Maplewood Deli & Sub

I had the most horrific experience here today. So I see this deli and I decide to try it I’ve never been here figured it was a quick place to get food. Long story short there was a man at the front of the store short, balding and husky and he was eyeing me the entire time I was in there, eyes never left me which was a bit odd but I ignored it. There was also a male customer who walked in with me who was being handled by a woman worker. So I decide to order a turkey sandwich and the guy was telling me it would be the best sandwich I ever had. So I notice that the turkey was just sitting on the counter which was a bit odd but again I didn’t think much of it. The guy starts touching on the meat shredder with his bare hands and he grabbed the turkey gloveless. So I asked «oh do you guys have any gloves?» He says «oh yea we do here are some are these ok?» He takes out the white hospital gloves that are marked latex. I’m severely allergic to latex so I said «oh that sucks. Do you happen to have any other gloves because I’m allergic?» he asked me to repeat myself FOUR TIMES which I did. I told him I’m allergic to latex. He then stops and says «You know what get the f-​ck out of here» I was lost. I said excuse me? He starts yelling and pointing at the door telling me to «get the f~ck out! Go eat somewhere else. Get the f-​ck out of here» I couldn’t believe he was speaking to me that way. I was so lost as to why he got so angry. I’m 5’6 130 pounds and he’s a grown ass man aggressively screaming at me and I left because the way he was acting I felt like he was about to come behind the counter and do something to me. I have NEVER been treated this way before in my entire life. I can not believe today happened. The male patron was just as lost as I was. I will NEVER come back to this place and let my friends from the city office know exactly what happened at this establishment. I dont know if he thought because I was a woman he can treat me this way because they were very friendly to the male patron. I am taking this complaint everywhere I can. Do NOT go here terrible customer service! Sandwiches Unlimited is not too far from there and it’s where I usually go try them.

This was a waste time and money. I went thinking I was going to have succulent burger and fries but instead I get a flat piece of meat embedded with a lot of lettuce and tomatoes and bread. I also ordered chicken wings and they were so smalls and tastes so bad. It took more 35 minutes just to get the food I was so disgusted with everything. This will be last I would go here for American food but I believe their best at Costa Rican food

Based on the location and the overall feel of the place, it looks ordinary. Plastic chairs and four tables? Yeah, it isn’t really a place you would dine in. However, what I ordered was certainly not ordinary. Where else in a 35+ mile radius (within NJ) can you order homemade Costa Rican dishes?
Seco de Oveja ($ 6.50) (A): Yes, you read that correctly: $ 6.50 for a large plate of Seco de Oveja. You get plenty of tender mutton and bones in a savory and rich red sauce, rice, beans, a salad, and a couple of slices of plantains. The red sauce has a peppery kick to it with just the right amount of saltiness. The mutton, surprisingly, does not have that strong and pungent smell I am used to in gamey meats. Big portions + tasty mutton in the sauce = Slam dunk. There is Sri Racha on the tables, but ask for the homemade hot sauce!
My main complaint is that not everything on the menu is offered, which limits what you can order on certain days. However, I’m very satisfied with what I ordered for lunch today and wouldn’t mind ordering it again.
I recommend trying the Costa Rican dishes. While they do sell burgers, gyros, and sandwiches among other things, a lot of places around town serve them as well. Go for something different.

Based on other reviews… Maybe I ordered the wrong thing. But I wanted a sub… And it wasn’t good. I’ll cut them some slack because they were nice.
My advice is if you have «sub» in your name, be prepared to make a great sub. Sounds like they are Costa Rican, and there aren’t many Costa Rican restaurants I know of — maybe they can fill that niche better than subs.

Definitely an accidental find while I was talking a walk in the neighborhood. Judging by the name I assumed I’d just get a salami sandwich to go, but once I was inside I realized they had a mish mosh of options including hot food.
I went for the stewed chicken and roast chicken entrees. These included rice and beans and plantains. I also got bread pudding. All was very good. Huge portions. Extremely reasonably priced.
Great to have this place walking distance from home.

You have to look closely to this otherwise normal «deli & subs» location in Maplewood, NJ. The first hint of the wonders inside is the easy to miss although very large «Costa Rican» that is written in the window. Inside, a few photos of Costa Rican food are interspersed with photos of nachos, subs, French fries, and pupusas.
While we were there, I saw people come in for a gyro, nachos, and peirogis. Needless to say, the lovely proprietor was ecstatic when I started asking her what kind of food we could eat from her country, a place that each mention of caused her to put her hand on her heart, while a look of pain and longing spread across her face.
If you are traveling through Central America, you can find a decent variety of tastes between countries, even though all the cuisines are centered around rice and beans. In the United States, if not a lot of New York, food like this is often just mistaken for Mexican, even though it is very different. Costa Rica and Nicaragua are probably the least interesting of any of these small countries, with mild tastes and not much unusual, but still good enough to seek out and quite an oddity in the New York City dining scene.
The Costa Rican finds on the menu are in a section called «casados» or «married.» I decided to just talk it out with her and ask for a couple plates of her choosing. The chicken plate ($ 7.50) is a stewed leg and pretty good. When rice and beans are as good as this, you really don’t need such a delicious meat, as it is very comforting no matter what. The plates are served with a fried sweet plantain as well, and makes for quite a large portion. This kind of arrangement took me immediately back to travels as it is served almost identically to what you would get in a no-​frills diner.
We also got to try the steak ($ 8.50) which is smaller pieces shredded, but unfortunately ends up a bit dry and lacks kick. Luckily the juices soak up well with that aforementioned portion of rice and beans. I would probably swap it for the pork chop next time, a dish she asked me about after the meal and recommended. They also make a whole fish plate that looks pretty tasty.
We also ordered a small portion of chicharron, but I would definitely ask next time when it was made, as these pieces seemed to be very old. On a fresh day, you should definitely swipe them up.
They don’t have any Cerveza Imperial, but you are more than encouraged to bring in some yourself, which I will definitely be doing next time I visit.