The story

A Staten Island Family Tradition Since 1956

Before Ariemma’s was a deli, it was a truck.

Mario Richard Ariemma began by driving around Staten Island selling fresh produce, Italian groceries and Jersey eggs to local families. After approximately a decade on the road, Mario and his father, Alfredo, purchased a piece of land at the corner of Hylan Boulevard and Buel Avenue in 1956.

At the time, the area looked very different. The property had been part of an apple orchard, dirt roads still surrounded it and Hylan Boulevard reportedly had only a handful of traffic lights.

It was there that Mario opened Ary’s Delicatessen, stocking the meats, cheeses, produce and imported specialties needed by Staten Island’s growing Italian-American community.

Nearly seven decades later, the store still occupies the same corner. Now called Ariemma’s Italian Deli & Catering, it remains a family-operated neighborhood institution where homemade food, oversized heroes and old Staten Island stories share the same counter.

From Produce Truck to Neighborhood Deli

Mario Ariemma built his business during a period when much of Staten Island was rapidly developing. Italian-American families were moving into new neighborhoods, and small food businesses helped maintain a connection to familiar ingredients and traditions.

Ary’s Delicatessen provided more than sandwiches. Customers could purchase produce, Italian meats, cheeses, eggs and specialty groceries while developing a personal relationship with the family behind the counter.

Mario’s knowledge of food mattered, but his personality appears to have been just as important to the store’s success. Ariemma’s history describes him as someone who knew his customers, understood the community and made people feel welcome.

The original name eventually gave way to Ariemma’s Italian Deli, but the business stayed on the same corner and within the same family.

After Mario died in December 2017, the corner of Buel Avenue was ceremonially named in his honor, recognizing more than six decades of service to Staten Island.

Today, the store continues with members of the Ariemma family, including Mario, Sydney, Gabriella and Santo, as well as longtime head chef Elias Gomez, who has spent more than 30 years in its kitchen. The full family history can be found on Ariemma’s official website.

Part Deli, Part Staten Island Museum

Ariemma’s does not need vintage-inspired decoration. The history on its walls is genuine.

Old family photographs, newspaper clippings, receipts and business memorabilia cover the store. Together, they document the transformation of the deli and the neighborhood around it.

A visit can feel like walking into a small Staten Island museum—one where the exhibits are displayed beside shelves of Italian groceries and the tour concludes with a chicken cutlet hero.

The atmosphere remains that of an old-fashioned mom-and-pop shop. Family members are often visible behind the counter, speaking with regular customers and explaining the day’s specials. Many people have been visiting long enough to remember earlier generations of the family.

That sense of continuity separates Ariemma’s from a restaurant designed to look historic. This is not an interpretation of a neighborhood deli. It is one that has been allowed to age naturally.

The Chicken Lulu

The signature sandwich at Ariemma’s is the Chicken Lulu.

It begins with a fried chicken cutlet topped with brown gravy and melted mozzarella. The combination lands somewhere between a chicken cutlet hero and an Italian-American comfort-food dinner packed inside bread.

The gravy softens the cutlet and adds savory depth, while the mozzarella brings the richness expected from a proper Staten Island hero. It is simple, filling and unmistakably local.

Ariemma’s also offers a Pork Cutlet Lulu built around the same formula: a thin fried pork cutlet, brown gravy and mozzarella.

Neither sandwich is trying to be delicate. Like many of the best Italian-American deli creations, the Lulu is built around familiar ingredients assembled generously and served without unnecessary presentation.

For a first visit, the Chicken Lulu is the logical place to begin.

A Menu That Extends Beyond Cold Cuts

Although Ariemma’s is known for its heroes, the deli operates more like a complete Italian-American kitchen than a conventional sandwich counter.

Food is prepared fresh throughout the day, and the selection can include chicken and eggplant Parmigiana, stuffed peppers, homemade salads, pasta, roast beef, vodka sauce and rotating hot entrées.

