C&J's Deli — Restaurant in Madison

Best "sloppy joes" in north Jersey. Nearly everywhere else in the country, a "sloppy joe" is also known as a Manwich: ground beef in a spiced, tomato-based sauce, served on a roll. But in parts of northern NJ, it is a most delicious, multi-tier delicatessen sandwich of rye bread, swiss cheese, your choice of meat(s), cole slaw, and Russian dressing. Three layers of deliciousness, served cold, and sloppy-to-its-name. And the best ones can be found at C.J.'s Deli. While pretty much everything here is delicious, C.J's also pays homage to another NJ classic, the fried egg, Taylor ham (aka pork roll) and cheese on a hard roll. Once you've moved from NJ and these items are no longer available to you on a regular basis, you make it part of your mission to indulge on return visits to your childhood home. C.J.'s always...

We stopped in to buy something to drink for our ride home. They were so friendly and we were asked if we wanted any food since the kitchen was still open and fully staffed. I said we didn't want to be rude, knowing they were getting ready to close but they insisted it was no trouble at all. We ordered a couple of cold sandwiches and chatted a little with them while enjoying a quick bite.

We were delighted by the framed pictures of family, friends, etc covering the walls - nostalgic of days gone by. We felt an overall sense of community coming from this family owned/operated business. Salt of the earth - completely candid and...

I have tried sloppy joes from all over the greater NJ region. C&J's are very good. One of the best. However you could make the case (this is all opinion/personal taste, there is no objective answer obviously) there are plenty of places that make equal or better joes. Hickory Tree in Chatham, just a mile or so away. Millburn Deli. Avenue Deli in New Providence. Wicker Basket in Mendham. I haven't been to the deli in South Orange which is famous for them. Also the last time I went to C&Js just a couple of months into the pandemic none of the employees were wearing masks. That was the final...