“The Corner Deli”
The second type of deli that is prevalent in NYC is the corner deli aka the corner grocery aka the bodega. Clearly, as the name(s) suggests, they can be located on almost any corner in any neighborhood.
Common characteristics of the corner deli are that they’re, more often than not, a little dingy. They will have an ATM machine and mainly peddle cheap coffee, cigarettes, beer, chips, ice cream, and maybe some produce/flowers; no “real” food.
But every now and then they can take you by surprise. For instance, there is a corner deli about two blocks away from my apartment that delivers, as long as the minimum of $10 is met. My sister discovered, as a complete fluke (she was too lazy to get dressed and go out to buy coffee and food), that they made great breakfast sandwiches so now for the past three Saturday mornings in a row, we’ve had egg white omelettes with American cheese on toasted bialys for “brunch”.
Another corner deli that comes to mind makes its own scallion cream cheese that is LOADED with scallions, more than I’ve ever seen anywhere else. I absolutely love it even though walking by, you’d never expect anything beyond edible to emerge from that storefront.
In summary, if you’ve just moved to a new neighborhood or haven’t found it yet, take some time to seek out your local corner deli. You’ll find them extremely handy for a late night ice cream run, a six-pack when no one’s willing to brave the cold to go, an ATM visit, or sometimes, if you’re really lucky, something truly delicious.