The cold counter still matters. Customers can order Italian meats and cheeses, traditional combinations or customized heroes. But the homemade dishes give Ariemma’s much of its individual character.

Prosciutto balls are among the store’s best-known specialties. Calzone egg rolls transform a familiar Italian-American flavor into a compact fried snack. Creamy potato salad, macaroni salad and coleslaw provide the classic deli sides.

The store also offers daily and weekly specials, so the most interesting order may depend on what is coming out of the kitchen that morning.

This flexibility reflects the role Ariemma’s plays in the neighborhood. It can provide a quick sandwich, a prepared dinner for the family, imported groceries or catering for a large celebration.

The Value of the Mini Hero

Ariemma’s has long been associated with affordable hero specials. Its mini heroes offer a way to try one of the deli’s hot sandwiches without committing to the size and cost of a full overstuffed hero.

Options may include:

• Chicken Parmigiana
• Chicken Lulu
• Eggplant Parmigiana
• Zucchini Parmigiana
• Potatoes and eggs
• Cheesesteak with fried onions
• Pork Cutlet Lulu
• Pork Cutlet Parmigiana
• Hot dogs with sauerkraut and mustard

The price and exact selection can change, but the idea remains important: Ariemma’s continues to operate as an everyday neighborhood deli rather than treating every sandwich as a premium food event.

That accessibility has helped generations of Staten Islanders make the store part of their routine.

What to Order at Ariemma’s

Chicken Lulu

The essential first order: fried chicken cutlet, brown gravy and melted mozzarella on a hero.

Pork Cutlet Lulu

A pork cutlet version of the signature sandwich, built with the same gravy-and-mozzarella combination.

Prosciutto Balls

One of Ariemma’s most recognizable homemade specialties and a good addition to any sandwich order.

Chicken Parmigiana with Vodka Sauce

A richer alternative to the traditional chicken Parm hero, combining fried chicken, mozzarella and creamy vodka sauce.

Eye-Round Roast Beef

A classic deli choice that highlights the store’s meat-counter heritage.

Calzone Egg Rolls

A playful Italian-American snack with the flavors of a calzone in a crisp egg-roll wrapper.

Potato or Macaroni Salad

House-made deli sides that complete the neighborhood lunch-counter experience.

Lard Bread or Twisted Italian Bread

When available, these are worth adding to the order—even if the hero already provides more than enough bread for one visit.

How to Approach Your First Visit

Ariemma’s menu is large and changes frequently, so arriving without a rigid plan can be an advantage.

Start by asking what was made that day and which specials are available. The people behind the counter know the menu and can usually direct first-time visitors toward a house specialty.

For the most representative order, choose a Chicken Lulu, add prosciutto balls or a homemade side and take a few minutes to look at the photographs and clippings displayed around the shop.

A few practical tips:

• Check the current daily specials before visiting.
• Remember that Ariemma’s is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• Visit earlier if you want the widest selection of prepared food.
• Ask about homemade pasta, bread and seasonal specialties.
• Consider a mini hero if you want to sample more than one item.
• Catering and prepared family meals are a major part of the business.

Unlike Sal, Kris & Charlie’s, where one famous sandwich dominates the experience, Ariemma’s rewards exploration.

Why Ariemma’s Matters

Every borough has businesses that explain the neighborhood better than a history book can.

Ariemma’s tells the story of Staten Island through produce trucks, Italian groceries, family recipes, suburban growth and customers who continued returning as the borough changed around them.

Its importance does not rest on having New York’s largest sandwich or the city’s most famous pastrami. It comes from longevity, family involvement and the daily work of remaining useful to the community.

The store began by supplying Italian families with ingredients they could not easily find elsewhere. Today, it still provides the foods that gather people around a table—heroes for lunch, trays for holidays, prepared dinners and catering for family celebrations.

The corner now bearing Mario Ariemma’s name is evidence that a deli can become part of a neighborhood’s public memory.

Ariemma’s is not merely one of Staten Island’s oldest Italian delis. It is a record of how family food businesses help build a borough.