Darke Pines — Local services in Jersey City

I've been wanting to try a sandwich from here for sooo long and the sandwich schedule finally lined up with my work schedule. I had the Braised Beef and it was incredible, I should have asked to have it cut in half because it was big and messy but absolutely delicious! My one gripe with this place is there are no prices on any grocery products besides the meat and the sandwich menu. I really don't understand this at all. Even if you're prices are more expensive than an average grocery store, customers expect this because it's not your average grocery store, and you should give your customers the necessary information up front to make a purchase. Why would you want to alienate customers when you can easily spare them the uncomfortable situation of bringing a product up to the counter to see how much it is, realizing that's a little more than they can afford with the rest of their order, and having to put it back with a line waiting behind them, by just pricing your products to begin with? When people feel bad, awkward, uncomfortable - they don't want to spend money. Maybe they have a comfortable customer base for whom price isn't an option, but that just kinda makes it worse if that's the case. I love treating myself to some specialty products at a local grocer, i will gladly spend money for a treat, but I wont be back to buy their grocery products unless they put prices on them. The sandwich was astounding and worth every penny! I really hope they take this feedback into consideration because I would love to support and buy...

I’ve been coming to Darke Pines since they opened. The product quality and creativity have always been excellent. But when Will or Erica aren’t in the shop, the customer service often falls short.

I’ve owned a retail business for nearly 40 years, and I can tell you: a great product isn’t enough. Customers want to feel welcome. Lately, that’s been missing at Darke Pines. Some staff are friendly, but others come off as rude or uninterested.

I get that it’s frustrating when someone walks in close to closing time. But posted hours matter. They tell people when it’s okay to come in. If your lights are on and the door is open, customers will assume you’re open. Mopping the floor doesn’t say “closed.” Locking the door does. And if someone walks in to spend money, they shouldn’t be met with attitude.

Compare that to Scale Fish Market around the corner, which is always packed and upbeat. Meanwhile, Darke Pines has been cutting back its offerings. That's telling, in my opinion.

The meat is still great. But the service now feels like walking into a high school clique. If that’s your thing, go for it. If not, check out Pampita in the Heights. Great products and genuinely...

Dark Pines in Jersey City is the kind of joint that keeps faith alive in the simple miracle of a great sandwich. I’ve been slipping through its doors for over three years now, and every time, it delivers. No gimmicks, no Instagram circus tricks just honest, layered, beautifully executed sandwiches that remind you why you fell in love with eating in the first place.

It’s the smell that hits first bread, char, fat, a whisper of vinegar and spice. The menu reads like a love letter to everything right about deli culture, but with enough edge to keep you curious. The pastrami smoky, tender, unapologetically salty is worth building your day around. The ham, somehow never dry, feels like redemption for every sad deli counter cold cut you’ve ever choked down. The perfect bread cheese condiment and meat combinations sing, they cut, they hold the whole thing together like a jazz trio finding its groove.

The place isn’t fancy, but it doesn’t need to be. Dark Pines is about trust. You walk in, you order, and you know you’re going to get fed the way a sandwich should feed you big, messy, perfect. After three years, I can tell you this: it’s worth it,...