If you want amazing homecooked Italian food, go to Mario’s Deli

Mario’s Deli, 4723 Vernon Blvd, 718.937.3193

Sometimes things and places are right under your nose, but you miss them entirely until one day you see a video about your neighborhood and shots of a deli with amazing looking home-cooked food right on Vernon that you noticed but wrote off as just another deli. Oops. Well luckily, the loss is only mine and it’s righted now. Mario’s Deli has been on Vernon Blvd forever, and clearly there are many in the know because every time I go in there, it’s hopping with hungry people.

Mario’s deli achieves pure excellence. There’s an amazing hot bar of Italian classics: lasagna, baked ziti, chicken grilled and roasted, calamari, roasted veggies, and my favorite mix of grilled sausage and onions. On top of that, a multitude of hot sandwiches, and the deli standards. All of the food is cooked fresh on-site, and Mario’s delivers, caters… whatever you need. I saw stacks of pastrami sandwiches going out that were extremely enticing.

Bad news for those of you who live in LIC but work somewhere else during the week. Mario’s is open from about 5am to 5:30pm M-F, and until 3/4pm on Saturdays. I myself would love for them to stay open later on the weekdays, so I can have some of that lasagna for dinner, but it might take a bunch of hungry condo dwellers to get organized and petition Mr Mario to feed us into the night. Like all longtime LIC purveyors, Mario’s totally hands on, always around the deli, and a fabulous character. The staff are fun and friendly - I’m always happy when I’m heading over there. And even happier after I leave.

I know it might seem like I’ve been gushing about all the LIC commerce lately, but it’s not for any other reason but they deserve it. We may not have quantity, but we’ve definitely got quality.