Defonte's

Defonte's
Restaurant information
Established	1922 (1922)
Street address	379 Columbia Street
City	Brooklyn
State	New York
Postal/ZIP Code	11231
Country	United States
Coordinates	40°40′44.35″N 74°0′19.64″W

Defonte's is a sandwich shop in Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York City. It is known for large Italian heroes with ham, provolone, salami, roast beef, mozzarella and fried eggplant.^[1] There is also a steak pizzaiola sandwich.

History

The business began as a bodega like shop in 1922 by Nick Defonte. Before long, the longshoremen working in the area were asking for sandwiches. His grandson Nicky runs the restaurant now. He believes the first sandwich served was ham and cheese with lettuce, tomato and olive oil.^[2]

In popular culture

The eatery was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on February 20, 2012 in the Long Standing Legacies episode.^[3][4][5] They were mentioned on Season 1, Episode 9 of the CBS police procedural East New York.

Locations

There is also a Gramercy location in Manhattan where offerings include prepared dinners. The original location is at 379 Columbia Street in Brooklyn.^[1][6]

See also

• List of restaurants in New York City
• List of Italian restaurants

References

1. Patronite, Rob; Raisfeld, Robin (2009-03-19). "Defonte's of Brooklyn and Sunny & Annie Deli - New York Magazine Underground Gourmet Review". New York Magazine. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
2. Friedman, Gabe (October 4, 2022). "DEFONTE'S WON'T BE THROWING A PARTY FOR ITS 100TH BIRTHDAY". Brooklyn Magazine. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
3. Sifton, Sam (2016-04-28). "The Best Sandwich Ever". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
4. Sifton, Sam (2018-08-07). "From the Smallest State, the Biggest Sandwich". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
5. Sifton, Sam (2019-12-13). "What to Cook This Weekend". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
6. "Defonte's". Time Out New York. 2010-02-24. Retrieved 1 August 2020.

External links

• Defonte's Instagram