The story

Home of Astoria’s Legendary “Bomb” Sandwich

Some New York sandwiches are known for perfect proportions. Others are known for restraint, precision or carefully sourced ingredients.

The Bomb is not one of those sandwiches.

At Sal, Kris & Charlie’s in Astoria, Queens, the signature hero arrives packed with layers of Italian and American cold cuts, multiple cheeses, shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, hot and sweet peppers, mayonnaise, oil and vinegar. It is long, heavy and almost comically overfilled.

But The Bomb is more than a social media spectacle. It is the most famous expression of a neighborhood deli that has spent decades feeding Astoria residents, construction workers, students, commuters and sandwich enthusiasts who travel across the city to experience it.

There is no dining room, polished presentation or complicated ordering ritual. You walk in, tell the counter staff what you want, watch them build it and leave carrying considerably more sandwich than most people could finish in one sitting.

That simplicity is part of what makes Sal, Kris & Charlie’s a true New York deli.

An Astoria Sandwich Institution

The deli at 33-12 23rd Avenue traces its history to 1940, but the name Sal, Kris & Charlie’s dates to 1987.

The name combined three people connected to the shop: Sal, its longtime counterman; Kris, Sal’s wife; and Charlie Gordon, who became the store’s third owner and helped establish its reputation as “The Sandwich King of Astoria.”

Charlie was known for making sandwiches the way he would want to eat them—with no hesitation when it came to adding meat. That generosity became the deli’s defining style.

After Charlie died in 2019, the Gordon family continued operating the business. His sons carried forward a shop that had become part of Astoria’s identity rather than simply a place to buy lunch.

The deli’s appeal comes partly from its consistency. It has not been redesigned to look nostalgic, and it does not need to explain that it is “old school.” Its narrow layout, efficient counter service and enormous paper-wrapped heroes already tell the story.

The Accidental Creation of The Bomb

According to the deli’s history, The Bomb began when a customer asked Charlie to make whatever sandwich he wanted.

Charlie began layering meats, cheeses and toppings onto a hero. Another customer saw what he was making and asked for the same thing. The improvised sandwich eventually found its way onto the menu and became the shop’s biggest attraction.

The exact list of ingredients is almost less important than the overall philosophy: if one meat is good, several meats are better.

The Bomb combines a changing selection of Italian and American cold cuts with American and provolone cheese. Depending on the version and source, the stack can include ham, turkey, salami, pepperoni, mortadella, roast beef, pastrami and capicola.

Lettuce, tomato and onion add freshness, while hot and sweet peppers cut through the richness. Mayonnaise, oil and vinegar bring everything together inside a long hero roll that somehow manages to contain it.

The sandwich has appeared in national food coverage and regularly circulates through Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Eater includes Sal, Kris & Charlie’s among both the best restaurants in Astoria and New York’s notable sandwich destinations.

The size gets the first reaction, but the combination keeps people coming back.

Is The Bomb Actually Good?

It would be easy to dismiss The Bomb as a novelty sandwich designed for photographs. Its dimensions almost encourage skepticism.

Yet the sandwich works because it is built around contrast. Salty, fatty meats are balanced by shredded lettuce, tomato, onion and acidic peppers. Soft cheese meets the bite of the hero roll. Mayonnaise adds richness, while vinegar keeps the entire sandwich from becoming too heavy.

“The Bomb” is not delicate, and it is not meant to be. It is an Italian-American hero turned all the way up.

The bigger challenge is figuring out how to eat it. Sharing is sensible. Asking for the sandwich to be cut into three or four portions also makes the experience more manageable. Many customers leave with enough food for another meal.

If you plan to save part of it, consider asking for the oil, vinegar or wetter toppings on the side. This can prevent the bread from becoming too soft before the leftovers reach the refrigerator.

More Than One Famous Sandwich

The Bomb receives most of the attention, but it is not the only reason to visit.

Sal, Kris & Charlie’s is still a working neighborhood deli where customers can build a sandwich around their preferred meat, cheese, bread and toppings. A straightforward turkey and provolone hero can be almost as impressive as The Bomb because the deli’s generous construction style applies throughout the menu.

The Italian Hero offers a more focused alternative, combining traditional Italian meats such as salami, pepperoni, prosciutto, soppressata and mortadella with provolone, lettuce, tomato and peppers.

Roast beef, pastrami, turkey, ham and tuna salad are also available for customers who want something more familiar. Ordering on a roll rather than a full hero is the closest thing to portion control here.

There is an important distinction between a place known for one viral item and a real neighborhood deli. Sal, Kris & Charlie’s belongs in the second category because Astoria was buying sandwiches here long before social media discovered them.

What to Order at Sal, Kris & Charlie’s

The Bomb

The signature order and the reason most first-time visitors make the trip. It combines multiple cold cuts, two cheeses and the full range of deli toppings on an oversized hero.

Bring an appetite—and preferably another person.

Italian Hero

A more traditional Italian-American combination featuring cured meats, provolone, lettuce, tomato, hot and sweet peppers, oil and vinegar.

Turkey and Provolone

Simple, dependable and still enormous. This is a good choice if you want to judge the deli by something other than its most elaborate creation.

Roast Beef and Cheese

A rich but less chaotic alternative to The Bomb. Add onion, peppers and your preferred dressing.

Build Your Own Sandwich

Choose a meat, cheese, bread and toppings to create a sandwich suited to your taste. The portions are unlikely to be modest, even when the order is.

How to Order Like a Regular

Sal, Kris & Charlie’s is a fast-moving counter-service deli. Knowing your order before reaching the counter makes the experience easier for everyone.

A few practical tips:

• Bring cash for an in-person visit.
• Decide between a hero and a roll before ordering.
• Know your choice of meat and cheese.
• Specify whether you want lettuce, tomato and onion.
• Choose hot peppers, sweet peppers or both.
• Ask for oil, vinegar and mayonnaise according to preference.
• Have the sandwich cut into multiple portions if you plan to share it.
• Pick up chips and a drink before reaching the counter when the store is busy.

There is no seating inside, so plan to take the sandwich home, eat in a nearby outdoor space or find a suitable Astoria stoop—the unofficial dining room of many New York sandwich shops.

A Deli Built for Astoria

Astoria is known for the range of its food: Greek tavernas, Egyptian seafood restaurants, Brazilian grills, bakeries, cafés and restaurants representing communities from across the world.

Sal, Kris & Charlie’s represents another important part of the neighborhood: the practical, Italian-American deli where food is made quickly, portions are generous and regular customers know exactly how they want their sandwiches.

The shop opens early, serving commuters and workers long before the normal lunch rush begins. That schedule reinforces its identity as a functioning neighborhood business rather than a destination designed only for food tourists.

Visitors come for The Bomb, but the deli’s longevity is built on everyday orders: turkey heroes, roast beef sandwiches, coffee, chips and familiar conversations across the counter.

Why Sal, Kris & Charlie’s Matters

New York’s deli culture is not defined by a single tradition.

Katz’s represents the city’s historic Jewish delicatessen. Defonte’s carries Brooklyn’s Italian-American sandwich legacy. Sal, Kris & Charlie’s belongs to the Queens version of that story: a compact neighborhood shop where the hero sandwich is both everyday food and an exercise in abundance.

The Bomb may be exaggerated, but the deli behind it is authentic. It reflects a New York philosophy that has never required elegance to create loyalty.

Good bread, plenty of cold cuts, the right peppers and no fear of making the sandwich too large—that is the Sal, Kris & Charlie’s formula.

In a city where lunch can become increasingly polished and expensive, there is something reassuring about a deli that still believes the answer is simply to add more sandwich.