South Orange Eatery Makes Best Sandwich Shop List

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ - When it comes to sandwiches, South Orange residents don't have far to travel to find some of the best in the nation according to Thrillist.

The Town Hall Delicatessen made the cut of the 33 best sandwich shops in America. The site notes that they've largely foregone chains and retired "quite a few classics into the sandwich hall of fame."

Here is what they said about Town Hall:

"New Jersey, you can get a pork roll anywhere. Only at Orange's Town Hall can you get the original Sloppy Joe, which has inspired the aforementioned Millburn Deli and countless others to aspire to greatness.It's just a bunch of ground beef and ketchup. It's actually more akin to a triple-decker Reuben, with ham, tongue, and Swiss. If tongue makes you nervous, better not look at what goes into your go-to Manwich.Or just go with the steak sandwich or the best damn muffaletta north of the Mason-Dixon. Barring that, go with the classic Gobbler, which crams an entire Thanksgiving meal -- sides and all -- into a bun. That, to, gets sloppy. Everything here does. Have your sandwich and wear it too."

According to their website, Town Hall Deli opened in 1927 and during the 1930's, the Mayor of nearby Maplewood visited Havana, Cuba and visited Sloppy Joe's Bar and Eatery. Joe, the proprietor, was well-known for the disarray in the bar hence the nickname "Sloppy" Joe.

The Mayor had a sandwich that he loved so much that when he returned home, he asked the owners of the Town Hall Deli to duplicate the recipe which was coleslaw, ham, cow tongue, swiss cheese, with lots of dressing served on thin rye bread. Hence, the origin of the Sloppy Joe sandwich and how Town Hall Deli of South Orange became "The Birthplace of the Sloppy Joe."

You can see exactly how the sandwich, sans the cow tongue, is made below:

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