John's Deli

John's Deli on Stillwell Avenue has been a family-owned and operated sandwich shop since 1968, and it remains one of southern Brooklyn's great neighborhood institutions. It sits on the Gravesend and Bensonhurst border, a no-frills counter where office lunch runs, teachers ordering for the staff room and families picking up dinner all wait for the same thing. The house mission, in its own words, is the highest quality hot and cold sandwiches at reasonable prices, and the line moves to the rhythm of slicers and steaming trays of gravy. A second branch operates on Staten Island, but this is the original. It is the kind of place New Yorkers recommend with total conviction, usually followed by a warning to bring napkins.

The order is the hot roast beef hero with mozzarella and dark gravy, a sandwich the Village Voice once ranked among the best of its kind in the city, with tender beef soaked through a sturdy roll. Get gravy on the side for dipping if you are taking it to go. Regulars also swear by the rice balls, the pulled pork hero and the soups, and the deli does catering trays for parties. John's Deli was featured by the YouTuber New York Turk in 2025, and his visit captures the counter's easy, everybody-knows-everybody feel. It is a counter-service shop, so plan on takeout if the room is busy.