Defonte’s is the complete opposite of what you see popping up on so many Brooklyn corners. It’s not a cute sandwich shop on a cute Brooklyn street. It’s not new, it’s not trendy, and it’s nowhere near gluten-free. Instead, it’s an old school sandwicheria that specializes in homemade ingredients and big *ss heroes. Defonte’s doesn’t do its take on a classic. Defonte’s is the classic.

No frills, yes turkey gravy.

This place, which has been open since 1922, is a deli, not a restaurant – no tables, no waiters – but the menu goes way beyond your normal spread of cold cuts. Between the trays of parmigiana and house-brined meats, you can legitimately come to Defonte’s for three meals a day without repeating the same taste twice.

We wrote that sentence and instantly realized how true it was that we set out to prove it: we started with the egg and potato on a sesame seed roll for breakfast, moved over to the Italian combo with extra hot peppers for lunch, and finished off strong with an eggplant parm for dinner. It was one of our best days of eating in a long time and we didn’t even go as big as we could have (see: the Giuseppe Special).

Good luck to whatever opens up next door.