of luck. But we're not talking about a roadside barbecue hut in rural Texas getting depleted of its brisket. We're talking about a Muslim-run bodega on a corner in Brooklyn, and its outrageous falafel. We're talking about Al Noor Deli.

Falafel is a food you can get all over New York, a city with deep Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and North African influences. What's become more NYC than lamb, rice, and white sauce from a halal cart? But heading over to Al Noor, a simple, family-run bodega that triangulates the neighborhoods of South Slope, Gowanus, and Greenwood Heights (and not to be confused with the elementary school of the same name only a few blocks away), you'll find yourself in falafel heaven. The falafel sandwich has been called the best meal in years, straight up, by a laudatory customer or two. And at a miniscule $4.50, you'll probably buy two — one for you, another for later you. Just make sure you get there before it's gone.

alnoorhalaldelibrooklyn.net

(718) 788-7080

710 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11232

Astoria is as proud a food neighborhood as there is New York City. Heck, it's one of the standout food neighborhoods in one of the standout food places in the world: the borough of Queens. And sitting on a backstreet in this delectable district is a no-frills deli that delivers that utmost in sandwich artistry. It's the best power trio since Rush: Sal, Kris and Charlie's. And it's especially well-known for the famous Italian sub known simply as The Bomb.

Whether it's an actual explosive still remains to be seen (its taste alone can probably ignite fire). It has been known to get people through relationships and to be the first thing mothers eat after giving birth. What more do you need to know? How about what's in it: salami, ham, roast beef, turkey, pepperoni, American cheese, provolone cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, hot peppers, sweet peppers, mayo, mustard. Detonate.

salkrisandcharlies.com

(718) 278-9240

33-12 23rd Ave, Astoria, NY 11105

Head to the corner of East Sixth and Avenue B right around lunchtime. Chances are you won't miss the place, considering the long lines emitting from its modest, very bodega-y counter. You're here for the Pho 1 from Sunny & Annie's.  

The sandwich is constructed of pho bread, beef, cilantro, bean sprout, avocado, and Sriracha, and we very much wholeheartedly suggest you get in your digestive system whenever possible. Have you ever had pho and wondered if you could transmute this into sandwich form somehow? If you have, then your mind will be blown. If you haven't, then it will be nuclearized. And if even you're not a pho aficionado, you don't have to worry about knowing every single thing about how to eat pho properly to enjoy the bejesus out it.

instagram.com/sunny_annies

(212) 677-3131

94 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009

This Crown Heights corner deli is so much more than meets the eye. Open 24/7 like a proper bodega, Wise Deli & Grill boasts a pastrami that is somehow on par with the best in the city. Yes, we realize what we're saying. In a town – and a coast — with endless pastrami icons known the world over (Katz's, Sarge's, and 2nd Avenue, to name a miniscule few), you could easily eat this pastrami the traditional "When Harry Met Sally" way and feel like you're getting the authentic experience. But what you're going to actually do is order it paired with egg and cheese on a bialy. 

There is so much working-class New York food history in this sandwich it should be an elective at City College. But there's no need to get all heady and pedantic about it. Simply head to Franklin Avenue and Eastern Parkway to enjoy a breakfast sandwich fit for the gods. Or even better, bodega customers.

wise-deli-grill.restaurants-world.net

(347) 787-5762

821 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225

This tiny, unassuming bodega on the Lower East Side is legendary for unceremoniously churning out ridiculously good Indian food at all hours of the day. The second you walk in, you get that great, classic feeling of visiting bodega: that they don't care about you yet they care about you. The plus here, unlike many other spots, is that you're getting the unmistakable, tantalizing aromas of Indian cuisine along with it. But does this family-run, cash-only establishment make sandwiches, you ask? Oh, freaking yes.

The aloo tiki is a spiced potato patty layered within bread, topped with chutney, onions, tomatoes, cheese if you'd like, and other little yummy additions. It's an Indian delight you can eat on-the-go, and can both anger and entice everyone else on your subway car.

instagram.com/punjabidelinyc

(212) 533-3356

114 E 1st St, New York, NY 10009

A true vegan bodega can exist and it can make amazing food. Heading over to Staten Island via car or bus or water vessel (or all three), and then down to Castleton Avenue in the neighborhood of West Brighton, you'll find a little corner store that makes everything vegan and delicious. Foremost, its vegan BEC, for which even plant-based Manhattanites will make the journey. 

