Geography of The NJ Sloppy Joe
When I moved into Cranford, our real estate broker whom we bought the house from suggested you should celebrate your new home with a Sloppy Joe at Mr. J’s Deli in downtown Cranford. I thought it was a weird suggestion. A Sloppy Joe of ground meat and sauce does not sound that appealing, and worthy of a celebration.
So, on a beautiful spring day 6 years ago my wife and I signed the myriad of documents to purchase our house and living in Cranford became a reality. With that we were off with our real estate broker’s suggestion and off to Mr. J’s we went located in the heart of downtown Cranford located on the corner of South Avenue and Walnut Avenue, steps from the train station. As we entered Mr. J’s we saw a sign posted on the wall with all types of Sloppy Joes. But it was with deli meat. Turkey, ham, roast beef, pastrami, corned beef. Confused, I said let us go with it and ordered two turkey Sloppy Joes.
With our order in place something happened. I saw three layers of bread being cut and the turkey and cheese piled high. Then it was topped with cole slaw and Russian dressing. As it was served to me, I looked at it with fascination. I took a bite, and it was delicious. What was I eating? Well, it was not the usual Sloppy Joe most known to us, it was the NJ Sloppy Joe. It was my first one and one of a kind. But what I found interesting is the NJ Sloppy Joe is only known in certain parts of NJ. For many areas of the state this sandwich is thought of the regular ground meat and tomato sauce sandwich. So, let us delve further into the geography of the NJ Sloppy Joe.
According to the NJ Sloppy Joe Wikipedia page (yes there is one) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloppy_Joe_(New_Jersey) the originator of the NJ Sloppy Joe is from the Town Hall Deli in South Orange. According to the Deli’s owner, a Maplewood politician, Thomas Sweeney, returned from a vacation in Cuba, where he spent time at a bar named Sloppy Joe’s. The bar’s owner laid out fixings for patrons, who put sandwiches together. Though not thoroughly explained on Wikipedia, I am assuming the fixings for the sandwiches consisted of rye bread, cheese, deli meat, coleslaw and Russian dressing, the impetus of the Sloppy Joe.
Where can you get a NJ Sloppy Joe? There are many favorite deli’s such as the original Town Hall in South Orange, The Millburn Deli in of course Millburn and of course my favorite Mr. J’s in Cranford. Actually, the previous owner of Mr. J’s opened a new deli aptly named Mr. J’s South in Stafford Township in Ocean County which is spreading the Sloppy Joe knowledge down south.
But this article is not all about the sandwich, it’s about where in NJ you can order a Sloppy Joe and they know right away that you’re thinking of the triple decker with deli meat, cheese, cole slaw and Russian dressing.
So, as I did my research and posted on Jersey Sandwich Joints with who knows what a NJ Sloppy Joe is this is the county list I put together on the Geography of the NJ Sloppy Joe.
Bergen - Yes - Give me that triple decker NJ Sloppy Joe
Hudson - No - I don’t know what a triple decker Sloppy Joe is, but I sure know the Fiores Roast Beef and cheese
Essex - 100% Yes - The so-called home of the Sloppy Joe in Town Hall Deli
Union - 100% Yes - The ubiquitous NJ Sloppy Joe and the source of my first one at Mr. J’s in Cranford
Middlesex - Yes - Give me that triple decker NJ Sloppy Joe
Morris - Yes - Give me that triple decker NJ Sloppy Joe
Passaic - Yes - Give me that triple decker NJ Sloppy Joe
Somerset - Yes - Give me that triple decker NJ Sloppy Joe
Sussex - Yes - Give me that triple decker NJ Sloppy Joe
Warren - Yes - Give me that triple decker NJ Sloppy Joe
Hunterdon - Yes - Give me that triple decker NJ Sloppy Joe
Mercer - No - Give that ground meat Sloppy Joe
Monmouth - Yes - Give me that triple decker NJ Sloppy Joe (partly resulting from Mr. J’s South locating in Stafford)
Ocean - Yes - Give me that triple decker NJ Sloppy Joe
Burlington - No - Give that ground meat Sloppy Joe
Camden - No - Give that ground meat Sloppy Joe
Atlantic - No - Give that ground meat Sloppy Joe
Gloucester - No - Give that ground meat Sloppy Joe
Salem - No - Give that ground meat Sloppy Joe
Cumberland - No - Give that ground meat Sloppy Joe
Cape May - No - Give that ground meat Sloppy Joe
As you can see those in the know of the NJ Sloppy Joe are primarily in central and northern NJ. Who knows, eventually this one-of-a-kind sandwich will spread throughout NJ and become the official sandwich of NJ. In the meantime, I will enjoy my NJ Sloppy Joes in my hometown of Cranford.