On his way to the bank last spring, Omar Hugran noticed a for rent sign in the window of what was once the Grid Iron Waffle Shop, and his eyes immediately widened. Hugran, familiar with the area, instantly knew that this would be the perfect spot for him and his brothers, Amar and Alaa, to open their second deli.
Later, when they sat down to sign the lease for that deli, their broker asked them what they wanted to call their business. The brothers said the first thing that came to mind that described what they wanted their restaurant to emulate: simply, a New York City Style deli, a homage to where they spent most of their childhood.
The Hugran brothers grew up working at their Dad and Uncle’s delis in Brooklyn, New York. They would come home from school and clean up after the chefs, making sure everything in the restaurants were on point.
Omar Hugran, one of the brothers who own NYC Style Deli in South Orange and Deli World in Irvington. (Photo by Skylar Smith)
“Quickly, cooking and serving food to happy customers became my passion,” Omar said. “I went to school with all of our clients, and when I go back there, I’m known.”
To continue the “good times and memories” the brothers had, they opened their own spin on their family’s deli three years ago in Irvington, New Jersey, with Deli World.
“Deli World was our trial,” Omar said, and once the brothers knew they could handle running their own business, they aimed to expand.
The NYC Style Deli opened on May 31 at 12 South Orange Avenue. (Photo by Skylar Smith)
NYC Style Deli opened its doors at 12 South Orange Avenue on May 31, and the Hugran brothers say they have been overwhelmed with the amount of support they have received from the South Orange-Maplewood community ever since.
It has been challenging managing the demand, “but if we get the right number of employees, we can pull off the New York style sandwich you need the time to make,” Omar said.
The deli serves a combination of Middle Eastern and New York style deli food, reflective of the brother’s upbringing. It is open from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day so that “anybody can enjoy it,” regardless of their schedule, Omar said.
As customer Reed Bitzer said, “when you walk into the deli, you feel like you are in New York at a bodega.”
Exactly what the brothers intended.
The NYC Style Deli in South Orange is part deli and part bodega.(Photo by Laura Griffin)
The dessert case at the NYC Style Deli on South Orange Ave. (Photo by Laura Griffin)
