The Little King

The Little King is the quintessential Central New Jersey sandwich shop, whose motto is, “Where a Sandwich Is a Full Meal.” Walk in to the strip mall eatery and head to the counter to place your order. It is there you’ll be confronted by dozens of signs touting special sandwiches, in addition to a few dozen more to be found on the menu board on the wall. If you suffer from menu panic syndrome, simply step out of line and read to your heart’s content.

Once you’ve decided and placed your order, you will be asked if you want your sandwich on seeded or unseeded bread. Get the seeded. It’s better bread. Also be prepared to tell the woman what you want or don’t want on the sandwich. Standard garnishes include lettuce, tomato, onion, oil, vinegar, and oregano.

Sandwiches come in just about every configuration you’ve ever considered, including a whole variety of Italian hoagies. We recommend the South Jersey Italian, which the specials sheet describes this way: “Genoa salami, capacoli, coteghino (Italian cooked salami), sharp provolone, hot crushed pepper spread, lettuce, tomato, onion, oil, salt, pepper, oregano.” Another favorite is the house-roasted turkey, which is pulled into shreds and chunks before insertion into the fresh roll. The pork roll, egg, and cheese is iconic and soulful. Prices are modest, but even so, there’s a menu board of the day’s special $3.99 half-hoagies (in Philly/Jersey parlance, a half is what people elsewhere would call a full-size sandwich), which are true bargains.

The Little King goes back decades, when it was part of a chain of sandwicheries. There are remnants of the chain to be found here and there around the country, but this one has been on its own for many years, longer than the current owner has been around. There are a few tables for eating in, and many orders are taken back by workers on their lunch breaks. It’s a locals haunt, and the staff lend the place a friendly neighborhood vibe with true Jersey personality. If you are a tourist paying a visit we suspect you will be the first to ever pass through the doorway.

Note that The Little King is open for breakfast and lunch only.