Islanders and visitors alike have a weakness for this compact and tasty breakfast meal. It's such a great take on the always-debated classic that even non-vegans will enjoy it as if it was non-vegan. People don't like when you mess with their bacon. But this alternative celebrates it.

instagram.com/vodegadeli

(646) 822-1026

829 Castleton Ave, Staten Island, NY 10310

Scientists have discovered that humans and chopping go back over three million years. Shame it took so long for Farmer in the Deli's chopped sandwiches to exist. But the important thing is that they are here now. And none of those offerings from this Brooklyn establishment are more delectable than its chopped tuna salad sandwich.

At this bodega around the corner from Fort Greene Park, you can famously pick any (edible) items — not just behind the counter, but in the store itself — and mix them into a chopped up sandwich. Godspeed with that unholy act. The real headliner, and the first one you should go for, is the (extremely) chopped tuna salad on a hero, which has been watering locals' mouths for decades. The tuna is canned but is transformed by the alchemy behind the counter. Tired of trying to spice up your homemade tuna salads? Go here. 

instagram.com/farmerdeli1

(718) 875-9067

357 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205

About six blocks south of the Empire State Building, you'll find a halal bodega that out-of-town visitors and natives alike are obsessed with. Some tourists have even reported getting their food there throughout the entire trip, while locals who either work or live nearby often become regulars. Midtown Manhattan is often looked at as a hub to avoid, but Sixth Avenue Garden Gourmet Deli will have anyone heading into the relentless bustle for a sterling pork-less bacon, egg, and cheese. Yes, you can make your own one-pan bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich at home. But we know it just tastes better from a bodega like this.

A halal spot, Sixth Avenue Garden Gourmet only uses beef bacon. But my, oh, my does it use that to make a BEC to rival any one with pig meat — which is a testament to its quality. As a result of the store's locale and its counterintuitively low profile, this sandwich may not flood social media or make any best-of lists. Except maybe your own personal one.

gardengourmetdeli.com

(212) 691-2345

801 6th Ave A, New York, NY 10001

The neighborhood of Whitestone is home to a sandwich that is shamelessly non-FDA recommended: the Heart Attack Hero. This classic from Cristina's Deli & Grill takes a chicken cutlet (always a classic NYC move), melts mozzarella cheese on it, and stuffs spicy French fries, onion rings, bacon, and Cristina's special sauce right in there. 

It's a GOAT sandwich for some, even being compared to an orchestra for how well all the ingredients play together. It'll keep you coming back to Whitestone, or even just Queens, again and again. Unless you're lucky enough to be a local. If so, you might want to make your cardiologist check-ins a little more frequent. Even a doctor can't resist this sandwich's siren call.

cristinasdeli.com

(718) 357-6055

12-37 150th St, Whitestone, NY 11357

A small, unassuming Mexican-run deli on the Lower East Side, Zaragoza will knock your socks off and challenge any south-of-the-border cuisine specialists anywhere, bodega or not. This is buoyed by the fact that whatever it has available on any given day, as far as meats, is what's available. No more, no less. Which means you want to make sure you head over to Alphabet City as early as humanly possible and, with a bit of luck and a blessing, you can get your hands on the torta de lengua.

Lengua is beef tongue. And in capable hands like the ones at Zaragoza, it's an ingredient that is transcendent. Rush over to Avenue A, check out the beautifully straightforward menu on either markerboard or chalkboard, and hope for the best. But if the lengua is out, just get another best.

facebook.com/zaragozadeli 

212) 780-9204

215 Avenue A #217, New York, NY 10009

We're trekking a little deeper into Queens for this one. The border of Jamaica and Kew Gardens, to be exact. Alba's Deli was recently voted the third best deli in all of Queens by the borough's chamber of commerce. You can't go wrong with any of the sandwich selections here. But the best-selling chicken parmesan sandwich is a munchable delight.

The chicken cutlet is one of the staple bodega sandwich ingredients in the Big Apple, as well as just a general New York/New Jersey food icon. And the chicken parm is as iconic as MSG, Basquiat, or those two stone lions in front of the New York Public Library. Alba's offering is a delightful one: chicken cutlet, marinara, mozzarella, the fundamentals. But that's all you need, as the cutlet is made to perfection. Please do yourself a favor and take a gooey, crunchy bite. It won't be your last. 

instagram.com/albasdeli

(718) 805-0347

119-20 Metropolitan Ave, Jamaica, NY 11415

A born and raised New Yorker, who has lived in four out of the five boroughs (excluding the Bronx — but even then my apartment was across the bridge from Yankee Stadium in Sugar Hill, Harlem), I drew on my first-hand native experience of bodega fare. This, combined with researching the ever-fruitful NYC social media sphere, as well as traditional publications, allowed me to put together an authentic picture of the bodega sandwich scene — spreading the list across all the boroughs instead of just staying Manhattan-centric. And now I'm hungry for BECs all the time, truly testing my carbohydrate cut-down. What I won't sacrifice for art.