Iconic and loved, North Jersey deli opens location in Central NJ

You’ve heard the expression ‘if you know, you know.’ That would apply here.

If you’re from anywhere around the area of Millburn, then you’re either a big fan of or heard people rave about the Millburn Deli. They’ve been around for 79 years and introduced the Garden State to their legendary Sloppy Joe sandwich in 1946.

Five years ago, after being at it for 74 years, they decided to branch out. They opened a location in Morristown in 2020. Yes, the year of the pandemic. You’d think that would be enough to throw a bucket of cold water on any business.

Not them. Soon after, they opened a third and fourth location in Montclair and Westfield. There’s going to be a fifth location any time now in Jersey City.

But for the first time ever, a Millburn Deli, so associated with North Jersey, is stepping over that nebulous line into Central Jersey.

NJ.com is reporting that a spokesperson says we can expect this welcomed incursion to land at Bridgewater Village adjacent to Bridgewater Commons Mall at 640 Commons Way. The expectation is possibly in May, so it’s anyone’s guess if the Jersey City grand opening will happen before or after.

Whether it ends up being officially the sixth or the fifth location to open, is Central Jersey ready for the North Jersey culture in their sandwiches? I mean, Millburn Deli does have a sandwich named “The Godfodda.” For the uninitiated, that’s loaded with chicken cutlet, bacon, and fresh mozzarella. OK, mutz.

It’s only 40 minutes from Tony Soprano’s house in North Caldwell to Bridgewater so, fuggetaboutit, I think Central Jersey will be just fine. They’ll embrace the Millburn Deli like all other towns have. Best of luck to them and welcome to Bridgewater! Living in Flemington, I'll be trying them out.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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