Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Defonte's Opens in Gramercy
By
Hugh Merwin
Published Feb 24, 2009
Modified Feb 24, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
HM
By
Hugh Merwin
Published Feb 24, 2009
Modified Feb 24, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Defonte’s, the sandwich shop institution of Red Hook (since 1922), just opened a second outpost in Gramercy. If you notice from the photo here, the original Defonte’s is all waterfront industrial charm: bricked over windows, a touch of barbed wire accent; everything painted over a shade of green that otherwise belongs slathered across a municipal bridge railing. Defonte’s Red Hook interior is adorned with autographed 8x10s of actors in wiseguy roles and far flung beauty queens, like Miss Delaware 2008. The corner building is a stone’s throw from the Battery Tunnel, so a lot of Defonte’s customers drive a truck, carry a badge, or do both. They work quickly, open early, and close early—the ten person steam table sandwich brigade is usually all but cleaned up around 3 p.m.
In Gramercy, Defonte’s now has a website and a logo. It’s a workmanlike brown and white thing, no frills. Breakfast sandwiches are served all day, fresh mozzarella is made in house, and the enormous sandwiches are all under $10. No much has changed: the Gramercy Defonte’s makes its own cloved-spoked Virginia ham and actually roasts their roast beef, which is served medium rare. Eggplant is sliced thin on the globe slicer each morning and batter fried, which means sometimes it’s more or less crispy. The store’s sandwich-making lineage—which Dan Defonte will tell you dates back many decades to a man named Brooklyn who dealt cards and hot coffee to men waiting on work—results in a rather straightforward product, a sandwich that would rather feed you than draw attention to itself. They don’t even have to pile on the extra helpings of history and old Brooklyn lore.
Tagged
chefs
Defonte’s
gramercy
Miss Delaware 2008
red hook
Hugh Merwin
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 19, 2026
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .