For a few moments each morning, Faicco’s Italian Specialties is quiet. Dressed in embroidered shirts and aprons, the staff is busy setting up their stations, slicing and restocking all manners of salami, canned tomatoes, sausages, prepared foods, imported spices, and cheeses–the same as they’ve been for over 100 years. But, in 2024, the massive line of people out the door come 11 AM are no longer queuing for cuts from the butcher’s case, but also for decadent sandwiches made fresh, and large, to order.

A classic Italian deli in all senses of the word, Faicco’s is one of the oldest, not just in New York, but in all of the United States. Arriving from Sorrento in 1896, Eduardo Faicco was enjoying a sausage from a local butcher when he bit into a piece of wood. Making a promise to never let that happen again, he opened Faicco’s Pork Store in 1900; he couldn’t have predicted it would witness the next century as well. 

In a transient environment like New York, it’s difficult to stay afloat, especially when we’re talking about a time span of multiple decades. Izzy, the General Manager who’s been with the family since 2004, shares how with a few adjustments, Faicco’s hasn’t just survived, but truly thrives four generations later. 

In what ways does the shop celebrate Italian-American culture in New York City? 

Nowadays the community has changed a lot. Back in the day, there were more Italian people living around this area, so back then we used to be a butcher shop. Over the years we became a sandwich shop. 

We still continue to carry traditional Italian products like prosciutto, salami, and dried sausages. But we don’t carry as much as we used to. We try to keep it old-fashioned, but we’ve had to make adjustments.

Is adjusting how you were able to stay afloat? 

Yes, by adjusting to people’s needs. Nowadays not as many people cook around here, so we used to waste a lot of meat. That was one of the reasons why we became a sandwich shop. 

What do you think sets you apart from other sandwich shops? 

We just focus on what we do. We make sure our customers are happy when they walk out of the store and try to bring the best service we can.

What’s one of your most popular sandwiches?

The Italian special and the chicken cutlet with mozzarella and pesto. The former is capicola, prosciutto, soppressata, fresh mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, and roasted peppers. And we add a little bit of salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar.