DeFonte’s
“The Sinatra and Hot roast need hero are seriously the two best heroes I've ever had in my life!”
“If you go in there and are perplexed at what to get try the Sinatra, the Donato, and of course they make a mean Pastrami.”
“Their fried eggplant is always perfectly cooked to a golden brown without being bitter or greasy.”
DeFonte’s
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Came here on a Saturday afternoon, after calling earlier in the week and realizing they close at 5:30. The girl offered to make me a sandwich so I could pick it up, but it was already 5:16 and sadly not enough time to get there, but I appreciated the offer.
There were people there but not terribly busy, service was fast, efficient and friendly.
Had The Donato, roast turkey, swiss cheese, fried eggplant (mouth watering yet?) and "natural gravy". Served on fresh Italian bread. What made this sandwich move from good to frigging amazing? Asking for a side of natural gravy to dip my sandwich in. The natural gravy was garlicky with a touch of soy and absolutely frigging delicious. Like lick the container delicuous. Sandwich cost $9.90 and I ate half of a medium and was more than full.
Additional touch? Christmas tree napkins! Too cute, I'll be back.
What a great place. Friendly service. Quickly made huge sub. Ordered the roast beef soaked with gravy, fresh mozzarella and fried eggplant. It was very yummy.
I usually like my meats a little more well done, but this place was good. Next time I'll try a different sandwich. Yum.
Staten islands finest brought all the way from redhook Brooklyn, even better now bc I don't have to cross a bridge to have some good loving food.
Nice staff very friendly an there food buffet is fresh an looks an taste amazing.
Prices are decent an the food is very filling.
Parking is good meters always available in front. The bread was so fresh.
Over all delish 🙂
An asset to Staten Island that all of its residents should be patronizing if they aren't already. This is a food destination, one of the islands best in my humble opinion. The product being served out of Defonte's is second to known. Pastrami is right up there with best (Katz's), and their eggplant is just as good as your grandmother's if not better (sorry). This is the paper thin crispy stuff dreams are made of…pair it with their fresh mozz on a toasted roll and you'll be talking about it for days upon days after. Dare I say one final thing? It's better than Royal Crown, and the guidette monitor registers pretty low in comparison. Just some nice and friendly authentically Italian people operating a fine, fine, sandwich establishment.
Very happy to have the Red Hook institution of Delfontes closer to home. I went yesterday for their grand opening and was not disappointed. The line stretched out the door, but moved quickly. I ordered the roast beef, and it was just as amazing as a sandwich from their original spot. The house made roast beef was cooked perfectly and sliced to order. Their fried eggplant is always perfectly cooked to a golden brown without being bitter or greasy. The homemade fresh mozzarella gives the Sammy a perfect amount of creaminess. All of the staff were friendly and efficient, especially given how busy they were. I look forward to eating my way thru their menu in the upcoming months.
Was excited to see that a place I love in Brooklyn now has a location in Staten Island, making the transition easier for me! The place is located in Stapleton, and very easy to find, there is plenty of parking, unlike the Brooklyn location. The owner is a great guy, welcoming us to Staten Island, and told us they bought the building, so they aren't going anywhere….thankfully!!! I wanted an Italian hero, wasn't on the speciality list, but he knew exactly what I wanted, and it was amazing, nicely stuffed with plenty of cold cuts, and roasted peppers. There are no seats, which is a bummer, the sandwich is messy so I didn't want to eat it in the car. There is a ledge on the side so you can stand up & eat, which we did. I also had the potato salad, and it was great! I wish them lots of luck on the island.
I am now working on Staten Island, so I was happy to hear that Defontes, a Brooklyn staple, was opening an outpost in Richmond County. I stopped in today for lunch and was very pleased with my first sandwich from this venerable BK institution.
I was tempted by the chicken parm, but I instead went for the Sinatra, which was a great move. It tasted like pot roast on a sandwich, in a good way. I highly recommend this place for take out lunch.
Defontes loses a star only because I wish they would have a place to sit down with table service. I know that is not their bag, but it would be nice to have a destination to go to for lunch and be able to sit and enjoy my hot sandwich. That said, the food is amazing and highly recommended!
Now I cannot even remember what foodie TV show this place was showcased on, but I knew enough to bookmark it. Originally from Brooklyn and moved to Staten Island. It's a newly renovated storefront right across from a park. There is no seating inside, just a stand up counter to eat at, the park is great place to enjoy your sandwich when it's a nice day!
The gentleman making the sandwiches was a character – you can just tell he loved what he did, he even came outside after we had finished eating in the park to ask us how we liked our food! You see, sometimes the awesomeness of the service takes the food to the next level!
This was truly a good sandwich simple and fresh! I originally wanted a chicken parm, but they had already sold out. I asked about the show and was woo'd by the hot roast beef, that was seen on the show! The bread is fresh, even for 2 hours to close, the meat is cooked in house and cut to order, no skimping on the meat here, some lightly fried eggplant, fresh mozzarella and the natural gravy(au jus) ladled onto one side of the bread, a little pepper and that was it.
While I was eating my sandwich, I was thinking it needed something more (maybe mustard) but I came to realize how great a simple sandwich is, the meat was so tender, but was not falling apart. The eggplant and mozzarella made this sandwich a winner with all of the flavors shining through! This place is a must do!